How to use natural colorants

[lanchingmaa]

Any good resources for using natural colorings? Thinking of spinach, kale or even cocoa powder. Are these added at trace? Do I steep kale, sage, or even kelp in the lye water before adding lye?

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

You will get different results with different methods...you can infuse your oils prior to soaping, you can add to your lye water, or you can add at trace. The pH of your soap determines the final color with many natural colorants. Trial and error is the best teacher, as it seems people gets different results using the same methods and colorants, probably due to different resources. I like to add most at trace if they can be ground to a fine powder. If it can't be powdered, I like to infuse my oils. I'm not a fan of adding them to the lye water, but that's just my preference. I always add cocoa at trace. I haven't used spinach or kale, but I would probably infuse them AND add some at trace for good measure :wink: I find green can fade quickly during cure, especially Spirulina and any chlorophyll or algaes. I usually use green clay, nettle leaf or dandelion leaf for greens and add them at trace. I've never had a problem with cocoa.

 

[lanchingmaa]

Ok. So if I want to add some sage or kelp powder at trace; how much per lb adds value to a batch?

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

Depends on the color you're going for...I think most references use 1 tsp ppo...but I usually do 1 TBS ppo of (non-irritating) green herbs, 1 tsp ppo of Cocoa or Charcoal...Alkanet, Sandalwood, Madder Root, Woad, Annatto or Clay varies between the two depending on shade I'm going for.

 

[lanchingmaa]

Speaking of charcoal; I have a bunch of olive branch charcoal. Can I use this as a powder?

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

Did you burn the Olive wood yourself or purchase it? If you burned it and used an accelerant (like lighter fluid or gasoline) I WOULD NOT use it. If you purchased it, where did you get it?

 

[lanchingmaa]

It's sold here at many Arabic grocers used for burning hookah therefore there are no harsh chemicals or petrol components since this is eventually inhaled. It's just says "100% olive branch charcoal"

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

Then I say give it a whirl!
If it won't (immediately) kill you to inhale, I doubt it will (immediately) kill you to bathe with it :twisted:
Now doesn't that sound like some sage advice? :Kitten Love:

 

[lanchingmaa]

I just may do that. My only concern is will I be washing myself with coal and turn black?

 

[Seifenblasen]

Coal is fossilized plant matters from 360 million to 280 million years ago created by pressure and heat from geologic activities. Charcoal is a product from burning wood in an oxygen deprived environment.

Neither product would make you turn black. (Too much charcoal in soap may stain your towels, though). Just as washing yourself in milk does not make your turn white.

 

[green soap]

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=27147

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28553

Two different threads I started here on botanical colors.

Right now I use the following: infusions of alkanet, paprika, and annatto, for color (purple, peach/brick and yellow/orange).

I discontinued madder root because it was too expensive. However, if expense was not an issue I would use it because it gives a beautiful rose. As nice as colors and swirls are, my customers do not care. They care about scents, ingredients, and how the soaps feel and perform. Color is something i do mostly to amuse myself. So they are not going to pay the extra that it would cost for madder root.

I still use indigo for blue.

Chocolate and turmeric for brown and tan.

Activated charcoal for black.

For green I add beta carotene or anatto to the indigo blue and make different shades of green. I can get anything from lime green to forest green, eucalyptus green, aqua green to sage. I did go to art school and know how to mix colors though. I have bentonite clay which gives a grey green, but only use this when I want the properties of bentonite clay in a soap.

Keep soaps colored with botanical infusions in a dark/semi dark environment. Most fade in sun light.

 

[lanchingmaa]

I rolled with 2T of dried basil powdered in a mortar. We'll see. Its smells awesome, but I assume that may fade. Its being blended with lemongrass EO and a wee bit verbena FO.

 

[cg_lem]

>For green I add beta carotene or anatto to the indigo blue and make different shades of green. I can get anything from lime green to forest green, >eucalyptus green, aqua green to sage. I did go to art school and know how to mix colors though. I have bentonite clay which gives a grey green, but >only use this when I want the properties of bentonite clay in a soap.

I'm rather novice, as far as soap making, and I'm wanting to get some good green in my next batch of soap-- I was intrigued by this posting you recently made, "green soap".

I haven't had any training in mixing colors, but I'm not afraid to try things. I've got several questions I'd like to run past you, if you don't mind!

What I desire is a deep, emerald green. Don't know if I'm going to be able to get exactly what I envision. But I have annatto seed and indigo blue powder on hand right now. I've also got French Green clay (I think that's it's name-- it's not in front of me right now. . . .) and bentonite clay.

I've infused the annatto seed into olive oil, which has produced a nice yellow and orange. But how might this work when one of these is seed and one is powder? I've infused powder, then blended it back up really well right when I added it at trace, and that's turned out well. But can it work to combine a seed coloring and powder coloring to get a good, deep green? How much of each would I use? Or is this simply an experiment as you go kind of thing?

I would very much appreciate any help you can offer!

Thanks in advance!!

- Cathy

 

[Pepsi Girl]

can you tell me how you infuse the powder in the oil? And then when you use it do you have to adjust the recipe at all?

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

To infuse oils, you can gently heat the Oil and Herb in a jar in a hot water bath on the stove on low OR heat the Oil and Herb in a double boiler and get quicker results...anywhere from 2 - 6 hours. I have also infused it in a crock pot on LOW for several hours. The trick is to heat the oil enough to soften the fibers and extract the natural color...you just have to be careful not to overheat the oil. Don't forget to strain it

If you set a jar of oil in a cool, dark place it usually takes 6 weeks or so, and that's with turning and gently shaking the bottle every couple of days. Some people set their jars in a window sill to gently heat the oil over the 4-6 weeks, but I'm not fond of doing it this way, as sunlight has a tendency to fade natural colorants (or colorants in general).

Amanda from Lovin' Soap had a great method for infusing oils with natural colorants:
http://www.lovinsoap.com/2011/07/color- ... nd-spices/

To use the infused oil in a recipe, you would substitute the amount of infused oil you will use for the same amount of one of your oils.
Example Recipe:
500 gr Coconut Oil
750 gr Olive Oil
100 gr Castor Oil
Lets say you infused 500gr of Olive Oil with Madder Root...you would simply substitute it for 500gr of the Olive Oil your recipe calls for:
500 gr Coconut Oil
250 gr Olive Oil
500 gr INFUSED Olive Oil
100 gr Castor Oil

Make sense?

 

[Pepsi Girl]

Make sense?

Yes, thank you ! I've been a somewhat of a boring soapmaker for nearly 15 years, I'm thinking it's time to step out!

 

[cg_lem]

Shawnee - you are very clear in what you share! And thanks for the site-- I'll have fun researching into what that presents.

At what temp would you be overheating the oil? What is a good "go by" temp for infusing in olive oil??

With annatto, seed, indigo blue powder-- do you think I just need to experiment around with these to get a nice deep green hue?

- Cathy

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

I wouldn't heat it over 140 degrees F. Some sources say between 180-200...but I think that's a little hot for delicate leafy herbs. You could go that high with a root, bark or seed, I suppose, but I wouldn't hold it at that high temperature for long.
As for Annatto & Indigo, I've never personally used the two together...but I think they might render a "muddy" color. Annatto is an orangey yellow, while Indigo is a navy to grey blue...orange and blue make brown - orange and grey make brown. Calendula makes a more true yellow, so you may want to try that, plus Calendula has some great skin benefits
I get a nice green from equal parts of Dandelion Leaf, Nettle Leaf, and French Green Clay. I wouldn't call it vibrant, but its a true green. Spirulina gives a vivid green color, but tends to fade very quickly and is very pH sensitive.

 

[cg_lem]

Thank you, again, Shawnee! I will work with what you've shared. I've just discovered some dried chamomile I'd forgotten I had. Maybe I'll play some with that too??

(I'm slowly getting my palm oil "free-d", by the way!) ;-)

- Cathy

 

[Hausfrau007]

I've recently coloured my soaps at trace with a paprika swirl (mixed a heaping tbs paprika with castor for superfat). It's my ugliest soap yet (for a variety of reasons), and I don't like the paprika as it comes off the soap when I wash with it. It's not irritating my skin, but aesthetically it looks gross. So it's irritating in a different way. This batch, I'll have to use myself, I'm too embarrassed to give it away. Maybe my mom will like it -- she likes everything I do. :mrgreen: