What Are Your Favourite Dyes and Colourants?

[jeeringtheartist]

I'm wondering what everyone's favourite dyes and colourants are for use in Bath Bombs! I'm currently trying to perfect my recipe but the colourants are something that I'm stumped on.. mainly which ones are good and where to buy them! Especially where to buy them.
Anyone want to share their supplier and their opinions?

 

[mx5inpenn]

I don't make bath bombs, but I know nurture soap just started carrying a line of batch certified colorants for them that look pretty amazing!

 

[Seawolfe]

I got some la Bomb colors from Brambleberry in a trade, and they work nicely. But honestly, I feel like I've gotten good color from food coloring as well. I'm almost tempted to use kool-aid for color and scent sometimes if I wasn't afraid of staining the tub ..

 

[icg]

I love micas. Mostly because there are so many different kinds of colors and styles offered. I can add it to to the bath bomb mixture, paint with it on the bath bomb, or cover the whole bath bomb with it which gives a shiny metallic look. The only downside is that I have to use polysorbate 80, but pretty much every colorant I used except food coloring needed it. You can buy them from many stores, nurture soap, wholesale supplies plus, and brambleberry are pretty popular.

 

[jeeringtheartist]

I love micas. Mostly because there are so many different kinds of colors and styles offered. I can add it to to the bath bomb mixture, paint with it on the bath bomb, or cover the whole bath bomb with it which gives a shiny metallic look. The only downside is that I have to use polysorbate 80, but pretty much every colorant I used except food coloring needed it. You can buy them from many stores, nurture soap, wholesale supplies plus, and brambleberry are pretty popular.

How much do you usually use in a batch? I'm planning on trying some micas and don't really want to add a whole mess, and don't really want to wate time with 10 batches that don't have enough to colour the tub.

 

[icg]

How much do you usually use in a batch? I'm planning on trying some micas and don't really want to add a whole mess, and don't really want to wate time with 10 batches that don't have enough to colour the tub.

I use roughly around 1 tsp per 7-8tsp wet ingredients. The amount of it coloring the water depends on how big the bath bomb itself is. If the bath bomb is small, and you want strong coloration, maybe add 1/3tsp more mica. Don't forget polysorbate80 if you don't want nasty staining.

 

[SunRiseArts]

Personally, I use the cheap water base colors from the craft store (soap section). With a coupon they are less than 2 dollars. BUT because they are water based, I mix everything except for my citric acid. I mix baking soda, oils, fragrance, and the colorant. Then when is well mix I pour the citric acid and finish mixing. They have never stained my tub.

When I first wanted good color, silly me, I did not do enough research and used micas, and it was a total nightmare to clan my tub.

I posted on another thread a demo I made. Kind of long, I should have speed it, but my computer skills are limited. You can see the colors shooting.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/suntradetoo/33347646172/in/dateposted/

 

[Christinafko]

Personally, I use the cheap water base colors from the craft store (soap section). With a coupon they are less than 2 dollars. BUT because they are water based, I mix everything except for my citric acid. I mix baking soda, oils, fragrance, and the colorant. Then when is well mix I pour the citric acid and finish mixing. They have never stained my tub.

When I first wanted good color, silly me, I did not do enough research and used micas, and it was a total nightmare to clan my tub.

I posted on another thread a demo I made. Kind of long, I should have speed it, but my computer skills are limited. You can see the colors shooting.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/suntradetoo/33347646172/in/dateposted/

Sun,
When you use these colorants do you mix them first with just the wet ingredients and then the wet combo with your dry (minus citric acid)? And then add the citric acid last. How much do you typically use to make a vivid color? Thanks!

 

[SunRiseArts]

Christina, I mix all ingredients, except for the citric acid. I mix the baking soda, oils, fragrance and colors together, when is all mix that it becomes sort of a dry pile, then I add the citric acid..

If you want very vivid colors, you will have to add a lot. 1/4 of the bottle. Of you can buy lake colors (I get mine at justpigments or wholesale supplies), and then the pigmentation will be very strong. The top of some of my bombs are painted with either micas or lakes.

You can always use the food color for more strong color, but if you ever sell them, that would be a :smallno:

I posted a couple more bomb demos on my flicker page.