Welchs Grape Juice as purple colorant

[ylogan00]

I'm wanting to make Lavender CP soap and I wanted to add a purple color. Welchs Grape Juice is all I have on hand. I wanted to know if anyone has ever tried this and what were the results? Did the soap turn rancid? I know Welchs stains everything it touches.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

thanks

 

[FBody355]

Are you using it to mix your lye with? It might turn brown on you.

 

[Obsidian]

It will turn brown, purple is a difficult color to achieve. You really need a stable mica or oxide. Sometimes blue food coloring will turn purple in CP soap.

 

[Rowan]

I haven't tried Mica's yet, but I did use a mauve oxide, which made a lovely lilac colour. If you are looking for a natural purple you could try alkanet root. However I think it depends on the ph of your soap as to what colour you will get, ranging from mauvey purple to grey/blue. I'm sure others with far more experience than me can tell you more.

 

[jules92207]

I got a very pretty purple swirl when I used a blue shimmer mica. It was perfect for my violet soap.

 

[Ursula]

I have had great success using Alkanet infused oil in my lavender soap. You have to do some experimenting, since it is really pH sensitive - can turn anywhere from dusty mauve to purple to dark navy blue. So amount and timing is key. I use 100g oil infused with 3 Tbsp alkanet, and then add the strained oil to a 2.5lb batch after I've mixed in the lye solution. Works like a charm! Good luck with you soap!

 

[seven]

like Obsi said, purple can be a bit tricky sometimes, like true red is. i found a purple mica on etsy that gives me a nice purple (stable), but i've no idea what the name of the color is.
as for the juice, i doubt it will stay in its true color. red dragon fruit (which stain is also very hard to wash) juice turned absolutely colorless when mixed with lye.

if you have blue and violet ultramarines, you can mix those 2 to get a nice purple. violet on its own will more likely gives you a muted purplish-gray. add a bit of blue and it should be okay.

 

[ylogan00]

Thanks to all who responded. I'll rule out the grape juice and look into the other suggestions using purple.:smile: