Dandelion infusion (for the lye)
Replaces some or all of the water.
Opens the calculator’s starter recipe, 1000 g of oils, with this additive at the dose it fills in, ready to change.
What it is
Fresh dandelions, stems, leaves and petals, simmered in water until it turns yellow and then strained out; Faiola makes her lye solution with it, and the lye turns it bright orange-yellow. Nobody has analysed one, so its water here is USDA’s figure for a brewed herb tea, 99.7 %.
Faiola, Pure Soapmaking primary source, USDA FoodData Central primary source
How much
- 100 % of the water filled in (from a published recipe) Faiola, Pure Soapmaking primary source
The calculator fills in 100 % of the water: 283 g for the 1000 g of oils in its starter recipe.
When and how
- Usually: as the lye liquid.
- Chill it well before the lye goes in.
Faiola, Pure Soapmaking primary source
What it does to the recipe
- 99.7 % is water, taken off the recipe’s water.
USDA FoodData Central primary source, Faiola, Pure Soapmaking primary source
Worth knowing
- Caution: Pick dandelions where nothing has been sprayed, and rinse them well. Faiola, Pure Soapmaking primary source
Spoons and drops
- 1 tsp ≈ 4.94 g
- 1 tbsp ≈ 14.8 g
- 1 cup ≈ 237 g
USDA FoodData Central primary source
INCI name
Taraxacum Officinale Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract
- CAS number
- 68990-74-9
- EC number
- 273-624-6
- As weighed
- Taraxacum Officinale Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract 0.3 %, Aqua 99.7 %
Recipes that use it
Guides that discuss it
Sources
USDA FoodData Central, food 173232: Beverages, tea, herb, other than chamomile, brewed (water 99.7 g per 100 g; 1 cup = 237 g).
Anne-Marie Faiola, Pure Soapmaking (Storey Publishing, 2016), chapter 10, Dandelion Zebra Stripes, 25.1 oz of oils: "8.3 ounces dandelion infusion (10 ounces distilled water infused with 0.5 ounce whole dandelions)" as the whole lye liquid: "Combine ½ ounce whole dandelions (stems, leaves, and petals) with 10 ounces distilled water in a pot and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until the water takes on a yellow tint. Strain the dandelions out of the water ... Set aside to cool to room temperature"; "The lye will turn the water a bright orange/yellow color." "2 heaping tablespoons dandelion petals", 1 tablespoon in each of two of four equal parts of the batter at very thin trace: "The petals add a very soft, mild texture to the bars as well as giving a burst of color." "Pick dandelions from a spot that has not been sprayed with chemicals, and rinse them well before using them in the soap."