Coloring cold process soaps

by Jane
(Ohio)

I love some of the vivid colors of some of the soaps I see on line. I've never been able to achieve this in my soaps though. I've tried micas of all sorts, TBK's Pop Micas, and other coloring agents. I get a hint of the desired color, but never the true color. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Jane

Answer:

You probably need to add more colour. My 900 gram batches will usually have around 3/4 tsp to 1 1/2 tsp of mica in them depending on the intensity of colour I am going for.

Often I will use white mica with a bit of oxide or ultramarine blended into it.

For instance, the following makes a great turquoise colour:

2 parts white mica
1 part ultramarine blue
1 part hydrated chromium green oxide

Blend the coloured powders very well...until all lumps are gone. Add to soap base at a ratio of around 1 tsp per pound of oil in the recipe. Add it once the soap reaches a light trace, before you add the scent. Stick blend very well.

The key is to experiment and take lots of notes. If you make a batch of soap and the colour is to weak, make a note of how much you added. That way next time you will know to add more of that colour.

Once you find the ratio of colour to soap base that works for you...put it on a list so you can refer to it when you want to repeat that colour.

Hope that helps,
Cathy