# coconut oil that is colored



## Steve85569 (Nov 19, 2015)

I found some on line that is a real good price but it has been coloured to resemble butter ( yellow). Can I still use it to make soap or will the oil misbehave in peculiar ways?

Thanks in advance for your help.
Steve


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## luebella (Nov 19, 2015)

What was it colored with?


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## Steve85569 (Nov 20, 2015)

Beta carotine.
Wonder what the sap value is for that.


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## Steve85569 (Nov 20, 2015)

Vitamin A. 
It will probably leave some tinge after the lye gets done with it. I read a blog from another soaper that tried to use the vitamin capsules as a dye.

For the price I'm seeing I think I'll make an order just to see. I may end up with a bunch of yellow and orange soap. On the other hand a little mica may end up making some interesting colour combinations.


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## Susie (Nov 20, 2015)

I use Beta Carotene to color soap frequently.  It has no sap value, but gives a lovely sunshiny yellow soap.  I just snip the end of the capsule off before squeezing into my oils.  Zap with the stickblender a couple of seconds before adding the lye water.  I would not hesitate to use that CO if those are the only two ingredients.


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## Steve85569 (Nov 20, 2015)

TY Susie!
$9.42 a gallon sounds like a good price to me so I'm going to be making soaps with a sunshiny yellow color to them.

http://www.wayfair.com/keyword.php?keyword=coconut+oil&ust=&command=dosearch&new_keyword_search=true

If you're interested. If I buy lots the shipping is free!


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## dixiedragon (Nov 20, 2015)

I've used oil like that. It's fine. Your soap will be yellow or orange - mine was the color of cheddar cheese. (which is also colored with beta carotene, btw)


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## BrewerGeorge (Nov 20, 2015)

Steve85569 said:


> TY Susie!
> $9.42 a gallon sounds like a good price to me so I'm going to be making soaps with a sunshiny yellow color to them.
> 
> http://www.wayfair.com/keyword.php?keyword=coconut+oil&ust=&command=dosearch&new_keyword_search=true
> ...



Uh, the one you linked says that it makes the popcorn taste buttery, which probably means it has diacetyl added for buttery flavor. (Edit: Nevermind, Amazon came through with actual information on this stuff.  No diacetyl.)

How can they sell a food product without at least giving a picture of the nutritional label?  Is that even legal, Wayfair?


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## galaxyMLP (Nov 20, 2015)

BrewerGeorge said:


> Uh, the one you linked says that it makes the popcorn taste buttery, which probably means it has diacetyl added for buttery flavor. (Edit: Nevermind, Amazon came through with actual information on this stuff.  No diacetyl.)
> 
> How can they sell a food product without at least giving a picture of the nutritional label?  Is that even legal, Wayfair?



I thought the EXACT same thing and went to amazon and found the same as you did. Should've read your comment first. Good thing it doesn't have any. Diacetyl and soaping would be a bad thing since we loooove to smell our bars. Popcorn lung anyone?


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## lenarenee (Nov 20, 2015)

It's beta carotene that also makes red palm oil so orange, but it soaps fine. If you use a high % of it, it adds a kind of pumpkin scent to the finished soap. The color fades over time, so try to keep away from sunlight.


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## BrewerGeorge (Nov 20, 2015)

Well, I went for a gallon of it.  Just over a dollar a pound for coconut cannot be passed up.


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## luebella (Nov 20, 2015)

Nice! Let us know how it works out


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## Steve85569 (Nov 20, 2015)

BrewerGeorge said:


> Uh, the one you linked says that it makes the popcorn taste buttery, which probably means it has diacetyl added for buttery flavor. (Edit: Nevermind, Amazon came through with actual information on this stuff.  No diacetyl.)
> 
> How can they sell a food product without at least giving a picture of the nutritional label?  Is that even legal, Wayfair?



Yeah, I had to go to Amazon too in order to check on what was and wasn't in the jug. A little beta won't hurt but the other "stuff" that comes in some popcorn oils can be nasty. 

Asthma can be more than just a little exciting if you don't watch the air around you.:sick:


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## Steve85569 (Nov 30, 2015)

Oil got in this evening. I'll CPOP a batch up Tuesday and cut Wednesday so we can see the orange soap. 
I'm thinking some 5x orange so it smells like it looks.


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## CaraBou (Nov 30, 2015)

Oh - do post! What percent of your recipe are planning to use of the CO? I know with the capsules, a little goes a long way, so I would think 20-25% (my normal amounts) would give nice color.  

I ordered some household stuff from Wayfair on Black Friday and snuck a jug of the colored CO in there. I'm always up for a bargain so thanks for pointing it out.  I've soaped with beta carotene capsules a few times and really like the color it gives. And I've soaped with pureed carrots/juice too (which is a natural source).  So I'm really looking forward to one less step in getting a nice orange or yellow color.

As for fragrances to match the color: orange will be nice, with or without a little patchouli (hint hint).  The color will also go well with many florals.  Just think -- a two month cure will put your batch out in February -- a great time to be reminded that spring is just around the corner


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## Steve85569 (Nov 30, 2015)

CaraBou said:


> Oh - do post! What percent of your recipe are planning to use of the CO? I know with the capsules, a little goes a long way, so I would think 20-25% (my normal amounts) would give nice color.
> 
> As for fragrances to match the color: orange will be nice, with or without a little patchouli (hint hint).  The color will also go well with many florals.  Just think -- a two month cure will put your batch out in February -- a great time to be reminded that spring is just around the corner



I need to go out and get some lard in the morning. I knew I was forgetting something when we went to town today:?.
I'll post the recipe along with the pictures when I cut. DW and I both like CO so I'll be running a bit heavy for lot's of the soapers here - around 30%. At first it was a bit too cleansing but after the 6-8 week cure time it mellows out and make suds so well that a little goes a long way!

I now have a good "excuse" to make a couple batches this week. Hehehe.:twisted:


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## CaraBou (Dec 1, 2015)

I haven't specifically tried a 30% CO bar, but I've done several 25's and apparently am not sensitive to that level.  I haven't upped my superfat (from 5%), either.  I can't remember the last time I've put lotion on anywhere other than my hands, and it's been forever since having a dry skin itching fit.  But I'm anxious to see how this winter goes, since I've moved from a coastal to an interior/continental climate.  I do have a humidifier running in the house (to ameliorate the effects of the constantly burning wood stove), so that might give me an edge.  But I'm kind of curious how high I could go on CO (and bubbles!) before having to back down.  

Anyway, I hope you get your lard tomorrow -- and a beautiful colored soap!


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## BrewerGeorge (Dec 1, 2015)

Got mine a couple days ago and it's pretty variegated - like it partially melted and re-solidified.  I can't decide whether to melt the whole thing and stir so the color is homogeneous, or just let it fly.  This will almost certainly be used for salt bars @100 CO. Got a few more things in the pipeline first, though, so no hurry.


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## Steve85569 (Dec 1, 2015)

BG mine was frozen solid and took 20 hours near the wood stove to thaw.

Okay here's the recipe:
Castor               10%
CO                     30%
Lard                  20%
OO, Pomace       20%
GV Shortening   20%

Ran a 12% SF and replaced half the water with coconut milk.
The first picture is at partial gel ( in progress) so you can see what the color would be without the heat from the oven. Second is full on gel.

DW saw the first batch and asked for vanilla and sherbet.
Here's the vanilla and orange sherbet.
She  (DW) wanted a solid CO with a high SF so that's what she gets. Should be ready around Valentine's Day.

I'll post when I cut too so I can get advice from the experts.


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## CaraBou (Dec 1, 2015)

Lookin' good!

Bet mine will be frozen solid too.  It's been just above 0 F here.  

George, I challenge you to use it in more than just salt bars.  A yellow base can be pretty in any soap, not to mention yellow + blue = green, yellow + red = orange


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## Steve85569 (Dec 2, 2015)

And cut. After I cut the orange/vanilla I realized I cut it wrong. I'm prone to doing things like that while learning.


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## BrewerGeorge (Dec 2, 2015)

Steve85569 said:


> BG mine was frozen solid and took 20 hours near the wood stove to thaw.
> ...


I'll probably put it in a big brewing kettle full of hot tap water.


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## CaraBou (Dec 2, 2015)

That's pretty good color Steve. Oh, the possibilities!

Why did you say you cut it wrong? Would the pattern have been better horizontally?


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## Steve85569 (Dec 2, 2015)

CaraBou said:


> That's pretty good color Steve. Oh, the possibilities!
> 
> Why did you say you cut it wrong? Would the pattern have been better horizontally?




I did cut horizontal for the bars.

If I would have cut blocks on the horizontal I could have stood them on end and had vertical cuts showing more pattern. The 100% coconut in the orange / vanilla is really hot and wants to gel spontaneously though ( soap on a stick hot ) so there probably wasn't much difference in this case. The pattern I laid down sure isn't what I cut. Jan wants coconut bars so she gets them.:silent:


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## BrewerGeorge (Dec 3, 2015)

Now this is interesting.

I melted this last night about midnight.  As of now, it's still almost completely liquid like 16 hours later.  It's sitting in my  70F kitchen.


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## CaraBou (Dec 4, 2015)

That is interesting, George. I'm aware of the tendency for high CO soaps to gel like Steve just said, but the idea that a whole jug of 76 deg CO will hold heat at lower ambient temps is new to me.  Pretty cool - or should I say hot!


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## BrewerGeorge (Dec 4, 2015)

The center is STILL liquid, 26 hours later!


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## CaraBou (Dec 5, 2015)

Well, has it settled down now??

Mine came.  What a great color!


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## Steve85569 (Dec 6, 2015)

BrewerGeorge said:


> The center is STILL liquid, 26 hours later!



It is interesting how it stays liquid or at least semi fluid well below the 76 degree mark. I am thinking the beta carotine may have something to do with it since it is semi-fluid at room temps. Then again I'm just guessing.


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## cedarhousejenny (Dec 13, 2015)

Nice looking Soap Steve


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## Steve85569 (Dec 13, 2015)

cedarhousejenny said:


> Nice looking Soap Steve



Thank you! And welcome to the forum. Say hi to Troy.

Steve


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## BrewerGeorge (Dec 14, 2015)

Made a quick version of the ladies' soap for the house on Saturday and thought I'd try this oil.  The recipe is 20% CO.

This color is INTENSE.  I have to say that I don't think that anything made with this oil will ever be anything but orange.  I mean, I could probably get black/brown by adding an opposing labcolor, but that ORANGE will dominate.  I added the rose clay that I normally use in this soap (which makes a warm pink) and just ended up with a slightly redder, more opaque orange.  

This soap uses BB's Cherry Blossom, so it doesn't really "match."  It will be fine for our own showers, but I do like things to compliment when possible, so I will stick with "orange-y" scents going forward.  I have some 10X Orange EO coming which I'll use with this, and a bit of Flower Child from a sample that might make nice salt bars.  We'll see after that, but this is A LOT of orange oil...

In retrospect, I think I would rather have spent the $13 for the uncolored oil to keep color options open.  I'll use this up, but I for sure won't be buying more.


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## dixiedragon (Dec 14, 2015)

It may fade. I've got some soap that I colored with beta carotene that I made in April. I colored it a vivid yellow (it's a lemony scented soap) and that has faded to a very very pale yellow, as in barely not white.

ETA: Another option is to do some pumpkin scents and add some Moroccan red clay to get a pumpkin-y color.


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## BrewerGeorge (Dec 14, 2015)

dixiedragon said:


> It may fade. I've got some soap that I colored with beta carotene that I made in April. I colored it a vivid yellow (it's a lemony scented soap) and that has faded to a very very pale yellow, as in barely not white.
> ...



Here's hoping!


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## Steve85569 (Dec 14, 2015)

BrewerGeorge said:


> Here's hoping!



High water and gelling will get it to be yellow so you can use that info to create some other colours and combos. With just a cold process it will look like cheddar cheese by itself in a few weeks. There are lots of possible tints that I see coming out of the oil. It does have it's drawbacks though.

With the folded orange you will still want to use something to help set the fragrance too. ( Just don't forget I know you know).


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## Steve85569 (Dec 16, 2015)

Here's a picture of the green with some purple next to it. The purple is from white oils not the orange/ yellow.


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## BrewerGeorge (Apr 6, 2017)

Looking for something in old threads I came across this one.  Sixteen months later, I still haven't used up all the colored oil - and I've made a lot of soap in the meantime.  The color from a 20% contribution is just SO limiting, that I often ignore it and use white coconut oil instead.  I've never been able to cover the yellow or mix anything with it successfully, and the yellow does NOT fade for me.  I've got about a pound left and hopefully I'll finish it up in a batch of salt bars this weekend.  I'll make a last-ditch attempt at green with some blue mica, but I'm not optimistic.

The reason I resurrected this thread was to add the recommendation not to buy this stuff to anybody who might find the thread in the future.  Yes, it functions just fine, but you're going to get really tired of yellow and orange soaps really quickly, and that is a HUGE jug.


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## earlene (Apr 6, 2017)

Thank you for mentioning that, BG.  I feel the same about red palm oil.


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## Steve85569 (Apr 6, 2017)

I still have orange laundry soap.
Even using color blends I have found this difficult to use up.

I learned from this "mistake". I will use this up before the end of this year in the laundry, but it was one of those deals that seemed too good to be true when I stumbled on it. Shoulda seen the orange flag pop up.

:headbanging:


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## BrewerGeorge (Apr 6, 2017)

Steve85569 said:


> I still have orange laundry soap.
> Even using color blends I have found this difficult to use up.
> 
> I learned from this "mistake". I will use this up before the end of this year in the laundry, but it was one of those deals that seemed too good to be true when I stumbled on it. Shoulda seen the orange flag pop up.
> ...



I've actually used a lot of it for cooking.  Make Fried Rice with this stuff and it comes out yellow like from a Chinese restaurant.  Once I used it specifically for the color when I only had white corn meal in the house and I wanted to make cornbread without answering stupid questions about it being white.  Worked perfectly. :mrgreen:  Makes for a very golden, buttery-looking pie crust, too.


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## WeaversPort (Apr 6, 2017)

BrewerGeorge said:


> Looking for something in old threads I came across this one.  Sixteen months later, I still haven't used up all the colored oil - and I've made a lot of soap in the meantime.  The color from a 20% contribution is just SO limiting, that I often ignore it and use white coconut oil instead.  I've never been able to cover the yellow or mix anything with it successfully, and the yellow does NOT fade for me.  I've got about a pound left and hopefully I'll finish it up in a batch of salt bars this weekend.  I'll make a last-ditch attempt at green with some blue mica, but I'm not optimistic.
> 
> The reason I resurrected this thread was to add the recommendation not to buy this stuff to anybody who might find the thread in the future.  Yes, it functions just fine, but you're going to get really tired of yellow and orange soaps really quickly, and that is a HUGE jug.



I was thinking about this today (because what else am I going to do while in waiting rooms?) 

If you make 2lb batches, you can have one white and one orange, and do things like pumpkin pie or other color swirls (assuming the orange doesn't bleed. 

If you can take advantage of the orange with compatible pigments.. You could also add black (activated charcoal) and brown (oil infused with Tumeric maybe?) to the orange base, and do a tiger stripe for this month's soap challenge.. Or make a wood grain soap by darkening it. Possibly separate it into three, one with red and the other with white (titanium dioxide might give you a nice yellow), and do a 'phoenix' butterfly swirl. 

Or black and orange for a mantra swirl, or a teardrop.. https://youtu.be/Ogfq8EG2up8

You could also use it for fragrance testing.. Or anything with Vanilla (if the vanilla will helpfully turn it brown)

Update: Orange compatible fragrances are obviously the citrus, lemon meringue, orange cream, lemonade, apricot, mimosa, peaches and cream, daffodil.. . But if you can do additions with color on the darker spectrum, it opens up wood scents as well as exotics like nag champa, dragon's blood, Sandalwood and amber, brambleberrys spicy mahogany, cedar and leather, Bourbon and tobacco..


I may have had a lot of time to think about this. I might not be helping..


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