Alkanet Root Powder as Colorant

[Soapman Ryan]

I have read that Alkanet Root Powder will achieve a purple color and a brown color. Can I get a light purple from Alkanet Root Powder? Does anyone know how much, in different amounts, I would have to use to get both colors? I'm wanting to make a light purple bar for lavender and a brown bar, as brown is my favorite color.

 

[soapsydaisy]

I wouldn't call it brown. It is more of a gray color.

 

[Relle]

Forum links for you to read - http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f11/alkanet-root-30265/

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f11/alkanet-root-powder-7679/


If you scroll to the bottom of the page other threads come up or you can do a search on the top left of the page.

 

[Soapman Ryan]

I wouldn't call it brown. It is more of a gray color.

Thanks, could anyone recommend a natural colorant to produce a brown. I would use lavender buds, but I'm not wanting a fragrance.

 

[Soapman Ryan]

Here's a picture of what color I would like to create.

 

[houseofwool]

What about cocoa powder or finely ground coffee? I would steep the coffee in oil.

 

[lizflowers42]

I learned the hard way that beet root powder turns brown in CP soap. Coffee and cocoa powder are easier to come by! Beer also works. Essentially any vanilla scents are going to brown as well.

 

[mel z]

Here's a picture of what color I would like to create.

This powder will achieve that, just did it a couple of weeks ago for the man beer soap. Looks exactly like that.

http://www.naturesgardencandles.com...item/blwalnut/-Black-Walnut-Hulls-Powder.html

 

[Soapman Ryan]

This powder will achieve that, just did it a couple of weeks ago for the man beer soap. Looks exactly like that.

http://www.naturesgardencandles.com...item/blwalnut/-Black-Walnut-Hulls-Powder.html

mel z,
Thanks, for the link. How much did you use? Can you feel it in the soap, exfoliating properties?

 

[mel z]

1 teaspoon PPO. Haven't used it yet, still curing, so not sure on exfoliating. It feels soft. The powder is very finely ground, finer than coffee, more like clay.

 

[Soapman Ryan]

1 teaspoon PPO. Haven't used it yet, still curing, so not sure on exfoliating. It feels soft. The powder is very finely ground, finer than coffee, more like clay.

That's good to know. I didn't want any exfoliating.

 

[mel z]

Soapman Ryan,

Sorry to get back to you so late. I tried a tiny corner piece this weekend. Indeed it is exfoliating, but I also added ground oat straw. It is what I was going for since it is for a freine to use at an auto repair type shop. If not what you want, you may want to stick with the coffee (instant maybe, mixed in a bit of the h20), or cocoa powder. There are brown pigments you can purchase too.

 

[Soapman Ryan]

Soapman Ryan,

Sorry to get back to you so late. I tried a tiny corner piece this weekend. Indeed it is exfoliating, but I also added ground oat straw. It is what I was going for since it is for a freine to use at an auto repair type shop. If not what you want, you may want to stick with the coffee (instant maybe, mixed in a bit of the h20), or cocoa powder. There are brown pigments you can purchase too.

mel z,
Thank you for taking the time to follow up. I appreciate it.

 

[sciboy]

Thanks, could anyone recommend a natural colorant to produce a brown. I would use lavender buds, but I'm not wanting a fragrance.

Ryan,
Many of the plant based powders that are made from colorful plant parts fade to brown after saponification. At trace you could have the most beautiful green...after a few weeks of cure...you get brown.

For a nice consistant brown, I have used the bars of hard, compressed 100% cocoa you can get in the hispanic markets.

You can throw tea bags in your lye water. It will get very dark lye water, but after a cure the color lightens.

In the picture:
-The large dark bar is the compressed cocoa melted in the oils at 2.8g PPO.
-The small light bar is 1 tea bag in lye water for 2lbs of oil.

 

[kazmi]

^^^ thanks for the pictures. Nice to see pics of how something will comes out. What kind of tea did you use - regular black tea, chai, or something else????

 

[sciboy]

I just used black tea bags. I threw them in the lye water right after i added the lye. The lye solution got really dark, but the soap lightens up a lot.