If I want vibrant colourful colours in my soap, am I basically destined to only use vanilla-free fragrances?

[SpaceCorgi94]

I'm happy adding a heap of TD to my batter when I want to get them stark white, however with colours that's just not gonna be possible. Should I just look at vanilla-free FOs in the future when I'm planning on doing bright vibrant colours that don't develop a yucky tint of brown?

 

[Obsidian]

Pretty much, yes. There is a product called vanilla stabilizer that is supposed to prevent the vanilla from going brown but I'm not experienced with it.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I don't use TD. For bright colors, I add 1 teaspoon - 1 tablespoon white kaolin clay to lay down a foundation for bright white soap and bright colors. Unfortunately, if vanilla is in the fragrance you get some shade of brown.

 

[sarahmarah]

I have a small sample bottle of vanilla stabilizer that I haven’t tried yet and I don’t know if I’ve been motivated to. I try to embrace the brown. If it’s a light brown I shoot for blending white mica in so I can get tan shade. I find that I’m really not much of a fan of TD because it gives me a weird crackle effect on occasion.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Precisely why I never use vanilla. Luckily for me I don't like vanilla scented stuff anyway : )

 

[SpaceCorgi94]

Precisely why I never use vanilla. Luckily for me I don't like vanilla scented stuff anyway : )

While I'm not quite fond of vanilla itself, and haven't really had much of a problem with it up til now, it's a bit disheartening to truly have it sink in that I'll never be able to make the blue/white/pink Marshmallow scented soap I spent ages designing

Up til now if I used colour it was with cocoa powder so it was never really an issue, but it's lookin like I'll have to start trawling the "Vanilla Free" sections of the websites if I wanna explore the part of soapmaking I enjoy most; the design

 

[KiwiMoose]

I use discolouring fragrances in dark coloured soap - or in the dark sections of my mixed coloured soap. I recently made a soap with 'cotton candy' fragrance which has vanillin in it. I'm calling it 'Black Cotton Candy'

 

[SpaceCorgi94]

I use discolouring fragrances in dark coloured soap - or in the dark sections of my mixed coloured soap. I recently made a soap with 'cotton candy' fragrance which has vanillin in it. I'm calling it 'Black Cotton Candy'
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That's something I'd been considering. I'd also thought about either exclusively using the fragrance oils in the brown/black parts of the soap, OR, somehow making a dark boarder for the fragrance to go in, leaving the rest of the soap inside unscented. Kinda like a cross section of a pot.

Either way. Sad day. Now I gotta go get more fragrance oils but the website I usually buy from has taken all their listings down because they need to catch up on shipping orders I'm sorry, I know I'm ranting now, it's been a long day of overdue realisations.

 

[KiwiMoose]

It's only you and me here - rant away. All the rest of 'em are in bed because it's night time over there in TrumpLand.

 

[SpaceCorgi94]

It's only you and me here - rant away. All the rest of 'em are in bed because it's night time over there in TrumpLand.

Ahahah, too right, thank you. I hadn't even realised the location of the users section on every reply on this forum

 

[gardengeek]

Every time I see Melbourne I think it's Melbourne, Florida, a couple towns south of me!

All of a sudden, I seem to have the same problem. Most of the FO in my cabinet have some amount of vanilla in them. I looked at the stabilizer and it seemed expensive to me so I'm not going to try it. I'll have to pay more attention to the V content when I'm shopping.

 

[shunt2011]

You can still use fragrances with vanilla in it. I separate out a portion before adding the FO in that case. I color the non fragrance portion and then add the FO to the rest. It lasts quite some time with no issues. The other option is to use a good vanilla stabilizer. I only use Bittercreek VS as it works and last up to and over a year in some cases.

 

[JillGat]

It's only you and me here - rant away. All the rest of 'em are in bed because it's night time over there in TrumpLand.

Yeah, and we are all having nightmares.

 

[soapmaker]

For vibrant colours, no vanilla and a soap base of 80% olive oil and 20% coconut oil. I use Gallo olive oil, maybe not available everywhere.

For vibrant colours, no vanilla and a soap base of 80% olive oil and 20% coconut oil. I use Gallo olive oil, maybe not available everywhere.