coloring question.

[tobysmom]

because I am new I have not tried to color a batch at all but I have been thinking about it. so my questions are 1. what do you use? 2. how easy is it to use? 3. any tips that you have learned by trial and error? - i really don't know if I should use mica or something else. anything you all can tell me would be helpful

 

[christinak]

I try to keep everything natural so I only use natural colorants If you don't want to mess around with infusions, you can add these at trace. Here are a few ideas to get you started...

activated charcoal powder (black)
black walnut hull powder (brown)
comfrey leaf powder (green)
dandelion leaf powder (green)
french green clay (green)
indigo powder (blue)
madder root powder (red)
moroccan red clay (red)
paprika powder (melon)
safflower pwder (yellow)
red sandalwood powder (purple)
spirulina powder (blue-green)
tumeric powder (dark yellow)
woad powder (sky blue)

I haven't tried all of them so I can't tell you how much they change in CP soap but this is a good jumping-off point.

 

[Seifenblasen]

If you want to stick with "natural" colorants, you may find the following links helpful:

http://www.lovinsoap.com/2011/07/color-soap-naturally-infusing-oil-with-herbs-and-spices/
http://teachsoap.com/soap-coloring-options/
http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/naturally-colored-eye-candy/

 

[Ruthie]

Good suggestions for natural colors. I've done mostly natural colors so far. Just starting to try some purchased colors. So far I really like oxides. I find the Lab Colors are a lot of trouble besides being messy.

 

[Genny]

On whether or not you want to use mica, I guess it all depends on what kind of color you're going for.
I use oxides, micas, herbal infusions, clays and the occasional ultramarine (although I'm trying to move away from ultramarines due to their petroleum content).

If you go with micas, make sure to choose ones that are stable in high pH environments. Also, oxides mix better in oil, whereas ultramarines & clays mix better in water. Or you can just mix all your powder colorants in glycerin.

 

[Relle]

A link in the forum - http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f11/question-about-coloring-26304/

 

[christinak]

I've tried micas in my CP but they aren't very vibrant.

 

[Marilyna]

The most useful colorants I've used are the oxides and ultramarines. I usually just get a sampler pack and it colors a lot of soap. I got my most recent pack from www.tkbtrading.com. It was $11 for (I think) a tablespoon of each of 15 colors and a teaspoon of one color. That will color quite a ton of soap. I think shipping was $3, so for $14 it's a good start.

Also, you can just put a sample of the ones you want and that would be even cheaper than the pack I think.

I also use some dyes. While you're at TKB you might want to get a sample of the Red 33 Lake dye. It makes a really pretty pink to dark fuschia.

I also use blue food coloring sometimes, but it turns purple in CP. They also have that in lake form at TKB (Blue 1 Lake). I like it better for purple than the ultramarine purple, because you can get it darker.

I also use some yellow food coloring.

I haven't tried the neons or the micas yet.

HTH

 

[Mommysoaper]

I use some ultramarines, oxides, and micas. I learned to be really careful with the micas because they can morph in CP! I use cellini red to make a peach color, and merlot mica for a purplish mauve, and aqua pearl mica is a nice minty green. I got alot of my colorants as samples and then if I like one alot, I'll buy a bigger amount of a specific kind. have fun experimenting!

 

[whitetulips]

I ordered colors on Bramble Berry's website. They list on there if a color fades or turns a different color during CP soap making. I've only experimented with a couple so far. I didn't know that you could mix some powders with water. I thought they all were supposed to be mixed with oil or glycerin. My first experiment with color was using cocoa powder swirls. I added it to the soap at trace, without mixing it with oil. It actually did great, but if you don't add other colorants to oil and mix it well first, you will have little specks of that color in your soap.

 

[Marilyna]

I mix all my colors with water. It seems to mix better than oil. I also put in my color and stick blend before adding the fragrance.