tea water

[Ann Marie]

Hi!

I was wondering if it possible to add tea water to the oil instead of putting lye directly in it?...for example, cut the water in half, add the lye to half the straight water and then at light trace add the other half as tea water (whichever tea) so as not to burn the tea but be able to color the soap? I hope I am not being too confusing...Thanks for the advice!!!

 

[Rachelmf]

I'm unsure about how much of a difference it would make, but I don't see any reason you couldn't reserve half of the water to add as tea at trace if you want to.

 

[soapcakes]

I agree with Rachel...I don't see why not, this is similar to what some people do when they make milk soaps. Just make sure you have enough water to safely dissolve the lye

 

[kharmon320]

Shouldn't be a problem.

 

[npc]

Just make sure the half water can dissolve the lye.
It works well for me.

 

[Hazel]

You can try it but I don't know how well the tea will act as a colorant since tannin in the tea causes browning when its exposed to lye. This is really too bad since rosehip & hibiscus tea is a gorgeous red and I would have loved to have had soap of this color. However, it's worth a try since I've always used 100% tea and added the lye to it. Adding the tea later might give you a better color. Please let us know your results. :grin:

BTW, what type of tea are you using?