natural coloring with spices...

[soap_bubbles]

Confetti soap is where I mix (or anyone ) soap scraps into fresh soap batter--I have kept them separated by color or scent or just dumped them all together in a batch--more pictures !

Those are ideas for scraps. I usually do an unscented base and just toss in the scraps and dump them in the mold and away you go. I have given bars away, but usually they are what we use here. OH and you can also use them in bath teas! Especially oatmeal soap scraps.

 

[Brandica2013]

I know cinnamon is an irritant to skin. Wouldn't paprika do that as well? If not, I want to try it.

Turmeric is a good one. I don't have any pictures, because I did it a long time ago.

Thanks for the info and i thought the same thats one of the reasons im asking.

 

[Brandica2013]

Soap_Bubbles ~OMG! Those are beautiful,in fact when i was looking up this topic on google images im pretty sure that top picture showed up and I just loved it! What talent!! I just got Klout perks and they sent me some FairTradeMom items and I got a bunch of great goodies...i got 70% coco/chocolate block i wanna use,green tea with jasmine i want to infuse in oil and some great coffee beans..and these are all full size samples...love them so do you have any tips for my 1st time using tea/coffee & chocolate?Thanks for all your help

 

[Brandica2013]

Soap_Bubbles ~OMG! Those are beautiful,in fact when i was looking up this topic on google images im pretty sure that top picture showed up and I just loved it! What talent!! I just got Klout perks and they sent me some FairTradeMom items and I got a bunch of great goodies...i got 70% coco/chocolate block i wanna use,green tea with jasmine i want to infuse in oil and some great coffee beans..and these are all full size samples...love them so do you have any tips for my 1st time using tea/coffee & chocolate?Thanks for all your help

***the ones im talking about is your 1st post you made with pictures i seen you had a few post and wanted to make sure you knew ****

 

[soap_bubbles]

Brew your coffee and tea stronger than you think you will need it! I also used melted chocolate--unsweetened bakers chocolate for my swirls instead of powdered cocoa.Seemed to cut down on the brown suds. I melted a block and mixed it in the soap. I also used contents of tea bags and espresso ground coffee in the bottom layers. OH and I messed with the tops of my soaps and on the bengal chai I put Chinese 5 spice powder and on the coffee instant espresso! OH and be prepared for the coffee and tea to STINK when mixed with lye!

 

[Brandica2013]

It is not a spice but I made a castille last weekend that amazed me. I had calendula infused olive oil. It was EVOO so even after infusing it looked green. But it made the prettiest yellow soap! Trying to figure now how to get that nice color in non castille soap. Btw I used half a cup of petals in a quart jar then filled it with oil. Planned on leaving it 2 weeks but it ended up being 6.

thank you, im just honestly wanting to learn anything i can so this info is great 2!! I want to use whatever natural thing i can...i do love FO & Other colorants but want a verity for everyone =D

 

[soap_bubbles]

***the ones im talking about is your 1st post you made with pictures i seen you had a few post and wanted to make sure you knew ****

THANKS for letting me know!

 

[AngelMomma]

Soap_Bubbles ~OMG! Those are beautiful,in fact when i was looking up this topic on google images im pretty sure that top picture showed up and I just loved it! What talent!! I just got Klout perks and they sent me some FairTradeMom items and I got a bunch of great goodies...i got 70% coco/chocolate block i wanna use,green tea with jasmine i want to infuse in oil and some great coffee beans..and these are all full size samples...love them so do you have any tips for my 1st time using tea/coffee & chocolate?Thanks for all your help

I have used teas. I just set my lye pot in another larger bowl that had ice water in it so the lye/tea mix didn't over heat.

The coffee I freeze in ice cube trays and have the bowl of ice water ready in case it starts getting too hot. I have read that it gets REALLY bad smelling if it over heats and gets scorched while adding the lye. I haven't had that happen though with freezing it. And add the lye slowly.

The times I have used chocolate I used unsweetened chocolate. I melted it with some cream that I was going to add to the recipe. I mixed them up really good together once it was melted and added into the soap batter.

 

[Irja]

We've done some soaps with paprika infused olive oil and with chamomile and calendula infused olive oil. Paprika one is made of 40% infused olive oil, 40% palm oil and 20% coconut oil and it turned really orange. In the top part we added pink mica.
Chamomile and calendula one was made with 60% infused olive oil, 30% palm oil and 10% coconut oil and it turned nicely yellow.
We made infusions following these instructions:
http://www.lovinsoap.com/2011/07/color-soap-naturally-infusing-oil-with-herbs-and-spices/

 

[Brandica2013]

Yep! I do hand bevel my soaps and I put the scraps into confetti soap

?whats hand bevel you soaps mean?

 

[Brandica2013]

Brew your coffee and tea stronger than you think you will need it! I also used melted chocolate--unsweetened bakers chocolate for my swirls instead of powdered cocoa.Seemed to cut down on the brown suds. I melted a block and mixed it in the soap. I also used contents of tea bags and espresso ground coffee in the bottom layers. OH and I messed with the tops of my soaps and on the bengal chai I put Chinese 5 spice powder and on the coffee instant espresso! OH and be prepared for the coffee and tea to STINK when mixed with lye!

These are all really great tips :smile: thank you so much....i love learning new things..this is probably this 1st hobby and hopefully talent that ever really interested me to learn and really enjoy doing @ the same time,i think i finally found what i love doing.I make whipped body butters & whipped scrubs & lip balms,bath bombs and lotion bars 2..i love it all!!

 

[DeeAnna]

Brandica -- Beveling is trimming the corners of the bars and such. The little angled face that is created when you trim off a corner is called a "bevel".

 

[DeeAnna]

Paprika is red peppers that have been dried and ground into powder.

Sweet paprika is made from sweet (bell) peppers. I doubt sweet paprika would be irritating to the skin for the vast majority of people.

Half sharp paprika is made from a slightly hotter pepper. If you have any concerns about skin safety, might want to avoid that.

 

[Lotus]

All I have round is smoked paprika. Lovely color, but I'm sure the "smoked" part comes from chipotles, since it has that flavor. I will try finding a "sweet" kind. There is a really cool spice shop around here from the author of "Salted" I've been meaning to visit. Maybe I finally will.

 

[DeeAnna]

I have smoked Spanish paprika. There is some sharpness to it, but it's not chipotle because I have that as well. Although the two share the same color, they are not remotely the same in flavor or in heat.

 

[Lotus]

I have smoked Spanish paprika. There is some sharpness to it, but it's not chipotle because I have that as well. Although the two share the same color, they are not remotely the same in flavor or in heat.

Thanks. I should look at the label on the bottle. Think I should give a small batch a try? Or bad idea, straight off? I do want to play with some fun zappy colors. But, I also want the color to mach the scent, somehow. Hmm.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...Think I should give a small batch a try?..."

Well, Lotus, the only downside I can see to a test batch with the smoked paprika is you might smell some of the smokiness. I doubt there would be more than a titch of odor, however, because you won't need to use much paprika since you're using it as a colorant. Go for it....

I've used sweet paprika, rosehip, and cocoa so far.

The cocoa (Dutch process, for the record) gives a nice smooth, even chocolate color. No scent survives, in case anyone is wondering. The color was lighter than I wanted in the soap batter, but I decided to stick to my original plan so I didn't add more. The color was just as light immediately after the bars were cut, and I remember feeling disappointed because I wanted a nice dark cocoa color. Imagine my surprise when the color darkened to exactly the right shade of milk chocolate just a few hours after exposure to air.

The rosehip and paprika both gave my soap a speckled color. Both colors stay true in CPOP soap.

I am learning to use the paprika with a light hand, because it can look exactly like paprika sprinkled on food as a garnish, and I don't really want folks to associate my soap with their eggs Benedict breakfast. I recently used paprika to make irregular pencil lines in otherwise uncolored soap batter -- the result was a bit like a rock with interesting veins of rust running throughout. I was pretty happy with how that turned out -- and thankfully no association with food sprang to mind.

In another recent SMF thread, one person got a less speckle-y color by "blooming" the rosehip powder in a bit of warm water for awhile before putting into the soap batter. This might work for paprika too, but I haven't tried it yet. It definitely can't hurt and I do plan to try it.

 

[kazmi]

DeeAnna that was me who did the rosehip powder in warm water and that is exactly what I was thinking while reading this thread. So I put some spanish paparika that I have in warm water just to see if will dilute. Looks like it will so I may give it a try this weekend on a small batch.

 

[DeeAnna]

Ah, Kazmi -- thank you for speaking up! I am sorry I didn't remember your name to give you credit for this idea! I'm looking forward to trying this myself -- and am very interested to see if paprika "blooms" well for you.

 

[Brandica2013]

I have used teas. I just set my lye pot in another larger bowl that had ice water in it so the lye/tea mix didn't over heat.

The coffee I freeze in ice cube trays and have the bowl of ice water ready in case it starts getting too hot. I have read that it gets REALLY bad smelling if it over heats and gets scorched while adding the lye. I haven't had that happen though with freezing it. And add the lye slowly.

The times I have used chocolate I used unsweetened chocolate. I melted it with some cream that I was going to add to the recipe. I mixed them up really good together once it was melted and added into the soap batter.

Thanks so much for these great tips,it sounds like a safe bet to just add them with the ice/water bowl or sink filled & freezing the coffee or tea...i have goats milk in 1 cup containers in the freezer now,not sure when ill be brave to use :/...

You mentioned cream?? What kind of cream are you referring 2,if you don't mind me asking? Sorry for so many questions I'm just trying to learn all I can.Thanks so much!! This post and thread has been so helpful