# Wine Soap??



## Little Moon (Dec 29, 2007)

Tonight I attempted to make wine soap. Pretty sure it is a flop, but maybe I can salvage some to cube and suspend in other batches. Here is what I did and maybe somebody with some experience here can help me figure out where I failed.

I put an SS pot in the sink, in an ice water bath. Measured the wine and put it in, and then very slowly I added my lye. Stirring to dissolve before adding any new. The wine was a blush color, then it changed to a brilliant teal blue, then green, then lime green, the yellow, then orange and finally stopping at a lovely deep red color. I let that set a moment. Heated my solid oils and mixed all of my oils in my "soap bucket" and then slowly added the wine/lye mixture, hit it with the stick blender, and then added my fragrance - Lavender and Herb and a bit of dried herbs for visual interest.

My soap seized and would not pour out of the bucket - it is chunky. I was scooping it out like mashed potatoes or something. The color turned out to be golden orange and the scent is OK. Just a little frustrated with myself. 

Thanks,
Anne


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## Little Moon (Dec 29, 2007)

Well, after stewing on this all night last night I decided to re-batch it. I put it in the crock pot with some water, gave it a little time and hit it with the stick blender. It melted out fine, blended well and is in molds waiting to cure. I am going to give it 48 hours to cure because of the higher water content - cross your fingers.


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## nappint (Jun 26, 2008)

I've never made wine soap before but I thought you were supposed to simmer/boil the alcohol out of the wine before soaping with it. That may have been the problem, I've heard alcohol and lye don't get along very well


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I just pour my wine or beer or champagne as 1/2 the water amount. Use my 50/50 water lye, and add the flat alcohol at emulsion, so the lye isn't reacting to it. I pour it into shallow pie plates the day before I am making it so it is flat. Vicki


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## Lynn_Theesfeld (Feb 21, 2010)

Are you sure it wasn't your scent? I haven't had and wine issues when using it full strength though I have had it "burn" when mixing with the lye, but even then it didn't hurt anything just changed the color of the soap.


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## Little Moon (Dec 29, 2007)

Not sure what it was - it could be that I didn't boil out the alcohol. It was the prettiest thing I have even seen when it was changing colors, but a little freaky at the same time. I did make a batch of beer soap and that was easy peasy. I will try that scent in a batch of gm soap and see if I have any trouble.


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## Holly Govero (Mar 26, 2009)

do u think lavender seize it up? thats weird.


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Lavender as an EO definitely seizes nothing. Heck, it slows trace for me. But Lavender and Herbs sounds like an FO. I looked at the soap scent review board, and found an FO by that name from Brambleberry, but no one says that it accelerates.


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## Little Moon (Dec 29, 2007)

That is it exactly Stacey! It is Brambleberry Lavender & Herb. I think it must have been the wine. But I do think it re-batched OK.


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## Holly Govero (Mar 26, 2009)

I just cannot remember what my soaps did becuz I didnt use lavender EO. I got Lavender as FO. It been a while. I am just wondering. That is all.. Sorry if I sounded stupid..


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

You didn't sound stupid, Holly.


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## Little Moon (Dec 29, 2007)

Not at all stupid Holly. It didn't start to seize until I put the fragrance in, but I think it was the wine - the alcohol in it because of the colors it threw as I was adding the lye. It is new re-batched and some of it is cut and I think it is going to be OK. Phew!


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

I make a bunch of wine soaps.... I never boil.... and I learned for me to NOT soap the wine in ice water. 

Different wines react differently. Some turn green, some burnt orange, some pasty... but most turn out fabulous in the end. 

My grapefruit that turned burnt orange pasty... soaps out to a lovely cream white with a delicate pink swirl. 

I might wonder at either the ice or the particular wine... or the scent. 

Try it again and change it up a bit. 

I want to try a sparkling wine for Valentines if I can find the right scent. The winery I partner with just put out a sparkling wine... the label is a burlesque dancer from about 30yrs ago. I think it would be so fun to soap it.


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

oh I do though freeze the wine in batches and I soap mostly *fruit* wines though I have done 3-4 grape wines.


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## Little Moon (Dec 29, 2007)

Lynn, 

If you want a sparkling wine - try one called Razzeltini - it is a raspberry spumanti (and quite yummy ) and a lovely blush color


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## LynninTX (Oct 25, 2007)

Sounds neat, but so far what I am doing is soaping wines from local wineries... the main one I work with is a fellow market vendor. It is a nice *hook*. 

My most recent one was their Elderberry Wine.... I called it Arsenic & Old Lace and did a lace imprint on the top of the soap.... I sold all but 2 bars of the first 2 runs. LOL And the winery only got 1 bar. Will get them some from the 3rd run.


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