Colours

[penelopejane]

Hi,

I am using a new recipe and the batter without any colour is really, really yellow. If I add TD will it turn white or will it just be pale yellow?

To make a purple with this base won't I get brown? Is there a way to get purple? Should I put TD in first or just add lots of purple?

 

[kumudini]

I'm guessing your recipe has red palm oil. Whether it does or not, here's what worked with my red Palm based yellow batter- TD, lots of it got it to a creamy light yellow shade. Green stayed green. The Cellini red mica from BB which goes orange in soap, stayed orange. A pink colorant, merlot sparkle mica from BB, turned a bit darker. Red turned rusty orange. Strong coffee turned a weird yellow initially, but since has darkened up really nicely. On my color wheel, I see that nothing gives a purple when mixed with yellow. And blue supposedly gives you a green. HTH.

 

[penelopejane]

I've used EVOO and Almond oil in one mIx and EVOO and camellia oil in the other. I think it's this particular EVOO. I've poured over the colour wheel without much success.

So if I add blue to red (which turns orange) will that turn the Orange red?

Maybe I should put it in the fridge rather than force gel in the oven. Maybe that will make it less bright yellow.

 

[dixiedragon]

That's weird. Can you post a pic? Was the bowl you mixed your batter in colored, and possibly some of the color leached out into the soap?

As for turning your soap purple, I think it depends on how yellow it is and how purple you go for.

 

[kchaystack]

If you would list the recipe there might be some people able to help.

I know EVOO can have a very green color, so if the other oils are lighter, that might skew the base to yellow.

You can try adding some TD to lighten the yellow tint, and then use more of your colorant that you usually do to get what you want. Of course this risks creating colored lather and staining wash cloths. Neither bother me - but might annoy some.

 

[penelopejane]

Yes I'll send pics when I de old it today. I use clear plastic if to mix. I accidentally put 2 drops of liquid sea green (don't ask) in one base and it is dark olive green.
Mix 1
40% EVOO
30% Almond Oil (mix 2 camellia oil)
10% Ricebran oil
10% castor oil
10% Shea butter
BB winter gardenia in mix 1 (smells like toothpaste)
BB champagne in the mix 2

Weirdly both were made at the same time - mix 1 is hard mix 2 is still warm, soft and going thru gel in the oven.

You can try adding some TD to lighten the yellow tint, and then use more of your colorant that you usually do to get what you want.

I've only used colours to add a solid colour so far. This is my first attempt at a swirl. [emoji33]

The one on the right is my plain castile (no additives) using the same EVOO but not this exact tin.
The one on the left is Mix 1. The base has no colour at all. Not a good photo because it is much yellower than that.

 

[fuzz-juzz]

I think your best bet would be trying out small batch and then testing all the colours.
But since you already made it, let's wait for pics.
TD will usually just lighten the base as in give colour more of the pastel look, it won't get rid of colour unfortunately.

 

[penelopejane]

I think your best bet would be trying out small batch and then testing all the colours.
But since you already made it, let's wait for pics.
TD will usually just lighten the base as in give colour more of the pastel look, it won't get rid of colour unfortunately.

These are small batches - 500g (1 llb).
That is an excellent idea to try all the colours in a batch as a test and I will do that once I have got a sensible base colour that behaves.

At first I was looking at the last castile soap I made and I realise I had added manuka honey to it. So i went back and found a plain castile using this same EVOO but from a different can. It looks slightly green. I did not force it to gel by putting it in the oven heated to 100 deg F then turning it off.

So I guess my questions are:
a) might it be due to the variation in the EVOO?

b) might forcing it to gel cause the colour variation?

c) could it be the frangrance - both of which have a very slight pale brown tint?

I guess a solution will be to revert to just OO.

 

[Obsidian]

Gel can make the colors darker and colored FO can also add a tint but I really think your issue is the EVOO, I'd switch back to plain OO.

 

[fuzz-juzz]

FO can darken the base if there is vanilla in it, but that will take time, maybe few days?
It starts on the outside of the bars and spreads towards the middle. It doesn't really look like that's the case with your soaps.
And also if the FO is quite yellow, like few that I've used in the past, that will make the base somewhat tan or yellow.
Gel will make the colour pop and make it more bright, same with the uncoloured base. It might look a bit darker in comparison to non-gelled one.
I've never used EVOO but, I guess it it's quite dark green. That might be the issue there with your recipe. You can also try and replace some of the EVOO or OO with Rice bran oil.
Even though it is darker in colour, it doesn't affect the colour of finishing soap that much. It's lather is great and it gives nice sheen to the finished bars.

 

[penelopejane]

FO can darken the base if there is vanilla in it, but that will take time, maybe few days?
It starts on the outside of the bars and spreads towards the middle. It doesn't really look like that's the case with your soaps.
And also if the FO is quite yellow, like few that I've used in the past, that will make the base somewhat tan or yellow.
Gel will make the colour pop and make it more bright, same with the uncoloured base. It might look a bit darker in comparison to non-gelled one.
I've never used EVOO but, I guess it it's quite dark green. That might be the issue there with your recipe. You can also try and replace some of the EVOO or OO with Rice bran oil.
Even though it is darker in colour, it doesn't affect the colour of finishing soap that much. It's lather is great and it gives nice sheen to the finished bars.

Ok I will use this EVOO for dh's castile. He doesn't care what colour his soap is and if I add honey it does golden anyway. Thank you and Obsidian, for that advice.

I made a soap with 60% RB (mine is really golden! not green at all) and it is still only 10 days old so probably silly to worry about it but it is difficult to wash it off. It is nice once you do get it off. I will wait for it to cure more, I just panicked and went back to OO and now look what I've done.

This soap making is incredibly difficult.

I made 2 lots yesterday. Exactly the same recipe and method.

Mix 1 (Almond oil 10% and BB winter gardenia FO this is clear OOB)has hardened and I have cut it. Bright yellow but a good soap.
Mix 2 (Camellia oil 10% and BB champagne FO this is a bit yellow OOB) is spongy and way off cutting. I put 2 drops (seriously) of green colour in the base. It's a dark dirty olive green colour.

I have used both Almond and Camellia oil before and they were fine.

Do you know what have I done to this second mix to make it so spongy?

 

[fuzz-juzz]

Spongy in appearance or actually feels spongy?
Did you CPOP it or was overheating in the silicone mold? Either of those two, especially two of them together can give soap a spongy look.
I only ever got spongy soap that felt spongy when my scales were of and soap turned out to be really greasy and with high SF.

 

[penelopejane]

48 hours and it's spongy to touch. And translucent. Not greasy. I made 2 lots at the same time measured exactly. Both put in plastic molds (used before) and put in 100 degree F oven (skin temperature) which was turned off as they went in. Both wrapped in a separate blanket. One perfect. One sponge.

I haven't used these molds in the oven before. The one this mix was in was a Chinese food container because I had a bit of a disaster trying to make a separated in my silicone mold and needed a last minute substitute. It might be the wrong plastic to use!