Crayolas to color CP/HP soap

[Iluminameluna]

I'm a soaper that has NO local access to ANY specifically soap-making supplies, so this idea of using crayons for soap coloring absolutely thrilling!
I don't sell my soaps and I'm the only one that uses my soaps at home. I DO give some away to my family and a very few close friends so I'll be sure to test them before they leave my house!
It's about a month after the start of school here so I'll be buying some to test in the next cpl of days. I'll post results in a separate thread when I do so.
Thanks for such a great idea, @Zany_in_CO!

 

[earlene]

Before I started thinking about how safe some things may or may not be in soap, I tried a few odds & ends to color soap, but crayons had never occurred to me. Fabric dye did. Cake frosting colorants did. Eye shadow, I have even tried (some work, some don't.) But now, since I have so many traditional soap colorants, I probably won't need to experiment with those other things anymore, but it sure is interesting.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Thanks for such a great idea, @Zany_in_CO!

You're welcome, Iluminameluna. Be sure to read the info linked to Cathy Miller's site in Post #1. It will save you time, energy and frustration before you get going.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

@Zany_in_CO do you have any soap lying around that used Crayolas for color? I'm curious to see...

I just came across these two transparent soaps. Red (Hot PInk?) and Navy. If I recall correctly, I grated the Crayolas to mix the colors then melted them in olive oil to add to the soaps. Used them to make the CP; cured 2 weeks; shreded the soap and rebatched with a polyol mix of ethanol, glycerin and simple syrup.

 

[akseattle]

Ladies! What a great thread! I love your willingness to experiment! I had been looking for a discussion about tempera powder and Zany in Co. referred me to this post

 

[luluzapcat]

I did an experimental Crayola-colored batch a few years ago. Got GREAT colors--but later, some faded to really different colors.
Greens & blues do better, as a tentative hypothesis...
Pic 1: 2 days

Pic 2: 24 days

Pic 3: 39 days

Pic 4: 227 days

 

[BWt]

I did an experimental Crayola-colored batch a few years ago. Got GREAT colors--but later, some faded to really different colors.
Greens & blues do better, as a tentative hypothesis...
Pic 1: 2 days
View attachment 71982

Pic 2: 24 daysView attachment 71983

Pic 3: 39 days
View attachment 71984

Pic 4: 227 daysView attachment 71985

Never would have guessed a simple Crayola could make such marvelous colors.

 

[akseattle]

Zany, those soaps are really cool. I don't know how true to life the colors are on your attachment, but one looks kind of orange-red. I like them both. Can I ask you if the CP soaps that you started with were transparent, too, before re-batch? Or, did you turn them into transparent soap when you re-batched them? I was curious about re-batching soaps. I took a bunch of little hotel soaps that I have (that I'll probably never use.) I shaved up the ones that didn't smell like anything and put them in a bag to try re-batching at some point. I kind of like the rustic look of a re-batched soap so I probably won't try to turn them into clear bars. But, is that even possible? If so, I might have to try it, just for the challenge

 

[akseattle]

Luluzapcat,
I love your experiment! I am trying to find a nice bright pink. I tried to get a pink using Prang's red tempera powder mixed with diamond white mica. That turned orange. The Carnation Pink mica I have -that is supposed to be really pink- looks more like the color of the violet-red crayon in your pic (except with pearly little swirls of maybe a darker pearly pink). I like the light pink on that middle bar you made. Based on your notes, it looks like that was the violet-red crayon. The pink color hung in there really nicely for 39 days, still a pretty pink. But looks like 7-8 months later, more of a melon color. That melon color is nice, too. But, it would need to be used keeping in mind if it was in a pattern with other colors that might not look good 8 months later with melon. After seeing how you tracked the results, I think I will also start making a note of soap I make, the colorants, etc. It won't be hard to reconstruct since I only just started this hobby at the end of February .... I attached photos of my experiment with tempera powder (which is how I ended up on this Crayola thread.) These were made with clear glycerin melt & Pour, except the white. The yellow and green are made with tempera. The yellow on the top of the soap was lemon yellow mica (the control group part of my experiment.) The green is a slightly lighter, brighter green in real life. The yellows are also brighter. The white is accurate- made from Triple Butter Melt & Pour which is white. I'll post the bars I did yesterday with orange instead of green (was supposed to be pink.) I keep track those until they start changing colors- I'll keep my fingers crossed that they won't! The Prang tempera is a fine powder, just like mica. We'll see!

 

[Blufuz]

I love your experiment! I am trying to find a nice bright pink.

In the link Zany provided, there’s advice that neon pink crayons work well in soap, they are part of a special “neon crayon” package

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Or, did you turn them into transparent soap when you re-batched them?

Yes. That.

I took a bunch of little hotel soaps that I have (that I'll probably never use.) I shaved up the ones that didn't smell like anything and put them in a bag to try re-batching at some point. I kind of like the rustic look of a re-batched soap so I probably won't try to turn them into clear bars. But, is that even possible?

Yes. That's actually one of the ways I practiced using the "Rebatch With Alcohol" technique for making transparents. I found the method in Catherine Bardey's book, Making Soaps & Scents.

But the topic is best saved for another time, and for a new thread for anyone else that might be interested.

 

[luluzapcat]

One more note about the faded crayola soap: I believe it is the surface only; when I started using one of them it was closer to the original color "under the skin". So keep that in mind too if you're planning a design!
I'm probably going to cut some to see what a cross section looks like after all this fading, and I'll post that too when I do.

 

[akseattle]

Yes. That.

Yes. That's actually one of the ways I practiced using the "Rebatch With Alcohol" technique for making transparents. I found the method in Catherine Bardey's book, Making Soaps & Scents.

But the topic is best saved for another time, and for a new thread for anyone else that might be interested.

Thanks Zany. If I ever get around to a re-batch experiment, I'll take a look at Bardey's book or start a new thread!

In the link Zany provided, there’s advice that neon pink crayons work well in soap, they are part of a special “neon crayon” package

Blufuz, I did see that Zany's link referred to a neon pink crayon. I'll definitely see if I can find one of those in my kids old stuff (or see if a friend has a grandkid with that color in their art supplies ...

One more note about the faded crayola soap: I believe it is the surface only; when I started using one of them it was closer to the original color "under the skin". So keep that in mind too if you're planning a design!
I'm probably going to cut some to see what a cross section looks like after all this fading, and I'll post that too when I do.

That's interesting. But it makes sense that the outside would fade before the inside. Luluzapcat, did you wrap your soaps in plastic wrap or anything. The glycerin melt & pour I used was starting to sweat. I read somewhere that its the moisture in the air that causes that, and that soap should be wrapped in plastic wrap. I actually thought I had read the opposite, that soap should be left to air. But, now, I've been wrapping soap in plastic wrap after a couple days. Maybe I'll try some wrapped and some unwrapped to see if they fade at the same rate.

 

[akseattle]

These are the bars I made using tempera (not for the white). The orange is red tempera with Diamond White Mica. The bottom kept the iridescent quality of the diamond white mica.

 

[luluzapcat]

Luluzapcat, did you wrap your soaps in plastic wrap or anything.

I didn't do any wrapping! That would be a good experiment...

 

[Zany_in_CO]

that soap should be left to air.

That's true for CP & HP.
For MP you need to shrink wrap to prevent sweating.

 

[akseattle]

That's true for CP & HP.
For MP you need to shrink wrap to prevent sweating.

Wow, shrink wrapping seems like an awful lot of work. I can barely get it together to wrap in plastic wrap .... I'll have to tell family and friends to use the soap I give them ASAP!