My cp soap that I use spirulina for turns gold as it cures. Starts out a beautiful green then slowly changes to gold. I figure this is oxidation. I see these beautiful green bars but have no idea why I can't get that color!!!
Hating Spiriluna!
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Spirulina does change over time. Most natural colorants do, especially if exposed to light. I believe that Jo Hausler keeps her naturally colored soaps in a box away from the light to maintain the natural colors better.
I used spirulina for awhile, the ones that held color best were stored in the dark.
Just as a experiment, I put a new bright green bar outside in the sun and it was faded to straw yellow within 4 hours.
I switched to oxides and micas after that.
Just as a experiment, I put a new bright green bar outside in the sun and it was faded to straw yellow within 4 hours.
I switched to oxides and micas after that.
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
You may be right. I use oxidants ROE and Vitamin E in every batch I make.
I store them in a drawer in a dresser in the guest room after they are fully cured. Most of my natural colorant soaps are used up, sold or given away, in less than a year... and before they fade.ETA: Forgot to mention -- I infuse the botanical in oil before soaping. Sometimes I add it to the lye water too, but not always. I rarely just add it to the batch of soap.
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curlycoat2
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Yes she does hahahah - I do definitely keep them away from light!
I dont really like spirulina much for this reason. I have used it over the years but when I was searching for a different shade of green I found I really like alfalfa. It appears to be longer lasting. Blending more than one green will work as well as it tricks your eye into seeing "green" whilst each one fades at a different rate.
Wheatgrass is good too for a dark green.
All plant colors will fade, its the compromise for knowing that you are using a natural colorant. Some last longer than others and some fade really, really quickly.
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
What do you think of parsley? bay leaves? comfrey leaves?
Always so excited to see a post from you @curlycoat2! Your ebooks on natural colorants are still my faves. 
curlycoat2
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Comfrey for me gives a light very pale green after many months of infusing. Its very nice but I found too light to stay the distance of 5 - 6months that I like to see from plant colored soap.
Parsley is really good if used in the Freya method. Having said that I have not tried comfrey or bay leaves via Freya.
Bay leaves gave me a brown green and I try and avoid those. I personally prefer to see clear colors and I felt the bay leaves were muddy. Not much scent either from them if you want to try them for that. Most plants I have infused for scent really are too light to be called a scented soap for the general public. We as soapers can sometimes pick up a light scent from them but the general public are now educated to expect strawberry scent for example and I haven't found any infused plant can compete against lye and give that punch of scent that people want.
Have you tried any of those you mention? If I was to suggest any it would be parsley by Freya. If you look at my IG I will be showing what happens with parsley in alcohol next after the violet leaves
You are so kind to me, thank you so much. I just hope to cut the time/experiments down for others with the books and entice more people to try plants and achieve results first go - that way we can have more fun and less disappointment when we use them.Always so excited to see a post from you @curlycoat2! Your ebooks on natural colorants are still my faves.
Would you mind sharing your IG with me? I would love to learn more about natural colorants.Have you tried any of those you mention? If I was to suggest any it would be parsley by Freya. If you look at my IG I will be showing what happens with parsley in alcohol next after the violet leaves
she's Jo Haslauer on IG.
Thank you!
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
COMFREY - I grew comfrey for years. Used the fresh/dried green leaves (not roots) infused in olive or sunflower for color in soap and soothing benefits in salves and lotions along with calendula. I got a lovely mint green shade.
(Pic of soap that inspired me to try it looooong ago!
BAY LEAVES - infused in olive oil to make olive green shade to add to laurel fruit oil (dark green) to make aleppo soap. Always morphed to tan over time!
PARSLEY - I don't remember much about when I tried it, but Tanya of Lovely Greens did a nice one.
I'm retired from selling soap. Sadly, I did most of my herbal infused oils early in my soapy career. I'm no longer functioning as such. So. I don't know the "Freya" method and I don't do IG but I truly appreciate your input!
Thank you, Jo, for continuing to be there for the "Natural Colorant" community of soapers. It's a good thing!
curlycoat2
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Oh the comfrey is fabulous.COMFREY - I grew comfrey for years. Used the fresh/dried green leaves (not roots) infused in olive or sunflower for color in soap and soothing benefits in salves and lotions along with calendula. I got a lovely mint green shade.
(Pic of soap that inspired me to try it looooong ago!
View attachment 69178
BAY LEAVES - infused in olive oil to make olive green shade to add to laurel fruit oil (dark green) to make aleppo soap. Always morphed to tan over time!
PARSLEY - I don't remember much about when I tried it, but Tanya of Lovely Greens did a nice one.
I'm retired from selling soap. Sadly, I did most of my herbal infused oils early in my soapy career. I'm no longer functioning as such. So. I don't know the "Freya" method and I don't do IG but I truly appreciate your input!
Thank you, Jo, for continuing to be there for the "Natural Colorant" community of soapers. It's a good thing!
The Freya method is infusing in alcohol and then infusing in oil and then using it in soap. Its a bit longer this way but it gives us access to all sorts of amazing ingredients now. I love using clover straight from the garden for example. The green it gives is divine and even better its free!
Here is an example of clover
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Wish I would've noticed this thread sooner. I'm infusing parsley in olive oil as we speak. I noticed chlorophyll in the vitamin section today and remember reading that it can be used to color, but I'm not sure how or what the outcome would look like.
I believe the Lovely Greens website has some examples. You can also search here for more posts by Jo Haslauer aka @curlycoat2. She has two wonderful ebooks on natural colorants that include instructions for how to best add each colorant to soap, as well as how to infuse the colorants that are amenable to that technique.
Yes, I believe that's where I read about chlorophyll as a colorant. I read more on another thread that made me decide against chlorophyll and I'll just stick with the parsley infusion for now. I think I'll plan my design around the fact that the green will go tan. Camo sounds like a good way to go because the soap will magically change from classic camo to desert camo over time
I have read some of Haslauer's info either through lovely greens or modern soapmaking, I can't remember which and I've even emailed her once. Very nice and very knowledgeable lady. Her knowledge and explanations backed by real life pictures of everything you may encounter are the only reason I would ever consider using natural colorants.
I'm going to make a test batch today to try out my parsley infused olive oil with ZNSB recipe. I'm going to use the infused oil as the full olive amount (80%) and see what happens. Hopefully, a nice green color but not green lather.
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
Thank you. I've read that one and a couple others, but I'm not rebatching for this one. It may be an epic fail by the time I'm done, but it'll be an experience worth having.
Welp, my parsley infused olive oil (just shy of 50% of my oils) gave a very light yellow green that was honestly underwhelming so I'm not likely to do that again. I did have some fun adding a bit of charcoal to part of my batter, though.
