dehydrated lemon peel additive

by Lindal
(Minnesota)

Can I add dehydrated lemon(citrus) peel to my cold process soaps?

Will it raise the PH?

Will it turn brown or shorten the shelf life of the bar?

Is it a significant scent booster when used in combination with citrus essential oils?

Answer:

Lindal,
Yes, you can add dehydrated lemon peel to your cold process soap. I add dehydrated orange peel quite often. The orange peel does not go brown at all or shorten the life of the soap and I would imagine it to be the same for the lemon. The orange does give a nice orange colour to the soap when ground up finely.

I have no idea if lemon peel will raise the pH at all...I've not noticed a difference with the orange peel.

Unfortunately there hasn't been a significant scent boost when using the peel. I use a five or ten fold orange or lemon essential oil to give a stronger citrus scent to my soaps.

Happy Soaping,
Cathy

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dehydrated lemon peel additive

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Question
by: Anonymous

How about adding dried fruits? What fruit and herb doen't mold or turn brown?

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Dehydrated Fruits
by: Cathy

Anonymous,

Thanks for the comments.

Other than the dehydrated orange peel and dehydrated carrot peels, I've not used any other fruit or vegetable in my soaps.

Chunks of fruit and vegetable will go moldy (even if dehydrated first since once they come in contact with water they will rehydrate) but pureed or liquified fruits and vegetables are supposed to be fine. Many soap makers have used pureed and liquified fruits and vegetables in place of a portion of the water in their soap recipes without any problems at all.

Your other question about what herbs, etc will not brown...this link lists many that add colour and visual appeal to handmade soaps - Herbal Natural Soap Ingredients

Good luck,
Cathy

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