Tag Archives: botanicals

Natural Soap Colorants Gallery – Spice and herbal powders at trace

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Spice and herbal powders can be added to soap at trace. Here are my results with notes.  I’ll be posting more galleries over the next couple of weeks.   

Alkanet Powder

Usage: Added at trace – add 1/2 teaspoon alkanet root powder per pound of oils to traced soap. Mix well.

Results: Alkanet root is hard to get mixed in well if added to trace. I ended up with a highly speckled look and soap that was slightly scratchy. I would recommend infusing in oil for best results.

Color: dusty speckled purple, gray with purple tint

Turmeric Powder

Usage: Added at trace – add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder per pound of oils to traced soap. Mix well.

Results: Turmeric powder is easily mixed in at trace. If you don’t want a speckled look use an oil infusion. I’ve heard that turmeric can be scratchy but at the tested usage none was noted.

Color: sandy yellow, light orange, speckled

Sage Powder

Usage: Added at trace – add 1/2 teaspoon sage powder per pound of oils to traced soap. Mix well.

Results: Sage powder is easily mixed in at trace.

Color: warm gray, tan, speckled

Rose Hip Powder

Usage: Added at trace – add 1/2 teaspoon rose hip powder per pound of oils to traced soap. Mix well.

Results: Rose Hip powder is easily mixed in at trace. If you don’t want a speckled look use an oil infusion.

Color: speckled dusty purple, light mauve

Annatto Seed Powder

Usage: Added at trace – add 1/2 teaspoon annatto seed powder per pound of oils to traced soap. Mix well.

Results: Annatto is easily mixed in at trace. I ended up with a highly speckled look and soap that was slightly scratchy. I would recommend infusing in oil for best results. At tested usage rate I did get slightly tinted lather.

Color: tangerine orange

Black Walnut Powder

Usage: Added at trace – add 1/2 teaspoon black walnut powder per pound of oils to traced soap. Mix well.

Results: Black walnut powder is easily mixed in at trace.

Color: cool gray, purple tint, heavily speckled

Indigo Powder

Usage: Added at trace – add 1/2 teaspoon indigo powder per pound of oils to traced soap. Mix well.

Results: Indigo powder does best when added to the lye water. I don’t recommend adding indigo powder at trace.

Color: dusty light blue, cold gray

Mustard Seed Powder

Usage: Added at trace – add 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed powder per pound of oils to traced soap. Mix well.

Results: Mustard seed powder is easily mixed in at trace.

Color: cream, no color seemed to come through at tested usage of 1/2 tsp ppo

Orange Peel Powder

Usage: Added at trace – add 1/2 teaspoon orange peel powder per pound of oils to traced soap. Mix well.

Results: Orange peel powder is easily mixed in at trace.

Color: orange tinted cream, speckled

Paprika Powder

Usage: Added at trace – add 1/2 teaspoon paprika powder per pound of oils to traced soap. Mix well.

Results: Paprika is easily mixed in at trace. I ended up with a highly speckled look and soap that was slightly scratchy. I would recommend infusing in oil for best results.

Color: salmon, pink grapefruit, speckled

Parsley Powder

Usage: Added at trace – add 1/2 teaspoon parsley powder per pound of oils to traced soap. Mix well.

Results: Parsley powder is easily mixed in at trace.

Color: jadite green, green tinted cream, slightly speckled

Rosemary Powder

Usage: Added at trace – add 1/2 teaspoon rosemary powder per pound of oils to traced soap. Mix well.

Results: Rosemary powder is easily mixed in at trace. If you don’t want a speckled look use an oil infusion.

Color: sandy cream with a slight green tint, speckled

Naturally colored lavender soap

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There are a couple ways to get purple in soap using natural colorants.  My favorite herb to use is alkanet infused in olive oil.  But I wanted to try something different.  For this soap I used indigo and madder added to the lye water.  Here’s what I did…

The recipe – 2 oz castor, 8 oz coconut, 8 oz lard, 10 oz olive oil, 3.9 oz lye & 8 oz water.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of madder root powder and 1/4 teaspoon of indigo powder to your water before you add the lye.

Add the lye slowely while stirring. 

Melt the solid oils, add the liquid oils and add your fragrance.  I used lavender essential oil.

Once your oils and lye solution are ready…pour the lye solution into the oils.  I poured my lye solution through a stainless steel strainer to strain out some of the herb powder.

Stickblend to trace.

Pour it into the mold.  I let mine set up a bit and  teased the top with a craft stick.  Then I added some lavender buds.

Since the top of the soap didn’t reach above the mold I covered with a piece of wax paper and a piece of wood and set it on a heating pad to go through gel.  Here it is in gel stage.

The next morning it was ready to cut.  Here’s a tip on cutting soap with botanicals on the top without getting the “botanical drag” through the soap.  Lay the soap on it’s side and cut in that position.  It won’t drag the buds down through the soap  like if you were cutting from top down.

So overall I’m pretty happy with the outcome.  It’s not a dark or very striking purple that you can achieve using alkanet.  It’s more of a dusty vintage type of purple.  I think if it were a flat plain bar it would be a bit boring…but the sculpted tops and light sprinkle of lavender buds make it all come together and look pretty good.  I’m happy with it.

Amanda