# herbal infusions for both colors and scents - recent results



## green soap (Nov 6, 2011)

I have been having fun using infused oils in my soaps.  I get a lot of the herbs from my garden and infuse the oils after drying the herbs.  In other cases I buy the herbs, mainly to use as colorants.

I have used infusions using two different methods.  In both cases I used mason jars to hold the herb and oils (I used both pints and quarts) The first time I kept the oils with the herbs in a boiling water bath for a couple of hours.  This worked fine.  The next time I used a baking stone and set the oven for 200F.  This worked very well since I was making some liquid soap using the 200F warm oven method.  I kept the infused oils in their jars in the oven for 4-6 hours.  This also worked very well and I will piggy back infused oils into the oven when I make more liquid soap.

The concentration of herbs used in the infusions was from 1tbs to 2tbs per cup of oil.

Here is a list of the infusions I tried (I will break this up into a couple of posts):

*Cinnamon*.  I crushed/ground the cinnamon sticks but did not pulverize them.  Not much or any color contributions, but the two batches I made with the infused cinnamon oil smell heavenly and the scent seems to last a lot longer.  The other advantage is that unlike cinnamon leaf EO, it did not speed trace.  I only made a pint, and divided the pint between the two batches, so that means about 1 cup infused oil in a kilogram batch.  I will use a little more next time for a stronger scent.   I am definitely infusing cinnamon again!

*Allspice*.  Again, crushed but not pulverized.  No color contribution, just a slight scent contribution.  I used it in a spice soap, it smells similar to cinnamon leaf EO, but very subtle.  It was fine, but probably not worth the trouble of infusing allspice again.

*Calendula petals*.  I collected these from my own garden and dried them.  Wow!  beautiful yellow color and the calendula scent comes trough in the soap.   I also use it in fizzy bath bombs.  I like this better than in soap, to take better advantage of the skin healing properties, which I am afraid take a loss with the lye.  I will surely make calendula infused oil again.

*Rosemary*.  Collected from my garden and dried.  This is a favorite and will be repeated!  The color contribution is tan/yellow, not very green, but the scent contribution was awesome!  I also added rosemary EO and the soap has a lasting rosemary scent.  Since rosemary OR is a preservative, this infusion seem worth doing often and using it in small amounts in different soap batches.  By the way, the soap can be colored green using a little indigo powder in the lye water (not an infusion).  

*Marjoram*.  Negligible color contribution, very nice scent contribution.  I used it in a soap where I also added rosemary EO, it smells unusual but wonderful.  

*Herbal sachet blend*.  This was an herbal medley from my own garden, containing a blend of:  rose petals, lemon verbena, sage flowers, borage flowers and rosemary.  OK, so I admit this is not reproducible, but it was wonderful and it made me realize that it is possible to transfer the scent from my roses to my soap.  I will make other blends like this again, but maybe just for very special - special occasion soaps.  

*rose petals.*  Got the idea from the previous garden blend, no color contribution, a very subtle scent contribution.

*Madder root*.  I used 25% madded infused oil to get the most wonderful dusty pink shade.  I have been using it a lot, also in combination with alkanet infusions, so I need to make more!  No scent, just color.

*Alkanet root*. This has a slight odor that does not seem to transfer into the soap, so it is just for color.  Wow!  First I used 100 grams of infused alkanet in 1000g of oils and it got me an inky dark purple batch of soap.  I reduced it to 50g on a second batch to get a medium purple, and smaller amounts for jut a touch of lavender color.  

I will add pictures in the next post, as well as any other infusion I might have missed (will look at my notebook).


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## green soap (Nov 6, 2011)

I forgot one!

*Lemon verbena*.  There is a color contribution, and a subtle lemony scent, not nearly as much as one would expect from the fresh herb though.  I used it in a lemon mint blend, and I have to say the lemon verbena scent is so subtle that I will probably not use this in future infusions.  I used almost a full quart too (in 1 kg of oils batch) so I was not shy with it.


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## kila73 (Nov 6, 2011)

Thank you so much for doing this, I am at this moment busy with a rosehip infusion in my crock pot (my very first infusion, so I hope I am doing it right).  I used olive oil, can't say that I am seeing a color change yet, but that said it definitely has to go a few more hours.  

I will look out for your other post as this is one thing that I would like to do also.


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## green soap (Nov 6, 2011)

kila73 said:
			
		

> Thank you so much for doing this, I am at this moment busy with a rosehip infusion in my crock pot (my very first infusion, so I hope I am doing it right).  I used olive oil, can't say that I am seeing a color change yet, but that said it definitely has to go a few more hours.
> 
> I will look out for your other post as this is one thing that I would like to do also.



This was the other one I forgot! 

*Rose hips*.  These were very well dried, and crushed.  Not much color contribution, so I added 1 tbs tomato paste when I made the soap and it became a light peachy color.  I also added lemon EO and it made a nice looking and nicely scented soap, which I called lemon-rose hips.  I did use the whole pint of rose hips infused oil (in 1 kg soap), so I would have expected more of a scent and color contribution from the rose hips themselves though.  This one I infused in the boiling water bath for two hours.  

so Kila73, if you get better results, please post your technique!  if your results are like mine, do not give up on the infusions! they work very well with other herbs.  

So let me summarize, infusions tried: cinnamon, allspice, calendula, rosemary, marjoram, herbal garden blend, rose petals, rose hips, madder root, alkanet root, and lemon verbena.  

*The ones that were wonderful and I intend to do gain:  *

for scent: *cinnamon*, *rosemary*, and maybe marjoram.

for color: *alkanet*, *madder*, and *calendula*.  Calendula also has wonderful skin healing properties.

I might do garden blends for special occasion soaps, and rose hips seems to have a lot of customer appeal, so I might give that one another try too.


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## green soap (Nov 6, 2011)

Some pictures:







So from top left: rosemary-marjoram (used indigo and beta carotene), lavender (alkanet and madder), rose spice (madder), bottom left: mint-eucalyptus (used alkanet and indigo), cinnamon clove (beta carotene), and lemon-mint (lemon verbena infused oils, indigo and alkanet).  The latter one can be called 'grey', or as my husband put it ' a manly type of green'.  

Some soap balls, using different natural colors (the brown is from dark chocolate):


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## Sunny (Nov 6, 2011)

I love it! The pictures are awesome! I especially love the soap balls. Thanks for doing this experiment and sharing your results.


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## Hazel (Nov 6, 2011)

Beautiful colors! I like the soap balls, too. Thanks for sharing your results.


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## judymoody (Nov 6, 2011)

Thanks for sharing your results!

The soap balls look like yarn!


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## skyfarms (Nov 6, 2011)

You are quite the soap/herbal scientist!  I love it!  Your green soap has captivated me - where do you get your beta carotene?  I've been trying to find a natural, more vibrant green for soaping that is DOS-free.  

Great job and thank you!!!


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## debbism (Nov 6, 2011)

I love the Alkanet & Madder combination.  It really intensifies the purple.  I may very well try that with ratanjot and madder - I'd guess it would come out pretty similarly.

Time to plan another color experiment!


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## Fragola (Nov 6, 2011)

Thanks for sharing these great results !

If possible, please elaborate a bit more on the soap processing method and temperatures. Is it CP, is it gelled ?

What is the ratio of infused oil in your recipe ? Did you infuse the full amount of oils used ?

The leaves/petales are crushed somehow or simply used whole ?

The beta carotene - how do you get it? I've only seen capsules.

Personally, I don't know exactly what that rosemary OR is (except that I have seen the product advertised). Are you sure it can be extracted through infusion ? 

Sorry for so many questions. Enthusiasm arouses my curiosity


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## green soap (Nov 6, 2011)

Thank you all for the nice words.  I do not post often, but I have been reading this forum a lot and learning so much.  Nice to share some information back!




			
				skyfarms said:
			
		

> You are quite the soap/herbal scientist!  I love it!  Your green soap has captivated me - where do you get your beta carotene?  I've been trying to find a natural, more vibrant green for soaping that is DOS-free.
> 
> Great job and thank you!!!



You are welcome!  The beta carotene is from yellow coconut oil, the one used for pop corn.  I am sure you can get it from red palm oil as well, I do not use palm oil, so can't help on the amount.  The green soap on the upper left corner in the first picture I got by mixing 50g yellow coconut oil in 1Kg oils, and dissolving 3/16 tsp indigo crystals in the lye water.  I should add that my base oils are not 100% white, but rather an oatmeal color, so an even more vibrant green is possible if you use 100% white base oils.  Also, I used marjoram infused oil in that soap, so the infusion might have contributed some color.  You will have to experiment slightly based on your soap formula, but the quantities above should get you started with some sort of green......as nice as the green I used to get from chlorophyll, and no DOS!


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## green soap (Nov 6, 2011)

debbism said:
			
		

> I love the Alkanet & Madder combination.  It really intensifies the purple.  I may very well try that with ratanjot and madder - I'd guess it would come out pretty similarly.
> 
> Time to plan another color experiment!



From what I have read, ratanjot behaves similarly to alkanet, a little bit goes a long way.  Not Madder, you need to use a lot more of it to get a color, but what a nice color!  If you experiment, please let us know what you get and take pictures!


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## debbism (Nov 6, 2011)

i've used both but not together.  With ratanjot infusion, I need only 15% weight of oils where I used about 40% madder for a deeper terra cottoa/rose pink.  Should I reduce the ratanjot to 10%?


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## green soap (Nov 6, 2011)

Fragola said:
			
		

> Thanks for sharing these great results !
> 
> If possible, please elaborate a bit more on the soap processing method and temperatures. Is it CP, is it gelled ?
> 
> ...




Enthusiasm is good!  I will try answering your questions.

I did CP, 30% hard oils and 70% soft oils (I only do HP for liquid soap).  

The gel - no gel question is a little harder.  Lets say all the soaps in the first picture are gelled.  The second picture that shows the soap balls have a combinations with some un-gelled soaps.  All the ones in the first picture were soaped at around 100-110F, poured on silicone lined wooden molds, covered with insulating pads and left at room temperature.  This gets me an even gel.  Sometimes I don't gel, as in honey oatmeal soap, or chocolate soap, some strips of the chocolate soap are shown in one of the balls in the second picture.

Ratio of infused oils.  This varies, I substitute from some - to all of my soft oil with infused oil.  To get the alkanet purple on the top center in the first picture I only used 50g infused alkanet oil out of 1000g total.  For the rose hips soap I did use infused oils as half or more of the total oils, same thing for the calendula, marjoram, and rose petals infusion.  If the scent and/or color in your infusion is intense, use less; if subtle, use more!

I used the calendula petals whole, I cut the rosemary to some extent, crushed a lot of the roots for madder, alkanet, and the cinnamon bark.  I'd say crush and cut the herbs but do not pulverize, this way you can strain better.  Also, if you use any fresh herbs, like I do, make sure they are completely dry before infusing.

I get beta carotene from coconut oil used for pop corn.  I get it from amazon.com.

I am not SURE we can extract rosemary OR by infusion, but I would be willing to bet we can.  I will look into this some more though.


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## green soap (Nov 6, 2011)

debbism said:
			
		

> i've used both but not together.  With ratanjot infusion, I need only 15% weight of oils where I used about 40% madder for a deeper terra cottoa/rose pink.  Should I reduce the ratanjot to 10%?



Maybe?  To give you a reference, the soap on the top right corner in the first picture had 25% of the total oils as infused madder root.  I call that a dusty rose.  Was your 40% madder infused oil soap much darker? or deeper?  Can you post a picture?  

For another point of reference, the purple soap on the top (center) was 10% madder infused oil and 5% alkanet infused oil, using 1-2 tablespoons dried herb per cup of infused oil.  Yet another point of reference:  if I use no color at all in my soap, the base oil mix gives me an oatmeal color.  

I have not worked with ratanjot, not sure how the color intensity or hue compares with alkanet.  I will get some next time I am in an Indian market.

Experiment and let us know what happens!


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## debbism (Nov 6, 2011)

This is my madder root - about 40% infusion




By debbism at 2011-10-24

The purple is close to your alkanet-indigo combo at 15% ratanjot


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## green soap (Nov 6, 2011)

debbism said:
			
		

> This is my madder root - about 40% infusion
> 
> The purple is close to your alkanet-indigo combo at 15% ratanjot



Is the darker shade the madder infused one?  Brick-russet-maroon would you say?  I love the color.  I am going to have to grow the thing.  I hope it grows in our climate.  How did you get the lighter yellow color?


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## tlm884 (Nov 6, 2011)

I just stumbled upon this link. Its pictures of different extract, etc in soap. Some of them have really great color. Rhubarb Root powder made a great red color and logwood root powder looked great too!

http://learn2soap.com/?page_id=16


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## Fragola (Nov 7, 2011)

Thanks for the additional details 



> I get beta carotene from coconut oil used for pop corn.


A much stronger version can be found in sea buckthorn oil (I use it as a colorant - few teaspoons ppo). Or berries, for that matter, if you have a local source.


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## Soapsugoii (Nov 7, 2011)

WOW. Your colors are elegant and GORGEOUS. I am super, super impressed. Especially by the purples - the lavender and the bluish/purple are absolutely lovely. Great job!


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## LauraHoosier (Nov 7, 2011)

I'm absolutely in awe of the colors you've gotten.  Much as I want to try this I have to get past the worry about the % of herbal additive left behind being a problem for those using the soaps.


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## Soapy Gurl (Nov 8, 2011)

Just love the colors!  I am a big fan of soap balls too.  It is great to see you can get such perfect results from all natural ingredients.


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## fiddletree (Nov 12, 2011)

Thought I'd post here yesterday's experiment with using alkanet inflused OO to swirl my soap!  I mixed at a 0% SF and then added in the oils (uncolored and colored) to reach an 8% SF.  I was surprised at the lovely bluish purple I got, I thought it would end up being more grayish.  Scented with lavender EO


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## skyfarms (Nov 12, 2011)

Beautiful soap, fiddletree!  That is a good idea about not superfatting so you could make the swirl with the oil infusion!  Hadn't thought of that and now I'm very inspired


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## Fragola (Nov 12, 2011)

You mean that the white area in your soap has 0% SF, while the colored part has 8% SF ?


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## Lindy (Nov 12, 2011)

Very pretty but I would worry about the 0% SF in the white as well....

Love the colour you  attained.


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## LabWitch (Nov 12, 2011)

Great info here, thanks to all for sharing. I have a cupboard full of herbs of one kind or another, and now I have a head full of ideas!

Wonder what star anise would do ....?


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## green soap (Nov 12, 2011)

I think both colors had the added 8% superfat, not just the part colored with alkanet.  

Very nice looking soap!


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## fiddletree (Nov 13, 2011)

green soap said:
			
		

> I think both colors had the added 8% superfat, not just the part colored with alkanet.
> 
> Very nice looking soap!



Exactly .  I added uncolored OO to the white part, and colored OO to the blueish part, in equal measure, enough to end up with a 8% SF.  

I calculated the soap with soapcalc to have the 8% SF, multiplied entire oil amount by 8%, subtracted that oil amount  from the OO, leaving me with an approximate (because of differing SAP values and not taking out a bit from each oil) 0% SF.  Then took that amount that I had subtracted, divided in two (one colored, one not), and put in my soap pitchers. divided the soap into two after light trace and added to the 'extra' split OO.  Used the SB to incorporate. Swirled.  Voila! 8% SF w/natural colors! As long as one never forgets to add ALL of the OO back in to make the lye calculation correct, it's fine and pretty easy.


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## tlm884 (Nov 16, 2011)

I tried using beta carotene in one of my batchs to see what kind of color I could get. I used 30% Palm, 50% Olive, 5% Castor, 5% Walnut Oil, 5% Beta Carotene infused canola, and 5% beta carotene infused coconut. So 10% of the oils in the batch contained beta carotene. When I poured it, it reminded me of egg yolks. Here is a picture of the just poured soap. 




IMG-20111115-00392 by taylorlg89, on Flickr


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## fiddletree (Nov 16, 2011)

Cool! What did you infuse the beta carotene out of?


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## tlm884 (Nov 16, 2011)

A local business manufactures a line of popcorn products and two of their products are popcorn oils. They add the beta carotene into the oils for flavour and color so it was real simple for me for this project.


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## fiddletree (Nov 16, 2011)

Lucky you!  Italians don't eat popcorn, unfortunately, so I need to find myself another source....

What would happen if I infused oil with carrot pulp?


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## tlm884 (Nov 16, 2011)

I'm assuming that should work, or you could use carrot juice as the liquid portion of your soap.


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## soapbuddy (Nov 16, 2011)

Looks good. I use unrefined palm to get natural yellow.


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## Soaplady22 (Nov 16, 2011)

Carrot juice should work - or do what I did recently, and put well blended carrot right into the soap!! I used 4 oz. to a 3# batch. I think you could use a bit more if you wanted.


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## fiddletree (Nov 16, 2011)

Carrot juice, of course!  That would just be too obvious for me


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## tlm884 (Nov 17, 2011)

I might give tomato juice a try. Tomato juice gets it red color from carotenoids and apparently they are fairly stable under the caustic conditions of lye so the color should stay!


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## fiddletree (Nov 17, 2011)

Today I made my first attempt at soap cupcakes.  And I used infused oils to color it.  I'll post pics tomorrow, although I have to say I am ashamed of my 'icing'.  I royally blow at piping on icing, whether made of sugar or soap. 

BUT despite being sloppy looking (I really, REALLY suck. Aghhhh) the colors are beautiful.  I used alkanet infused oil for the icing (using the same oil and split method I posted before), which turns blue-purple, and annatto infused oil for the base.  The annatto infused OO, even at only 8% of the oils, turned a really vivid yellow.  Like ball of sun egg yolk yellow.  Probably too much for cup cakes, but it was a cool experiment anyhow.  If anyone needs crazy super duper yellow, annatto is great!

ok, went ahead and took a pic.... colors aren't showing up on film so much, but gives you an idea.  Here is the one that is not as ugly, but only on one side.  If y'all want to laugh, I can post the really ugly ones...


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## soapbuddy (Nov 17, 2011)

I've used alkanet infused oil before and got a gorgeous eggplant purple.


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## Hazel (Nov 17, 2011)

fiddletree - 

Thanks for sharing the info. Your cupcake looks great so you can't be too bad at piping. I'm horrible at piping. I posted a pic a long time ago but I'm not going to tell you on which thread. It just depresses me every time I see it.


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## fiddletree (Nov 17, 2011)

Awww, shoot, I'm feeling all contrary today(but glad my efforts are appreciated).  So here is a photo of the first cupcake. I think I will go back to normal shaped soap that doesn't involve piping..... but I will continue to experiment with natural colors.  I have indigo power in the mail, I'm excited to play with that!

See the glorious horribleness below!  Fine for one that you can eat, but for soap..eh....yeah.  I need to practice.  I just called my (chef) mother in a frenzy asking how to improve!


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## green soap (Nov 17, 2011)

Nice yellows both of them!  

I have not used anatto yet, sounds like it is worth a try!

I just did a batch with infused paprika and I am very pleased.  Will take some pictures later.

I also infused a few more oils, some I had mentioned but I got a couple of new ones.  Trying turmeric infusion for the first time (I used it straight at trace in the past but did not like it) and also a ground bay leaves infusion.  I do have a large bay laurel tree in my garden, so I thought I would try something 'alleppo inspired.'


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## Hazel (Nov 17, 2011)

fiddletree - 

Believe me...your piping still looks 10x better than mine.   

Just practice, practice, practice.


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## grammy1954 (Nov 20, 2011)

*Thanks for sharing*

Thanks so much for sharing!  I recently used a chamomile infusion to make some soap for a new grandchild expected in March.  It came out really nice but I don't think I let the herbs infuse into the oil long enough.  I will leave it a few more hours next time.


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## green soap (Jan 1, 2012)

Bumping this thread, here is a picture with some stamped and labeled soaps.  Paprika is one of the sandalwoods (turmeric the other one) and I also used paprika mixed with beta carotene for the soap on the top right corner (pumpkin pie).




IMG_0062 by rosetalleo, on Flickr


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## Fragola (Jan 1, 2012)

They're all wonderful !

Is paprika the red sandalwood ? Is that a paprika infusion ? How'd you make it that red ? When I infused paprika, the oil was just slightly reddish-orange.

Also, what is the pink one (third on top row).


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## green soap (Jan 1, 2012)

Fragola said:
			
		

> They're all wonderful !
> 
> Is paprika the red sandalwood ? Is that a paprika infusion ? How'd you make it that red ? When I infused paprika, the oil was just slightly reddish-orange.
> 
> Also, what is the pink one (third on top row).



Thank you!  Yes, paprika is the red sandalwood.  That was 31% of my oils as infused paprika.

All my infusions are standard 1/2 cup (4 oz) ground spice or herb or root per quart of oil.  I always use this amount so it is reproducible.  I just use more of the infusion if the color is not strong, or the scent is subtle.   I use quart mason jars on a baking stone in a 200F oven for 4-6 hours.  I have also done it with a boiling water bath but the oven method is less fussy.  I think that sandalwood soap was too red, you will get a beautiful peach color with about only 5% infused paprika oil.  I'll post more pictures in a few days (after I stamp and label the soaps, they are almost cured).  I also have one which is a mix of paprika and alkanet, pretty nice redish purple.

The brown sandalwood got this way with about 20% infused turmeric.  I might try turmeric one more time, but using maybe 2 or 2.5% of the infused oil.  It is weird, since it looks a lovely pale shade of yellow in the oil, then morphs to brown with the lye.  Or maybe i used way too much?

By the way, both sandalwood batches sold out and my next batch is a ligher version of the pumpkin pie color, a blend of anatto and paprika, but only using 5% of each.  

The rose is madder root, about 25% infusion.  It is beautiful, but it takes a lot to get a very light rose, so it is not very cost effective. Maybe someone here knows of a better (cheaper) supplier for madder root?  I am thinking about growing it, but it takes two years to harvest the roots.  Isn't a nice color though?


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## green soap (Jan 1, 2012)

Here is another picture showing all these colors together.  The mardi gras soaps (green purple and gold) will be ready Jan 6, epiphany or first day of carnaval (mardi gras).  

The soap on top has some of the 31% infused paprika as inserts.  You can see how bright it got!  The lather is white though, good thing.




IMG_0064 by rosetalleo, on Flickr


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## kharmon320 (Jan 1, 2012)

green soap- Thanks for all the valuable information contained in this thread.  I'm very intrigued with using the herbal infusions to color the soap.  You've been very generous with your time and knowledge.


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## Fragola (Jan 2, 2012)

> It is weird, since it looks a lovely pale shade of yellow in the oil, then morphs to brown with the lye. Or maybe i used way too much?



Turmeric is pH sensitive, it gets reddish with high pH. It's also light sensitive, 
it discolors. There's also the choice to use more, not less


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## fiddletree (Jan 2, 2012)

I love your soaps!  

What is the background for the lavender marti gras soap?  Madder root?  It is gorgeous!


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## green soap (Jan 2, 2012)

fiddletree said:
			
		

> I love your soaps!
> 
> What is the background for the lavender marti gras soap?  Madder root?  It is gorgeous!



Thank you.  Alkanet root infusion and madder root infusion, about 4% and 30% respectively, but your milage may vary....depending on the base colors of you soaps, the strength of your infusion and so on.


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## carolyntn (Jan 2, 2012)

Green soap - your soap is beautiful! Thank you for generously sharing your experiences with us!


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## green soap (Jan 2, 2012)

kharmon320 said:
			
		

> green soap- Thanks for all the valuable information contained in this thread.  I'm very intrigued with using the herbal infusions to color the soap.  You've been very generous with your time and knowledge.



You are welcome!  others have contributed to this thread too.  I tried anatto after reading about it here and I am very happy with it.


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## green soap (Jan 2, 2012)

carolyntn said:
			
		

> Green soap - your soap is beautiful! Thank you for generously sharing your experiences with us!



Thank you and you are welcome too!


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## TheSoapSmith (Jan 23, 2012)

*Macha*

Has anyone tried Green Tea Macha?  My mom used in one of her soaps once and it hada gorgeous green that is still present ( i still have some soap scraps from the bar she gave me)  and it was made about 2 years ago. 

I need to get some Macha.


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## green soap (Jan 23, 2012)

*Re: Macha*



			
				TheSoapSmith said:
			
		

> Has anyone tried Green Tea Macha?  My mom used in one of her soaps once and it hada gorgeous green that is still present ( i still have some soap scraps from the bar she gave me)  and it was made about 2 years ago.
> 
> I need to get some Macha.



Once I added the contents of a packet meant to be one serving of powdered instant green tea.  As I did not think the soap batter was green enough, I also added chlorophyll.  I have posted here about chlorophyll accelerating rancidity in soap (DOS).  My green tea and chlorophyll soap went bad before i had a chance to observe how effective as a colorant the green tea was.

If i was going to do this again I would add two such packets into a 2 lb batch of soap.  Let us know what you find out!


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## TheSoapSmith (Jan 23, 2012)

I wasn't talking about useing the packets.  I got the macha for my mom when my husband and I went to japan to visit.  You can get it at tea stores it is basically just a powdered green tea.  She also didn't add any chloryphyll.  

I was wanting to make it too but have not gone and bought any macha yet.


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## SUZBathandBody (Jan 24, 2012)

I am so impressed with all the beautiful natural colors in your soaps. I have purchased or grownlots of herbs and spices to try for infusions but still fall back on the old ultramarines and synthetic colorants, (mostly because I know how to get the same colors over and over again for soap sales). You can given me inspiration to try the natural infusions!


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## skyfarms (Jan 25, 2012)

I did a couple experiments with matcha green tea powder.  One I added the powder after trace and it turned brown really fast.  The other I used matcha infused olive oil and the soap is a very dull green.  I did use a floral wax in that one and I think it affected the coloring.


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## green soap (Jan 25, 2012)

SUZBathandBody said:
			
		

> I am so impressed with all the beautiful natural colors in your soaps. I have purchased or grownlots of herbs and spices to try for infusions but still fall back on the old ultramarines and synthetic colorants, (mostly because I know how to get the same colors over and over again for soap sales). You can given me inspiration to try the natural infusions!



Thanks for the kind words.  I hope this helps some. I will not pretend it is easy.  I try to make the infusions the same strength, but sometimes some end up a darker color, or lighter.  For example if i want a certain green, i will do a measured amount of indigo in the water, and then a measured amount of yellow coconut oil.  This is more reproducible than using infused anatto, even though infused anatto can give beautiful greens too.  I will use anatto by itself, or from a batch where I know how much it colors.


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## TheSoapSmith (Jan 26, 2012)

skyfarms said:
			
		

> I did a couple experiments with matcha green tea powder.  One I added the powder after trace and it turned brown really fast.  The other I used matcha infused olive oil and the soap is a very dull green.  I did use a floral wax in that one and I think it affected the coloring.



I'll have to ask my mom how she did it.   It's worth experimenting with.


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## skyfarms (Jan 26, 2012)

TheSoapSmith said:
			
		

> skyfarms said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Definitely!  I'd love to be able to get a green with that powder.  I do love experimenting too.


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## TheSoapSmith (Jan 30, 2012)

*Macha soap*

So I asked my mom how she was able to keep her macha soap so green, and she used hydrated chrome green oxide.  She added the macha directly to the water before mixing in the lye and apparently it turned the macha water black :shock: .  Well now I know :roll: .  Oh well it still smells good.


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## skyfarms (Jan 30, 2012)

Oh well!  I've heard that some people have better luck with sencha green tea staying green in soap.  I'll probably experiment again with the matcha anyway.


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## TheSoapSmith (Jan 31, 2012)

yeah I'm sure to try xperimenting to.  once supplies get here i'm gonna try a green tea macha with sunny raspberry fragrance.  Raspberry green tea here I come


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## vjbakke (Feb 7, 2012)

Where do you purchase these?  The herbs that is?


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## TheSoapSmith (Feb 7, 2012)

the macha I got off of amazon.com, everything else soap stores will sell most of the natural colorants, at least the one I look into. other than that look into herb stores and try experimenting with different ones, you never know what you'll come up with.


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