Soap Coloring

[Kallisto]

Can we use Fabric/ Textile powder colors
and oil painting colors for soap making?
If so...What is the method for each?
Pre-mixing with glycerin..alchohol for example?
Oil Painting colors i have right now already and is oil based so i strongly believe it will work...But want your opinions?
Cold Process is my intended method.
Color Stability and being Healthy on the skin is most important.
Also i have some fabric colors right now...

I don't have access to mica colors Yet...
Still searching for supplier in local market.
And from online images its very shiny which i don't like...I think it's primary use is Cosmetics.
So I thought of those other 2 options.
Btw, I already tested food coloring and it bleed in lather and not stable colors in soap..also they change after addition/mixing.

Also thought of using natural herbs pigments/dyes like turmeric for yellow and dill..coriander...parsley..for example for green..but how to make greens concentrated boiling and water evaporation ?

 

[TheGecko]

No, you cannot use oil paints...different kind of “oil”.

Shiny Micas retain the shininess in Melt & Pour, but not Cold Process. My suggestion is to purchase some samples and experiment

 

[Relle]

Do not use oil paints or fabric/textile powder colours, they are specific for those purposes, they are not safe for skin. You need to buy colours that are suitable for soap so you can use them on the skin.

You can use herbs for colouring but the colour will fade after a while.
Here is a link on smf for natural colours
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/natural-colourants.72586/
how to use them
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/natural-colorants.53943/#post-512692

 

[Kallisto]

Thank you very much TheGecko and Relle for your inputs

Appreciate it.

 

[Anstarx]

Micas are mostly used in cosmetics which actually makes it much safer to use than oil paint pigments and such.
It will only be shiny if you use it in transparent MP soap, It will be just a regular colorant in CP/HP soap since it's opaque. If you use a shiny red mica in soap it will just make your soap red/pink sans the shininess.
Only problem with mica is that some mica can change color in lye so either buy from a vendor that will tell you how it can change or test it yourself.
You can mix any powdered colorant with water, alcohol, or glycerin, just use the tiniest amount necessary to mix. Never use alcohol tho, it will seize your batch.

 

[Kallisto]

Micas are mostly used in cosmetics which actually makes it much safer to use than oil paint pigments and such.
It will only be shiny if you use it in transparent MP soap, It will be just a regular colorant in CP/HP soap since it's opaque. If you use a shiny red mica in soap it will just make your soap red/pink sans the shininess.
Only problem with mica is that some mica can change color in lye so either buy from a vendor that will tell you how it can change or test it yourself.
You can mix any powdered colorant with water, alcohol, or glycerin, just use the tiniest amount necessary to mix. Never use alcohol tho, it will seize your batch.

Yes, I guess thats what happened with me in my first couple of batches...they got seized.
I found a local supplier for mica but he told me they are not water soluble...

are Mica colors Oil soluble instead?

 

[Obsidian]

Some micas are water soluble, some oil only. I always mix mine with oil, just enough to make a thick slurry.

 

[Anstarx]

Yes, I guess thats what happened with me in my first couple of batches...they got seized.
I found a local supplier for mica but he told me they are not water soluble...

are Mica colors Oil soluble instead?

Mica, by definition, is basically a mineral powder coated with pigments, a silicate mineral to be precise. You can't really dissolve mica in water since that's will be like trying to dissolve sand. I believe a water-soluble mica is more of reference to the pigment it used.

Mica colors soap by having its tiny particles suspended by the soap batter. The powder is really fine so if you mix thoroughly it will color evenly.

If the mica is cosmetic grade I won't be too concerned if it's water-soluble or oil-soluble, just use different carriers. I think most soapers mix mica with oil but I like to use water cuz I'm weird like that.

 

[Kallisto]

Alright, Got it perfectly now.
A word of "Thanks" is not enough for you guys...Obsidian, Anstarx, Relle, TheGecko (with no specific order)
and everyone else who helped me out.

Sending Positive Vibes your way...

Love & Light
Kallisto