So I took yellow corn meal and steeped it inside a sachet in my soap oils for a few hours. The soap oils turned a bright yellow and I was optimistic that my soap would be a nice yellow too. I added lemon EO which also added some extra yellow. At trace the soap was a very pleasant lemon color. I was so excited! So I popped it in the oven at 170° to force a gel so that the color would deepen and really pop. When I turned on the oven light I could see that it came to a full gel. I didn't want to CPOP it for an extended time or anything so I turned the oven off and let the soap sit. A few hours later I noticed that the top of the soap turned white. I couldn't resist and peeked at the bottom (I have a 12 square silicone mold) and it was a light butter yellow but definitely faded from the bright lemon I saw go into the mold. I thought gelling it would intensify the color. Why did it do the opposite and cause the color to fade? It looks like it overheated too... it's all bumpy and has a grainy texture on the outside.
_________________ Soapmaiden (Natalie)
|