Natural Colorants

hoibot · Apr 11, 2019

Alkanet root powder makes a lovely, long lasting purple. I generally do about 1 tsp PPO.

earlene · Apr 12, 2019

Zing said:
@earlene , photos are here https://www.soapmakingforum.com/thr...ave-you-done-today.42556/page-475#post-739435 . The photo is shortly after unmolding and you can see how the outer edge is colored -- within hours it was a uniform brick red. It was a powder that I mixed into the oil/lye/water.

Thanks for the link. I've had that kind of color rind before with other colorants, which was pretty interesting. I was wondering about the intensity of the color. Maybe it's my monitor, but the color doesn't really look maroon to me, more of a sort of pinky-beige. Did the color intensify as it cured?

Zany_in_CO · Apr 12, 2019

ColleenB said:
Does anyone have a good rule-of-thumb for measurements when it comes to powdered herbs for color??

Hi Colleen,

Unfortunately, there's no "One-Size-Fits-All" for natural colorants. Also, some work better infused in oil; others are added to the lye solution; others can be added directly to the soap. Here are a couple of links that may be helpful:

https://www.modernsoapmaking.com/join-jo-coloring-soap-naturally/

https://lovelygreens.com/14-recipes-for-handmade-natural-soap/

http://www.soap-making-resource.com/natural-soap-colorants.html

And my personal favorite: Raspberry Pink Soap made from Yellow Dock Root (a common weed found just about any where).
https://sapuhusid.blogspot.com/2010/07/raspberry-pink-soap-yellow-dock.html

I buy herbs & spices from Monterey Bay Spice Company.

You are going to have quite an adventure experimenting with natural colorants -- LOTS of surprises too! Don't forget to take good notes and be sure to post pictures in the Photo Gallery Forum so we can all ooooh and aaaah.

PS: Yellow Dock soap has been discussed many times on SMF. Search "yellow dock" to read more. I've uploaded a pic from the link above.

Zing · Apr 12, 2019

earlene said:
Thanks for the link. I've had that kind of color rind before with other colorants, which was pretty interesting. I was wondering about the intensity of the color. Maybe it's my monitor, but the color doesn't really look maroon to me, more of a sort of pinky-beige. Did the color intensify as it cured?

Earlene, I'm bad at describing colors. My wife calls it taupe. It's light reddish-brownish.

Cal43 · Apr 12, 2019

Zing said:
"Embrace the bedevilment" is my new mantra.

My paprika orange lasts for months without fading.

Also, rosehip powder is trippy! After unmolding you can watch the maroon color work its way from the outside in, minute by minute. No fading after months.

What was your process for using paprika? Was it infused oils or powder. Was it scratchy? How much did you use PP

Zing · Apr 12, 2019

Cal43 said:
What was your process for using paprika? Was it infused oils or powder. Was it scratchy? How much did you use PP

My research said to use 1/2 teaspoon ppo but it wasn't as dark as I wanted so I upped it to 0.75 tsp ppo. It was not scratchy at all. It acted similar to cocoa powder if you've used that, no speckles. I used just a cheap paprika from the grocery store. The rosehips leave a speckled appearance.