Soap colorants -oil soluable powders

[Jessy4matt]

I am new to soap making and have been getting frustrated with my unsuccessful attempts at colorants. I have some oil soluable powders and I'm wondering how best to dissolve them? I want every fleck to dissolve!!! Should I use an oil other than vegetable oil, should I heat the oil, does it literally take days to dissolve? The color is very rich and the color was nice, but those little flecks bleed out and look really ugly!
I'm making a CP soap comprised mainly of olive oil. Coconut oil, and coconut milk added at trace. It's very creamy white all on its own. I'm only adding some color (swirl) to distinguish between fragrances.
"Anyone know how to achieve PURPLE" while I'm here? I heard that's it's the holly grail of colors to achieve?
I'd appreciate any advice!
Thanks!!
Jessica

 

[Genny]

I usually just mix the color in a little bit of olive oil. I use my stick blender to mix it though. Then I just add however amount of my soap to that & blend it again.

 

[judymoody]

Use a mini latte frother to disperse your colorants into a bit of oil - works great!

Purple - Irena (soapbuddy) uses one of the blue FD&C colorants to achieve a consistent purple in soap but I forget which one. Maybe she will chime in. Also if you do a search with "purple" as a key word it is likely to turn up.

Good luck!

 

[LadyM]

Purple ultramarine is easy to use and works great.

 

[Jessy4matt]

I usually just mix the color in a little bit of olive oil. I use my stick blender to mix it though. Then I just add however amount of my soap to that & blend it again.

Thank you for your help. I needed someone to just shine light for me. I've had it soaking in oil for 2 days. I'm crossing my fingers now and then I'll try mixing them together like you mentioned!
I may have figured this purple thing out! Keep your fingers crossed
Jessica

 

[truzella]

I too am having a hellish time with purple. I am definitely missing something when it comes to coloring since my base is typically yellow from the oils...so it doesn't seem to be a matter of just adding purple. When I do it turns out looking like grey mud. What are you doing to account for the yellow oils?

 

[Genny]

Purple - Irena (soapbuddy) uses one of the blue FD&C colorants to achieve a consistent purple in soap but I forget which one. Maybe she will chime in. Also if you do a search with "purple" as a key word it is likely to turn up.

I believe she uses BB's labcolor. I think it was periwinkle. But I do remember her saying that it does bleed.

 

[new12soap]

I too am having a hellish time with purple. I am definitely missing something when it comes to coloring since my base is typically yellow from the oils...so it doesn't seem to be a matter of just adding purple. When I do it turns out looking like grey mud. What are you doing to account for the yellow oils?

I don't have a lot of experience with colorants, but perhaps using titanium dioxide to whiten the soap first, say mixed with oils before adding the lye, then add color after trace would you give a truer less "grey mud" result. It seems that would be effective at countering the yellow of the oils.

 

[IrishLass]

I have some oil soluable powders and I'm wondering how best to dissolve them?

Unfortunately, you'll never be able to dissolve them like one dissolves sugar for example. That's because powdered soap colorants are dispersible as opposed to being dissolvable. The best way I've found to disperse them without flecks or specks showing up in my soap is to do what the others have mentioned- I take my trusty stickblender to them. It breaks the colorants up into fine enough particles so that it looks like they're dissolved, but in reality they are just highly dispersed/suspended.

I too am having a hellish time with purple. I am definitely missing something when it comes to coloring since my base is typically yellow from the oils...so it doesn't seem to be a matter of just adding purple. When I do it turns out looking like grey mud. What are you doing to account for the yellow oils?

My base oils are yellow, too, but I'm able to get great shades of purple, from a pale lavender to a deeper purple, with UM Violet. The are tricks to it, though. The first is that you have to make sure you are using enough of the colorant. I've found with UM Violet that I have to use at least two or three times more of it than I'd normally use for other colorants to get purple instead of gray.

For a lovely, pastel lavender shade in my yellowish base oils, I use TD along with the UM Violet. I don't know if this helps, but in my normal 2.5 lb batch, I use 1.5 teaspoons of TD along with 1/2 teaspoon plus 1/16th teaspoon of UM Violet to color my whole batch a lovely pastel lavender color. Oh- when I measure my UM violet, I tamp or pack it down into my measuring spoons like one would pack brown sugar for baking.

To get a medium shade of purple in my 2.5 lb batch, I use 3/4 tsp (packed down) of UM Violet (no TD).

To get a slightly deeper shade of purple I just add 1/16th tsp of Activated Charcoal along with a packed 3/4 teaspoon of the UM Violet (for a 2.5 lb batch). I'd like to get an even deeper shade of purple than this, though, and am working on it.


HTH!
IrishLass

 

[Kansas Farm Girl]

I have used TKB Tradings Magic Violet Matte Tone to get a nice purple for lilac and lavender soaps. I have accidentally ended up with purples before by using a blue, but I haven't been able to duplicate that so can't tell you what I did to get it.

 

[brandnew]

colorants in soap

I know you all are talking purples BUT.... do any of you think it's possible to use a bit of orange juice at trace to get a yellow/orange-y colour? Not so much as to affect the lye? I'm talking about a small batch.

 

[Genny]

Re: colorants in soap

I know you all are talking purples BUT.... do any of you think it's possible to use a bit of orange juice at trace to get a yellow/orange-y colour? Not so much as to affect the lye? I'm talking about a small batch.

yellow/orange? no. really, really pale yellow? yes

Carrot juice will get you an orange/yellow.

 

[LadyM]

Try annatto, gives lovely orange!

 

[Hestey]

I mix all of my pigments and micas with a small amount of glyverin. I've had a little issue with purple myself! I found that mixing red oxide and ultramarine blue gives a really nice purple and it doesn't turn greyish like ultramarine violet can.

 

[debbism]

I get great results with ratanjot powder - available at any Indian market. I make sure I use oils that are as light as possible, eg: no olive oil. Just infuse 6 tblsp in about 24 oz oil. Use it at 5-10% total oil weight for lavender to deep purple.

 

[truzella]

OMG...another batch with a mucky brown color. I used red with a little bit of blue....mucky brown. Then I tried Matte Violet Liquid Pigment just a different shade of mucky brown.

What in the world am I still doing wrong? What is the smallest batch that I can make to continue testing so that I am not wasting all of this soap?

 

[brandnew]

colorants

I was just advised that 1 lb batches are the safest and smallest. I want to do small batches but for different reasons. Good luck!! As the French say 'courage' the colour is wrong but the soap could be great! :!:

 

[Hestey]

Tru, are you using extra virgin olive oil? Or some other oil that is quite yellow? I find that using a light olive or a canola is best when I want a purple soap. The more yellow in the oil the more ick in the purple!

 

[Sue Bear]

I have been using Cosmo Martini from the Conservatorie for a true rich purple forever with fantastic results. 1 -2 tsp. per batch depending on the disired depth of color.

 

[brandnew]

colorants

how long is the shelf life for most colorants. If it's just for private use is it better to use powders or go ahead and use the liquid that needs diluting?