# adding fruit



## carlidoe (Jul 30, 2010)

I keep reading "soap additives and their benefits" and I really want to add strawberries to a batch of soap. When and to what mixture do you add the fruit? Does the fruit need to be cooked? Pureed?


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

You can do anything, but what for? I do use cranberry juice, cucumber puree, aloe vera juice as part of the liquid of my soap, I wish I had never started any of it....I have put bananas in my monkey farts soap for my son. It ads nothing to the soap, so at least use things like aloe vera or cranberry for label appeal. If you do not puree the organic material you are going to have to worry about it going rancid or molding. Strawberries don't saponify...what about using strawberry seeds on the top of a soap instead? Even cucumber skins will go brown over time.


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

You could also use powdered strawberries, leaves, seeds, etc. if you can find them instead of the fruit. I use powders such a chamomile flowers powder. I can't afford, (well, no one can) to add chamomile essential oil, but I can easily afford the flowers powder and although it might just be for label appeal, it does contains the natural botanical properties without the worry of mold, etc. I get a lot of powders from herbalcom.com and have used quite a few in soaps with absolutely no issues, even after it's sat for 3 years. I usually buy wild crafted or organic. I have a soap I use the organic cinnamon in and it's my boyfriend and daughters favorite soap ever. I've also used licorice, fenugreek, slippery elm bark powder and lots more.


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## carlidoe (Jul 30, 2010)

Oooh..the soap with the organic cinnamon sounds really interesting. I have been wanting to make a cinnamon bar. Great advice ladies!


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## [email protected] (Sep 18, 2008)

I can tell ya: DO NOT use frozen fruit juice instead of milk/water. Good thing the bowl was in the sink when I added the lye. :/ VOLCANO!


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

I like using powdered orange peel. It adds an ever so slight amount of exfoliation and I think it helps to anchor citrus EO's. I use powdered mint in my peppermint soap too.


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## carlidoe (Jul 30, 2010)

Necie said:


> I can tell ya: DO NOT use frozen fruit juice instead of milk/water. Good thing the bowl was in the sink when I added the lye. :/ VOLCANO!


That's hilarious! I thought there would be more benefits to adding fruits. I really liked the thought of adding cucumber also.


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## [email protected] (Sep 18, 2008)

You could add 'fruit'--I'd use juice or puree--but don't use it INSTEAD OF water/milk. I think Vicki does a soap with cucumber puree or juice as an additive. My *experiment* was replacing the milk with frozen juice. I think I was warned not to....but wasn't told WHY. It's just my nature to find out for myself. :/


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## [email protected] (Sep 18, 2008)

Just thought of... do an infusion with dried fruit and oil. I've been asked for a papaya soap and in researching, it uses an oil infusion.


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## carlidoe (Jul 30, 2010)

Hm..explain "infusion" please


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Warming the oil and letting whatever you're infusing into it sit there for a while. Or you can put in on a sunny windowsill...kinda like sun tea. Whatever you're infusing needs to be really dried out well (unless you want mold) and completely submerged. You can also do it in a crock pot. Anyhow, then you strain out the added material and use the oil.


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