Pigments gone wild

grumpy_owl · Mar 1, 2015

This is not purple. I used BB's Ultraviolet Blue and Ultramarine Violet and got this greenish-yellow mess. Forgive the texture. I cut it too soon so I could take a picture.
I have only read glowing reviews of how these pigments mix and color so I have no idea why the color didn't take. Any words of wisdom?

The Efficacious Gentleman · Mar 1, 2015

Hmmmm, it makes a lovely green!

What was the recipe & process?

grumpy_owl · Mar 1, 2015

In percentages: 30 coconut oil/30 lard/30 (light, not green) olive oil/10 shea butter. 1.5 teaspoon of the violet and 1 teaspoon of the blue mixed in olive oil. I soaped at about 105 degrees. The scents were BB's Champagne and NG's Black Currant, with grated curls from an unscented bar. It was supposed to look like a Kir Royale with white "bubbles."
It smells wonderful but all wrong for the color.

lionprincess00 · Mar 1, 2015

It takes, like 2 heaping tsp if the violet purple to get a soft purple I found, and if I recall that's for coloring a portion of a 40 oz batch. It also tends to go gray purple on me

I mix it with nature's purple wisteria mica for a nice "perfectly purple" purple.

grumpy_owl · Mar 1, 2015

oh, wow. OK. I'm always afraid of coloring washcloths so perhaps too timid on my colorant amounts. This was a 49-ounce batch (all told) and it seems the pigments just gave up and went home.
1 failure for every 2 successes lately.
Thanks for your help lionprincess!

Obsidian · Mar 1, 2015

Thats just bizarre, I use both and they never morph to green. The soap in my avatar was made with both.

HorseCreek · Mar 1, 2015

That is odd.. I use both also. I don't care for the violet as it always leaves specks for me (even using a mini frother) and have since changed, but it never went green, lol. The blue always stays a really nice blue for me.

Though on a random somewhat related note, I had a violet mica from mad oils morph to gray on me in my lovespell 7 color ITP swirl soap, but I tried it again in a small sample scented with something else and it was a really pretty purple. Sometimes I think the gremlins are just having fun with us. =P

grumpy_owl · Mar 1, 2015

This may be of interest but it did not turn green--it was this color when it hit the soap. Since so much of CP is decidedly not WYSIWYG, I shrugged it off, with reservations.
Should have added more. I'm not sure I'll try these pigments again anytime soon. I agree with HorseCreek--they never fully micronize and are hard to work with.
I was toying with the idea of LabColors for one-color soap. They may be more dependable.

MorpheusPA · Mar 1, 2015

I use a lot of, and love, ultramarine blue. In the can, it should be a gorgeous lapis blue, and soap anything from pale blue to royal blue depending on the amount used. It does take more than you'd think to fully color a soap. 1/4 tsp PPO is sufficient for a pale (but very attractive) sky blue in most of my soap, which tends to be high olive and slightly greenish naturally.

I don't use ultramarine violet due to all the problems I've heard of people having, so I can't speak to that.

FD&C Blue #1 produces a nice mauve-purple to purple when used in soap, but can bleed. It's great for single color soaps, or soap where bleeding is part of the design. Blue #1 Lake is slower to bleed and produces the same color.

Alkanet (root) powder produces a purple, but I find it kind of grayish. It's great for a more subtle tone, however.

lionprincess00 · Mar 1, 2015

Ultraviolet blue I don't have, but I do have their ultramarine blue and it's great! This weird greenish tint must have something to do with the fo because like I said, mine turns gray purple and never green.

I recommend mixing it with a gorgeous cp stable purple mica. Try mad oils, nurture or tkb. I think they're descent for micas, so I read (and I love nurtures).

TVivian · Mar 1, 2015

I use crafters choice matte cobalt blue ultramarine and have never had issues with it like I have other "blues" It makes a gorgeous purple when mixed with red or neon pink oxide.

kisha · Mar 1, 2015

I had the ultramarine blue turn a light green shade on me recently. I used BB Sleeping Angels and think maybe that scent morphed the blue. I'm making another batch with that scent soon and want to use the same colors again to be sure.

cmzaha · Mar 1, 2015

I also get funk colors with Ultramarine Violet. I like most ultramarines but not that one

Pigments gone wild

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