New to coloring bar soap, looking for help

[DrewsSoaps]

Hey,
I am new to bar soap, and I really want to find a way to color my bar soap red, but I am overwhelmed by all the red colorant options. If anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them. The main reason why I’m being picky with what I use, is because I try to use ingredients directly from Mother Nature and a lot of my customers have sensitive skin.
I’ll also attach my recipe in case that helps.
Thanks so much!

 

[ackosel]

Getting red from natural colorants is a bit of a trick. The closest I've gotten (and I am by no means an expert on natural colorants or soapmaking) is Moroccan red clay. It's definitely not a Christmas red, but comes out more of a reddish brown. A very little goes a LONG way with that one.

I did purchase some Himalayan rhubarb to infuse in olive oil to try for a truer red, but havent tried it yet. I've seen other soapmakers online get more of a red color with that, but again, it won't be a Christmas red - more of a pink red.

I know there are several soapmakers here who know a lot about using natural colorants. Hopefully someone else can give you some better suggestions. I'll definitely be paying attention!

 

[Chaiat5]

Hi!

I made soap coloured with red sandalwood. It was not a very strong colour — just a dusky pink. I am trying out infusions — just received Himalayan rhubarb! @ackosel please share since we're going down the same road

 

[Ekuzo]

I've purchased some rosehip powder with the intention to use it in soap. From what I've heard, it gives sort of decent red

 

[justsomeguy]

Hey,
I am new to bar soap, and I really want to find a way to color my bar soap red, but I am overwhelmed by all the red colorant options. If anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them. The main reason why I’m being picky with what I use, is because I try to use ingredients directly from Mother Nature and a lot of my customers have sensitive skin.
I’ll also attach my recipe in case that helps.
Thanks so much!

I've used two options.

Himalayan rhubarb infused in oil (pure HO sunflower oil soap with 3% of it being infused [at 1.46oz in a quart of oil] ) and

madder root "tea" added to the lye water (pure palm kernel oil here I think).

Both soaps plain are white so it didn't take a lot to get them red.

 

[curlycoat2]

Red is the hardest of all the colors to achieve when using plants only. Are you adverse to using clays? if not that will be an easier way going forward. The rhubarbs will be the best way to get red - any of them - Turkish or Himalyan it wont matter which one you use. The more concentrated your infusion is the better the red will be. You will need to have only very light colored oils and I had more success without palm when coloring with plants. I dont use palm at all but every experiment I did with it morphed the plant color more than without it. Long, strong, cold infusion using the alcohol method and then using a high percentage of that infusion in your actual soap recipe will give you red. I will warn you that plant colors will fade and clays will not. Also note the redder the soap the more it will bleed pink - just so know and are not surprised when you lather with it. This is my red with plants only using the above techniques. yes it does lather pink but its red and from plants only! Took me years and years to get this color and no there is no photoshop going on or enhancing or editing. iPhone 5

 

[DrewsSoaps]

Getting red from natural colorants is a bit of a trick. The closest I've gotten (and I am by no means an expert on natural colorants or soapmaking) is Moroccan red clay. It's definitely not a Christmas red, but comes out more of a reddish brown. A very little goes a LONG way with that one.

I did purchase some Himalayan rhubarb to infuse in olive oil to try for a truer red, but havent tried it yet. I've seen other soapmakers online get more of a red color with that, but again, it won't be a Christmas red - more of a pink red.

I know there are several soapmakers here who know a lot about using natural colorants. Hopefully someone else can give you some better suggestions. I'll definitely be paying attention!

Thank you for your help!

Thank you so much!

That is such a beautiful and vibrant red!! Thank you so so much!

 

[The Bearded Beekeeper]

My first try with himalayan rhubarb

 

[akseattle]

Red is the hardest of all the colors to achieve when using plants only. .... This is my red with plants only using the above techniques. yes it does lather pink but its red and from plants only! Took me years and years to get this color and no there is no photoshop going on or enhancing or editing. iPhone 5

@curlycoat2 Absolutely beautiful red soaps!!! I'm seriously impressed!

@curlycoat2 beautiful green and blue, too! I aspire to one day have your talent!

 

[Hope Elisabeth 68]

Red is the hardest of all the colors to achieve when using plants only. Are you adverse to using clays? if not that will be an easier way going forward. The rhubarbs will be the best way to get red - any of them - Turkish or Himalyan it wont matter which one you use. The more concentrated your infusion is the better the red will be. You will need to have only very light colored oils and I had more success without palm when coloring with plants. I dont use palm at all but every experiment I did with it morphed the plant color more than without it. Long, strong, cold infusion using the alcohol method and then using a high percentage of that infusion in your actual soap recipe will give you red. I will warn you that plant colors will fade and clays will not. Also note the redder the soap the more it will bleed pink - just so know and are not surprised when you lather with it. This is my red with plants only using the above techniques. yes it does lather pink but its red and from plants only! Took me years and years to get this color and no there is no photoshop going on or enhancing or editing. iPhone 5

WOW! Beautiful! Can you explain the alcohol infusion please? I always thought alcohol would react badly in CP soap. Also, how did you get that beautiful blue? I have used indigo before and gotten hues of grayish blue, but that is beautiful blue!

I get a beautiful red with Madder root powder that hasn't even begun to fade after a year!

 

[Zing]

I use rosehip powder to get a brick red. It's kinda trippy. When you first unmold and cut, only the edges are colored and then it travels inward until the whole thing is colored.

 

[Hope Elisabeth 68]

I use rosehip powder to get a brick red. It's kinda trippy. When you first unmold and cut, only the edges are colored and then it travels inward until the whole thing is colored.

May I ask how you do that? I have only ever gotten a brown color from roseship powder.

 

[Zing]

May I ask how you do that? I have only ever gotten a brown color from roseship powder.

I get my rosehip powder from Bramble Berry. It's definitely not red like those incredible photos above of rhubarb whatchamacallits.

 

[DrewsSoaps]

My first try with himalayan rhubarb

That’s an incredible red color!! Congrats on that. What did you find to be the hardest part about making the infused oil?

 

[justsomeguy]

My bad. Didn't realize you were not taking to me

That’s an incredible red color!! Congrats on that.

Thanks! I think that red is only possible because the HO sunflower soap is shockingly white.

What did you find to be the hardest part about making the infused oil?

I used a sous vide thingie (started with ANOVA but recently switched to inkbird) running at 150° for anywhere from 2 to 26 hours.

1. Weight the powder,
2. add oil,
3. set up the water bath,
4. start the machine,
5. plop the jars in,
6. walk away,
7. When time is up, pluck out the jars
8. Strain the oil through a nut milk bag

Edit:

 

[DrewsSoaps]

Thanks! I think that red is only possible because the HO sunflower soap is shockingly white.

I used a sous vide thingie (started with ANOVA but recently switched to inkbird) running at 150° for anywhere from 2 to 26 hours.

1. Weight the powder,
2. add oil,
3. set up the water bath,
4. start the machine,
5. plop the jars in,
6. walk away,
7. When time is up, pluck out the jars
8. Strain the oil through a nut milk bag

I was looking for a sign to attempt this and i think this is it haha. That was very nice of you to let me know all of that.

Can I ask what HO stand for in front of the sunflower soap?

 

[justsomeguy]

I was looking for a sign to attempt this and i think this is it haha.

That was very nice of you to let me know all of that.

Really quite happy to help.

Can I ask what HO stand for in front of the sunflower soap?

High oleic sunflower oil.

 

[The Bearded Beekeeper]

That’s an incredible red color!! Congrats on that. What did you find to be the hardest part about making the infused oil?

Being honest , there was no real problem , I just added 2 tablespoons of the himalayan rhubarb powder to the olive oil and heated in a crackpot for a few hours , then let the whole mix sit for a couple of days and then strained it. The colour really came out when the mix was added to lye

 

[Julynn324]

Being honest , there was no real problem , I just added 2 tablespoons of the himalayan rhubarb powder to the olive oil and heated in a crackpot for a few hours , then let the whole mix sit for a couple of days and then strained it. The colour really came out when the mix was added to lye

May I ask where you sources your rhubarb?

 

[DrewsSoaps]

Being honest , there was no real problem , I just added 2 tablespoons of the himalayan rhubarb powder to the olive oil and heated in a crackpot for a few hours , then let the whole mix sit for a couple of days and then strained it. The colour really came out when the mix was added to lye

That’s awesome to hear! The rubarb root is a pH dependent colorant, so that makes sense why the red didn’t show till added to lye. Thanks so much for your help!!