# What to use to make soap brown



## brenda9876 (Nov 8, 2015)

I'm just now getting started on how to make soap. I'm having trouble finding what I exactly need to color the soap. I bought some colorants at Hobby Lobby and they don't work very well I made me a mold and I was trying to make like an Oreo cookie I put cocoa powder in it and it was a rich dark chocolate a perfect color but as it set and cured it turned to a light tan brown color. Does anyone have any advice on what I can use to make a dark dark creamy chocolate brown. And where is the best website to order supplies?


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## Arimara (Nov 8, 2015)

Coffee doesn't make soap super brown but my coffee soaps are pretty brown. But outside Of micas, I don't know how you can get a deep brown like that.


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## brenda9876 (Nov 8, 2015)

Thanks


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## newbie (Nov 8, 2015)

You may not have put in enough cocoa powder because it usually gives a nice deep color. Did you gel?

Nurture is a good place to get colorants.

https://nurturesoap.com/4-soap-stable-micas?id_category=4&n=106

TKB is another.

http://www.tkbtrading.com/category.php?category_id=44&page=g

And Mad Oils another. (page two for browns)

http://www.madoils.com/collections/soap-stable-micas?page=1

Many of the soap supply companies carry colorants so you have to shop around.


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## Obsidian (Nov 8, 2015)

You need to order either brown mica or brown oxide. Hobby lobby colorants are made for melt and pour soap, they don't work well in CP. Alternately, you can use a chocolate or vanilla fragrance that discolors.


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## DeeAnna (Nov 8, 2015)

Or use a fragrance oil that causes the soap to discolor to brown. The soap in the photo is scented with Autumn Woods from Natures Garden. The light parts are the natural soap color, more or less. The darker parts are from the vanilla in the fragrance oil -- no added color.


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## cmzaha (Nov 8, 2015)

Besides a good discoloring fo, any with high vanilla, you can get dark brown with brown oxide and either activated charcoal, black clay or black oxide mixed in. Trouble is they can stain a light colored washcloth. Coco powder will also make a dark brown, but can also stain. Dragon's blood is a dark discoloring fo


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## grumpy_owl (Nov 8, 2015)

I'm with DeeAnna. Use a vanilla or chocolate or coffee or coconut or honey FO and if necessary, BB's cappuccino sparkle mica to get a nice rich brown. I'm still looking for a vanilla, chocolate, cake scent, coconut or honey that does NOT discolor.


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## Arimara (Nov 8, 2015)

I forgot about the FOs. My soap has a coffee FO in it too. Well, my response doesn't count.:cry:


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## TeresaT (Nov 9, 2015)

I made coffee soap with really strong instant coffee (syrup like consistency) and they turned out so dark they look like hockey pucks.  They work great for kitchen smells, but they do lather brown.


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## Dharlee (Nov 9, 2015)

I also agree with DeeAnna.  Plus you can use 1 tsp PPO of cocoa powder to color as well. Be aware that it does make brownish bubbles.


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## TBandCW (Nov 9, 2015)

red, green and blue make brown......


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## dixiedragon (Nov 9, 2015)

I prefer coffee to cocoa, myself. BTW, instant coffee granules do not dissolve in soap! Dissolve them in a teesy amount of hot water, then add to your soap batter.


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## mymy (Nov 9, 2015)

When it comes to browning a soap, I think I am the master to ruin a brown soap. I wonder what makes it turned into a weird looking measles piece of soap.  My inner side is crying right now as I tried to make drop swirl but ended up with this. I SBed it too thick I guess. So, may I know why bubbles are formed on top?


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## brenda9876 (Nov 10, 2015)

Thanks for all the advice. I still have a lot to learn. Thanks for the web sites also. They are  more reasonable on price than the ones I have found.


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## CutePony (Nov 10, 2015)

Hey, does anyone know how to make a new thread here?  Sorry, I'm new to this website!


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## Arimara (Nov 10, 2015)

TeresaT said:


> I made coffee soap with really strong instant coffee (syrup like consistency) and they turned out so dark they look like hockey pucks.  They work great for kitchen smells, but they do lather brown.



Glimmer of hope. I guess my recipe is good for brown soap. Syrupy instant coffee? Sounds good to me.


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## luebella (Nov 10, 2015)

Lots. Of cocoa powder gives me an incredibly dark rich brown. Add more. Until you are satisfied


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## TeresaT (Nov 10, 2015)

Arimara said:


> Glimmer of hope. I guess my recipe is good for brown soap. Syrupy instant coffee? Sounds good to me.



I guess I should clarify that the coffee "syrup" was used as the liquid.  I didn't freeze it, but it was very cold. I made it the night before I was making the soap and put it in the fridge.


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## Arimara (Nov 10, 2015)

TeresaT said:


> I guess I should clarify that the coffee "syrup" was used as the liquid.  I didn't freeze it, but it was very cold. I made it the night before I was making the soap and put it in the fridge.



I gotcha. I just added the coffee before I added the lye when I made it. I'm not  quite the patient one.


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## MrsSpaceship (Nov 10, 2015)

CutePony said:


> Hey, does anyone know how to make a new thread here?  Sorry, I'm new to this website!



Click on the "Forums" tab (on the line below the Forum logo.  
Under "The Soap Making and Craft Forum" you will see "Beginners Soap Making Forum"  Click on that.  
You should see a blue button that says "New Thread"


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## brenda9876 (Dec 11, 2015)

*Brown mica turning other soap touching it a tan carmel color brown*

Thank you everyone everything has been very helpful. I have learned a lot in the past few months. But I'm still having a problem maybe someone can help me with. I tried to make a cake soap and cupcakes I used the brown mica that was recommended and the cake part of the cake and the cupcakes was a beautiful brown color. I tried to use a white soap and pipe it on like icing. On the cake I tried to make it look like icing with chocolate pieces of candy white marshmallows and drizzled with chocolate. On the cupcake I use a white soap and pipe icing on top with a pink and blue mica color stripped in the pastry bag. They turned out beautiful at first as a then letting them sit and dry as you do with cold process it seems like the white icing heart is pulling the brown up from the cake part. My icing now looks like a caramel tan color. Does anyone have any advice on how I can keep my icing part white.


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## shunt2011 (Dec 11, 2015)

Did you use a FO in your frosting?  If it has a high vanilla % it will turn it tan/caramel/brown.


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## Wildcraft_Garden (Dec 11, 2015)

brenda9876 said:


> Thank you everyone everything has been very helpful. I have learned a lot in the past few months. But I'm still having a problem maybe someone can help me with. I tried to make a cake soap and cupcakes I used the brown mica that was recommended and the cake part of the cake and the cupcakes was a beautiful brown color. I tried to use a white soap and pipe it on like icing. On the cake I tried to make it look like icing with chocolate pieces of candy white marshmallows and drizzled with chocolate. On the cupcake I use a white soap and pipe icing on top with a pink and blue mica color stripped in the pastry bag. They turned out beautiful at first as a then letting them sit and dry as you do with cold process it seems like the white icing heart is pulling the brown up from the cake part. My icing now looks like a caramel tan color. Does anyone have any advice on how I can keep my icing part white.


I second that thought, likely vanilla. You need to use a vanilla stabiliser (which works for a while) or skip the vanilla FO in anything you want white.


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## shunt2011 (Dec 11, 2015)

I would just embrace the vanilla color.  I haven't had very good luck with stabilizer long term.  Eventually it all turns darker on me.   Maybe not as dark.


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## Dharlee (Dec 12, 2015)

I did a frosted type look for a soap a while back and both skipped the FO for that part plus used a tiny bit of TD in the soap batter. Be aware that TD also causes a bit of acceleration.


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