Any of you do just natural color soaps...

[elitenaildesign]

I am getting worse with my swirls as time goes on and I am tempted to do just natural colored soaps with just some additives for eye appeal or exfoliation. Do any of you do this?

[Mnhorsemom]

Most of the time when I do a goatsmilk soap I don't color at all. They all turn a nice creamy tan color and I just let it go at that.

[mountainmadness]

I think that if you are selling your soaps covered it will be just fine. If you are selling naked it may be a bit of a colorless display.

Have you ever thought of coloring a solid color? Just a few scents. The rest you can add additives or let the FO turn it.

Some of my best sellers like Lemon Peel and OHM have no colorant added.

I just do some with swirls to add visual appeal since I sell them unwrapped.

Jennifer

[Gypsyjen]

I started using just natural colorants a while ago. I think they have an earthy appeal and that works for the product image I'm aiming for.

[Hibiscus]

Lately that's all I've done! Natural with oatmeal and ground chamomile is one of my favorites. I haven't even used colorants in my last few batches of LS!..not sure what's going on but that pretty natural light honey color has grown on me. I was talking to my sis about how I had finally made my GM soap a light tan color and she said, "I love your soap and I don't really care what it looks like! and that's good because I focus on quality first and prettyful swirls last!..LOL.

[Pepperi]

I use herbs for coloring I just don't know why but I like it better! My soaps look kewl that way but then again it does sound kinda boring? I use cocoa powder for my chocolate soaps, ground lavender, ground calendula, ground camomile stuff like that. Oh and ground oatmeal yummy:yay:

[elitenaildesign]

I have looked on quite a few sites, but not finding a huge variety as far as additives. Any hints where i can find a large variety?

[kidsngarden]

I'm a little swirl impaired myself - but I am getting better. Have you tried grating up your ugly bars a making a fresh uncolored same scent soap and mixing in the shreds? I have turned many an ugly bar into a pretty one that way. In fact I do it on purpose for some bars. It's an extra step - but they sure look cool!

I add the same weight of shreds as oils in my recipe - adding at trace. tap the mold on the counter a few times to get bubbles out though!

I've also done big chunks - which look equally cool!

An natural is nice too, but it depends on what your customers love!

HTH

Bethany

[Gypsyjen]

I have looked on quite a few sites, but not finding a huge variety as far as additives. Any hints where i can find a large variety?

You can try this link:

http://www.emporiumnaturals.com/default2.asp?cat=Herbs

[eugenia]

I do both. I use natural colorants in my EO soap and synthetic in my FO soap.

For the natural, I steep a TBS of herbs in 3 TBS of olive oil for a few days, then strain and use.

[Meridith]

I do both. I love to use ground rose hips and jojoba beads in my soaps for exfoliation and color. I've also used paprika, clays and cocoa for color. I never color my gm soaps and some soaps with certain FOs like Pink Sugar. I like to do blind swirls on those FOs that I know will get really dark.

[cbv1]

I love the herb blends offered at Emporium Naturals. I got a beautiful purple color for one of my soaps with one of their herb blends. I did an in-the pot-swirl with one of the herb blends for red in a peppermint soap around Christmas time, so the soap was colored red and white like candy canes. I also use paprika, rose hip powder and annatto seed powder. Others I just leave natural and put roughly chopped flower petals like lavender and chamomile flowers, calendula and safflower petals.

[Hibiscus]

I think calendula is very pretty. Has anyone used ground Jasmine flowers? I have buds that I don't want to use whole and I'm thinking of grinding them like the calendula petals.:undecided

[Kymber]

My FO's that naturally discolor the soap to different shades of tan & browns I usually do just natural or do a reverse swirl. Or I do a pearl mica swirl in them....just something to give it some contrast. The FO's that have no discoloration I usually do colored swirls or layers in. In my area they seem to go more for the bright colored swirly soaps.

[Tall Blonde]

Most of my soaps are some shade of brown/tan. But I like to experiment with fruit and veggies and you don't know what you're going to get. I used pomegranate juice once and when I poured it it was as dark as Hershey's syrup, but eventually lightend to a pinkish-tan. Cucumber and lettuce stayed a creamy yellow. I'm not much good with color and swirls and stuff.

[murphycat]

You can try this link:

www.emporiumnaturals.com

There are some great natural color combinations there.

[thecandlespastore]

All the soaps I made last night I left naturally colored. I am getting lazy with the swirls, but the batches for tonight are planned to have 2 of the batches with swirls.

[thecandlespastore]

Ohh, thanks for the link, definitely going to try out those EO blends.

[Carriegsxr6]

yes i do this from time to time. Iiadding chamomile petals, or calendula petals

[Camay]

Thanks for the link to the herbal colorants, they look really pretty. I think I'll order a few of those sets. Thanks again.

[kinipela]

There are some great natural color combinations there.

Ok, I understand the formulations being propriatary (spelling?) info, but what about allergens??

[murphycat]

Ok, I understand the formulations being propriatary (spelling?) info, but what about allergens??

They don't use any known allergen herbs like oakmoss or anything from the chyrsanthimum family. Most all of the herbs can be used in tea. I know that's no guarantee, but there isn't with fo's either.