Vivid bath bomb help

[Christinafko]

Hi again,

I was hoping I could get some help with making my bath bombs more vivid in colors without using food coloring. I tried mica powder pigments but didn't stick with them bc I didn't have polysorbate 80 to keep them from being flakey and making a mess of the tub, so I've been using glycerin oxide soap colorants which I like except the bombs all end up pastel. I'd like to find a way to make some that are darker and turn the bath water a darker color too. Should I go back to the micas and try them? Anyone have anything they love for making vivid/darker bath bombs that don't stain? Thanks and sorry for all the questions recently. I'm new to making bath bombs!

 

[doriettefarm]

I would recommend powdered dyes if you want vibrant colored bombs & water. Dyes are also water soluble so you don't need any Polysorbate 80. If you're just making them for personal use, WholesaleSuppliesPlus carries small amounts of stained glass dye powders. But if you're planning to sell in the US, you need batch certified dyes. I started out playing with the dyes from WSP but later found some that were batch certified in small sizes so the price isn't prohibitive.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/UnicornsPride?section_id=21373119

Lake dyes are also an option but they aren't completely water soluble so most folks still use some PS80 to disperse them. You can find batch certified lakes at Nurture Soap and Mad Micas.

 

[Saponista]

I have just bought some powdered water soluble dyes too for this reason. A fellow soaper sent me some that she had made and I was really impressed by the colour they turn the water.