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Paprika Cold Process Soap Recipe

Paprika is the new natural colorant I am using on this soap recipe. Despite its dark orange, red-brick color, in soap you get a light yellow-orange to dark orange brown, depending on the quantity you are using. The quantity for this recipe gives you light orange-yellow.
This soap is made with a oil mixture that doesn't contain coconut oil (or even olive oil). While coconut oil is the best oil you can use for soapmaking due to foaming properties, you can make good soap without it. So, if you don't want to use coconut oil for any reason, here is a good alternative.
Scented with litsea cubeba/May Chang, it got a wonderful lemony scent. And colored with paprika, I've got a pretty light orange color with spots.
Difficulty: Easy
Weight: 450g (15,87 oz)
Superfat: 6%
Lye Concentration: 25%
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Method: Cold Process
Cosmetic: Soap Bar
Servings: 3 soap bars
Author: Sofia Matias
Cost: $3 - $10 / 2,6€ - 8€

Instructions

Get Ready!

  • Wear goggles and gloves! Look at “Safety Precautions” in the video above or in Soap Making Safety Precautions
  • Watch the video above about "Cold Process Soap Making Tutorial" or read the post Learn To Make Cold Process Soap for instructions on cold process soap making before starting. These are generic but important steps for all recipes.
    Pouring essential oils into soap batter
  • Assemble everything: ingredients, equipment, safety equipment. Prepare your workstations. Measure all the ingredients. Don’t start the recipe without having everything ready!
    soapmaking-workspace-preparation

Preparing the colorant

  • After measuring your oils, remove 1 tbsp of liquid oil and mix it well with the paprika. Avoid clumps.
    adding oil to paprika

Heat the Oils

  • Heat all your oils in a pyrex bowl at the microwave until the palm oil melts. Use 1 min periods and check temperature. The oils shouldn't overheat (> 60ºC or 140ºF)
    melting solid oil without heat

Make the Lye Water

Make the Soap Batter

  • Use as target temperature 38ºC for the oil-solution mixture. It can be less than this, but the lye and oils should not have a difference of more than 10º between them.
    measure-temperature-oils
  • Mix oils and lye with the immersion blender. Add the oil with paprika during this operation. It's not usual, but paprika may accelerate trace. If it does, be swift with next instructions.
    mixing-paprika
  • Reach trace with the immersion blender.
    reaching-trace-with-paprika-soap
  • Add the extract and essential oil after tracing. Mix with a spoon or spatula.

Molding and Curing

  • Pour the dough in the molds with a pitcher and sprinkle with alcohol or witch hazel.
  • Let it set for 48 hours.
  • Unmold and let the bars cure for 4 to 6 weeks. See How To Cure Soap.
    paprika-soap

Video

Tried this recipe?Send a pic to @herbalcochete!