To keep lavender on top of soap purple...

[Cosmo]

Just a little tip I've been meaning to share. To keep the lavender buds you sprinkle on top of soap purple, sprinkle it on after the soap has gelled and spray liberally with alcohol. The alcohol adheres the buds to the soap and helps them keep their color instead of turning brown. Works like a charm!

I have buds on top a lavender soap that have remained bright blue/purple for 6+ months now.

 

[SoapPapaw]

Great thanks.

 

[Miz Jenny]

Thank you for that tip!

 

[ruby61]

Thanks!8)

 

[Cosmo]

Your'e welcome everyone! I'm trying to get a pic of one of the soaps now, but the only one I have with lavender buds is sprinkled with plantain (which is brown), too. Go figure!

Oh well, I'll show you anyway!

This soap is about 4 months old. It's really ugly IMHO but the lavender's still pretty!

 

[melstan775]

Wow that is a great tip Cosmo. Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[Mommysoaper]

Thanks! I did something like this with a lavender soap I made, at least adding the buds after spraying with alcohol. I didn't realize this was why they had stayed purple. Good to know! Now I know how to recreate! Thanks so much!

 

[paillo]

Wow, that is a fabulous tip, thank you!

 

[ewenique]

What a great tip! I'll try that next time. What percent alcohol did you use?

 

[Cosmo]

I used 91% isopropyl alcohol. I think any clear spirits with a high alcohol content would work, though.

 

[TeriDk]

Your advice couldn't have been more timely. Thanks.

 

[Parke Co. Grapevine]

Holding color in Herbs ?

Mommysoaper ... or anyone else with experience....

Does the 'sprinkle herbs on after gel and spray liberally with alcohol' work for other herbs to keep their color? Would it help dried mint stay green on top of a soap? Or, sage remain cool-gray? Any other herbs that this works with?

And, Thank You for this wonderful tip! I had been looking and praying for a way to incorporate real, dried lavender into a soap presentation.

 

[Cosmo]

I'm not sure if it works on other herbs. It sounds like we have some experimenting to do!

 

[liafrank]

Yes, I would love to hear if other people are duplicating this result.

 

[squeakycleanuk]

Thank you so much cosmo thats a great tip, thanks for sharing There is much experimenting to be done now, I've been wanting to use rose petals, so going to try it out. Does it only work for the herbs when sprinkled on the top or do you think it would be effective if the flowers were sprayed with alcohol then mixed into soap at trace? Or am I expecting a bit much now

 

[Cosmo]

Squeaky, I think with the high ph of soap that nothing could save the herbs that are mixed in from discoloring. The only reason this helps with lavender is that the herbs aren't being pushed into the soap since the alcohol adheres them, and I think the alcohol helps maintain the color for some reason, but I'm not sure why.

 

[Parke Co. Grapevine]

Oops, forgive me Cosmo, for not giving credit where it belongs. I am not being a very careful reader; for some reason I thought Mommysoaper originally shared this tip. So, to you

Cosmo, thank *you* for sharing this tip.

 

[Cosmo]

No problem, Parke! I will share other tips as I think of (or find) them.

 

[Parke Co. Grapevine]

OK, I'm ready for experiment #1. Prepping to do a batch of Ecualyptus-Mint Cp soap. After the gel (or maybe even, out of the mold?) I will finish it with a fine sprinkle of rubbed, dried mint leaves on top, Spayed ie: soaked with 51% isopropyl alcohol (could not find any 90% shopping yesterday in my teeny hometown.) We'll see how long the mint leaves stay green. I figure if they turn unattractive, I can just 'scrape' that top layer off the soaps.

 

[lizflowers42]

Can ya'll post some pictures pretty please? I would love to know how this holds up for you over time too!