Where to find clays

[ackosel]

I've been looking for clays for a while now. A year ago when I first started soaping, I bought a sampler off Amazon that has been giving decent results. It contained Bentonite, Moroccan red, French pink and French green clays. I like how the clays behave in soap, and have been looking for more color options, such as Cambria blue and Rose Kaolin clay. I'm having a hard time finding Cambrian blue clay anywhere but Amazon, which I would like to avoid if possible.

Last evening I stumbled across a website called Veda Oils that offered both Cambrian blue and Rose kaolin, as well as a pretty Brazillian purple and Glacial marine (green) clay. The website also offered essential oils, so I started browsing those and came across "Vanilla essential oil" on sale, 3.3 oz for $19.00. I have only found vanilla essential oil once, and it was so expensive my brain exploded. I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on the integrity of Veda Oils, if anyone has ever ordered from there, and/or whether or not it would be worth trying the clays from there, and maybe even trying the "vanilla essential oil" to see what it does.

Otherwise, does anyone have a reliable source for a nice variety of clay powders?

 

[AliOop]

I would be concerned about buying from this company, because:

1. There is no such thing as "vanilla essential oil," so this is definitely false advertising. The correct labeling would say "vanilla oleoresin."

2. The Cambrian blue clays that I have tried were grey in soap, not blue. If this one turns blue in soap, it probably has mica added (many colored clays do - even many from BB, although at least their labels say so).

3. True Glacial Marine clay is very expensive, and is more of a dull, greenish-mud color, not a true green.

Sorry to disappoint...

 

[ackosel]

I would be concerned about buying from this company, because:

1. There is no such thing as "vanilla essential oil," so this is definitely false advertising. The correct labeling would say "vanilla oleoresin."

2. The Cambrian blue clays that I have tried were grey in soap, not blue. If this one turns blue in soap, it probably has mica added (many colored clays do - even many from BB, although at least their labels says so).

3. True Glacial Marine clay is very expensive, and is more of a dull, greenish-mud color, not a true green.

Sorry to disappoint...

Thank you, I'm not disappointed - just needed confirmation that my gut feeling was correct.

Any recommendations for a "one-stop shop" for clays?

My hope for Blue clay is to use it in conjunction with indigo powder to get a lasting color. I used a couple teaspoons of olive oil mixed with indigo powder (following Holly's directions) for a swirl soap and it turned a beautiful green. But it faded completely before the 6-week cure was over. I have since made a proper indigo infusion, but don't want to put a lot of time and work into making pretty designs with it if it's going to fade to plain before I have a chance to use the soap. I don't mind if it fades over 6 months or a year, but three weeks isn't worth the effort. If I mix it with clay, at least some color will stick in the soap so the design is visible after cure, even if the color isn't what I envisioned.

 

[AliOop]

Most of mine are from Nurture, BB, and WSP. Maybe do some comparison shopping at each of those, along with TKB, Windy Point, and From Nature With Love.

 

[ackosel]

Most of mine are from Nurture, BB, and WSP. Maybe do some comparison shopping at each of those, along with TKB, Windy Point, and From Nature With Love.

Thank you, I'll look into those. You're always so helpful!

 

[dibbles]

@Mobjack Bay shared testing she did with purple and blue clay. The colors she achieved were so soft and beautiful. This post also has a link to how she processed her clays.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Ah, yes, I was able to get gorgeous blues from Cambrian Blue clay, but it was very possibly a one time situation. As it turns out, the first package of blue clay I bought from a now closed Etsy shop was "contaminated" with a mineral that yielded a beautiful blue in soap. The second package of clay from the same Etsy shop, which was much "cleaner," did not have that same fraction. It produced a grey color in soap. Argile Blue clay sent to me by a French friend also produces grey soap at the usual 1 tsp ppo. I haven't tried it at a higher concentration.

If you're aiming for blue from a natural colorant, I encourage you to give indigo another try. Working with botanical colorants is not as easy as adding mica or clay, but the colors are gorgeous once you get the methods down. Plus, there are SMF members who can help you troubleshoot your method. For sanity, I think it helps if you buy the indigo powder from a reputable source.

I've not seen where one supplier ever offers the full range of clay types or has everything in stock all of the time. Plus, I probably bought most of the clays I have when they were on sale. I've used clays from Nurture (Brazilian clays in assorted colors), Brambleberry (Rose Kaolin), From Nature with Love (orange - which is possibly a blend of clay and oxide) and Amazon (Frontier Coop - French Green; Mi Nature - Brazilian Yellow). The color you get will be somewhat dependent on how much you use and the color of your base soap. For example, at 4 tsp ppo, the rose and green clays I have produce highly saturated colors, while the colors are much softer and lean a little dusky/gray at the usual 1 tsp ppo.

 

[melinda48]

I've been looking for clays for a while now. A year ago when I first started soaping, I bought a sampler off Amazon that has been giving decent results. It contained Bentonite, Moroccan red, French pink and French green clays. I like how the clays behave in soap, and have been looking for more color options, such as Cambria blue and Rose Kaolin clay. I'm having a hard time finding Cambrian blue clay anywhere but Amazon, which I would like to avoid if possible.

Last evening I stumbled across a website called Veda Oils that offered both Cambrian blue and Rose kaolin, as well as a pretty Brazillian purple and Glacial marine (green) clay. The website also offered essential oils, so I started browsing those and came across "Vanilla essential oil" on sale, 3.3 oz for $19.00. I have only found vanilla essential oil once, and it was so expensive my brain exploded. I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on the integrity of Veda Oils, if anyone has ever ordered from there, and/or whether or not it would be worth trying the clays from there, and maybe even trying the "vanilla essential oil" to see what it does.

Otherwise, does anyone have a reliable source for a nice variety of clay powders?

I do not know about this company but want to point out that Amazon is simply a pass-through company. You are buying from a company; They use Amazon as their vehicle to fulfill the orders. Just conduct due diligence on the company selling through Amazon and you will be fine.

 

[ackosel]

Thank you all for your help! My indigo came from WSP, but I think I needed to infuse it differently and use more than I did. I'll keep experimenting and see what I can come up with. Thank you again!

 

[Nonnie]

I used this colored kaolin from Amazon .It yielded a beautiful blue soap. After looking around a lot(and I can't find it now) it has ocides mixed with it. blue kaolin