Annatto Soap Recipe
This annatto soap recipe is based on my eco-friendly soap recipe, but it involves infusing annatto seeds in olive oil and then using the colored oil to make soap. The final bars can range from a cheddar-cheese yellow to orange, depending on how much oil you use and how strong the infusion is.
Servings 6 bars
Cost 10
Equipment
- measuring spoons (stainless steel) (optional)
Ingredients
Annatto Infused Oil
- 125 g olive oil (light colored or pomace) 4.4 oz
- 1 tsp Annatto seeds *
Lye solution
- 63 g sodium hydroxide 2.22 oz
- 113 g distilled water 3.99 oz
Solid Soaping Oils
- 114 g coconut oil (refined) 4.02 oz / 25%
- 91 g shea butter (refined) 3.21 oz / 20%
Liquid Soaping Oils
- 152 g olive oil (light colored or pomace) 8 oz / 33%
- 75 g annatto-infused olive oil* 2.65 oz / 17%
- 23 g castor oil 0.81 oz / 5%
After Trace
- 3 tsp may chang (litsea cubeba) essential oil optional
Instructions
Make the Annatto Infused Oil
- Place the annatto seeds in a glass jar with the olive oil. Label the jar with what it is and the date, then set it someplace warm and dark, such as a kitchen cabinet. Leave it there for a month, giving the jar a gentle shake every few days.
- After a month, strain the seeds from the oil . Measure out the oil* you need for this recipe and save the rest for future batches of annatto soap. You can put the annatto seeds back into any oil you save for later - it can deepen the color over time.
Organize Your Workspace
- Cold-process soapmaking is chemistry, and this recipe uses lye. Lye is a caustic substance that is completely neutralized in the soapmaking process, but it can be harmful if not handled correctly. Please read this soap making safety guidance.
- Before you make this annatto soap recipe, it's safety first. Wear closed-toe shoes, long sleeves, eye protection (goggles), and rubber/latex gloves. Pre-measure all of your ingredients and ensure that your work surface is organized with all of the tools and equipment you'll need. Open a window for ventilation, close doors on pets and children, and have everything you need set out.
Mix the Lye Solution
- Work in a ventilated place – near an open window or outside– and ensure that your goggles and gloves are on. Pour the lye into the distilled water and stir well. Steam, fumes, and heat are the product of water and lye combining. Be prepared and don't breathe in the fumes. Place the steaming lye solution someplace safe to cool. I tend to set it in cold water in the sink.
Melt the Solid Oils
- Melt the solid oils on the lowest heat possible on your stove. When just a few pieces of solid oil are floating in the pan, turn off the heat and move the pan to a potholder. Stir with your spatula until all of the oils have fully melted.
Add the Liquid Oils
- Next, add the rest of the oils, including the annatto infused oil, into the pan of melted oils. Use the spatula to get as much of the oils in as possible — castor oil has a tendency to stick. Mix well and take the oil's temperature. You're aiming for 100-110°F (38-43°C).
Balance the Temperatures
- Next, measure the temperature of the lye solution. You want it to be around the same temperature as your pan of oils. The temperature doesn't have to be exact but within ten degrees of the oil's temperature is ideal. When the temperatures are within range, it's time to mix the lye solution with the oils. Gently pour the lye solution into the pan of warm oils.
Bring the Soap Ingredients to Trace
- Next, place the immersion blender into the pan and use it to stir the mixture together gently. The head of the stick blender should be completely immersed in the oil-lye solution.
- Bring the immersion blender to a stand-still in the center of your pan and then press pulse for a few seconds. Then stir gently again for a moment and repeat. Continue pulsing and stirring your soap batter until it hits a light trace. At this stage, the soap batter will be opaque and around the same thickness as warm pudding or custard.
Add Optional Soap Additives
- Working quickly, gently stir in the essential oil if you're using it. I've included may chang in this recipe because it has a gorgeous citrusy scent that I think goes well with the color. You could use another, though, or even an essential oil blend. You can also add other soap additives at this time. That includes dried calendula flower petals, which hold their yellow to orange color in soap.
Pour the Annatto Soap into the Mold
- Pour the pan of soap batter into your mold(s). Use your spatula to get as much of your soap out of the pan and into the mold. Settle the soap so that it has a flat top. You do this by gently shaking or tapping the mold. You could even decorate the tops if you wish now, with both texture and additives such as dried calendula petals. This is optional, though.
Gel the Annatto Soap
- When you've finished, take steps to ensure that the annatto soap gels. Gelling happens to soap when it is kept warm after pouring it into the mold. It doesn't affect the qualities of the soap, but it does intensify the color. Without gelling, this annatto soap recipe will give you softer and less vibrant shades of yellow and orange. With this step, the color will really pop!
- If your home is warm, you can do this by wrapping the mold with a towel making sure it doesn't touch the top of the soap. This insulation helps to initiate gel phase. If your home is on the cool side, you can oven process your soap. Preheat the oven to 170°F (75°C) and place the soap inside. Turn the oven off and leave the soap inside overnight. The next day, take the soap out and leave it somewhere safe for another day.
Unmold and Cut Your Soap Bars
- After two days have passed, you can take your annatto soap out of the mold(s). If you've used cavity molds, proceed to the next step. For loaves, you can now cut the soap slab into bars. Use a dedicated soap cutter or an ordinary kitchen knife for this step, and how you cut your bars is up to you.
Cure the Annatto Soap
- Now is the hard part — waiting for your soap to cure. Curing is a necessary step for all cold process soap, and it's a process that requires at least four weeks of waiting. The soap finishes saponification during the cure time, and excess water evaporates from the bars. Another thing that happens is that the crystalline structure of soap forms. The latter cannot be hurried up and is essential for a good, gentle soap.
- Cure your annatto soap recipe by placing the bars on a layer of grease-proof paper in an out-of-the-way place. It should be airy, out of direct sunlight, and away from curious pets and kiddos. Leave them there for a whole month before using the bars.
- Once made, your soap will have a shelf-life of up to two years. Shelf-life is dependant on the exact ingredients you used though -- look on all of the backs of the bottles and the closest date is your soap's best by date.
Notes
* You can use 1-2 tsp if you wish. More annatto seeds can mean a deeper final color.
* There are two amounts of olive oil given in this recipe. Some is regular olive oil, and some is olive oil infused with annatto seeds. You can use more or less of the infused oil when you make this soap recipe (to lighten/darken the final color), but the total amount of olive oil must add up to the correct amount provided in the recipe.
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