Percentage of colored soap

[John Harris]

Of all the soaps you make, what percentage would you say were "artsy"? What percentage are just colored? And what percentage just uncolored?

 

[Bubble Agent]

All my soaps are "artsy" in some way, shape or form (literally). I just can`t help myself. I seem to be unable to make a soap that hasn`t gotten some sort of creative outlet on it. (My avatar is one of type I make often)
So what I am doing is working VERY hard to try and make simpler soaps. (I fail miserably each and everytime, of course, but I do try!)

I am not claiming my soaps look great, it is just that I need to make them with my own spin. I have always been like that, doing the oposite of what everyone else does around here (in real life, not the forum). That is just how my mind work.

I have 16 variations that I have safety assessed, and three of them is simpler soaps, but with 2 or 3 colors and an essential oil mix. I keep those simple since those are more "natural" so I have something to offer those who don`t want to have soaps with fragrance oils. I use activated activated charcoal combined with a littlebit of mica.

I have 2 soaps with no colors in the batter, but colored batter on top, or cp embeds in a color or two.

The reason for most of my soaps are made with decoration on them, is that it makes the process more fun for me, so I made sure the safety assessment made me able to do crazy things without doing anyting outside the approved. I can play and make flowers, cars, stars, moons, glitter or no glitter or whatever the case may be.

Because, when soaps are assessed you CAN NOT DEVIATE from the assessed soap, so it has to have everything the same way, you can not just add a color, fragrance or som glitter if it is not already in the approved recipe.

So I am free to make my soaps like small pieces or "art" that I can legally sell and not find the repetetive process boring. (I use the term "art" loosely! )

Sorry for the ramble! Seems like I make my soaps the same way I speak, I can`t keep it short and sweet, I gotta elaborate...

 

[lenarenee]

I make one uncolored unscented soap for myself, because soap is a glorious thing and sometimes I just want to appreciate it in its purest state.

Every cooperative fo has some kind of design. Usually easy ones without cardboard cutouts, no embeds, no spending all day pouring tiny amounts for finicky layers (except for a rainbow soap)

The uncooperative ones get a single color and a prayer. Mica oil drizzled on top if the top is ugly, like chunky from soap on a stick. Discoloring brown soaps always get mica oil drizzle because solid brown soap is just wrong.

 

[Zing]

All my soaps are fancy soaps! I like this forum's challenges and I have a long bucket list of designs still to try out. My most utilitarian soap is my gardener's soap where the only color comes from the brewed-coffee-lye-solution (maybe red palm oil) along with several emollients EDIT: exfoliants. This is my theme song:

 

[dibbles]

I'd say over 98% of my soaps are 'artsy' because that is the fun part of soap making for me. However, all my artsy soaps are not beautiful art. Probably 1% each uncolored or one color. But, I have to say that I think the most elegant looking soap is plain white with a softly textured top. The only unscented soaps I made were for my sister.

 

[John Harris]

Of the hundreds (thousands?) of Soap bars I have made in my Iife, almost all of them have been natural color. I am sure I can count on one hand the number of batches I colored.

 

[serielle]

My first batch was uncoloured. Plain soaps I've made are dish soap and gardener's soap (single colour). The rest are "artsy". I like trying new techniques and I love colour. I'm more likely to to have no scent than I am to have less than 2 colours.

 

[Cat&Oak]

Hmmmm I would say 90% of my soaps are artistic because I enjoy learning new swirl and design techniques. The solid colors are ones that I anticipate will be naughty batches usually.

 

[amd]

I started my soap journey only making unscented uncolored soaps for 18-ish months. Now I get excited when a customer orders "just soap". It's so relaxing to just mix and pour. I wish "just soap" would sell... until I get excited about a really good intricate design that worked out smashingly well without any hiccups.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I personally love simple soaps, but the “artsy” ones are more fun to make. Lately I’ve been sticking to simple designs due to time constraints and also because I’m using some of my soap making time to work on my recipes. The simple designs sometimes make it to artsy. I would estimate that 25-30% of the soap I’ve made is one color, and only a very small percentage (<1-2%) has been completely uncolored. I like to mix coordinated simple soaps with more complex designed soaps when I gift them. A bag of my challenge soaps can look pretty busy, especially since I still haven’t honed in on a “signature style.”

 

[linne1gi]

All of my soaps are fancy. I really have a hard time making a plain soap. The plainest soap I make is salt soap, and even then I try to make an ombré or a drop swirl.

 

[Zing]

I'm also on a kick of doing a single color alternating wall pour with mica lines. It's simple and fewer dishes but still looks fancy. I'm also a fan of doing a swirl with white (TD) and uncolored which looks simple and elegant.

 

[linne1gi]

I'm also on a kick of doing a single color alternating wall pour with mica lines. It's simple and fewer dishes but still looks fancy. I'm also a fan of doing a swirl with white (TD) and uncolored which looks simple and elegant.

You should try (or have you done this?) a tall and skinny shimmy. Really fun pour.

 

[Zing]

You should try (or have you done this?) a tall and skinny shimmy. Really fun pour.

I really really want to do this! I still haven't bought a tall and skinny mold, though! I think my alternating wall pour would look much better in a tall and skinny.

 

[linne1gi]

That’s what it made me think, when you said you liked doing an alternating wall pour.

 

[lenarenee]

Of the hundreds (thousands?) of Soap bars I have made in my Iife, almost all of them have been natural color. I am sure I can count on one hand the number of batches I colored.

That is worderful

All my soaps are fancy soaps! I like this forum's challenges and I have a long bucket list of designs still to try out. My most utilitarian soap is my gardener's soap where the only color comes from the brewed-coffee-lye-solution (maybe red palm oil) along with several emollients EDIT: exfoliants. This is my theme song:

This is hilarious - and he didn't even have any truly fancy soaps i.e. heavily swirled, embed or high tops!

Are people really putting out dishes of guest soaps again? Like people did in the old days?

 

[lsg]

I use colored soap for swirls in many of my soaps.

 

[Orebma]

Of all the soaps you make, what percentage would you say were "artsy"? What percentage are just colored? And what percentage just uncolored?

I am struggling to use colour in my soap! (and even fragrance actually ) I just love the purity of colour of a natural bar. I forced myself to try a couple of techniques using micas and clays. I didn't hate it but I forgot to put in the fragrance (all carefully measured out and still sitting on my bench after I'd tucked my soap away
I guess it will depend on your 'market' - your market might be 'people who like pure amazing beautiful 'soap' lol

 

[John Harris]

I have to say that, while the fancy soaps are gorgeous to look at, they don't leave me with the feeling that I would want to wash with them. They don't impress me as being cleansing. They impress me as, "Beulah, peel me a grape" type of soaps. Maybe it's just a matter of getting used to them.

My uncolored bars have been very well received over the years. Maybe it was my label which was very attractive. Their natural color was mostly a golden tan. To me, they looked like they were "ready to go to work."

I'm going to pursue coloring and see where it takes me. Maybe I'll find some manly, workhorse looking kinds of artsy patterns. I've just lately had my eye on Spin Swirls. Once I get my latest blueberry soap cut and out of the mold, I could pursue it with more resolution.

 

[Misschief]

It depends on what you mean by "artsy". I love a beautiful, clean uncoloured white soap (i.e. castile). I also love colour. I've had a lot of fun trying different techniques but these days time is of the essence. I have one day a week to concentrate on making soap for my markets and I don't have a lot of "play" time. I make what sells for me. Simple swirls (ITP, and hanger swirls come to mind) sell well for me; natural soaps with lovely fragrances sell well (can't keep Cucumber & Mint is stock).