Coloring with matcha tea

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tika260

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So one day I was in walmart and saw some very cheap green tea bags and thought to myself why not try coloring some soap with it? I didn’t really mind if it was brown or green I just wanted to try it out so I infused it in the olive oil I used in the recipe then drained it out, i’ve done it twice (second batch with dried hibiscus) just because why not and found I really only got off white with a tinge of green if the light hits it right, could the Walmart just have been too cheap or am I just not using enough (3 bags each time)below is my recipe and some pictures, any tips or comments appreciated
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To be completely honest I'm surprised you got any color at all, or that it didn't turn brown or disappear altogether. I've never been able to keep the color using tea as a colorant.
 
I used Matcha Green Tea Powder and got a tan colour that wasn't very dark... not surprised tea bags produced a lighter if any colour. Soaps still look good though.
 
Infusing matcha powder in oil will make green soap, using powder directly in soap will make it turn brown. There does seem to be a difference in color betweem freshly opened and 'old' matcha.
As for tea bags, not sure if it's the same stuff as matcha powder. Since it says 'with matcha' it's probably very diluted.
@Mobjack Bay has a great thread about coloring soap with matcha tea here.
 
I have used for coloring tea that I brought from Bhutan. Will attach a picture to show a color I get. About matcha tea. Real matcha is very expensive. I got a small can of matcha powder in Japan and paid 60$. Will read a link, would be happy to try to get green color soap.
 

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Infusing matcha powder in oil will make green soap, using powder directly in soap will make it turn brown. There does seem to be a difference in color betweem freshly opened and 'old' matcha.
As for tea bags, not sure if it's the same stuff as matcha powder. Since it says 'with matcha' it's probably very diluted.
@Mobjack Bay has a great thread about coloring soap with matcha tea here.

When you say infuse, do you mean to just pour the powder into oil and let it steep til ready to use or to say put in a cheesecloth or something like that? Thanks,
 
When you say infuse, do you mean to just pour the powder into oil and let it steep til ready to use or to say put in a cheesecloth or something like that? Thanks,
I put the powder/leaf bits in the oil for about 24 hrs then strained the stuff out using the cloth and cup in the above picture!
 
gottcha... mine is a powder - I could strain it with a piece of muslin. Thanks,
 
It seems everyone has their own way of infusing. I use Jo Haslauers method as described here. For green colors I do cold infusion, since they're very finicky, but I think others have had good results with hot infusions.
Maybe a bit off topic, but the light green I got from a moringa infusion is quite similar to the green I got from matcha powder infusion (not powder added at trace, this gives me a different color). So moringa infusion might be a more budget friendly option.
 
Yes moringa infusion is great however even after using and the colour is very green..during curing my friend showed that its turning brown...ive seen the progress..however the oil infusion is really green colour
 
In my experience it's the powder that turns brown. If you filter the infusion the browning should be a lot less. It does fade to white under influence of light though (same with matcha by the way)
 
It seems everyone has their own way of infusing. I use Jo Haslauers method as described here. For green colors I do cold infusion, since they're very finicky, but I think others have had good results with hot infusions.
Maybe a bit off topic, but the light green I got from a moringa infusion is quite similar to the green I got from matcha powder infusion (not powder added at trace, this gives me a different color). So moringa infusion might be a more budget friendly option.
Hi, can you add matcha powder at trace or is it better to infuse? thanks.
 
could you add green tea leaves or powder to already diluted liquid soap? for example like using a cheese cloth with the tea or the tea powder in it and letting it sit in the soap. or just putting the tea in the soap. Do you think that would work?
 
could you add green tea leaves or powder to already diluted liquid soap? for example like using a cheese cloth with the tea or the tea powder in it and letting it sit in the soap. or just putting the tea in the soap. Do you think that would work?
No, because any kind of unsaponified botanicals will eventually mold in the liquid soap.
 
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