Lemon zest (finely grated)
A light to medium scrub. Faiola, Pure Soapmaking primary source, Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making primary source, Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making primary source
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
Lemon zest is the outer, coloured layer of the peel, finely grated; fresh, it is about four fifths water. Faiola finds it gives a hint of exfoliation, and Fisher dries it for a few days before it goes into rebatched soap.
USDA FoodData Central primary source, Faiola, Pure Soapmaking primary source, Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making primary source
How much
- 1–2 tsp per pound of oils filled in Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making primary source
- 0.67 tbsp per pound of soap in hot process (from a published recipe) Grosso, The Everything Soapmaking Book, 3rd ed. primary source
- 3 tbsp per pound of soap in melt and pour or rebatch Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making primary source
The calculator fills in 1 tsp per pound of oils: 4.4 g for the 1000 g of oils in its starter recipe.
When and how
- Usually: at light trace.
- Also used: after the cook.
- Stir it in as it is.
Faiola, Pure Soapmaking primary source, Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making primary source, Grosso, The Everything Soapmaking Book, 3rd ed. primary source
What it does to the recipe
- 81.6 % is water, taken off the recipe’s water.
- 0.3 % is fat, which stays in the bar as extra superfat.
- 4.17 % is sugar, which heats the batch.
USDA FoodData Central primary source
Worth knowing
- No source gives how much acid the peel holds, so no lye is added for it. Enter any juice that goes in with it as lemon juice, which is counted. USDA FoodData Central primary source
- In cold-process soap citrus peel turns brown or black; stirred into rebatched soap it keeps its colour. Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making primary source, Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making primary source
- Citrus peel can grow harder and scratchier as the bar ages: grate or grind it fine. Anne L. Watson supplier or guide
Spoons and drops
- 1 tsp ≈ 2 g
- 1 tbsp ≈ 6 g
- 1 cup ≈ 96 g
USDA FoodData Central primary source
INCI name
Citrus Limon Peel
- CAS number
- 92346-89-9, 84929-31-7
- EC number
- 296-174-2, 284-515-8
Recipes that use it
Guides that discuss it
Sources
Anne-Marie Faiola, Pure Soapmaking (Storey Publishing, 2016), chapter 8, Lemon Linear Swirls: "1–2 large lemons, zest and juice (seeds strained out; 4 ounces total)" for 55 oz of oils, then at thin trace "Add the lemon juice and zest to the batter. Stick-blend for 10 seconds. The batter will turn a lovely orange/yellow"; "the lemon zest in this soap provides a hint of exfoliation plus a burst of beautiful natural color".
David Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making (Creative Publishing International, 2018), p. 35, Citrus Peel Soap: "Finely grate 3 tablespoons (20.25 g) citrus peel (just the outer, colored layer) and set aside to dry for a few days", for "1 lb (454 g) grated soap"; the hand-milling method "keeps the citrus peels from turning black after being exposed to lye. The peels are lightly exfoliating".
David Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making (Creative Publishing International, 2018), p. 19: exfoliants, "Start with 1 to 2 teaspoons per 1 pound (454 g) of oils or soap base"; calendula petals "retain their yellow color nicely"; coffee grounds, "scrubbiness is determined by the coffee’s grind"; "Citrus peel (dried and ground): offers a medium scrub; add at trace"; cornmeal, "medium scrub; premix with oil and add at trace"; eucalyptus leaves, "a medium scrub, especially if not very finely ground"; lavender buds "will turn brown in cold process soap and look like mouse droppings; gently grind them first to avoid this"; loofah, "light to medium scrub"; mint is "prone to bleeding; steep as a tea first"; oatmeal, "like coffee, the scrubbiness is determined by how ground it is"; poppy seeds, "light to medium scrub"; pumice, "heavy-duty scrub; great for mechanic’s or gardener’s hand soaps"; rose hips, "medium to high scrub; also adds natural color"; rose petals "turn black in cold process soap"; sandalwood powder "gives a medium to high scrub, and makes a lovely purple color"; "ground stone fruit pits (apricots, peaches) and berry seeds (ground or whole) give a medium to high scrub factor"; walnut shells, "a nice medium scrub and a lovely medium brown color".
USDA FoodData Central, food 167749: Lemon peel, raw (water 81.6 g, fat 0.3 g, sugars 4.17 g per 100 g; no organic acids given; 1 tsp = 2 g; 1 tbsp = 6 g).
Alicia Grosso, The Everything Soapmaking Book, 3rd edition (Adams Media, 2013). Chapter 8, hot process: recipes on a "2-pound batch recipe of your choice" that each "YIELDS 3 POUNDS", the addition stirred "into the neutral soap" after the cook: "3 tablespoons baking soda" and "2 tablespoons lemon zest" (Lemon/Baking Soda Kitchen Soap), "2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal", "1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers", "1 tablespoon mint, dried and ground", "1 tablespoon dried yarrow"; "You can add liquid glycerin to hot-process soap to get it to flow more easily from the mold. Use 1 tablespoon for each pound of oils in the batch." Chapter 9, transparent soap: 19.5 oz of oils with "10 ounces (plus 2 ounces more if needed for clarity) 90 percent ethanol (190 proof vodka)" (190 proof is 95 %) and "5 ounces sugar"; "Alcohol fumes are highly flammable." Chapter 11, Lavender Oat Float: "1 tablespoon dried lavender flowers" for "1 pound casting soap".
David Fisher, The Complete Photo Guide to Soap Making (Creative Publishing International, 2018), p. 86: "most all flower petals, except calendula, will turn black when they come into contact with lye"; "Herbs such as rosemary, leaves such as eucalyptus and patchouli, citrus peels, ground rose hips, and teas such as spearmint and peppermint, can all be used to make beautiful soaps. But, like flower petals, they turn brown or black. Most dried leaves, especially rosemary and eucalyptus, need to be ground finely or they can be too scratchy".
Anne L. Watson, Creative Soapmaking, April: Egg Yolk Soap, "2 egg yolks" blended into the liquid fats for 30 oz (850 g) of oils, before the lye; yolks "produce a rich, thick lather"; on scrub soaps, "Some additives, such as minced citrus peel, may become considerably harder and scratchier as the soap ages." At 17 g a large yolk, 34 g for 850 g of oils: 4.0 %.