I HATE waiting :(

[AutumnBreezeSoaps]

I have ordered so many things waiting to get started on making some soap but I am SO impatient. Is there anything I can use for scent that will work in CP soap that is right in my store? It doesn't even have to be strong Oh and color as well! I'm hoping for red or pickish. I just wanna make soap!

 

[KristaY]

For color, several spices work well. Paprika infused in OO will give you a nice reddish/orange color. Cocoa powder is a deep brown. I like to add powdered ginger for a subtle tan. Avoid cinnamon or cloves as they can be a skin irritant. Tomato paste makes a nice color too.

For scent you can use strong coffee, flavored herbal teas, oatmeal, beer, wine. Most of these won't give you much scent, it'll be more of a "hint". I really like using peppermint green tea as my lye water then I open up the used tea bags and dump the tea leaves into the batter at trace. It's a nice subtle peppermint scent and the leaves give it another element of interest.

If you use any of these as your lye water be prepared for an icky smell. :grin: Don't worry though, it'll go away during cure. Stand up wind when mixing as some can be really obnoxious!

 

[AutumnBreezeSoaps]

Ohh I never thought of peppermint tea, we actually have some of that I will try that and maybe just a little paprika for color Thanks for that info, now tomorrow I can make some soap! How much paprika should I be using?

 

[KristaY]

You can put a couple of teaspoons of paprika into about 4 oz of warm olive oil. Let it sit overnight then strain through a coffee filter. You should end up with a pinkish orange color. You'll end up with less than 4 oz of oil due to what's absorbed by the paprika and what stays in the coffee filter. If you want to infuse the total amount of olive oil you'll be using in your recipe, you certainly can just add an ounce or 2. Adjust the paprika amount to your preference too. Good luck!

 

[AutumnBreezeSoaps]

Thanks much Krista!

 

[Susie]

And Hobby Lobby carries 1/2 oz bottles of EO's suitable for soaping. They are just really expensive when compared to prices on the internet. But, to give you the "right now" satisfaction of making soap, that is available. I use the paprika infused olive oil. Use more for red/orange, less for lemon yellow.

Hobby Lobby also has some soap colorants intended for MP soap, but the blue will give you a lovely lavender color after it finishes morphing.

 

[AutumnBreezeSoaps]

Susie, those EO's at hobby lobby are not the same as Michaels carries? I would be interested in checking them out if they are for CP soaps...I would only need to get enough for a small batch to calm me while I wait

 

[dillsandwitch]

While making dinner tonight I noticed my purple carrots when I was boiling them turned the water a really dark purple. I reduced the water down after i was finished and am gonna try it in the soap I'm gonna make tomorrow. I'm really curious as to what is gonna happen.

 

[AutumnBreezeSoaps]

Please let me know if that works out! Very interesting

I just put in two more orders tonight! Oh I may not live to see the end of tomorrow lol. I just could not help myself! I NEEDED glitter, and some other scents! Oh and packaging...

 

[Susie]

Susie, those EO's at hobby lobby are not the same as Michaels carries? I would be interested in checking them out if they are for CP soaps...I would only need to get enough for a small batch to calm me while I wait

I have never looked at Michael's for EO's, so I am not sure what they have.

At my Hobby Lobby, there are true essential oils. There are also fragrance oils there that are intended to use with MP, but read the labels and go for the clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, lemongrass, etc. Avoid anything that sounds like Spring Rain or something that you know is not derived from a single botanical source.

And I just realized I was not very helpful on the use of the paprika infused oil. Sorry about that, it was 4:00 am. I substitute in 1 oz paprika infused olive oil PPO for a lemon yellow color. 2 oz PPO will give a medium orange color. 4 oz PPO will give a nice red/brown that reminds me of the color of spice cake.(I used cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger EO's to make it smell like spice cake also. It looked and smelled edible and delicious.)

 

[Obsidian]

You can use loose eye shadow for colorants. I've used Jordana eye shadow before with really good results. Check health food stores for EO's but be prepared to spend a lot.
Personally, I've never had any teas, herbs or other liquid add and scent.

Here is a soap I made with eye shadow.

 

[Ruthie]

My local pharmacy has a small selection of essential oils.

 

[AutumnBreezeSoaps]

Eye shadow...interesting. I may have to go shopping today after I get some sleep! Just got off work but seems I'm glued to the darn youtube videos about soap making again :Kitten Love: Geesh! I MAY be addicted

 

[navigator9]

I'm a soap purist. I think at least the first batch, if not more, should be unscented and uncolored, so you can really get a feel for making soap and not have to worry about the extras. Sometimes I think that with all the fancy stuff we do to soap, we lose sight of why we started to make soap in the first place. My first soap didn't have fragrance or color.......and it was amazing! Don't sell handmade soap short. Even "plain jane" bars are so incredibly much better than any store bought soap could dream of being. Sometimes, I even prefer the plain bars because they let you concentrate on the feeeeeel of the soap, instead of the appearance or scent. I wouldn't wait. Grind up some oatmeal if you're determined to add something, and throw that in. Have a scrumptious oatmeal bar! Yay for plain jane soap!!! I know, I'm weird. :crazy:

 

[CanaDawn]

I'm a fan of plain jane soap myself. Even my "scented" soaps are barely scented at all. One of the things I wanted to get away from was the fragrance that is everywhere (even in "unscented" commercial products). I'm a weirdo that hates the smell of laundry softener wafting thru the neighbourhood and clinging to clothes though...YMMdefinitelyV

 

[fsanderson]

If you live near a Whole Foods, they have a section with Essential Oils. I wanted to make some sugar scrub for myself and bought the grapefruit EO and the prices wasn't too bad for that particular EO. Their selection is decent.

 

[eucalypta]

@AutumnBreezeSoaps
The eyeshadow tip is the best for colouring IMHO
Lavender or peppermint EO must be available in one of your local shops (no idea where you live).

Alternative:
make a coffee soap; may be unscented. Just add 2tsp fresh ground coffee beans.
Works like a charm in the kitchen (for your hands) to eliminate odour of garlic etc. or as a garden scrub soap.

While making dinner tonight I noticed my purple carrots when I was boiling them turned the water a really dark purple. I reduced the water down after i was finished and am gonna try it in the soap I'm gonna make tomorrow. I'm really curious as to what is gonna happen.

It will turn brown - (almost) all botanicals (eventually) do. :twisted:

Exceptions: calendula petals - at least for a long time; tomato puree , tumeric (curcuma) powder, annato powder ...
Notice that these are all yellow/orangey.

Then there is Indigo and Wood - they'll fade.

 

[AutumnBreezeSoaps]

You guys have all been a terrific help! We went shopping but did not find anything of interest and those that did look interesting cost an arm and a leg! We decided to just wait and use coffee and also do one with a few of our burdock leaves...god knows we have a TON of those! Thank you purists for reminding me WHY I am also doing this My hubby prefers the plain things too so I know I will be making lots of plain for him AND his mother as well. I may as well start right now! So today (instead of going to bed) I will be making soaps :clap: We were going to make it yesterday but I slept until 3 and then we went shopping (I found a lot of things I needed to add to my soap addiction) I will let you know how the burdock leaves and coffee turn out. OH and we are also making another mold and a cutting mold (is that what you call it?) as well! Excited for today!