# Colorant and Essential Oils in liquid soap



## Ashraf Emam (Oct 20, 2020)

Hi everyone, ..
I want to know what is the best time to add the colorant and essential oils among the liquid soap making steps?
What is the ratio as well.. Thank you wonderful group.


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## DeeAnna (Oct 20, 2020)

I add scent after the soap is diluted. I would also add colorant after dilution if I used colorants in liquid soap.

The amount of scent (essential oil, EO, or fragrance oil, FO) will depend on your preference and also on the recommended safe maximum amount for the scent you want to use. I usually add 0.5% to 1% scent based on the total weight of product. 

If the EO or FO is new to you, be sure to TEST the scent in a sample BEFORE you add the scent to the main batch of soap. A fragrance may thin or thicken liquid soap or change the texture.

You need to use dye colorants to color liquid soap. Pigments (micas, oxides, ultramarines, etc.) remain as particles in the soap. They will eventually settle out. The amount of colorant you add depends on the depth of color you want. I do not color my liquid soap so I do not have any suggestions about how much to use.


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## Zany_in_CO (Oct 20, 2020)

Ashraf Emam said:


> I want to know what is the best time to add the colorant and essential oils among the liquid soap making steps? What is the ratio as well..


Welcome, Ashraf Emam! It would be helpful if you would go to the *Introduction Forum* and tell us a little about yourself, especially your level of experience in soap making.

That being said, I make lye-based liquid soap, body wash, foaming hand soap, and shampoo. It is best to add fragrance to finished LS warmed to *140°F (60°C)*. Stir gently to mix in. It's best to first test the fragrance in a portion of LS, rather than the whole batch, to see how it behaves. Depending on the fragrance, some may thin the LS, some may thicken it. Most often, it does neither and can be added at room temperature. *Polysorbate 20 or 80, used at a ratio of 1 part fragrance to 3-4 parts fragrance* works well to make the FO/EO water soluble and easy to incorporate into the batch, but it is rarely necessary.

*For scenting* liquid soap, I use *MMS Fragrance Calculator* 
I also like *WSP Fragrance Calculator*

For scenting with fragrance oils, I've found that the amount to add is the same for all with few exceptions. The amount varies for essential oils. Both calculators follow IFRA guidelines for scenting soap so you can be assured that you are adding the EO at a safe level.

*For color*, I use the 4 Basic Colors and the Neon Colors of *McCormick's Food Coloring & Egg Dye* that I buy at the grocery store. I add a drop at a time to the finished LS at at room temp until it's the shade I want. Some colors do better than others. Once again, test a small portion first. You can also find food coloring charts online that allow you to mix different shades.

NOTE: Some say that food coloring doesn't last, but I've not found that to be true, but then I use up all that I make fairly quickly. I've never tried testing LS color for a year.

HTH (Hope This Helps!) and best of luck!


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## Ashraf Emam (Oct 25, 2020)

DeeAnna said:


> I add scent after the soap is diluted. I would also add colorant after dilution if I used colorants in liquid soap.
> 
> The amount of scent (essential oil, EO, or fragrance oil, FO) will depend on your preference and also on the recommended safe maximum amount for the scent you want to use. I usually add 0.5% to 1% scent based on the total weight of product.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for your help.


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## Ashraf Emam (Oct 25, 2020)

Zany_in_CO said:


> Welcome, Ashraf Emam! It would be helpful if you would go to the *Introduction Forum* and tell us a little about yourself, especially your level of experience in soap making.
> 
> That being said, I make lye-based liquid soap, body wash, foaming hand soap, and shampoo. It is best to add fragrance to finished LS warmed to *140°F (60°C)*. Stir gently to mix in. It's best to first test the fragrance in a portion of LS, rather than the whole batch, to see how it behaves. Depending on the fragrance, some may thin the LS, some may thicken it. Most often, it does neither and can be added at room temperature. *Polysorbate 20 or 80, used at a ratio of 1 part fragrance to 3-4 parts fragrance* works well to make the FO/EO water soluble and easy to incorporate into the batch, but it is rarely necessary.
> 
> ...


Thank you , you've helped me a lot I really appreciate it. And I will do the introduction as well, I didn't know this section. However, I have 4 years experience in solid soap and essential oils extraction, but this time I decided with some friends to go in mass production and we will start with LS for some market considerations.


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## Zany_in_CO (Oct 27, 2020)

Zany_in_CO said:


> *Polysorbate 20 or 80, used at a ratio of 1 part fragrance to 3-4 parts fragrance* works well to make the FO/EO water soluble and easy to incorporate into the batch, but it is rarely necessary.


CORRECTION: That should say *1 part fragrance to 3-4 parts Polysorbate 20 or 80.*


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