Soap Coloring the Natural Way- using clays- herbs- spices

Soap Coloring the Natural Way- using clays- herbs- spices

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All natural soap means that the colorants should be natural too! The truly natural soap colors are created by using plants, foods and pigments. Many soap makers use chemicals colors so their soaps tend to have brighter and bolder colors. You can purchase pigment soap colorants that are natural and bright but they are costly. I actually favor the pigments myself, but I have used, tea bags , wine, cocoa, carrot, beetroot powder, clays and other natural colorants.

Here is a list of some natural soap colorants:

Alkanet Root:a plant with blue flowers and a root with a dark red dye that releases into alcohol or oil. The finished color can be anywhere between a greyish lavender and purple, to pastel blue and dark blue.

Annatto Seed:from a shrub that makes large rose-like flowers, and the red from the seeds is used for the dye. Annatto makes nice shades of yellow and orange.

Beetroot Powder:made from dehydrated beets into a powder, and the finished color could be described as a muddy yellow.

Beta-Carotene:found in carrots, known as the carotenoids in orange or red plants and vegetables. True beta-carotene is expensive, so often the beta-carotene found at soap suppliers is a synthetic version. Yellow-orange shades are created with this.

Chlorophyll: I used this one often for a nice natural tint. Usually in my Tea Tree bars.

Cocoa Powder: Another natural colorant I used often. Use a little for a light tan color, or make a darker brown swirl.

Rose Hip Powder: made from dried and powdered Rose Hips, making a beautiful rosy-peach color.

Turmeric:powdered and made from the roots, this colorant will make shades of peach or orange.

Clays:beautiful and muted shades of green and pink and great for soaps. The pink clay is especially good in facial bars with its super gentle exfoliating properties.

And now for the not-natural colorants:

Ultramarines:originally from ground gem stones, virtually all ultramarine is synthetic and considered safe in soap. Yet these colorants are not considered safe for cosmetics.

Oxides: if they are the synthetic versions. I have used oxides and these do make nice colors, but there are natural oxides and synthetic versions. Try to obtain the natural sourced materials.

Crayons:crayons are made with petroleum products, which are made from crude oil. If you want an all natural bar aim for plant colorants.

Food Coloring:some people use these, but food coloring doesn't mean that it is natural. Food coloring that we all have in our cupboards for cake decorating is made from petroleum oil as well. Also, it is a deep coloring and could leave color streaks on your skin.

( If it was meant for skin it would say skin color , Not really sure it should even be consumed. But remember using colorants which are not made for the skin may cause your customers to have a reaction, which causes a real problem)

Food Grade Coloring:this is often found at soap making suppliers, and I have used this as well. Again, made from petroleum products.

Spices to give your soaps color naturally I would bet you have at least 5 of these in your kitchen right now.

Alfalfa – medium green
Alkanet – steep in oil first - deep purple to muted blue
Annatto Seed – steep in oil first - yellow orange
Beet Root – muted pinkish beige to muted pinkish dull brown.
Bentonite clay - off white to a light ivory-green
Black walnut hull - speckled purple-brown
Ground Calendula Petals - yellow
Chamomile (German) essential oil - light pastel green
Carrot juice (black) - light pinkish brown
Chamomile– yellow-beige
Chamomile (German) essential oil - light pastel green
Chlorophyll - medium greens
Cinnamon - tan to brown – can be an irritant
Cochineal powder– light to deep red depending on amount used
Coffee - brown to black
Comfrey Root– light milky brown
Cornmeal, blue- purplish-blue-brown
Cucumber -bright green
Curry powder - yellow
Elderberry- steep in lye solution –
light brown
Green tea powder- brownish-greenish - speckled
Henna Ground - olive to deep drab
green - brown
Indigo root - deep blues - caution, can stain
Jojoba bead - come in many colors, and add exfoliation too
Kaolin Clay - white to off white
Kelp/seaweed - green
Madder Root- rosy red - purple
Milk (goats or cow's) - tan to brown, depending upon sugar & fat content , temp of lye water, temp of oil
Morrocan Clay -Brick Red
Olive leaf powder - warm och-re /brown color
Orange juice - used in place of water for lye solution - nice pastel orange/beige
Paprika – light orange peach to orange-brown - can be an irritant
Poppy Seeds-Blue-grey to light black specks
( may mold in soap )
Pumice, ground - grey
Pumpkin, pureed - lovely deep orange
Rattanjot– light lavender -brown to deep purplish
Cocoa Powder - chocolate brown
Rhassoul clay - a light speckled gray-brown
Rose Pink Clay - Brick red
Rosehip seeds, ground - light tan to deep brown
Safflower Petals- yellow to deep orange
Saffron - yellows

Sage - green
Sandalwood powder (red) - deep purplish brown - nice speckles
Spearmint- greenish brown
Spinach – light green
Blue-Green Algae – light pastel green to blue-green
itanium Dioxide-bright white
Tree lichen - nice light pinkish beige - varies on type of lichen
Turmeric – golden brown to amber
Wheatgrass juice - lovely deep green
Woad powder - bluish green

When cooking almond flour and honey in HP soap the soap comes out a deep golden brown and smells divine. ( keep posted for recipe)

Information provided by

http://www.natural-soap-making.com/naturalsoapcolorants.html

For a gallery of many different natural colorants, visit the Natural Soap Colorants Gallery.

Note: Unless you've used this colorant before, or are following someone else's recipe, it's important to do some simple tests before you throw a bunch of carrots or seaweed into your soap. Check out Testing Natural Colorants in Soap for more information. Tips on Using Natural Colorants