Natural colors in lotions?

[FlybyStardancer]

So LunaLotion's post got me thinking, but I didn't want to derail the thread.

Would it be possible to get a natural color (even if it's just a light tint) with infused oils? And even if you could... would that then leave color on your skin? I've got a bunch of infusions started, mostly in OO, but I've got some beet root powder in sunflower that I'm hoping to eventually use in lip balm. And while tinting the skin would be desirable in lip balm, it's not so desirable in lotions! lol

 

[DeeAnna]

The most color I've gotten is a pale ivory color in a lotion; that came from reddish-golden rosehip oil at 3% of the total lotion recipe. I understand sea buckthorn is intensely colored and will color skin if used neat, so I'd bet it would give even more color if used in a lotion. But the oils in lotion are usually such a small portion of a lotion recipe, so I find myself wondering if you would be able to get a deeply colored lotion from just infused oils. Annatto infusion, maybe?

 

[FlybyStardancer]

Or maybe alkanet? That's a really strong infusing botanical there.

 

[Birdie Wife]

I use EV Avocado Oil in one of my lotions at about 8% and it gives a nice pale minty colour. Haven't tried purposefully colouring lotion - personally I wouldn't like to use anything with a strong colour to it.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I also made a lotion with Avo oil and it is a mild green colour.

I think that the skin colouring would be a concern for me, too. It might not do it, but it depends on how it goes in - lip gloss is designed to also stay on the lips a little, isn't it? Whereas lotions are usually aimed to be more absorbed. Just generalising, of course.

 

[FlybyStardancer]

I was mostly thinking it as a future someday for making a lotion to give the nieces, who would love a pinkish color... Their mother would love it being a natural color (she veers into crunchier territory than me, at least in some areas). I wouldn't want it to turn THEM pink, though! lol

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

A very bad part of me read that and shouted "GLITTER! GLITTER IN LOTION!" I think I might be part Magpie...............

 

[hmlove1218]

Gent you make me giggle lol.

Flyby: if your looking for pink, what about beet root? Perhaps that would work. Or maddar root

 

[dixiedragon]

Maybe a teensy bit of rose clay?

 

[DeeAnna]

It sounds like an experiment or three is in order! I would think a pale pink from infused beet or madder might be really pretty!

This is going to date me, I know, but the classic Oil of Olay face lotion was a pale peachy-pink color. With its powdery sweet fragrance, simple clean packaging, and that distinctive color, the product as a whole set a very feminine tone. A pure white lotion with everything else the same would not have sent that "pamper yourself" message nearly as well.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

It's a good point - the pale green of mine is nicer than a slightly off-white colour, that is for sure.

 

[FlybyStardancer]

lol Gent. The girls would probably LOVE glitter in lotion. I wouldn't love it scattered all over the kitchen, though. (They don't call it crafts herpes for nothing...)

I do have beet root, madder root, and alkanet all infusing. I think I'll need to warm up the beet infusion (it's currently cold infusing in the fridge, since it's in sunflower oil). And madder root infusions don't actually turn red for me until it hits lye... Alkanet looks bright red after just a day for me, though!

 

[Saponista]

You could try an infusion as the water part too, rosehip tea for pink. I made an earl grey tea infused bergamot scented hand cream that turned out a toffee colour which didn't stain the skin.