calendula powder

[Raha]

Dear Soap Makers,
I have a pound of ground calendula powder and I am having trouble figuring out the best way to use it in my CP soaps. I tried a batch a few days back and it looks horrible! It turned out looking like there is a yellow frame around a light gray/brown center. Why??

I put the ground calendula in after the soap batter was traced. Despite the fact that I used a filter, there were so many clumps of powder that formed that i spent FORever getting them out. This time I want to try something different. I was thinking about infusing it into OO and making sure it's blended together well. Then, adding it into my fats before the lye is mixed in--is that okay? Or should I just take a small amount of traced soap out of the batch and mix in the powder (for a concentrated mixture) and then mix that back into the main pot.

THANKS !
Raha

 

[carebear]

Give your cut soaps a couple of days and see if the color changes. If the outsides are a different color it is probably due to exposure to light.

What FO did you use?

I don't use powder, tho, I use petals and flowers and just infuse one of my oils. I don't like the feel of botanicals in my soaps.

 

[Raha]

it's been a couple of days and no change. what do you mean by exposure to light--i put all my soaps in the mold with like TONS of winter blankets on top!
hmm....
I didn't use any FO or EO just plain calendula and chamomile.
Ideas?