Bath bomb colorants

[Nanda]

Hi!

I have found a new hobby in making bath bombs, and so far they are working great except for one thing - the color. I make bath bombs that are small, about 2,5 inches so I would love them to carry a lot of color and really tinge the bath water even though they are tiny, but I can't find a color that works well.

The bombs are about the same size as Cinders from Lush, and as you can see it makes a lot of color. :smile:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8E-whkT46c[/ame]

So far I've tried the Da Bomb FD&C soap dye from Natures Garden which gives a nice color using only a small amount, but unfortunately it's water based and it makes the bombs start to fizz a lot in the molds. Then they leak and become misformed and really light after they dry, and they dissapear much faster in the tub.

I've also tried the Fun soap colorants from NG which are glycerin based and don't make the batch fizz, but instead the colors are not so bright and quite dull looking, the red oxide doesn't become poppy red for example - more of a brick type of red. Also it doesn't work very well in the tub and leaves basically no color.

Last thing I tried was micas from Coastal Scents, they are very vibrant and shimmery but quite expensive and you need to use quite a lot to get good results.


So just wondering which colorants are your favorites and why?

Thanks for the awesome forum!

 

[snappyllama]

I use La Bomb colorants from BrambleBerry. They do not cause the batch to fizz while mixing. My bombs are the big 3*3 ones. I go for a pastel look to the bomb. I don't measure it out: just add a bit of colorant until I get the color I'm going for. They nicely tint the bath water without leaving residue on the tub.

 

[lsg]

You can also use Wilton's frosting gel colors. I like rose clay and French green clay for muted colors.

 

[Nanda]

Thanks for the suggestions! I've been thinking of trying the BB colorants previously, are they very concentrated?

And are these the correct Wilton colors? http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E30C98D-475A-BAC0-5187E9B047CE5077

 

[snappyllama]

Thanks for the suggestions! I've been thinking of trying the BB colorants previously, are they very concentrated?

And are these the correct Wilton colors? http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E30C98D-475A-BAC0-5187E9B047CE5077

BB's are pretty concentrated. I'll be making a batch later on this week. I'll actually measure it out and take a picture of the bomb and bathwater. You might have to ignore my husband's hairy legs. Just Kidding! Who would want to ignore those... hubba hubba.

 

[Nanda]

Thank you so much I gotta start planning another BB order soon!

 

[lsg]

Thanks for the suggestions! I've been thinking of trying the BB colorants previously, are they very concentrated?

And are these the correct Wilton colors? http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E30C98D-475A-BAC0-5187E9B047CE5077

Yes, I think those are the ones I was referring too. They are very concentrated, so go easy on them.

 

[snappyllama]

Sorry, I finally got a chance to show the Irish Green La bomb colorant from Brambleberry.

I used waaay more colorant than I normally would, but I was trying out a new recipe and eyeballing it. This batch made 5 1/2 big bombs. I used 8 grams colorant. . Next time, I'll cut the colorant down to 2-3 grams.

Molded in the stainless steel bath bomb mold from Brambleberry.

The picture showing the water is actually only half a bomb. My bathroom lighting is pretty yellow - those bubbles are actually bright white.

 

[Nanda]

Ooh nice job, the green looks really pretty! Do you mix in the colorants by hand or do you use an electric whisk? My last bath bombs made with icing colorants morphed so I'm trying to see if I can find new techiques to work in the color

 

[snappyllama]

I just mix by hand. I put a bit of colorant in the mix and mush it up, rubbing my hands together to get it evenly distributed. It takes a while of fiddling with it though - at least for me.