Teach Soap

Hi, everybody!

I recently got a sample of Buttercream & Snickerdoodle with a Bramble Berry order. (BTW, love the free FO samples -- that's such a nice touch!) It smells heavenly, like walking into a cake shop.

It seems like lots of those sweet, cake-y kind of fragrances have a reputation for discoloring because they often contain vanilla. I checked BB's website for the FO description, since they usually indicate if an FO discolors or has any other issues. The description didn't say anything about Buttercream & Snickerdoodle discoloring, but it did say that it has "rich base notes of Cocoa and Vanilla."

Do I need a vanilla stabilizer? Do all FOs with vanilla in any amount need a stabilizer, or just those with a certain % of vanilla? Are there any general rules about which kind of FOs need a stabilizer (i.e., chocolates, caramel, creams, coffee, etc.), so I'll know even if it's not noted specifically? Is there any harm in adding a vanilla stabilizer just to be safe even if the FO doesn't particularly need it?

I'm new to the whole vanilla stabilizer issue, so I appreciate any advice.

Thanks!

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- Jenny -
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I'm a newbie and have never used a Vanilla Stabilizer. So far, if I know it's going to discolor to a dark brown, I add about 1/2 TBS PPO (Per Pound of Oil) of TD (Titanium Dioxide) and it turns it a light tan which is a color most people seem to associate with "natural" colored homemade soap anyway. They say you can use up to 1 TBS PPO but I've never gone that high.

I'm one of those people that doesn't like dark brown soap but I've been very happy with the color I get by adding TD.

Let us know how that FO turns out once you use it!

zeo

Fragrances with at least 10% vanilla content will discolor. You can use a vanilla neutralizer or add titanium dioxoide.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I haven't had a problem with the Buttercream and Snickerdoodle discoloring. I used it in a white shea butter base.

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Haven

Here's a link on BB site that is 'kind of' helpful. It doesn't seem to be completely up to date since the fragrance you mention is not in it nor is one called "Relaxing" that I have used that needs the stabilizer.

http://www.brambleberry.com/VanillaChart.aspx

Perhaps with this thread they can see it is an aspect of the sight that could use some attention having going to the effort of making it available

Hope that helps
Hilary

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http://www.asliceofdelight.etsy.com

Thanks for the replies, everybody!

Hvrba, it's good to know that you've used this particular FO with no issues.

And thanks for that vanilla content chart link, asliceofdelight! I didn't even know that was out there.

I kinda figured that if BB didn't mention that FO discoloring then maybe it wasn't an issue, since they're usually really good about giving you a heads-up on stuff. But when I saw that it had vanilla notes, I got to wondering ...

I made a bar with Buttercream & Snickerdoodle today (a really ugly bar -- some soaping days are better than others! ), so I can at least set it aside for a few weeks and see how it does.

Browsing through the chart and BB's list of FOs, it seems that some FOs with a small percentage of vanilla may discolor. Like the Pepperberry is 2.8% vanilla according to the chart, but BB warns that it can discolor to light brown or tan?

I guess it all boils down to this: I know how to use vanilla stabilizer, but I'm not sure when to use it. Guess I'll just have to trust BB to tell me when I need it.

Thanks for the help, everyone!

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- Jenny -
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I have never used a vanilla stabilizer. I made several soaps with straight vanilla and they are still white. Even 4 weeks later. I wonder what makes some turn and some not.

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Haven

Just watched the latest episode of Soap Queen TV and Anne-Marie just happened to use the Buttercream and Snickerdoodle FO for the fortune cookie project. She recommended using a vanilla stabilizer with it.

I guess I'll just plan on using a VS if an FO has vanilla in it, just to be safe, assuming there's no harm in it.

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- Jenny -
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My CP did go dark brown, I haven't used it in MP but assume it will.

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Goldenearthgirl

Well, it's been about a week and a half since I made some MP soap with Buttercream & Snickerdoodle. I didn't use a vanilla stabilizer. Here are the scraps and leftover soap from that project (the bar itself turned out rather ugly and I'm a bit embarrassed to post it):



These were white when I poured them (I used just a regular white MP soap base), and now they've taken on a pinkish color. In the bar, I did a layer of white, a layer of clear base colored yellow, and another white layer. Some of the scraps of white discolored darker than the others, and I think I was a bit heavier-handed with the FO in that layer. But the white scraps from the first white layer turned pink, too. Can't really tell if the yellow layer has changed much. It seems a bit darker on the bottom half of the yellow layer, but that may be a trick of the eye.

Anyway, just wanted to share the results of my experiment, in case anyone was interested in knowing how it all turned out.

Thanks for the replies, everybody!

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- Jenny -
My soapy blog:
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I used Buttercream & Snickerdoodle in white LCP M&P, and got a similar effect, jrose - it started out pale cream white, but after a week or so, we're at a dusky rose/beige....

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Please visit my Etsy shop!

That's funny, because snickerdoodle cookies are usually sugar cookie colored, with cinnamony sprinkles! Thanks for testing this one out, guys!

There was another thread talking about this fragrance-

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1965

hope it helps!

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Peggi

http://www.klamathriversfinest.etsy.com

Hi All -

We'll get the Vanilla Chart fixed as quickly as we can. We had a little blip with the new shopping cart where all our products totally are awesome, transferred over and all that but our pop ups all need to be recreated ... from scratch. We can manage to code 1-4 per day with the new language our site went to and we still have like 40+ pop ups to go and are slowly working our way through. Keep letting me know when you're missing one though. Many eyes are better than just mine! =)

Yes, definitively, Buttercream & Snickerdoodle does discolor. If it's MP, it sometimes stays a light tan to pink in the white soap and in clear soap, it goes a dark brown (in my experience). In CP, it goes a dark brown.

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Happy Soaping!

Anne-Marie
blog: www.soap-queen.blogspot.com
supplies: www.brambleberry.com