Colouring Soap

[Aponi]

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!

Oh Ruthie, we've just this last hour finished 26 batches today and I fell great to get so much done. Time of year when all my wholesale orders get moving.............we've started making Newborn Baby's and they're so in demand it's hard to keep up - the moulds are ultra expensive but we had to get another 6 a few weeks ago making 12 moulds altogether and I'm seriously thinking of ordering another 6!!!! Made a set of six newborns along with a few other artisan soaps, delivered them on a Friday 26th April and had Karen (shop owner) phoning on Wednesday 1st May ordering double of what I'd delivered. But to get back to a colour section, to make more time perhaps give up some housework (?) instead of washing floors each week, make it every two weeks?????? lol;-)

 

[Aponi]

Thank You Relle - appreciated

 

[melstan775]

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.

I don't necassarily think we need a coloring forum. Color in MP soap is different from color in CP soap because color in CP reacts with lye. I think it's probably more appropriate to ask color questions in the type-of-soap forums as the colors relate to whatever project you're working on more closely.

 

[kazmi]

Relle - thank you!

Aponi - love those cute babies! and I like your solution for finding more time to soap. Works for me! hehehe

 

[Ruthie]

. But to get back to a colour section, to make more time perhaps give up some housework (?) instead of washing floors each week, make it every two weeks?????? lol;-)

OH APONI! Those babies are soooooo cute!!

And I love your attitude! However, my housework has already gone into the "I can't stand it any longer!" mode. And since DH does the cooking, all I do with extreme regularity is wash the dishes/clean the kitchen. (Need it clean for soapmaking anyway.) What I need is time off from school, which will come soon. Just 9 more days with students!! But then in 2 1/2 months it will all start again! :crazy:

 

[Brandica2013]

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.

Beautiful!! Id love to make something like that...again another great soap on this site that just simply amazes me,what great talent!! I just can only hope to be that good one day Jess

 

[souljasam]

So this seems an appropriate place to ask this. Im very new to cp soap making and have yet to actually make my first batch. I just bought my supplies and there was a sale on pigments so i nabbed a couple. My question is how much pigment powder is generally used? I know it varies on what shade you want but like what is generally too much? Thanks for aby help

 

[Brandica2013]

Maybe if we PM one of the admins.

yeah us newbie's would really benefit from this. I'm constantly research different colors to find out good suppliers,non bleeders all natural.. etc so it would be just great for us to find in one spot great ideal!! Maybe take a poll??

Oh Ruthie, we've just this last hour finished 26 batches today and I fell great to get so much done. Time of year when all my wholesale orders get moving.............we've started making Newborn Baby's and they're so in demand it's hard to keep up - the moulds are ultra expensive but we had to get another 6 a few weeks ago making 12 moulds altogether and I'm seriously thinking of ordering another 6!!!! Made a set of six newborns along with a few other artisan soaps, delivered them on a Friday 26th April and had Karen (shop owner) phoning on Wednesday 1st May ordering double of what I'd delivered. But to get back to a colour section, to make more time perhaps give up some housework (?) instead of washing floors each week, make it every two weeks?????? lol;-)

Oh my those are so,so cute

 

[kazmi]

Souljasam since I'm a newbie too what I've done with a couple of the pigments that I purchased is make samples. I knew exactly how much soap was in each sample and each sample has the same amount of pigment. That way I could pro-rate it for a larger batch and have a general idea of whether I should go heavier or lighter depending on the depth of color I want. I've only experiemented with 6 colors so far so I'm far from 'experienced' yet. But I wanted to do it this way so I don't waste a whole bunch of soap. Also I've been using the same recipe all the time so I don't have that variable to deal with when I make a larger batch with one of the colors I've already tried out.

 

[souljasam]

Yeah. I figured id do something similar to that, but figured id ask first. Ive googled and seen people say things from a tea spoon to table spoon per pound.

 

[kazmi]

Yeah. I figured id do something similar to that, but figured id ask first. Ive googled and seen people say things from a tea spoon to table spoon per pound.

Me too! I got so confused so I figured I'd do the samples so I don't have to learn the hard way ;-)

 

[Cosmo]

OH APONI! Those babies are soooooo cute!!

And I love your attitude! However, my housework has already gone into the "I can't stand it any longer!" mode. And since DH does the cooking, all I do with extreme regularity is wash the dishes/clean the kitchen. (Need it clean for soapmaking anyway.) What I need is time off from school, which will come soon. Just 9 more days with students!! But then in 2 1/2 months it will all start again! :crazy:

Ruthie, I feel your pain! I am so excited for summer break! I love my students, but I love summer break more. In fact, my husband and house love it, too, since cleaning gets put on the back burner for awhile. I just started teaching, and didn't realize how demanding it really is! 8. More. Days....

As far as color, for those of you with experience in melt and pour, does color (specifically mica) tend to stay true in melt and pour since it does not react with lye? I've never made melt and pour and am curious about it. Would there be a lower chance of morphing or changing color?

I think soon I will have to try my hand at melt and pour and see for myself .

 

[Hazel]

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

It will turn gray.

People can also post and ask questions about colorants (and other supplies) in the Shopping Recommendations section.

Amounts to use of colorants vary according to type of colorant, stability and intensity of color. It's very hard to say use x amount ppo when you can get a range of "colors" by varying amounts and not knowing what tint someone would consider to be the color.

I have Peacock dye from Ellen's Essentials. I haven't had time to soap since I got it so I can't give an opinion. I can state I was very unhappy with customer service. I didn't get the discount which she had advertised so I had to email her several times about refunding the difference. I had to wait over 3 weeks to receive the dye and her shipping rates are expensive. I was quite annoyed to see I'd paid a specific amount for shipping and then when I received the package saw a much lower cost on the box. To be fair, I would have been a lot less irritated if I'd received the package in 2-3 days, I would have shrugged off the extra amount as a handling charge and to cover having to make a trip to the post office. But when I had to wait so long, it made me think she waited to have enough orders to make a trip to the post office "worthwhile". I would have been more understanding if she had emailed me back to tell me there would be a wait on shipment. She only replied to one of my emails. I can accept one issue with a supplier but not several issues. I can only say the dye is going to have to be really phenomenal for me to order again. Otherwise, I'll just order from The Conservatorie.

 

[Aponi]

We made another chocolate log but this time with no added colour

Unmoulded this arvo and it's already turning brown like the Goatmilk 'n' Vanilla logs we do, seeing it this way it would be nice to have brown and white chocolate but......... - interesting to see just how dark it goes, but at least this log won't have colour to "run"!!!!

Everyone's soaps posted re the chocolate were amazing and each of you are so very talented .

 

[Lotus]

It will turn gray.

People can also post and ask questions about colorants (and other supplies) in the Shopping Recommendations section.

Amounts to use of colorants vary according to type of colorant, stability and intensity of color. It's very hard to say use x amount ppo when you can get a range of "colors" by varying amounts and not knowing what tint someone would consider to be the color.

I have Peacock dye from Ellen's Essentials. I haven't had time to soap since I got it so I can't give an opinion. I can state I was very unhappy with customer service. I didn't get the discount which she had advertised so I had to email her several times about refunding the difference. I had to wait over 3 weeks to receive the dye and her shipping rates are expensive. I was quite annoyed to see I'd paid a specific amount for shipping and then when I received the package saw a much lower cost on the box. To be fair, I would have been a lot less irritated if I'd received the package in 2-3 days, I would have shrugged off the extra amount as a handling charge and to cover having to make a trip to the post office. But when I had to wait so long, it made me think she waited to have enough orders to make a trip to the post office "worthwhile". I would have been more understanding if she had emailed me back to tell me there would be a wait on shipment. She only replied to one of my emails. I can accept one issue with a supplier but not several issues. I can only say the dye is going to have to be really phenomenal for me to order again. Otherwise, I'll just order from The Conservatorie.

I almost wonder if you ordered from the same person I recently ordered my oils from. They are NOT on their way, and I'm getting ready to contact them, once I'm "soberer." But, I feel ya. That does suck. I make dolls in my regular line of work. There was a particular supplier who had the most beautiful laces, and repeatedly, she took days to weeks to respond to my requests for bulk amounts, and then some for shipping. Needless to say, I eventually stopped buying from her. So, I getcha on that count. I'm sorry man. It does happen. With my current oil purchase, however. . . I'm pretty irritated. I do not like having to be an irritated customer. I know what it's like to be at the other end (although I've never had any problems in that area). I just like to see everything from both perspectives.

 

[Relle]

yeah us newbie's would really benefit from this. I'm constantly research different colors to find out good suppliers,non bleeders all natural.. etc so it would be just great for us to find in one spot great ideal!! Maybe take a poll??

Brandica, we have decided that a colouring sub forum is not necessary and won't be including one, so a poll won't serve any purpose. Just post in the relevant section to what type of soap you are making.

 

[Relle]

Aponi, love your soap babies .