Teach Soap

Hello,
Can anybody give me some tried and tested natural CP soap colours please?
It is very difficult to get CP soap colours here in South Africa and postage from the United States is outragious.
So I would like to go the natural way. Melt and Pour colours is not an option I have been told.
I have tried connamon and paprika etc but find them very grainy. I would like a smooth colour!
Thanks for your help in advance.
Kind regards
Carol-Ann

Hi Carol-Ann
I am experimenting with natural colourants at the moment.

Here’s a photo showing some of mine:

(from front to back)
1 Uncoloured with dried finely grated citrus peel (can be slightly scratchy but great esp for feet)
2 Coloured with paprika with dried finely grated citrus peel (paprika was infused in the oil and strained therefore no graininess)
3 Coffee (coffee chilled and added as water content)
4 Coloured with turmeric (again infused in oil)
5 Coloured with chlorophyll powder
6 Beer soap with dried hops which turned a reddy brown colour
7 Pink clay
8 Ginger infused in oil
9 No colour!
10 Blue clay
11 Red clay

I have noticed some fading with the paprika soap but meh…I don’t care!
Now, get soaping

Thank you so much for sharing this helpful information, especially the photos. Your soaps are gorgeous!!!

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Kim

Helo Theresa,
You are an inspiration! Thanks so much. I will look at those photos every day. What size do you make your bars? Please could you send me the measurements? I want to package mine, when I am actually doing this properly, in PVC see-through boxes with my label around. Looks quite good. How do you package yours?

Thank you again - when I have made some god looking soap like yours, I will post a picture as well.

Kind regards
Carol-Ann
s.a.

I found this in my internet travels:



Hope this helps!

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ween rules

Hello Vexvelour
Thanks for that link - I will check it out.
Regards
Carol-Ann

Helo again Theresa,
Your soap obviously reached a very good trace - the top of your soap looks great.
Can you share your recipe with me or not?
How long did it take to reach a trace that left a strong 'icing' pattern like your on the top?
Kind regards
Carol-Ann
South Africa.

Theresa,

Wow! Beautiful soaps! How long did you infuse the ginger in your oil & could you do the same with paprika & cinnamon? Where did you find red & blue clay? Thanks.

Hi Carol-Ann - I use a wooden mould that is approx 95mm wide that fits a recipe of approx 1kg of oils. The height of a bar is approx 50mm. My hubby purpose built this mould for me but at the time I based the dimensions on a bar of soap that I had at home that seemed to fit my hand nicely. I cut them various widths.

Packaging – My soap is really just for my use so I don’t have any fancy packaging, only a paper sleeve to identify the ingredients.

Trace – I do take the mix to quite a thick trace. I use a stick blender so it’s very quick, say 10-15 minutes. It does work with any recipe. Once I’ve poured the raw soap into the mould I use a spoon to create the wave effect on top.

Good luck, it’s such an additive hobby. I have gotten so much inspiration and information too from the people of this website. I would love to see some of your photos in the future.

SpottedCat – I make the infusion the day before I make soap. It takes several hours for it to strain. The soap in the front middle row is coloured with paprika. Personally, I’ve had more luck using cinnamon at trace which is great for a scrubby kind of bar. I purchased my clays here in New Zealand from a soapmaking supplier which is probably not much use to you (assuming you are in the US?)

Teresa,

Wow! Your soaps are amazing. I used chlorophyll powder powder and added it at trace. It was a bit speckled and parts turned brown. When did you add it?

Those are beautiful!

Are the round ones in the back from a tube mold shaped like that?

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- Mickey!

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- Mickey!

Beautiful natural color soaps! Thanks for sharing photos and tips. I've tried paprika added at trace and got pretty speckles. Added it to the warm oils, and the soap was more uniformly peachy colored.