Question about Aleppo!

[MysPhoenix]

So the last few days I have been reading several excellent/helpful threads here start to finish about making Aleppo soap. I also did a search on google and found several great articles...however, and maybe I missed it somewhere, but I'm looking for an update from those who made Aleppo soap and after a year successfully had the "yellow/cream on the outside, green on the inside".

I am hoping to make Aleppo week after next and am really really hoping to get the dual-color it is "authentically" supposed to be.

Thank you!

 

[KimW]

Sorry you didn't get any replies to your post, but I'm curious if you made the soap? I just got intrigued about making Aleppo soap tonight... Maybe you can be "the one" who lets us all know how it goes after a year!

 

[Ford]

Hi. Have a batch planned also. Was hoping to learn along with mysphoenix.

 

[Tara_H]

I haven't tried Aleppo soap, but while I was reading up on natural colourants yesterday, someone (I think @earlene) said that you can use bay leaves infused in oil as a colour. Since from what I understand they're what give Aleppo soap its colour, maybe you could try making a concentrated infusion to help boost the colour?

 

[earlene]

So the last few days I have been reading several excellent/helpful threads here start to finish about making Aleppo soap. I also did a search on google and found several great articles...however, and maybe I missed it somewhere, but I'm looking for an update from those who made Aleppo soap and after a year successfully had the "yellow/cream on the outside, green on the inside".

I am hoping to make Aleppo week after next and am really really hoping to get the dual-color it is "authentically" supposed to be.

Thank you!

I believe the authentic color you are looking for just naturally happens as oxygen interacts with the outer surface of the soap.

 

[Quanta]

I made a batch several months ago. The strong scent does fade after a week or so (unless you pick it up and sniff it) but the green is definitely fading, too. There's nothing you can do to prevent it (that I know of) so it's unlikely you'll inadvertantly do something to stop it. As long as you use real Laurel Berry oil, it will be green at first and oxidize to golden. Don't use mica or other colorants of course, and I wouldn't use fragrance either. Mine is 22% Laurel Berry and the rest EVOO.

 

[lenarenee]

I’ve made Aleppo soap. I never got the dual color, where the soap starts out a pine green color. Mine was always one color, a beige/khaki color.
I wonder if the oils used make a difference. My laurel berry oil was brown from the bottle, and the olive oil was yellow. (Costco). Although, even if you used green evoo at 100% the bar eventually turns white.

 

[Quanta]

I’ve made Aleppo soap. I never got the dual color, where the soap starts out a pine green color. Mine was always one color, a beige/khaki color.
I wonder if the oils used make a difference. My laurel berry oil was brown from the bottle, and the olive oil was yellow. (Costco). Although, even if you used green evoo at 100% the bar eventually turns white.

What percentage of Laurel did you use, and where did you get it? I also used Laurel Berry oil that was brown, and Costco brand EVOO. My soap started out green and is about halfway to golden now.

 

[lenarenee]

I

What percentage of Laurel did you use, and where did you get it? I also used Laurel Berry oil that was brown, and Costco brand EVOO. My soap started out green and is about halfway to golden now.

I’ve used up to 25% laurel berry oil. It was from BeScented. When I watched the Syrian YouTube videos on it, they pour in some VERY green oil!

 

[ResolvableOwl]

If I wouldn't hate the smell of laurel that much, I probably would give some experimental curing approaches a try. I'm still playing with the idea if it were feasible to put the soap into a hermetically sealed container with the air displaced by nitrogen or propane/butane, together with a pack of silica gel or quicklime. Not particularly efficient/sustainable, but next level prevention of oxidative stress.

 

[MysPhoenix]

Sorry you didn't get any replies to your post, but I'm curious if you made the soap? I just got intrigued about making Aleppo soap tonight... Maybe you can be "the one" who lets us all know how it goes after a year!

I actually had a financial crisis and am needing to postpone this for two more weeks. I'm super bummed but cannot wait to give it go!

Hi. Have a batch planned also. Was hoping to learn along with mysphoenix.

I’ve made Aleppo soap. I never got the dual color, where the soap starts out a pine green color. Mine was always one color, a beige/khaki color.
I wonder if the oils used make a difference. My laurel berry oil was brown from the bottle, and the olive oil was yellow. (Costco). Although, even if you used green evoo at 100% the bar eventually turns white.

I'm considering trying the aleppo at different percentages & using it for the SF. From what I have read, the laurel berry oil added (traditionally) after the cook to saponify any remaining free lye. I have a friend who made aleppo a few years ago and hers is still green on the outside as well, and it's been green in every picture I've seen from fellow soapers but those pictures are always taken after unmolding/cutting instead of "down the line". I even found two articles where the person said they would post updated pictures but then they never did (the articles were written years ago).

I made a batch several months ago. The strong scent does fade after a week or so (unless you pick it up and sniff it) but the green is definitely fading, too. There's nothing you can do to prevent it (that I know of) so it's unlikely you'll inadvertantly do something to stop it. As long as you use real Laurel Berry oil, it will be green at first and oxidize to golden. Don't use mica or other colorants of course, and I wouldn't use fragrance either. Mine is 22% Laurel Berry and the rest EVOO.

THANK YOU! I am so happy to hear that it oxidized for you. Have you cut any of your bars to look for green on the inside (where oxidation hasn't happened)?

 

[Quanta]

I actually had a financial crisis and am needing to postpone this for two more weeks. I'm super bummed but cannot wait to give it go!


I'm considering trying the aleppo at different percentages & using it for the SF. From what I have read, the laurel berry oil added (traditionally) after the cook to saponify any remaining free lye. I have a friend who made aleppo a few years ago and hers is still green on the outside as well, and it's been green in every picture I've seen from fellow soapers but those pictures are always taken after unmolding/cutting instead of "down the line". I even found two articles where the person said they would post updated pictures but then they never did (the articles were written years ago).

THANK YOU! I am so happy to hear that it oxidized for you. Have you cut any of your bars to look for green on the inside (where oxidation hasn't happened)?

I haven't, but mine are pretty small because I made a small batch, so might not have very much green inside anymore. I only bought a 2 oz bottle of Laurel Berry oil. I could try cutting one, and see what it looks like inside. I'll post pictures if I do it.

 

[gardengeek]

I made my first Aleppo soap 23 days ago. I did two 50/50 OO/LBO batches. One has a 2% SF and the other 3% SF. I used a 40% and 37% lye concentration, which I would drop to 33% if I try it again because they both accelerated so much I could barely get them in the mold. My bars are still green so no ring yet. The color has faded some already though.

I did purchase one bar off Amazon to compare mine to but it's a 60/40 blend so it's not exactly what I have. I tried to cut it after I saw this thread and could only slice the very edge off since it was a little soft from my using it. It doesn't have a ring either so maybe it's not authentic Aleppo??

I had to use my respirator when I was making the soap because I find the LBO pretty offensive. For the 2nd batch, I added an EO blend that had about 15% patchouli in it (total blend 6% PPO). I know real Aleppo isn't scented, but the patchouli I can detect actually blends nicely with the LBO. So that's something else I would do differently next time...add maybe 6% PPO patchouli EO.

I got my LBO from BeScented. It's a dark brown oil. The OO I used was Walmart Classic which is more golden colored - not green at all.

 

[Quanta]

I did purchase one bar off Amazon to compare mine to but it's a 60/40 blend so it's not exactly what I have. I tried to cut it after I saw this thread and could only slice the very edge off since it was a little soft from my using it. It doesn't have a ring either so maybe it's not authentic Aleppo??

Not necessarily. Depending on the age of the soap, the oxidation ring could be pretty deep. Aleppo soap is traditionally cured for something like 9 months before selling it. You might only have a little bit of green in the very middle by then. Cutting a slice off the edge probably isn't deep enough to see.

That's why I'm hesitant to say mine are for sure green inside, because of their tiny size. The golden color can be deep, but mine are only about two months old. So we'll see. I may try cutting one in a few days.

 

[Ford]

Hi, what size Is a traditional bar?? They look like 2x2 blocks? Still have to put a couple things in place. Before I am ready.

 

[gardengeek]

Hi, what size Is a traditional bar?? They look like 2x2 blocks? Still have to put a couple things in place. Before I am ready.

The one I purchased on Amazon was roughly 3 x 2 x 1.5

 

[ResolvableOwl]

All the things you can buy for money…


57mm×57mm×29mm (100 g)
But I suspect from the precision of the shape/bevelling, stamp, and mould scratch marks that this is not the shape in which the saponification had taken place, but it was put into shape by an industrial extrusion process.
There is a slight, but noticeable ring thing going on (cut open freshly): the core is ever so slightly greener, about half a centimetre of the soap has discoloured to an “old-looking” olive-tan hue, without a distinct boundary.

Gosh, I bought this two days ago, and only now came up with the idea to lock it away airtight, so that it doesn't poison the whole room with its arguable scent. On the other hand, I noticed a bit of sweating to develop on the outside (very wet/rainy weather here since a few days).

I notice that I only buy the soaps I hate, since all the soaps I love, I make by myself .
But seriously, I wouldn't enjoy to buy half a pound or so of laurel oil, just to be disgusted by its smell, and/or disappointed by its colour.

 

[Quanta]

That's why I'm hesitant to say mine are for sure green inside, because of their tiny size. The golden color can be deep, but mine are only about two months old. So we'll see. I may try cutting one in a few days.

I did cut one of my little bars in half today. It was a pretty uniform shade of tan all throughout. As I suspected it isn't green even in the very middle anymore. If I ever make it again, I will make bigger bars. These started out a very olive green when made and have gradually changed.

I couldn't get a good picture that accurately showed the color. If the weather is nice tomorrow I may try to take a picture outside in daylight.

 

[MysPhoenix]

I did cut one of my little bars in half today. It was a pretty uniform shade of tan all throughout. As I suspected it isn't green even in the very middle anymore. If I ever make it again, I will make bigger bars. These started out a very olive green when made and have gradually changed.

I couldn't get a good picture that accurately showed the color. If the weather is nice tomorrow I may try to take a picture outside in daylight.

Thank you for the update! I look forward to pictures if the weather cooperates so you can get the correct lighting!

 

[Quanta]

Thank you for the update! I look forward to pictures if the weather cooperates so you can get the correct lighting!

I cut a bar in half, and this is the outside surface showing on the left, and the inside of the bar on the right.

It looks slightly darker inside, but all the green is gone. Also I need a different stick blender, because that's a lot of air bubbles in there.

ETA: This bar was cut less than a minute before the picture was taken. This isn't the one I cut the other day.