I only use natural colorants and here's what I've found from trying different things over the years. I mostly infuse things because I don't like scratchiness.
Plants-
Annatto: A strong infusion in oil gives a nice orange/yellow color that lasts for me.
Madder Root: Strong oil infusion gives a good blush color but I mostly use it as a blender color.
Alkanet: Strong oil infusion gives a color that turns to a gray/purple by itself, but if used as a blender you can get good colors.
Black Walnut Hull: Make a strong tea out of it and use that as your lye water. Turns a light/medium tan.
Calendula: A strong tea for lye water gives a bright yellow color that fades to a pale yellow but sticks. Also adding the powdered flower petals gives some yellow color.
Nettle leaf powder: Strong tea for lye water. I combine this with french green clay and get a good green color.
Indigo root powder: At trace gives you a blue/green color. In lye water a sort of pale blue jeans color.
Clays/Other-
French Red Clay: nice brick red color, no scratch.
Brazilian Yellow Clay: bright yellow color, some scratchiness.
French Green Clay: a dull/olive green color, no scratch.
Brazilian Red Clay: used lightly gives a nice pink color. Slight grittiness.
Bentonite clay: gives a pale grayish color. No scratch.
Cambrian Blue clay: gives a light blue color. Slight scratch. I got DOS and haven't used since but idk if that was why.
Australian Red clay: a dark fuchsia red color but use sparingly because it stains. Some scratchiness.
Activated charcoal: nice black. Also use as a blender to darken other colors.
Freeze dried indigo crystals: added to lye water sparingly gives anywhere from light blue to dark navy blue.
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Australian red clay and Brazilian yellow clay
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Indigo crystals with activated charcoal to darken each stripe
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Nettle leaf infusion and french green clay
