How can I get this color?

[Quilter99755]

Mobjack Bay: I can understand that! Since this is my first forays into CP, I'm just happy figuring out why I get things that come out! LOL I did do a HP soap years ago that I used pumpkin puree as a water substitute. No pics or soap left, but it came out similar to your gelled soap above...but I remember it being sort of speckled. I might have added some cinnamon or cloves though, or could be it was just rough like HP soap. Didn't take really great notes nor any pics in those days. Now I wish I had done better in that department. But I'm doing better this time around as I learn CP.

 

[Arimara]

@Mobjack Bay I have never used banana in soap. I have used it in a super hyrdrating hair treatment I don't make because it is not cost efficient to make (I used banana babyfood). I wonder how such a soap smells (smelling unscented soap is addicting).

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I bought a banana to try, but I got side tracked making beer soap today. I made part of a beer batch with a small amount of some very finely ground flax seed. The color with and without the flax looks closer than my attempts using honey/tea and carrot/cocoa combos, but the soap is in gel so only time will tell.

 

[szaza]

Here's an assortment of the brown soaps I made (and bought) so far

The one on the left is Aleppo soap (colored with laurel berry oil) apparently it starts out green and fades to brown
The middle row are matcha (top) and moringa (bottom) at 4 months.
On the right there's alkanet added at trace (top) scorched honey HP soap in the middle (this is the reason I haven't dared to try honey soap again. It stank!) And cocoa at the bottom (light brown is cocoa powder only, dark brown is cocoa powder+dark chocolate.)
Hope this helps a little.. curious how the banana will turn out!!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Here's an assortment of the brown soaps I made (and bought) so far
View attachment 42569
The one on the left is Aleppo soap (colored with laurel berry oil) apparently it starts out green and fades to brown
The middle row are matcha (top) and moringa (bottom) at 4 months.
On the right there's cinnamon (top) scorched honey HP soap in the middle (this is the reason I haven't dared to try honey soap again. It stank!) And cocoa at the bottom (light brown is cocoa powder only, dark brown is cocoa powder+dark chocolate.)
Hope this helps a little.. curious how the banana will turn out!!

I have lots of matcha tea and have thought about adding it to the lye to see if I can get it to turn brown . The amber ale beer I used today looks pretty close to what I was trying to get. I reduced it down to 1/3 of the original volume. I actually intended to use stout, but I managed to reduce that to 0% of the original volume. Luckily, I found it before it totally filled the house with the scent of scorched beer.

ETA: the ale produced off white soap...

 

[szaza]

Ah I just remembered the pinecone (top right) wasn't cinnamon, but alkanet powder added at trace (edited the post)

 

[Mobjack Bay]

What about beeswax?

 

[szaza]

In my experience beeswax doesn't color the soap. I think it might affect color when you're using sugars, because you have to soap hotter with beeswax to avoid false trace.
I've done a 100% goat milk soap with beeswax (HP) and managed to keep discoloration at bay by soaping cool. I did get false trace but kept stirring until I was sure it was at least emulsified.

 

[Dawni]

My banana soaps, HP of course, are in between those two color wise. They were a lot darker when they were first made, more like banana bread lol, but have since lightened up. I'll show you once the lil guy sleeps.

My camera is weird. It's a bit more brown than yellow in real and also a bit darker. But still, not like the color you want hehehe

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Recent results with different colorants: The loaf is made with a discoloring chocolate FO. I’ve used it before and know the brown will get even darker. The back flower is made with black tea and honey added as the water split, the middle one with honey and carrot in the water split, cocoa powder at trace and a bit of turmeric infused oil, the front one is made with amber ale that I reduced to 1/3 of original volume and added as the water split. I think the middle flower comes closest to the inspiration soap. It maybe needs just a titch more brown, or possibly a little red tone to it.

edited to switch the order of the flower colorants.

 

[szaza]

Looks like you found out how to get the color you wanted!

 

[Arimara]

I was about to say "try to use stout again" but if you found what you like...

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I was about to say "try to use stout again" but if you found what you like...

I plan to give Stout a try, but I managed to burn the last bottle we had in the house

 

[umeali]

just add coffee ....

 

[Arimara]

I plan to give Stout a try, but I managed to burn the last bottle we had in the house

I did that with pumpkin beer before. I rather had burned stout. Oh boy, what a stink. lol

 

[Obsidian]

I've used stout before, it made a nice creamy med creamy brown.
I think you are getting close but you are right, it needs a bit more red. You might have to try the sandalwood powder.

 

[Quilter99755]

Ex-Army Chick: I love your story. I think sometimes that I had a better time soaping before I learned the right way to soap! Knock wood, I still haven't had a batch go bad, but wonder why not after doing some of the things that I have done. Still the end result is that I love my soap and am trying new things since I have been on here at SMF. Some of my favorite soaps have been the ones that turn color...especially when I don't expect it. I've never thought that brown was my favorite color until I started soaping!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Hello. I wanted to put my 2 pennies in the pot here. My very first batch of soap ever....of which I only have a sliver left....was a nice rustic medium to dark tan color when unmolded but darkened considerably as it aged. I LOVED the color. I used terribly smelly rancid lard (my research says it will not make good soap but it does) & comstar brand 100% lye from the hardware store--it has purple dye beads in it. Let the exasperation with my choice of ingredients begin.... It was 100% lard @ 7.5% SF run through soapcalc & hot process in my crock pot. My lye did not give off any smell & the whole thing was fun to do. Yes the lard was hard to deal with initially because it was yellow colored rancid nasty mess stinky bad bad. The end result was an awesome bar of soap that wasn't great in the hair but GREAT for everything else. When I first saw the pictures of the color you're going for Mobjack Bay, I created an account right away to tell y'all about it.

I’m not looking to use rancid lard anytime soon, but I’m happy to hear that it worked out for you. I believe there are ways to clean rancid fat, but I haven’t tried it. (ETA: good thread here) What do you know about the purple dye in the lye? Purple + yellow (rancid) fat should make brown and purple often goes muddy on its own.

 

[Quilter99755]

I’m not looking to use rancid lard anytime soon, but I’m happy to hear that it worked out for you. I believe there are ways to clean rancid fat, but I haven’t tried it. (ETA: good thread here) What do you know about the purple dye in the lye? Purple + yellow (rancid) fat should make brown and purple often goes muddy on its own.

OMG. As a fabric dyer I should have picked up on that! But for the most part, muddy is not a color that I strive for...have lots of it in my fabric stash, all by accident!

 

[soapmaker]

I think the brown color is from the honey reacting to the lye. Try adding honey directly to the lye and you will see the organic material in the honey burning. At first it will be orange, then it will darken. This will create a brown/orange/black lye that will color your batch. Depending on how much honey you use, you can vary the color.

I agree. Combined with the vanilla in your FO should work.