How to Make Papaya Juice for Soapmaking

Papayas have a green skin and bright orange flesh.

Papayas are sweet tropical fruits that grow in tropical and subtropical areas of the world. The flesh of the fruit can be eaten raw or used in numerous recipes. The seed contains high levels of oleic acid which is extremely moisturizing. The juice or oil of the seeds is used in beauty products, including soap. You can buy papaya oil from specialist beauty suppliers, but it is expensive and hard to source. With the help of an oil press, you can extract oil from papaya seeds. The result is suitable for all recipes that call for papaya seed, juice or oil.

Things You'll Need

• Chopping board
• Sharp knife
• Desert spoon
• Sieve
• Baking sheet
• Oil press

Instructions

1. Put the papaya on the chopping board. Cut the papaya in half. Scoop the seeds out of the papaya and place them into the sieve. Ensure you remove just the black seeds, leaving the orange flesh still attached to the skin. Reserve the flesh for salads, juices and other recipes.

2. Rinse the seeds under the tap with cold water. Gently separate them with your fingers as the water runs over them.

3. When the water running off the seeds is clear and the seeds are no longer sticky, place them on a baking sheet. Ensure that the seeds are spread thinly on the sheet so they can dry. Put the baking sheet in a warm place for four or five hours; ideally they should gently dry at around 100 degrees F.

4. Put the seeds into the oil press and set the machine to maximum extraction. Extract the the oil according to the instructions for your particular machine. You can now use the oil in recipes for soap as well as shampoo and other beauty products.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the oil as soon as possible for best results.

References

• The Cooking Encyclopaedia: Papaya Seed Oil
• Food Scouts: Papaya