Totally natural soaps

[Anchita]

Hi friends , I'm new to the forum and soap making as well.
Kindly help me with a few doubts:
1)How to add purees to cold process soaps ?
2)I dun use any artificial colourant , can u please give me ideas of natural products which can give specific colours?
I have palm oil which is PFAD this type is not mentioned in the soap calc ,how do I use It in which percentage as it's rock rock at room temperature even in summer?

Thank so much

 

[Megan]

1. https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-...ricks/how-to-add-purees-to-cold-process-soap/
2. https://www.modernsoapmaking.com/join-jo-coloring-soap-naturally/

I don't know about the PFAD. From my google search, it has a much higher sap value than palm oil.

 

[shunt2011]

Hi friends , I'm new to the forum and soap making as well.
Kindly help me with a few doubts:
1)How to add purees to cold process soaps ?
2)I dun use any artificial colourant , can u please give me ideas of natural products which can give specific colours?
I have palm oil which is PFAD this type is not mentioned in the soap calc ,how do I use It in which percentage as it's rock rock at room temperature even in summer?

Thank so much

Hello and welcome!

There are quite a few threads on the forum for using natural colorants. Though many don't last long and will fade.

Adding purees are added as a replacement for some of the liquid required for the recipe.

Can't help you on the palm as I have no idea what PFAD is.

There are also several threads on what may or may not be considered all natural.

 

[dixiedragon]

Generally speaking, natural colorants are difficult to use, temperamental, and don't last. So if you want to stick to all natural colors, then you need to make peace with the fact that you will have a more muted palette.

Natural colorants I like are clays, activated charcoal (you may find this in a healthfood store with the vitamins), and beta carotene (also with vitamins). I particularly love rose clay.

Calendula petals are about the only botanical that will hold up well.

 

[Richard Perrine]

I have successfully used orange and grapefruit juice to create lovely orange bars. Annato. I also tried coffee and while it doe impart a brown color, it does fade to a lighter color over time.

 

[Kamahido]

I've used Orange 10X Essential Oil to impart a very nice yellow color. That and I really like Orange scented soap!

 

[SideDoorSoaps]

Up until recently, I exclusively used natural colorants. They are fascinating to use when learning about ratios, infusions and pH morphs. It’s hard to get really vibrant colors but if you check out my profile picture, this rainbow soap is made with powdered plant colorants...madder root, turmeric, safflower, woad, indigo, red sandalwood, and either comfrey, nettle or spirulina for the green (I can’t remember at the moment). Also, some of the powders aren’t super fine and add a bit of a grit texture to soap so cutting isn’t always smooth.

I’ve used various botanicals and I don’t like the way most of them brown and oxidize in the soap.

 

[clownking99]

How long does spirulina hold its color for?
Do you have any examples of bars of soap and aging of the color?
Thanks friends !

 

[KimT2au]

I have successfully used orange and grapefruit juice to create lovely orange bars. Annato. I also tried coffee and while it doe impart a brown color, it does fade to a lighter color over time.

@Richard Perrine did you get much of an aroma from the orange and grapefruit juice, if so, did it hold up well?

 

[Richard Perrine]

@Richard Perrine did you get much of an aroma from the orange and grapefruit juice, if so, did it hold up well?

Kim,

No aroma at all with either juice, but a lovely orange colour indeed. Colour held.

EDIT: I used PINK grapefruit juice. I have not tried the clear juice.

 

[madison]

Up until recently, I exclusively used natural colorants. They are fascinating to use when learning about ratios, infusions and pH morphs. It’s hard to get really vibrant colors but if you check out my profile picture, this rainbow soap is made with powdered plant colorants...madder root, turmeric, safflower, woad, indigo, red sandalwood, and either comfrey, nettle or spirulina for the green (I can’t remember at the moment). Also, some of the powders aren’t super fine and add a bit of a grit texture to soap so cutting isn’t always smooth.

I’ve used various botanicals and I don’t like the way most of them brown and oxidize in the soap.

May I ask please how much you use safflower, what color it gives you at the end? I love the color in cooking, never tried it in soap. Does the red sandalwood color stays the same as the powder color in soap? Do yo have soap photos that you like to share made with woad or nettle?
Thank you

 

[penelopejane]

How long does spirulina hold its color for?
Do you have any examples of bars of soap and aging of the color?
Thanks friends !

Spirulina lasts about a month in soap before it fades to a light fawn colour. Some people react to it in soap - it makes some people very itchy.

 

[babysoapmaker]

If you're interested in natural soaps, I would check out Jo Haslauer's online posts/books as well as the 100% soap-making experiment: http://curious-soapmaker.com/big-test-100-one-oil-soaps-part-i.html She talks a bit about which base oils impart a color or fragrance in the resulting soap.

I'm interested in this topic also and so far my takeaways so far are that natural coloring is possible (but more difficult and faster to fade than using micas or other synthetic colorants), natural fragrances are nearly impossible, and the concept of natural soaps is offensive to some people since nearly all commercial lye is made in a lab. It is possible to make your own lye at home if you have some trees/wood on your land but it's a PITA that most people can't be bothered with, including myself at this point. I would be interested to do it once, just to know that I can do it, but I think the process would be annoying enough that I would continue to purchase commercial lye for most of my soap, so long as I am able.

I haven't used puree but I have so far done coffee and cocoa in lye water (coffee was a success, cocoa looks like it will be a success) as well as paprika-infused oil (which makes a lovely orange). In general, I think purees are substituted for water. Jo Haslauer has a lot of great advice on how to get the most out of natural colorants. But there are some colors that are difficult to do. Bright Christmas red, for example, is a big unknown. I won't say it's impossible but I don't think any people using natural colorants know how to get there, or if they do they aren't sharing how.

I hope your palm oil is certified. There is a local soapmaking company that sells itself on being progressive and environmentally-friendly but uses noncertified palm oil, which therefore funds deforestation in the Amazon and other tropical rainforests. I have a little half-baked dream of knocking them off their pedestal with soaps made with sustainable oils. Obviously I have a long way to go and it's probably just a dream, but even if we're just doing this as a hobby, I think it's good to think about where our materials are coming from.