Aleppo soap, two tries, does not come out green

[Kate Goodhart]

Did two batches of Aleppo soap today. Olive oil 80%, Laurel Berry oil 20% on 1, the other was olive oil 81% Laurel Berry oil 19% not that I think it makes much of a difference. Both batches came out the same color as my [pure] Castile soaps.

All videos and tutorials I've seen on Aleppo soap show at least a light green when pouring into the molds.

One batch I gelled, the other batch I didn't.

I just received the laurel Berry oil from BeScented.

Is this possibly a vendor issue? Or is it common that Aleppo soaps turn green as they age, then turn brown as they age more?

 

[lenarenee]

I used regular Costco Kirkland oo which is yellow, and BeScented laurel berry oil in 80/20 ratio and mine was green during mixing, but quickly turned khaki beige by the time I cut.

I think the type of olive oil might be a factor, and percentage of lbo. Some Aleppo soap is 40% lbo.

Mine is 2 years old now, and I really like its uniqueness!

 

[Kate Goodhart]

As luck would have it, mine was Costco as well. Maybe I'll try a different olive oil and see....

 

[penelopejane]

No matter what type or grade of OO you use after a few months of curing it will be close to white. It’s the laurel berry oil that makes it green but that is only before it cures. It eventually turns cream or very light brown depending on the % laurel berry oil.

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www...ss-well-being/stories/amp/what-is-aleppo-soap

 

[shunt2011]

When I made mine I too used Costco OO. I did 70/30 and mine was/still is a khaki color

 

[Kate Goodhart]

When I made mine I too used Costco OO. I did 70/30 and mine was/still is a khaki color

Hmmm.... that's 3 of us now who didn't get green with Costco oo and bescented laurel berry... maybe it is a vendor/product issue with either costco or bescented. Since my Costco olive oil has always colored correctly, I'm guessing it might be the Laurel Berry. Going to try to get that from another vendor and see if there's a difference.

No matter what type or grade of OO you use after a few months of curing it will be close to white. It’s the laurel berry oil that makes it green but that is only before it cures. It eventually turns cream or very light brown depending on the % laurel berry oil.

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www...ss-well-being/stories/amp/what-is-aleppo-soap

The problem being, it didn't color with the laurel berry oil. A second responded who also used the same vendors for both olive oil and Laurel Berry oil has me wondering if maybe there's something with the Laurel Berry oil from that particular supplier that may be the rub. I see videos of people only using 10% Laurel Berry and still getting green going into and out of the mold.

 

[shunt2011]

@Kate Goodhart my soaps never have a green hue to them using Costco OO. Even my high OO soaps are near white to very light beige. Not sure why it matters. I actually don't like the Aleppo type soap. I have a pound of the oil and will likely just integrate in to a couple different soaps just to use it up. The one I made is 4-5 years old and I still have some bars from it. A couple just recently started to show some DOS.

 

[Jersey Girl]

@Kate Goodhart my soaps never have a green hue to them using Costco OO. Even my high OO soaps are near white to very light beige. Not sure why it matters. I actually don't like the Aleppo type soap. I have a pound of the oil and will likely just integrate in to a couple different soaps just to use it up. The one I made is 4-5 years old and I still have some bars from it. A couple just recently started to show some DOS.

How long is the shelf life of the LBO? I was thinking about trying some but was wondering how long the suppliers may have had the oil sitting around since it’s not very “popular” (for lack of a better word) Also because it has such a unique strong smell, would it be hard to tell if it has gone rancid?

 

[TheGecko]

As luck would have it, mine was Costco as well. Maybe I'll try a different olive oil and see....

If you want a green tint, try EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil) which has a natural green tint to it.

 

[shunt2011]

I believe the shelf life is 2 years. They should have an expiration date on the bottle.

 

[lenarenee]

Wait, you do know all Aleppo soap turns brown eventually right?

 

[TheGecko]

From the alleppo.dk website:

Aleppo soap is the world's oldest soap and a pure natural product made of fine olive oil, laurel oil, water and lye.

This traditional formula contains no colours, parabenes or perfume. Compared to the soaps of today, Aleppo soap supports your skin's own balance, making it suitable for all skin types.

The ingredients are mixed in the winter during harvest season and set to dry for up to nine months. During the drying process, the soap turns from green to its distinct beige colour while preserving its natural antibiotic qualities.

The laurel oil is an effective cleanser that, together with olive oil, helps to purify and nourish your skin.

 

[moodymama]

I made 100% olive oil soap 3 months ago and it still has light green color. I made it with extra virgin olive oil that was naturally green in color.

 

[Kate Goodhart]

Wait, you do know all Aleppo soap turns brown eventually right?

I know it turns brown eventually, but the question was Why didn't it start off green? Wondering if maybe I have a poor-quality laurel Berry oil. Just did a tiny batch, very low oo with a pretty good chunk of Laurel Berry. I got tan again! On this test mix, it was maybe 75% Laurel Berry and you would think it would green just a little bit. Call to see if I can get Laurel Berry from someone else and see if I get the same problem.

I made 100% olive oil soap 3 months ago and it still has light green color. I made it with extra virgin olive oil that was naturally green in color.

The green color should be coming from the Laurel Berry. Ergo the problem isn't the olive oil, it's weather that my Laurel Berry oil might be bad

 

[shunt2011]

Mine started out a nice olive green.

 

[Jersey Girl]

The green color should be coming from the Laurel Berry. Ergo the problem isn't the olive oil, it's weather that my Laurel Berry oil might be bad

Kate,
Is there an expiration date on your bottle of LBO? How long ago did you purchase it?

 

[Kate Goodhart]

Kate,
Is there an expiration date on your bottle of LBO? How long ago did you purchase it?

Just received on Friday. No expiration date on bottle. More a brown than a green. Maybe a hint of green at most. Contacted vendor to find out if I may have a bad bottle. Never having used it before I Ass-u-med it was good. Now not so sure.... Hopefully I get a response. Paid a pretty penny for it!!!

 

[GML]

Why do you think the oil you ordered is defected? According to bescented site the color of LBO is described as the following:
Laurel Berry oil is pale yellow, greenish yellow, or olive green; spicy and warm aroma.

If you used the KS Olive Oil blend (which is pale in color) at 80% and 81% it probably explains why your soap is more is on the beige side. And as @penelopejane explained above and provided the link, the soap turns white as it cures.

 

[shunt2011]

I'll get a picture of mine tonight when I get home. It's not green, it's kind of a khaki greening beige. I used the LBO at 30%.

 

[moodymama]

I know it turns brown eventually, but the question was Why didn't it start off green? Wondering if maybe I have a poor-quality laurel Berry oil. Just did a tiny batch, very low oo with a pretty good chunk of Laurel Berry. I got tan again! On this test mix, it was maybe 75% Laurel Berry and you would think it would green just a little bit. Call to see if I can get Laurel Berry from someone else and see if I get the same problem.


The green color should be coming from the Laurel Berry. Ergo the problem isn't the olive oil, it's weather that my Laurel Berry oil might be bad

If the laurel berry is green from chlorophyll maybe it's good it did stay green. Chlorophyll reacts to light and helps oil go rancid. I checked my castile soap last night and it has dos on it. I stopped using the evoo after that batch because I didn't like the green hue.