When you add things like pureed cucumber

[Sherl]

to soap.. does it ever go bad? I've read of the cukes and carrots, is anything else used? I assume it is mainly for color.. do you get fragrance from this stuff? I got a garden full of excess, would be neat to use them in soap. Got every thing together and will try cp tomorrow!! Can you use candle coloring in this kind of soap or do you need something different?

[RobinInOR]

If you use too much or use big chunks it can get moldy. Keep the additives around 5% or so (1 oz per pound oils) and you'll be OK. You rarely get scent, and sometimes you just get brown.

Candle colors aren't body safe, so no, I wouldn't use them in soap.

[Purple Lilac]

I agree with Robin.

If you want the benefits of the vitamins found say in carrots, you can buy carrot root oil or carrot seed oil.

There are some facial masks and such that use fresh fruits and veg but you only make up one application at a time.

[annareeb]

I just made some cucumber and green tea soap, Since I am fairly new at soap making.. for now I am using a preservative, 1% germaben.. I have not used any whole foods, usually extracts, oils and dried, though i did use fresh cucumber peel in my soap for the attractiveness of it in the sopa inself...

you can use regualr old liquid food coloring in soap, its safe, you wont have a humongous broad range of color.. but it works great when you are just starting out an not wanting to invest a lot..i never had an mixing issues or weeping ,bleeding with it.

to soap.. does it ever go bad? I've read of the cukes and carrots, is anything else used? I assume it is mainly for color.. do you get fragrance from this stuff? I got a garden full of excess, would be neat to use them in soap. Got every thing together and will try cp tomorrow!! Can you use candle coloring in this kind of soap or do you need something different?

[mountainmadness]

I have had much success with using vegetable juices in my soaps. I make a tomato mint soap as well as a carrot soap. Both I use the pureed juice instead of water.

From everything that I have read, and in testing the products before I starting selling them, that the vegetable juices provide some natural benefits... carrots are great for moisturizing and tomatoes are a natural astringent. I have some customers with oily skin prone to break outs that only use the tomato soap and it works for them. Burt's Bees makes a wide variety of vegetable soaps with using the natural pureed juices.

I have also used purred cucumbers and have not had issues with any of them. I think like Robin said, the key to adding things is trial and error and not using too much. I have tried strawberries and various other fruits and they have turned brown and nasty.

HTH.