The next botanical in our series is Annatto Seed Powder. The smell is slightly sweet and a little woody. The odor is not very noticeable. I am not expecting any odors to come through, however I have been wrong before. I guess we will just have to fine out. Let’s go make some soap!
Notes: I don’t know about you but I am in love with the color of this finished soap. It looks like autumn leaves or pumpkin pie. It definitely has a rich auburn color. It does not change the color of the lather or the color of the water. If you use a washcloth to make lather, it will color the wash cloth but the color rinses right out. No scrubbing required. I didn’t notice any odors in the finished bar of soap. This means you can use any fragrance or essential oil without any interference from the soap. Isn’t that wonderful?! I came up with a small list of fragrances I personally want to use with Annatto Seed Powder. I am think of fragrances along the lines of Pumpkin Pie, Oak Leaves and Acorns, Autumn Afternoon, Spiced Fig and even Apple Jack! What are some scents this botanical inspires you to use?
Recipe:
Weigh all of the oils into a microwave safe container. Heat gently until liquid. Add the Sodium Hydroxide to the water to form a lye solution. Allow the oils and the lye to cool to a lower temperature. We do not want to have the soap overheat and volcano. Mix the oils and lye solution and blend until trace is achieved. Add the botanical at this point. Stir in well. Pour into a mold and allow to sit for 24 hours. Cut the soap. Allow the soap to cure. Longer curing time will result in a harder bar. Enjoy! |
Wow what a beautiful color, It just screams SPRING 😉
Wow, cool color! I have used annatto seed to infuse olive oil. It turned the oil brick orange and did the same to the soap made with the oil. The color you got was much nicer. I will definately be revisiting annatto. Is the powder just finely ground annatto seeds?
Yes, it is finely ground seeds. You might try infusing the oil again and using 1/2 oz of that special oil and the rest as plain olive oil. You might get a much more pleasing color. The solid *poke your eyes out* orange can be quite overwhelming!
Annatto is used to color cheddar cheese (and other cheeses). It’s what give cheddar its orange and many other products their natural color as well. Color can range from light yellow to dark red depending on amount used, time infused, etc.
On my computer monitor, the the soap appears to be an autumn yellow color, which made me think of Bergamot and Chamomile fragrance or Lemon Eucalyptus essential oil.
Hmm…my annatto never turns out that pretty from powder. I’ll have to try seeds.
Love it! I’ve infused with annatto seeds but haven’t used the powder before. This is definitely going on the shopping list!
I had wondered for a while if you could use the seeds ground/powdered, for soap making, its really good to know! Thanks for sharing.