What's the best colorant?

[angelz921]

I am new to soap and am using M&P soap but have no idea what type of colorant to use. I am looking for simple to start, so do you have any recommendations?

Thanks for your time!

 

[soapbuddy]

I like micas from TKB Trading since they don't bleed.

 

[angelz921]

are they difficult to work with?

 

[soapbuddy]

are they difficult to work with?

Pretty easy. So they don't clump, add the amount that you want into a small cup/glass, then either add alcohol or a small amount of liquid oil. That makes it easier for the color to disperse throughout the soap bar.

 

[angelz921]

just plain rubbing alcohol?


Liquid Oil?

 

[soapbuddy]

just plain rubbing alcohol? YES

Liquid Oil? Any soapmaking oil that's liquid at room temp (almond, grapeseed, jojoba, apricot kernel)

 

[angelz921]

*hugs* Thank you for the help! Very appreciated!

 

[soapbuddy]

*hugs* Thank you for the help! Very appreciated!

You're welcome and have fun!

 

[Tabitha]

I like gel or liquid colorants best, for ease of blending.

You will need to always check to make sure your colorants say non bleeeding, unless you want them to run together, which some people do.

 

[angelz921]

where do you recommend I start looking for those? I don't think I've come across any gel colorants? There are so many places out there it's hard to tell what is what...

I was originally hoping for liquid for that same reason.

 

[Catmehndi]

Some colors, such as labcolors, are good for either soaps or cosmetics. They are in a concentrated liquid form and you can use as is (one drop at a time) or dilute. You can mix and match, test different bases with different colors and see what you prefer.

Beware that in most cases, colors for soaps are a different animal than colors for waxes and I don't know of any that can be used for both (which is not to say they don't exist but I haven't heard of them yet)
Just make sure you use colors that are safe to use on the skin.

You can also play with natural colors, such as found in your spice rack! Turmeric makes a great yellow, paprika orange and so on.

 

[angelz921]

Oh believe me I would never use any of my candle dye for skin care, that was one of the first things I was taught when I learned how to make them.

I would never have thought to look in my kitchen for color ideas, that's a really neat idea!

Thanks for the idea.