Blue colorant that won't discolor in CP?

[Seifenblasen]

I can get 3 out of 4 with plant infusions. The 4th might be cochinneal....

I could see getting the same colors with plant infusions, but would they be THAT vivid? Also, how UV-fade resistant will they be? Shawnee mentioned in another thread that she can get a vivid green with spirulina but it faded to a tan in 6 weeks.

 

[Seifenblasen]

Technically oxides are natural. Iron oxides occur naturally in the earth's crusts and are colored by various mineral deposits. Mine thm, process them, they become safe for human use, with no side effects (that I know of). Sayin'.

I understand oxides are all natural. The ones we use, however, are all created in a lab to be more consistent and safer.

Iron oxides are not "colored by various mineral deposits". Iron oxides ARE a group of minerals, mostly associated with red coloration. One of the iron oxides, hematite (Fe2O3) often occurs with copper, and sometimes gold, in some mineralization zones. It takes work to separate hematite from bornite and/or calcopyrite (both are copper-iron sulfides). The economics is simply not there for any mining/mineral processing company to cater to the need of a few soap makers.

And being all natural does not necessarily mean better, either. In the old days cinnabar (mercury sulfide) was used as a red pigment. Needless to say its prolonged use would eventually lead to mercury poisoning.

 

[green soap]

Seriously? Can you show us how? I would love to learn to make those colours naturally. Would you add TD?

Just so as you know - I am being sincere. Cochinneal is sooooo expensive though....

I cannot get their pink with plant based colors, this is why I said I think one of them is made with cochinneal. I do not use either Zn oxide or titanium dioxide.

Here is a picture with 100% plant based colors. I was aiming for purple, green and gold. I was trying to achieve the bright New Orleans Carnival colors so I used 100% coconut soap (20% SF so it is not drying). CO is so white that any color shows better with this single oil approach.

To get their shade of green I would simply use a little more annatto or beta carotene with my indigo. I get lime green this way all the time. I have other examples with a lime green if you want me to post the picture I can.

However, this backfired because customers think the colors are lab made, they are so bright and vivid. Nobody believes these are 'natural'.

The gold uses annatto and a little paprika, the green uses indigo and beta carotene, the purple is simply infused alkanet.

 

[Seifenblasen]

I cannot get their pink with plant based colors, this is why I said I think one of them is made with cochinneal. I do not use either Zn oxide or titanium dioxide.

Your colors are simply AMAZING!

I still maintain that the soap at Soaptopia is stretching the truth a bit about being "all naturaul". They claim to be vegan, so cochinneal is out of the question.

 

[green soap]

Your colors are simply AMAZING!

I still maintain that the soap at Soaptopia is stretching the truth a bit about being "all naturaul". They claim to be vegan, so cochinneal is out of the question.

Thank you!

The pink is the only one I can't figure out, I thought cochinneal, but you are right, crushed beetles are not vegan.

I wonder what they used. If they consider oxides 'natural' could it be an oxide? I have recently started to use rose clay - their pink color does not look like any clay I have seen though.

So if they are telling the truth, I am very curious about that pink. It looks like beet, but we know beet turns brown in soap.

 

[Genny]

It doesn't look like clay to me.
I tried finding a real ingredient list for their soaps, but couldn't

I find it weird that they put this "Natural Soap with Mint, Citrus, Lavender and Rose Geranium Essential Oils" in the middle of their ingredient listing. Why wouldn't they just list the eo's, why put in the "natural soap" part?

 

[MaitriBB]

The Conservatorie's Kamikaze Blue mica makes a nice royal blue in CP soap.

 

[Lindy]

Those are gorgeous! You have really gotten natural colours to a whole new level beyond that which I've seen before. We may have to ask for a tutorial as long as you aren't feeling the process is rather proprietary since I expect you spent a lot of time and money perfecting the art.

 

[green soap]

Those are gorgeous! You have really gotten natural colours to a whole new level beyond that which I've seen before. We may have to ask for a tutorial as long as you aren't feeling the process is rather proprietary since I expect you spent a lot of time and money perfecting the art.

Thank you Lindy!

I have posted detailed instructions for herbal coloring a while back. I can do a tutorial, no problem.

Yes, I have spent time figuring it all out. My customers don't appreciate it much though, so it does not hurt my business to tell folks how to do it. The really colorful soaps do not sell well for me. I have gotten into making a lot more uncolored soap. I guess they look more 'handmade' and 'natural'????

 

[justinwp]

I cannot get their pink with plant based colors, this is why I said I think one of them is made with cochinneal. I do not use either Zn oxide or titanium dioxide.

Here is a picture with 100% plant based colors. I was aiming for purple, green and gold. I was trying to achieve the bright New Orleans Carnival colors so I used 100% coconut soap (20% SF so it is not drying). CO is so white that any color shows better with this single oil approach.

To get their shade of green I would simply use a little more annatto or beta carotene with my indigo. I get lime green this way all the time. I have other examples with a lime green if you want me to post the picture I can.

However, this backfired because customers think the colors are lab made, they are so bright and vivid. Nobody believes these are 'natural'.

The gold uses annatto and a little paprika, the green uses indigo and beta carotene, the purple is simply infused alkanet.

How do these colorants hold up to uv? In my experience most of these plant based colorants fade quickly.

 

[Lindy]

Green Soap thank you.

In my area people loved colourful soap for the most part.