One of the questions we get most is, “Why did my soap turn brown?” If you’ve made a few batches of soap, you’ve likely encountered discoloration. This post talks about what causes the color change and how to work with it in soap.

What causes discoloration
It’s often caused by vanilla, which is a flavor derived from orchids. Vanilla pods start out very green and then darken to brown as they age and ripen. The darkening is caused by various reactions in some of the components. One of those is vanillin, which is the organic compound that gives vanilla its flavor.

Vanillin discoloration is a 100% natural process. Depending on the percentage in the fragrance, the soap can discolor anywhere from off-white to dark brown. It usually takes a few days to appear, although certain scents may not discolor for a few weeks. It shows up first on the part of soap that’s exposed to air. That means the sides discolor, but once you cut into the bars the middle is still white. Eventually, the whole bar will darken.

The soap above is scented with Vanilla Sandalwood Fragrance Oil, which discolors dark brown. It’s 1 day old and the discoloration hasn’t fully developed. The tan color will continue to darken over time. You can also see that the soap went through partial gel phase in the center, and the discoloration developed faster there.

Above is the same batch after 3 days. The brown bars are from the first photo – they have been fully exposed to air and the vanilla discoloration has made its way through the bar. The soap in the center is freshly cut, which is why the center is still a creamy color. After a few hours, the discoloration will develop in the center as well.

Other aroma chemicals may cause discoloration as well. We include performance notes and finished photos of the fragrances in soap, so make sure to read those before use.

How to prevent or work with discoloration
If you’re making melt and pour soap, you can use Vanilla Color Stabilizer to prevent discoloration. We recommend a 1:1 ratio with the fragrance.

We don’t recommend vanilla color stabilizer for cold process soap because the results are inconsistent. It may not prevent the discoloration at all, or it may only work for a few months.

If the fragrance has a low vanilla content, you can use titanium dioxide. It lightens tan or light brown discoloration. Start by mixing 2 teaspoons of titanium dioxide into 2 tablespoons of a lightweight oil. At trace, add 1 dispersed teaspoon at a time. It’s tricky to know exactly how much to use because the soap hasn’t discolored yet. Just keep adding color until the soap is pretty light. We used titanium dioxide in this Creamy Goat Milk Soap, which is made with Oatmeal Milk and Honey Fragrance Oil.

With a lot of titanium dioxide, you can get glycerin rivers. We recommend a 5-10% water discount to prevent those. It also helps to keep the temperatures around 115-120°F and store the soap in a cool place.

If the fragrance has a higher vanilla content, the titanium dioxide can only lighten it so much. In that case, we recommend embracing the discoloration and working it into your design. You can scent some of the soap so only one part discolors, like we did in the Cinnamon Cocoa Soap. You can also scent the whole batch.

These tutorials show you how to work with discoloring fragrances.

• Goat Milk and Oatmeal Soap
• Dragon’s Breath Soap
• Espresso Shot Soap
• Chocolate Peppermint Soap Cupcakes
• Eggnog Soap
• Coffee Soap
• Pumpkin Souffle Soap
• Pumpkin Pie Soap
• Blueberry Soap
• Blueberry Thyme Soap
• Moonstone Soap
  

Vanilla content chart
The following chart includes all the Bramble Berry fragrances that discolor. If a scent has 0% vanilla, it won’t be on this list.

This post was updated in October 2018.

The post How to Work with Vanilla Discoloration appeared first on Soap Queen.

When it comes to scenting handmade soap, the possibilities are endless. There are so many amazing scents to choose from – so many that it can be overwhelming. Learn about the difference between essential oils and fragrance oils to help you choose the best option for your recipe.

Essential oils
If you prefer natural scents, essential oils are a great choice. They’re extracted from herbs, flowers, and plants, most often through steam distillation. That involves heating the components until a gas is released, then condensing the gas back into a liquid. It’s a gentle process that ensures the sensitive compounds don’t break down.

Our essential oils are 100% pure unless otherwise stated. Learn more in our Essential Oil Philosophy.

You can choose from tea tree, lavender, peppermint, and more. Find out how much to use in your recipe with our Fragrance Calculator. If you like more complex scents, you can blend them or try these premade blends.

However, not everything in nature produces an essential oil – you won’t find strawberry or vanilla. That means there are fewer options to choose from. It’s also important to read the descriptions before use. Citrus essential oils fade in cold process soap, oils like cinnamon and clove can’t be used in leave-on products, and others like juniper berry can’t be used if you’re pregnant or if you have kidney problems.

Pros

• Natural
• 100% pure
• Choose from favorites like tea tree, lavender, peppermint
• Can create blends for more complexity

Cons

• Fewer options
• Some can fade in cold process soap, some can’t be used in leave-on products, others can’t be used with certain health conditions

Fragrance oils
Fragrance oils are synthetic. They’re created with a mix of aroma chemicals and natural ingredients like essential oils, extracts, and resins. Learn more in the Fragrance 101 post.

Just one fragrance oil can be made up of 40-80 materials – luxury perfumes are often made with 5 times that number. You can choose from more than 200 scents with multiple notes, including Champagne, Coastal Rain, and Moonstone. You’re not limited to natural sources that produce essential oils.

We choose all our fragrances based on how they smell after 6 weeks of curing in cold process soap. If the scent is too light or if they’re too hard to work with, they’re not added to our collection.

Like essential oils, make sure to read the descriptions. Some fragrances accelerate cold process soap and others discolor. Not all of them work for certain designs.

Espresso Fragrance Oil discolors, so we chose a brown color palette for this Coffee Soap.

Pros

• Come in more than 200 varieties
• More stable in cold process soap
• Skin safe and can be used in soap, lotion, bath bombs, and more

Cons

• Synthetic
• Some can accelerate or discolor in cold process soap

Which option you choose comes down to personal preference. We recommend experimenting with both – you may find you prefer one or the other, or you like using fragrance oils and essential oils.

The post Essential Oils vs. Fragrance Oils appeared first on Soap Queen.

This month we’re bringing back some of the most popular limited edition collections from 2017, as well as a few new ones to try. Find them here. They’re only available while supplies last. If you missed out on the collections or if you’re looking for the perfect holiday stocking stuffers, now’s your time to stock up. Learn about the samplers and how you can get creative with them below.

Salt Sampler
This sampler includes about 1 ounce each of medium Dead Sea salt, coarse Kauai red sea salt, fine black sea salt, and medium pink sea salt for $5.95. Salt adds soothing and exfoliating properties to handmade products. It can also add a pop of color – fine black sea salt gives these bath bombs a beautiful gray hue that complements the Sultry Black Jasmine Fragrance Oil. In the Caramel Apple Soap tutorial, medium Dead Sea salt is sprinkled on the bars to make them look just like the classic fall treat.

Herb Sampler
This sampler includes about 0.2 ounces each of rose petals, green tea leaves, dried lavender, and marigold petals for $5.95. You can add all four into bath salts for a spa experience at home. The Floral Bath Salt recipe is made with three different types of salt and scented with Orange Blossom Candle and Soap Fragrance Oil and Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil. You can also infuse them, as shown in the How to Infuse Oil with Tea post.

Gemstone Fragrance Oil Collection
This collection is one of our favorites from the year. It includes 2 ounces each of Moonstone, Jade, Amethyst, and Turquoise fragrance oils for $16.95. The notes of lily, lemon, pear, and melon in Amethyst Fragrance Oil inspired the Agate Cold Process Soap. It features a purple spin swirl design that’s topped with shimmery melt and pour embeds. The DIY Crystal Bath Bombs are made with Jade Fragrance Oil, which has notes of lemon, English ivy, and green apple.

Clay Sampler
You can get about 1 ounce each of sea clay, purple Brazilian clay, rose clay, and activated charcoal in this $7.95 sampler. In this DIY face mask, rose clay helps absorb oil from the skin and also gives the recipe a lovely pink hue. Purple Brazilian clay is used in the Black Tea Cold Process Soap along with activated charcoal and Bergamot Black Tea Fragrance Oil.

Essential Oil Blend Collection
This sampler includes four premixed blends for every occasion – Deodorizing Blend, Spa Blend, Massage Blend, and Outdoor Blend. You can get 5 mL (about 0.1-0.15 oz. by weight) of each for $14.95. Massage Essential Oil Blend contains more than 10 essential oils, including peppermint, rosemary, cinnamon, lavender, and elemi. It inspired this massage oil recipe.

Lavender Essential Oil Flight
Lavender is a classic and relaxing scent that almost everyone loves. This sampler includes 5 mL (about 0.1-0.15 oz. by weight) each of Lavender Fine Essential Oil, Lavender Absolute 50%, Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil, and Organic Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil for $14.95. Lavender Absolute 50% gives the Lavender and Honeyquat Lotion a sweet, floral scent. Lavender Fine Essential Oil has a bright, herbaceous scent that’s a perfect fit for this simple linen spray recipe.

Cocktail Fragrance Oil Collection
This collection will get you in the creative spirit. It includes 2 ounces each of Scotch Whisky Fragrance Oil, Spiked Eggnog Fragrance Oil, Sparkling Fig Cocktail Fragrance Oil, and Kentucky Bourbon Fragrance Oil for $15.50. To go with the vanilla, nutmeg, and rum notes in Spiked Eggnog, this cold process recipe features fluffy soap frosting and brown embeds. If you love the notes of orange, clove, orchid, and leather in Kentucky Bourbon, you can add it to this beeswax candle.

Best of 2017 Fragrance Oil Collection
This sampler includes 2 ounces each of Oatmeal Milk and Honey, Energy, Lavender, and Tobacco & Bay Leaf fragrance oils for $15.50. You can’t go wrong with any of these scents. Oatmeal Milk and Honey is paired with goat milk in this cold process recipe to make a luxurious bar with a comforting scent. Energy performs really well in cold process soap with no acceleration, so you can use it for intricate designs like the Neon Embed Cold Process Soap.

Butter Sampler
To add a luxurious touch to your products, all you need is a bit of butter. The sampler includes about 1 ounce each of orange, coffee, matcha green tea, and avocado butters for $7.95. Orange butter and Orange Peel Cybilla Fragrance Oil give this body scrub an irresistible scent. The Matcha Green Tea Body Butter is easy to make and feels super moisturizing on the skin. 

The post Best of 2017 Stocking Stuffers appeared first on Soap Queen.

Just our way of saying thanks.

Here’s how it works:
Every customer will get at least one free gift with their order. Orders that are $125 or over will get two samples, and orders that are $250 or over will get three samples. In addition to fragrances, you can try other samples, like lavender essential water or a facial treatment mask. These samples rotate so that you can try new products.

To get started, go to the Bramble Berry site and select the supplies you need. You can click “My Cart” in the upper right-hand corner to see how many free gifts you will get and how much more you need to spend to reach two or three.

When you’re ready to check out, head to your cart. You’ll see a note that says, “You have a free gift offer which will be available once you begin the checkout process.” After clicking “Checkout,” you’ll be taken to the Free Samples page to view all the goodies you can choose from – select what you’d like to try. You’ll be told how many samples you can get.

Once you select the samples, a button will appear that says “Continue.” Click it to go to the next page.

Don’t want a sample or don’t know what to choose? Select one of the two buttons at the top.

Continue the checkout process by entering your billing address, shipping address, shipping method, and payment. As you go through checkout, you’ll be able to see your free gifts along with your other items. If you stop this process to add more items to your cart, you’ll need to select the samples again. Non-shippable items like e-books and classes don’t count toward a free gift.

Once you submit your payment, your soapmaking supplies and free goodies will be on their way to you!

The post New Sample Program appeared first on Soap Queen.

The S.O.A.P Panel is one way Bramble Berry decides to bring on new fragrance oils. Throughout the year, hundreds — if not thousands — of fragrance oils specifically designed for Bramble Berry roll through the office, and the S.O.A.P. Panel is the final test for some of them. They’ve already gone through our own internal inspection process (including initial CP tests), and we’d love for you to give them a sniff and test them in any bath and body product. Cold process soap, melt and pour, lotions, butters — whatever you can think of (well, aside from lip balms. None of the fragrances are lip safe)! For this panel, participants will receive eight 1 oz. fragrance samples to test.

The catch? All the fragrances are mystery fragrances; they won’t have names to influence judgement because we want honest opinions. You’ll fill out a survey to tell us about your top choices, and this is important because your notes will determine the fragrance people in our soaping community will use!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it:

• Tweet, Facebook, Pin, Instagram or blog about your favorite Bramble Berry product (including the links) and why you should be selected for the Winter 2014 S.O.A.P. team.
• Be sure to link to your social media outlet update in the comments below so that we can read about it.
• The last day to enter will be January 15. You can still post about your favorite BB product, but you won’t be considered for the panel!
• Team members will be announced on Friday, January 17 and the samples will be sent out by January 24.
• Completed surveys need to be returned by March 14.

Note: You’ll have about about 7 weeks to test the fragrances. Please keep these dates in mind before you enter. We are looking for an accountable and enthusiastic panel, so be sure that this works out with your schedule! Because these fragrances can’t ship internationally, we are not able accept international entries.

Some previous SOAP Panel posts are here, here and here. This post is a fantastic example of what previous S.O.A.P. panel members have done for testing, blogging and tweeting.

Ready, Set … Apply! =)

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