Colouring Soap

[Aponi]

Hi guys, I've looked everywhere but can't find a section of "colouring soap" (?) is there one (?). We're always on the look out for good colours and buy our colours from TKB Trading, they don't get "specky" and I've gotten to know what the colours turn to when used in making goats milk soap.

We're still trying to find a brown, black and deep blue that I don't have to use heaps of or won't run out of the soap then washing with it - can anyone help please? Also, has anyone used "Peacock Colours" from Ellen's Essentials? I'd be interested to know how these would work.

We always said we'd never make a Chocolate Fragranced soap but did for a customer - smelt really good but the colour ran!!!! Used Brown Oxide - Help Please!!!!

 

[Relle]

We don't have a specific section for colouring.

I can't help you with those suppliers you are dealing with O/S. I use brown oxide from Heirloom and have never had it bleed, black I use charcoal and deep blue I use a liquid colour and add some black oxide to make it darker, also from Heirloom.
Not sure what happened with your chocolate soap, I use the brown oxide for that as well, maybe you used to much.

 

[Aponi]

Well, I'm starting to think I did as well, use too much colour that is - and perhaps I shouldn't have used any colouring at all as I'm sure just like Vanilla, the colour would have changed to a dark brown anyway!!! I might do a test log without colour and see if it changes.

I may try Peacock Colours and let everyone know what they're like - TKB colours are really good - I used the new Watermelon Red from Aussie Soap Supplies, hydrated in fractionated coconut oil and it seemed smooth, but when we unmoulded, the log looked like it had chicken pox (!!!) - we bought a milk frother and mixed it that way to make sure it was mixed well, but when we unmoulded this time there was no colour at all - perhaps a slight "tint" of pink. I used 1 tsp colour to 1 tbls fractionated oil, just as I do with the TKB colours. I got really excited thinking "yeah!!! Watermelon Red" so hard to get colours in goats milk soap, wish I had the time to just play with them !!!! Thank you for taking the time to reply - appreciated.

 

[kazmi]

We should have a section just for coloring.

 

[FGOriold]

Every chocolate fragrance I used had enough vanilla content in it to naturally turn the soap a deep brown color without having to add any additional colorants. Have you determined what the soap color would be with just the fragrance. Do you know how much of a vanilla content is in the scent?

 

[Aunt Polly]

I am currently using Peacock Dyes from Ellen's. They are my first experience using colors in soap and they have done quite well.

 

[AngelMomma]

I have used unsweetened cocoa powder or unsweetened baking chocolate for brown. It worked quite well and you don't need too much at all to get a nice chocolate brown. And one I did unscented, so no additional coloring was from a FO.

 

[Mommysoaper]

The Chocolate FO from BB makes the soap a dark brown. Also i use a bit of cocoa powder in my chocolate soaps. As for black, as long as i don't use too much, black oxide is good. And BB has cappuccino brown mica that's a nice chocolatey brown and black luster mica that is charcoal grey-black in CP soaps.

 

[melstan775]

I used powdered baking cocoa to color my chocolate soap. It's anperfect shade of candy bar.

 

[Lotus]

Brilliant, melstan!! I'm going to do that soon!! : )

 

[Lotus]

Hey, could I theoretically make my soap purplish if I soaked some water in blueberries before mixing with the lye?

ETA: Oh, probably would bleed and stain, huh?

 

[mel z]

Hey, could I theoretically make my soap purplish if I soaked some water in blueberries before mixing with the lye?

ETA: Oh, probably would bleed and stain, huh?

Most likely just turn out brown.

Oil infused alkanet root powder makes a great purple, can make any shade you like depending on how much you use.

 

[Lotus]

Most likely just turn out brown.

Oil infused alkanet root powder makes a great purple, can make any shade you like depending on how much you use.

I like that idea. I'm looking into getting some.

PS, is it just me, or is this site being wonky right now?

 

[soap_bubbles]

I have used melted unsweetened chocolate for brown before with great success--in fact that is what the brown swirls are in my avatar picture are. And I didn't have any brown suds! Here is a coffee soap that I made with chocolate as well-- Dad thought it was fudge at first! Couldn't believe that it was soap.

 

[Aponi]

Every chocolate fragrance I used had enough vanilla content in it to naturally turn the soap a deep brown color without having to add any additional colorants. Have you determined what the soap color would be with just the fragrance. Do you know how much of a vanilla content is in the scent?

I should have realized I wouldn't need colour, but because I really didn't want to make a chocolate log I guess I wasn't thinking. So no colour next log.

We should have a section just for coloring.

Kazmi, I so totally agree for a colouring section. I know I wouldn't be the only one who struggles with getting a colour especially for goatmilk soaps. Where do we ask ???????

 

[Ruthie]

Oh, please don't make me have to spend more time visiting yet another section on the forum! The time I spend reading is time away from soaping, and work is so busy this time of year, I have only made 2 batches in 3 weeks!

 

[whitetulips]

Unsweetened cocoa powder for brown

When I used unsweetened cocoa powder, which made a beautiful chocolatey look, it did drip brown suds down my shower. Perhaps I just used too much.

 

[kazmi]

Kazmi, I so totally agree for a colouring section. I know I wouldn't be the only one who struggles with getting a colour especially for goatmilk soaps. Where do we ask ???????

Maybe if we PM one of the admins.

 

[Relle]

OK, I put a post in the Mods forum, we are still getting feedback, it seems that 28 different sub forums should be enough to post within. A lot of people are getting confused which section to post in anyway.
So probably not at this stage, if you have queries like this in the future, its best to pm one of us, because we might not see this post.

 

[Lotus]

OK, I put a post in the Mods forum, we are still getting feedback, it seems that 28 different sub forums should be enough to post within. A lot of people are getting confused which section to post in anyway.
So probably not at this stage, if you have queries like this in the future, its best to pm one of us, because we might not see this post.

I do believe that if someone has a question that might fall under another category, but yet is referring to a specific process of soap making, the thread should still stay within the method they are using. It makes sense to me.