Want to make your own natural purple soap? Alkanet root is what you need!
The root of the alkanet plant has a rich red to purple colour. We have chosen lavender essential oil to bring a sweet, floral aroma to our purple soap!
Read on to find out how to make alkanet soap!
What is alkanet root?
Alkanet root is from the Alkanna Tinctoria plant. It is a member of the borage family, and importantly for soap making, it has dark purple coloured roots.
Alkanet roots can be infused in carrier oils including olive oil, coconut oil and castor oil. The infused oil is commonly used in soap making as a natural dye.
Equipment:
- Clip top jar for the oil infusion
- Filter cloth, cheesecloth or coffee filter
- Gloves
- Goggles
- Digital thermometer
- Weighing scales
- Measuring jugs, ideally 2x 1L and 1x 2L
- Heatproof bowl
- Soap mould or DIY alternative
- Stick blender
- Silicone spatula
Ingredients:
- 450g | 490ml olive oil plus extra for topping up
- 135g Unrefined cocoa butter
- 315g coconut oil
- 270g water
- 130g sodium hydroxide
- 27g | 30ml lavender essential oil
- 15g Alkanet root
Safety note: Sodium hydroxide is hazardous, and will burn your skin and eyes if it touches them. Wear gloves and goggles at all times. If it gets on your skin, rinse well with plenty of water for 15 minutes. In case of eye contact, rinse well for 15 minutes and seek medical attention. Keep away from pets and children at all times.
Makes 9-10 bars of soap
Takes 1 hour making time, 1 week for the infusion and 4-6 weeks curing time
This recipe uses a 5% superfat for extra moisturising effects.
Method:
1. Make the alkanet infused olive oil
- Weigh the olive oil
- Weigh the alkanet root
- Add the alkanet root to the olive oil in the clip top jar
- Swirl to mix
- Leave to infuse for at least a week
2. Mix the sodium hydroxide solution
- Put your gloves and goggles on.
- Open the window, the fumes will be unpleasant.
- Weigh the water.
- Weigh the sodium hydroxide.
- Add the sodium hydroxide to the water, not the other way around.
- Mix well until combined.
- Leave to cool down, it will be hot.
3. Filter the alkanet infused oil
- Filter the finished alkanet infused olive oil
- Discard the alkanet root
- Top up your olive oil to 450g if necessary
4. Weigh and heat the oils
- Weigh the coconut oil and cocoa butter
- Add the solid oils to the alkanet infused olive oil in a heatproof bowl
- Heat over a pan of boiling water, or in a microwave using short bursts.
- Mix well until melted
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool
- Weigh the lavender essential oil in a separate jug
5. Check the temperatures
- Test the temperature of the sodium hydroxide solution, you're looking for between 25C and 40C.
- Leave to cool if necessary, but don't reheat if it's too cool. Just heat the oils a little more to compensate.
- Test the temperature of the oils, ideally they should be between 35C and 40C.
- Reheat or cool if necessary.
- When the temperatures are right, add the sodium hydroxide solution to the oil mixture
6. Blend until trace
- Mix with the stick blender and blend with short bursts.
- Watch for the mixture starting to thicken.
- Test for trace by dripping soap batter on the surface of the mixture. If the drips sit on the surface then your mixture has reached trace.
- When your soap has reached a light trace, add the essential oils.
- Mix and blend until combined
7. Pour into moulds
- Pour the soap mixture into moulds
- Tap the mould to get rid of air bubbles
- Leave on a flat surface for 48 hours before unmoulding
8. Unmould and cure
- Take your soap out from the mould
- Put the bars with gaps in between them, and leave to cure for 4-6 weeks.
Continue Reading
Now that you've learned how to make alkanet root soap, why not continue learning?
- Want to learn more about essential oils? Learn more about how to use essential oils for soap making
- Interested in making goats milk soap? Try our goats milk melt and pour soap recipe
- Want more cold process soap recipes? Try our shea butter soap recipe
Let us know in the comments what you thought of our alkanet root soap recipe!
