Natural colorants

[MrsFusion]

My favorite natural colorants are indigo and carrots. For carrots I usually just get a jar of carrot baby food. Make sure it says carrots and water only.

Wow that is interesting - that you use baby food. How do you incorporate it in? Do you account for it (reduce water?)

I was gonna ask the same thing...

 

[falldowngobump]

Me too ! Has anyone tried grass clippings--lord knows I have plenty of those in the spring and summer. Would you infuse some chopped up grass clippings in olive oil?

 

[falldowngobump]

By the way Elly, your GM soap is VERY nice even if you lost the color you wanted. Love the design on top.

 

[musiccitysuds]

Hi, everyone! This is my first time on this forum. I can't believe I haven't found it before. I just wanted to pipe in about natural colorants, since that's all I use in my soaps.
I've had good luck with liquid chlorophyll. I get mine from Whole Foods, but most health stores should have it. The result is a lot more even than powdered colorants I've used, and it's very easy to control the shade.
I'm also a big fan of replacing the water in the lye solution with carrot juice. It fades to a nice, bright yellow, in my experience. Has anyone had any luck with blue or purple natural colorants?

 

[soapbuddy]

I've used rattanjot infused OO for a muted purple.

 

[rebekahp]

Great tip about the herbal tea--I have a crock pot full of "soap leavins" from trimming my soap adventures. My favorite tea is one that can only be found at Christmas time--I buy several boxes to last me all year. The smell of this stuff is so great I just want to stick my whole head in the box and sniff! I can't wait to try it with rebatching!

This is what I got rebatching with my red berries herbal tea:

And it smells almost exactly like the herbal tea itself!! I love it.

Looks great, how do you make your soap with this tea??

 

[judymoody]

Zhuliya, that is gorgeous soap. What method did you use to get that beautiful pink color?

I have some alkanet, linden flowers, and annatto infusing in OO right now. Can't wait to play with them.

I've used spirulina but it faded to green gray. I also didn't use too much because I heard it can stink.

I've also used virgin palm oil - even a teaspoon can turn a couple of pounds of soap yellow.

Let's see what else - cocoa for dark brown, charcoal for gray/black, cinnamon for brown, honey added to lye will also make a nice tan.

I bought some lab colors to play with (they were on sale!) but I suspect I will like the earthier tones better.

 

[c.a.p.]

Have to be careful with clays, though. Too much, depending on the clay, and it can be very drying. I want useable soap, not just pretty.

 

[agriffin]

My favorite natural colorants are indigo and carrots. For carrots I usually just get a jar of carrot baby food. Make sure it says carrots and water only.

Wow that is interesting - that you use baby food. How do you incorporate it in? Do you account for it (reduce water?)

I was gonna ask the same thing...

You can add it to the lye water or add at trace. I discount the water. Most of the time a use about 2 oz ppo.

 

[musiccitysuds]

I've used rattanjot infused OO for a muted purple.

Thanks for the tip. I'm heading over to the international grocery later to hunt some down. Has anyone had any luck using berry juice as replacement for water in the lye solution? I've tried grape, tomato, and beet with little luck, but was curious what strawberry or blueberry juice would do in the final bars.