Avocado Body Bar

[topofmurrayhill]

This is a soap made with avocado oil and avocado butter as the primary ingredients, along with some additional hard oils to help firm it up. It's fragranced with sunflower FO, a fresh green scent that I think goes nicely with the coloring.

There are things I like about this batch and things I'd try to improve. I like the shade of green, the fragrance is really nice and it already feels good on the skin even though it's very young.

I used a smaller than usual (uncolored) swirl portion this time and the swirls came out a bit sparse and faint. A lot of the sides are mostly green and a little boring. Next time I'd use a bigger swirl portion or maybe one uncolored and one dark portion.

This batch was also kind of slow firming up in the mold. I took it out after about 2 1/2 days and really would have liked it to be harder for cutting. I got ash after cutting the bars, which I haven't seen before (does anyone know why ash would follow the swirl pattern like that?). Next time I'd add palm oil in place of some of the avocado stuff to hopefully make it harden up faster and maybe also avoid the ash on the cut surfaces.

So I think I might try this recipe again with some changes.

[Luci]

I love using avocado oil and butter in my whipped body butters. As far as the appearance of your soap, I think that it looks vibrant and inviting and might just end up being one of your favorites after your changes. Beautiful pic!

[Brenda]

Your bars look great; such precise bevels!

I often get ash on my bars after they cure for a while and I've noticed that the ash will follow the swirl pattern. I don't know why it does that, but it does enhance the swirling and make the tops more striking in some cases.

I have one avocado oil recipe and it takes a longer time to harden up than my other recipes. The green you've achieved is quite lovely.

[MochaMama]

I love the beveled edges also. The color is so lovely - it looks like the bars have a clean, fresh scent.

[Meridith]

Your soap to me has a very spa like look to it. The color is just gorgeous. I do think you are a natural soaper.

[jbren]

that is one gorgeous looking batch of soap!

[SpaceGirl]

I'm feeling a deja vu moment coming on.....

Very nice as usual!

[mystical_angel1219]

Top~ I have to agree with Meridith, you are a natural as a soapmaker.

Ash is the ugly first cousin of the dreaded Soap Fairy. She comes, she creates havoc and goes to the next soaper. I don't like her either. LOL! But I have figured out that anytime I think a soap should have been in the mold longer, and then I cut and expose it to air, the Ash Fairy appears. Sometimes days or weeks later. I know some soapers don't mind ash and it sometimes creates a pretty effect. But I personally abhor ash to the fullest.

Avocado is so nice in soap, as is carrot.

They do take a bit longer to firm up and sometimes get DOS out of nowhere.

These soaps you created are simply perfection on the eyes, great work.

[firegirl]

Awesome looking soap Top! But.. I expect nothing less from you..

[CareBear]

Lovely. I've had the same thing(s) happen. Ash often follows the swirl, which can create interesting effects. And I've had it form AFTER the cut so I try to leave it in the mold a bit longer if I'm in a ash-phase.

[Jadryga]

Oh wow! They look really good, almost like pieces of jade, though I'm not sure if that's an effect of my monitor.

[elitenaildesign]

mmmmm, yummy. Looks very soothing

[GrandmaArial]

I love avacados, and avacado butter. Your are beautiful, and I think your swirls are close to perfect personaly.

[soapbuddy]

Those look pretty! Great color too!

Irena

[AnitaG]

Very pretty color.

[tlc26]

Hey Top!!!

you are always your own worst critic!!!! when are you going to stop that?!?!

I personally dig the soap but I seem to have a thing for green soap.:lipsrseal

I avoid using too much avocado for the reasons you are wanting to alter your recipe.

as far as your ash issues...MA is right..not much you can do about it

and why it seems to go with the swirls..I don't know why! but now I am curious!!!

[Shannon WY]

Nice soap- I like the subtle swirls.

[jaybyrd]

Very, Very Nice - I'd love to try a piece, & the final recipe if you care to share. Avocado is the one of the best substances known to creation, for both inside & outside the tummy.

About ash following swirls - mind you, this is based purely on my own reasoning so give it whatever weight it merits - Even assuming everything else is equal (ie no dramatic contrasts in pigments, oils, additives) when you swirl you're creating differences in the directions of the "grain" of the soap's surface. Even when the difference is too fine for our fingers to detect, it would still create miniscule channels where ash could collect, and give the effect of following the swirl.

Also the soap fairies like to screw with our heads.

[tychels]

I love the color and the belved edges! Nice job!!

Sharon

[topofmurrayhill]

Even assuming everything else is equal (ie no dramatic contrasts in pigments, oils, additives) when you swirl you're creating differences in the directions of the "grain" of the soap's surface. Even when the difference is too fine for our fingers to detect, it would still create miniscule channels where ash could collect, and give the effect of following the swirl.

That makes sense.

I'm buying the idea that ash is sodium carbonate from lye reacting with CO2 in the air. In fact a common name for sodium carbonate is soda ash.

I think liquid (water, glycerine and maybe some dissolved lye) can accumulate in those those little channels. I've noticed that warm soap in the mold can sweat along the swirl lines, so that may even be the path of least resistance for liquid to escape from the soap.

As the liquid evaporates, the sodium carbonate is left behind and accumulates in the swirl grooves.