Navy Blue Soap

[deadken123]

Hey guys,first time poster and long time watcher of SMF. I'm making soap for a local boutique hotel. Their logo color is a deep navy blue.I make CP soap and try to use only natural colorants,but I cannot think of any way to make this color.Any advice would be awesome.

 

[commoncenz]

I've never used it, so maybe someone else will chip in. But, doesn't indigo give the color you're looking for?

 

[lsg]

How about indigo powder? It won't be royal blue, more like denim.

 

[scard]

If this is close to the color you are looking for,

I made it using ultramarine pigment http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/products/matte-cobalt-blue-ultramarine-powder.aspx, mixed with a bit of activated charcoal.

 

[David1pro]

I agree... I've darkened both indigo powder and soap safe mica colorants with activated charcoal to great success (don't buy micas from Amazon - use a real supplier so you know they are soap steady - Nurture Soap is a good place). In fact, you can get a nice multi-blue effect by leaving some of your base color as is, mixing some with titanium dioxide to lighten and some with activated charcoal to darken and then swirling a bit. Note that a little goes a long way with activated charcoal. You can mix in more, but you can't take it out if you get it too dark.

 

[soapmaker]

Agree: blue ultramarine darkened with activated charcoal. It will come off on a white wash cloth though.

 

[cmzaha]

Being it is for a hotel, if I understood correctly they most likely supply white wash cloths, so I would stay away from dark to navy blue. Would they get you a stamp made with their logo so you can stamp the soaps instead of the dark coloring? Might be a better option

 

[dibbles]

This is something new at Brambleberry. https://www.brambleberry.com/Jagua-Blue-Extract-P6926.aspx I found out about it when I watched this video by Missouri River Soaps

 

[psfred]

Anything that dark will stain washcloths badly, no matter what you are using. Unless the hotel is supplying navy blue wash cloths and towels, I'd stick with white soap with the logo, or at most a colored wrapper. Laundry expenses trying to get the blue blotches off the white cloth is going to be a real problem!

Indigo is really bad about "staining" cloth because soap is fairly reduced chemically (as opposed to oxidized), and reduced indigo is both yellow-green and water soluble in alkaline solution. When it gets on cotton fibers, it will tend to stick, then turn blue and insoluble in the air as it oxidizes.

Bleach will slowly remove it (anyone remember bleached spots on their jeans when they were learning to do laundry?), but very heavy indigo color will probably still persist at the levels of bleach safe for the cloth.

Mica will be worse, as they cannot be bleached out, and charcoal will stain gray pretty permanently.

 

[shunt2011]

I use Ultramarine blue and charcoal. But, I only make navy swirls. Hasn’t colored my washcloths. I do use white and wash in hot water and bleach. I just wouldn’t make a Navy bar of soap. Would most certainly be an issue I’m sure.

I also make a charcoal bar and haven’t had it stain anything either. Comes out in the wash. Maybe I’ve been lucky. [emoji3]

 

[deadken123]

OK. Thanks guys,I think I may steer clear of the navy blue.I do not want to stain the wash cloths,I'm gonna check with them to see what color wash cloth they use.Thanks again for the heads up,never thought about staining.
Ken

 

[earlene]

I have stayed in hotels that provide soap made with activated charcoal, and white wash cloths, so that would not be a problem. AC does not stain any hotel washcloth that I have used, and I stay in lots of hotels. But indigo might. After all it is used to stain cotton fibers (think Levi brand jeans.)

I'd suggest the UM Blue mixed with AC like scard used. Then I'd suggest not a solid navy bar, but just a portion of the bar. If you can get their logo in navy, even better. But unless they plan to spring for the logo design in the mold or a stamp, that could end up a rather costly endeavor. And you'd have to have their permission to use their logo anyway. So maybe just a swirl.

 

[penelopejane]

I use Ultramarine blue and charcoal. But, I only make navy swirls. Hasn’t colored my washcloths. I do use white and wash in hot water and bleach. I just wouldn’t make a Navy bar of soap. Would most certainly be an issue I’m sure.

I also make a charcoal bar and haven’t had it stain anything either. Comes out in the wash. Maybe I’ve been lucky. [emoji3]

I agree with shunt
I make a very dark grey with AC and it doesn’t stain. You have to get your amounts right. I have indigo but haven’t used it yet so can’t tell if it stains.

Brambleberry has a good video on their indigo which shows the amounts she uses in various experiments and whether it stains.

Neither ultramarine pigment nor mica are natural products.

 

[Anne Caston]

I always use an indigo powder and that seems to work for a finished deep chalky navy soap. (I think I purchased mine at Brambleberry if that's any help.

Good luck!

Anne

 

[cmzaha]

This is something new at Brambleberry. https://www.brambleberry.com/Jagua-Blue-Extract-P6926.aspx I found out about it when I watched this video by Missouri River Soaps

Have you check out the price for it. 9.99 for 0.2 oz or 5g. Just a titch pricey.

One other thought with a blue bar, I have been known to use bar soap to remove a stain off clothing, I would be really mad if I stained a good blouse with blue because I did not realize the soap could stain. Doing road trips on a bike limits clothing so many times a touch up with a bar of soap is in order.

 

[GreatIslandSoap]

What if you poured a layer of the navy (say 1/5th of height) and then made the rest a pretty light blue. Stamp their logo (or an approved stamp) (maybe even with gold mica?). Nice simple high-end look with a definite nod to their logo.

 

[psfred]

Indigo stains, but I've not yet tried to wash it back out. Probably minimally with single uses of a washcloth, but I re-use mine a few times, and there is definitely a bluish patch in the middle of my pale green washcloth at the moment. Just for fun, I'll drag yet another bar of soap into the shower tomorrow that is navy blue from adding somewhat more indigo than I intended and use a light colored washcloth to see what happens.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

This is a navy blue transparent soap custom made for a customer in 2014. I used blueberry juice (from a bag of frozen blueberries) plus a few shavings from a Black Crayola (paraffin wax, pigment, citric acid). Lathered like a mad dog and no staining. It was one of the first soaps I made... before joining an on-line soap making group and learning how difficult it was to make transparents! Not much help, I know... just had to share a fond memory of the good ole days!!!