Teach Soap

I used the color block for melt and pour soaps from Bramble Berry at first the color is nice and vivid but after a week or two it has faded to a very light pastel/white. This has happened on two separate occasions with two different soap bases.

What colors are stable in MP white and do not migrate ???

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Sharon T

I'm not an expert and have never tried color blocks before, but maybe I can help. What particular color block did you use? Dyes will fade over time (though not usually within a couple of weeks) so if the color block is colored with a dye, that could be your problem. Are your soaps in the sun? Sun will cause fading.

Pigments are more stable colorants than dyes in soap. Try oxides, ultramarines, or micas. To color your soaps with pigments, mix a small amount of pigment with a tiny bit of water to dissolve the pigment and make it easier to incorporate into the melted soap base.

Also, you will always end up with a more pastel color when using white base. If you want really vivid colors, try using clear base. If you want a more vivid color, but like the opaque look, add a little bit of Titanium Dioxide (a white pigment) to your colored clear base.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for your reply. No the soaps where not in the sun. I don't know if BB makes the blocks with dye or not. Yes I am aware about making soaps with white will never be as bright as the clear, but this is so disappointing. I will continue to use my other colorants. I usually mix my clear and white soaps together. I have never used the Titanium Dioxide in clear I would love to try it but every time I have tried using the Titanium Dioxide i always get speckles. How do you mix it?? with glycerin, oil or water??

Thanks

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Sharon T

may I ask which colorants you were using that faded?

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Anna Rose @-}--
blog

I'm going to send a heads up into BB regarding this. Can you post some more details? The specific colorants, base and the usage rate? Thanks! =)

I used the Color Block - Non Bleeding Electric Bubble Gum. I used about a pound of soap from Wholesale Supply Plus and used almost a quarter of the block give or take. ( i used enough until i was satisfied with the color) and now a week later its fading. I make soap favors along with other things and now I have a reorder from the same client, I am concerned that there might be a color issue when she receives the second order and compares it to the original .

Thanks again

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Sharon T

We'll do some tests here and see our results. Fading can be so frustrating.

I've had great luck with all the oxides:

http://www.brambleberry.com/Pigments-C45.aspx

I generally use the mini mixer to add the pigment to some rubbing alcohol and work out all the clumps. It's a little bit of work but it's worth the effort.

Here's a video on how to use a sunscreen additive to keep colors from fading:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-KjcS-L2Sg

I'll keep you posted on our tests. I'm betting we'll have similar results - though I haven't seen any other mentions of it happening - so maybe it's a strange one-off =)

Anne-Marie

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Happy Soaping!

Anne-Marie
blog: www.soap-queen.blogspot.com
supplies: www.brambleberry.com

I had the same problem with WSP's neon pink (tutti frutti) it started out a nice pastel pink (in white base) and after a week it was white.

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Anna Rose @-}--
blog

Hi shaelove. I like to mix my Titanium dioxide with water. A little water in a small glass bowl, add a few scoops (those little plastic pigment scoops from BB) of Titanium Dioxide, and mix a little. Then add desired amount of water/Titanium dioxide mixture to melted soap base. In water, the pigments seem to break down and disperse very fast. Sometimes, I add the Titanium dioxide (or any pigment) directly to the melted soap. I use the mini mixer from BB to mix, and find it disperses pigments very well, even if they are not mixed with water first. I have gotten speckles from pigments before, too. Sometimes, I kind of like the effect, but if you want a smooth color try dispersing the Titanium dioxide in water first.

I checked the ingredients in Bramble Berry's Non Bleeding Electric Bubble Gum color block, and it appears they use a dye to color it (Red 28). That could be the problem.

Thanks StokedTopHat.

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Sharon T

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

Thanks Hestey, I didn't know that! I have heard about mixing pigments with not only water, but also alcohol, glycerin, and different carrier oils, I just haven't experimented with the different solutions that much.

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Olivia :)