Plant-based and natural ways to color handmade cold-process soap. Includes natural soap colorants listed by hue, ingredient, and how to use them.
Natural soap making is an exciting craft that anyone can do from the comfort of their own kitchen. Here on Lovely Greens, I share many small-sized cold-process soap recipes for beginners, and after making a few simple batches, you might be interested in unique ways to scent and color your bars. What you’ll find is that the soaping world is filled with colorful and exciting design inspiration. Vibrant reds, swirls of sparkles, and layers of every color imaginable. But what if you want to keep your soap 100% natural?
The guide below gives you different options for naturally coloring handmade soap. They are all plant-based or use natural substances like clay and sugars. I’ve collected the ideas from around the web, and when I’ve tried one out and liked it, I’ve shared a link to the recipe in the chart. Though the color guide is for cold-process soap, you could also use the ingredients in hot-process and sometimes in melt-and-pour. Shades, amounts, and techniques will vary.
Mineral Pigments and Dyes
First off, let’s chat about mineral pigments. They include oxides and ultramarines and using them can give you absolutely beautiful soap colors. I use mineral pigments myself and am happy with their level of skin-safety and color — they are, after all, the basis for mineral-based make-up. Even though cosmetic minerals are perfectly safe to use, and identical to minerals found in nature, they aren’t considered natural. Natural minerals are often contaminated with heavy metals so the ones you can purchase for cosmetics are man-made to be ‘nature identical’.
Micas are even less natural than ultramarines and oxides. Each type is different, and though they do have a mineral-based component, they are often dyed with synthetics. Again, micas are skin-safe and create amazing colors, but they are not natural.
Soap dyes, such as lab colors, are entirely synthetic. Though they are considered skin-safe, they are not natural and are not used in natural soap making. Glitter is also not natural and should be avoided in naturally coloring soap. Even the so-called bio-degradable stuff is not natural.
Soap made using Chromium Green Oxide, a ‘nature-identical’ mineral pigment that is not considered natural
Naturally Color Handmade Soap
Listed below are various ingredients that you can use to naturally color your soap. Categories are based on the final color and the INCI and brief notes are listed beside each listing. Unless otherwise stated, the maximum amount you should use in your soaps is 5%. Some of the best colors come from roots and seeds like turmeric, annatto, alkanet, gromwell, and madder. If you’re interested in learning how to mix more than one color together, check out these tips for swirling soap with natural colors.
If you use any of the clays, mix it into your lye-solution, or with three times its volume in distilled water first. For example, mix 1 tsp clay with 3 tsp of water. Clay can cause soap to crack (imagine a face mask) without dispersing it properly and adding extra water. If you mix the clay into the lye-solution, add the extra water into it too.
Use woad, indigo, activated charcoal, or Cambrian blue clay to create natural blue soap
Making Natural soap
If you want to use natural soap colorants, I’d advise using a soap recipe that makes pure white bars. Soap recipes that include dark or golden oils create soap that that is also dark or golden. This natural color of the soap bars will interfere with any additional soap colors that you add. For example, mix woad with a castile soap recipe and you might get green bars. For those new to making soap, please have a look through my four-part soapmaking series listed below to learn how you can get started.
1. Ingredients
2. Equipment & Safety
3. Basic Soap Recipes
4. The Soap Making Process
Infuse some soap colorants in liquid oil and they will tint the oil, and eventually your soap bars. From the left, calendula flowers, alkanet, and annatto seeds.
Soap making instructions and what they mean
- Add to liquid oils: mix with liquid oils before pouring them into your melted hard oils.
- Add at trace: add the natural coloring ingredient after the oils and lye-water in your recipe are mixed together.
- Infuse with oils: add the material to oils that are liquid at room temperature. Either allow them to infuse for two to four weeks, or heat gently in until the natural color has been released into the oils. If you’re choosing the longer and room temperature method, make sure to shake your container every day.
- Puree: add at a light trace
- Water infusion: infuse the material into water and use the infusion to mix into your dried lye. This is essentially a tea.
Oil infused with annatto seeds produces this naturally orange soap
Natural Orange Soap Colorants
Bright vivid orange is very easy to get using natural soap colors. You can add specks of orange using pieces of calendula flower petals or go all out for an almost luminous all-over orange. The best orange in my experience is created by annatto seeds. Used in Indian cooking, you infuse the dark seeds into a light oil before soaping.
| Ingredient | Usage and notes |
|---|---|
| Annatto Seeds Bixa orellana | Color: Buttery Yellow to Pumpkin Orange - Annatto Seed Soap recipe |
| Buriti oil Mauritia flexuosa fruit oil | Color: Light yellow to deep orange - Add after trace |
| Calendula Petals Calendula officinalis | Color: Ranges from yellow-orange to pink-orange - Infuse in liquid oils, add ground to soap, or infuse in lye solution - Calendula Soap Recipe |
| Carrot Daucus carota | Color: Yellow to yellow-orange. It's possible to use either carrot juice or puree in the lye-solution or to add the puree at trace. See the Carrot soap recipe |
| Orange Zest (peel) Citrus aurantium dulcis | Color: Orange - Use finely grated zest/peel at about 1 tsp per pound soaping oils. |
| Paprika Capsicum annuum | Color: Peach to light orange to orange-brown - Infuse in liquid oils and discard actual spice or your soap will be scratchy. |
| Pumpkin Cucurbita pepo | Color: Deep orange. Stir in as a puree in at light trace. |
| Tomato Solanum lycopersicum | Color: Orange - Stir in as a tomato paste at light trace |
| Turmeric Curcuma Longa | Color: a common kitchen spice that tints soap light pink-yellow to burnt orange. Can also cause an attractive speckle to your finished soaps but this can be controlled. This tutorial shows you how to use turmeric to color handmade soap. |
Natural pink soap colored with an infusion of cochineal
Natural Pink Soap Colorants
Pink is quite an easy color to achieve with natural ingredients, and any of the ingredients used for purple and red can also produce pink. Of the colorants listed below, you can get one of the loveliest botanical pinks from madder root. You can either infuse the larger pieces into a light oil before soaping or add powdered madder to your soap at trace. Gelling (insulating) your soap after it’s molded will intensify the pink.
| Ingredient | Usage and notes |
|---|---|
| Hibiscus flower Hibiscus sabdariffa | Dried flower powder can be added to melt-and-pour soap for a soft pink |
| Lady’s Bedstraw, Galium verum | Color: Coral pink - Infuse the dried roots in liquid oils. |
| Cochineal Cochineal/Carmine | Color: To get a dusky pink you can use an infusion of raw cochineal in your cold-process soap recipes. Please note that this is not a vegetarian or vegan ingredient. |
| Madder root powder Rubia tinctorum | Color: Range of pinks to red/magenta - Infuse in liquid oils or add powder direct |
| Red Palm oil Elaeis guineensis kernel oil | Color: Pink to Pinky-orange - Add to liquid oils. |
| Rose Pink Clay Kaolinite (Rose Clay) | Color: Pink to Brick Red. Use 1/2-2 tsp PPO. Pre-mix in a Tablespoon of water before adding to your lye water. See recipe |
| Sorrel Rumex acetosa | Color: Warm to salmon pink - Infuse the dried roots in liquid oil. |
Natural Blue Soap Colorants
You can get pretty shades of sky blue to denim-blue with natural soap colors including indigo, clay, and small amounts of activated charcoal. My favorite on the list is woad since it’s a plant that you can grow and harvest color from yourself. I’ve done it myself in the past and you can learn more about that process here.
| Ingredient and INCI | Usage and notes |
|---|---|
| Activated charcoal Carbon | Color: soft denim blue when used at 1 tsp activated charcoal per pound of soap making oils. See the hue in this recipe |
| Blue Chamomile oil Azulene | Color: Blue - Add a drop or two at trace. Blue Chamomile is extractred from German Chamomile flowers. |
| Cambrian Blue Clay Lilite | Color: Shades of soft greens to blues depending on the color of your soaping oils. Mix in water before adding to your soap making oils or lye water. Use 1-2 tsp per pound of oils. Soap recipe using Cambrian Blue Clay |
| Indigo Indigofera tinctoria | Color: Denim blue to dark green - Add to liquid oils. Used traditionally to dye fabrics, Indigo is what gives blue jeans their distinctive color. Be careful when sourcing Indigo since many of the dyes today are synthetic versions and not suitable for soap. |
| Woad Isatis tinctoria | Color: Green-blue to grey-blue - Add powder to a small amount of liquid oil or lye-solution and add at trace. You can also infuse liquid oils with woad powder and use as whole or part of your soap recipe. See how to color soap using woad. Use 1-2 tsp PPO |
Natural purple soap colored with alkanet root
Natural Purple Soap Colorants
You can get some lovely shades of pastel to bright and vibrant purple using natural ingredients. I highly recommend alkanet from this list though. You infuse the dried, shredded roots into a light oil such as olive oil. After a few weeks, use that oil as a main soaping oil to get a soft, natural purple soap. A note on alkanet though — I’ve had quite a few orders of it turn up recently that was of very poor quality. If your alkanet-infused oil isn’t a vibrant red at the time of soaping, then your final soap bars will not turn purple. They’ll turn out more of a light warm gray.
| Ingredient | Usage and notes |
|---|---|
| Alkanet root Alkanna tinctoria and also called Ratan Jot in Indian cuisine | Color: Pink to deep Purple - Infuse in liquid oils. Recipe for Alkanet soap. Cold-infuse 30g dried root or powder into every 454g (1lb) oils for one month. Strain and use the oil as part or the entire soap recipe. You need at least 20% of your soap recipe to include the infused oil to achieve a good purple colour. Anything less and it will come out pink to grey. Use light colored oils as well -- extra virgin olive oil in the recipe will contribute its green colour to the final product. Use light coloured olive oil or pomace olive oil, and other light oils such as coconut, sunflower, and shea butter. |
| Gromwell root Lithospermum erythrorhizon | Color: Natural purple. Similar in shade and usage to Alkanet root. Cold-infuse 30g dried root or powder into every 454g (1lb) oils for one month. Strain and use the oil as part or the entire soap recipe. You need at least 20% of your soap recipe to include the infused oil to achieve a good purple colour. Anything less and it will come out pink to grey. Use light colored oils as well -- extra virgin olive oil in the recipe will contribute its green colour to the final product. Use light coloured olive oil or pomace olive oil, and other light oils such as coconut, sunflower, and shea butter. |
| Red Sandalwood Pterocarpus santalinus | Purple when soap is higher PH - Add powder direct to liquid oils. |
| Brazilian purple clay Kaolin | Color: a soft gray-purple when added to soap at 1 tsp per pound of soaping oils. |
Create buttery yellow soap using carrot puree
Natural Yellow Soap Colorants
The natural soap coloring world is your oyster when making yellow soap. Use pumpkin or carrot puree (or juice), goldenrod, turmeric, or annatto to achieve everything from a soft pastel shade to electric yellow.
| Ingredient | Usage and notes |
|---|---|
| Annatto Seeds Bixa orellana | Color: Buttery Yellow to Pumpkin Orange - Annatto Seed Soap recipe |
| Carrots, puree Daucus carota | Color: Yellow to yellow-orange. It's possible to use either carrot juice or puree in the lye-solution or to add the puree at trace. See the Carrot soap recipe |
| Curry Powder | Color: Deep yellow. Add powder mixed in a little oil at trace. 1/4-1 tsp per pound soaping oils |
| Daffodil flowers Narcissus tazetta | Color: soft pastel yellow - use as a water infusion and/or puree. Daffodil soap recipe |
| Goldenrod Solidago virgaurea | Color: Pale to buttery yellow - Use an infusion of the fresh flowers in lye solution. Here's a good recipe for Goldenrod soap |
| Lemon zest Citrus limonum | Color: Yellow - add finely grated lemon peel, either fresh or dry, after trace |
| Red Palm oil Elaeis guineensis kernel oil | Color: Creamy yellow - Use at 1% in liquid oils. |
| Rudbeckia Petals Rudbeckia Hirta | Color: Yellow - Infuse petals in lye solution. Also called Black Eyed Susan |
| Safflower Carthamus tinctorius | Color: Yellow to Orange-yellow - Add powder at light trace. |
| Saffron Crocus sativus | Color: Yellow. Infuse with oils before soap making or directly into the lye-water. |
| Turmeric Curcuma longa | Color: a common kitchen spice that tints soap light pink-yellow to burnt orange to a dark warm brown. Can also cause an attractive speckle to your finished soaps but this can be controlled. This tutorial shows you how to use turmeric to color handmade soap. |
| Yarrow Achillea millefolium | Color: Muted yellow - Use dried yarrow leaves and flowers to infuse your oils or add powder direct to soap at trace. |
Adding honey to your lye-solution can give a rich golden brown
Natural Brown Soap Colorants
There are many ingredients that you can use to get soft beiges to chocolate browns in soap. One I use regularly in my own soap is honey. Add a teaspoon of honey to your lye-water and the heat will immediately caramelize it. Not only does it tint soap a rich fudge brown but it smells delicious too.
| Ingredient | Usage and notes |
|---|---|
| Beet root Beta vulgaris | Color: Warm to dull brown - Add as powder or infuse dried material in liquid oils |
| Black Walnut Hull powder Juglans nigra | Color: Deep brown - Add at trace |
| Chamomile (Roman) Anthemis noblis | Color: Yellow-beige/brown - Infuse in water/lye solution |
| Cinnamon powder Cinnamomum zeylanicum | Color: can add speckles of brown color but can also be scratchy in feeling. Add only to exfoliating soaps and it's not recommended to use more than 1/4 tsp per pound of soaping oils. Can also be a skin irritant. |
| Cloves (ground) Eugenia caryophyllus | Color: Brown - Add to liquid oils or at trace. Can be scratchy and a skin irritant so use no more than 1/4 tsp per pound of oils. |
| Coffee, liquid Coffea arabica seed extract | Color: Medium brown - Add as part of the lye solution |
| Comfrey root Symphytum officinale | Color: Light brown |
| Cranberry puree Vaccinium macrocarpon | Color: Red-brown with specks |
| Green Tea Camellia sinensis | Color: Brown-green and if leaves left in then soap will be speckled - Infuse in water/lye solution |
| Henna, powder Lawsonia inermis | Color: Green-brown - Add at trace. |
| Honey | Color: Light brown - use in lye solution. Honey soap recipe |
| Milk (cow, goat) | Color: Light brown - a teaspoon to a Tablespoon per pound oils and added in lye solution |
| Molasses Saccharum officinarum | Color: Chocolate brown - Add at trace and/or to lye solution |
| Olive leaf powder Olea europaea | Color: Warm brown - Add at trace. |
| Peppermint Mentha piperita | Color: Beige to beige with dark specks if the leaves are left in - Infuse leaves in water/lye solution. |
| Red Moroccan Clay Red Kaolin Clay | Colour: use 1/2 tsp to 1.5tsp per pound of soaping oils to get a chocolately brown colour. Add the clay to the lye water and make your soap as normal. You can see the colour in this recipe for Natural Cinnamon Soap |
| Rhassoul Clay Moroccan lava clay | Color: Brown. Use 1/2-2 tsp PPO. Pre-mix in a Tablespoon of water before adding to your main soaping oils. |
| Rose-hip Seeds (ground) Rosa canina | Color: Tan to brown - Add at trace. |
This is a rebatched soap recipe using parsley. It starts off a vibrant green but will fade in stored in a bright place.
Natural Green Soap Colorants
You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to natural green soap colors, however, plant-based greens tend to be fugitive. Meaning that they fade relatively quickly, especially when exposed to light. Natural green soap colors can give you anywhere from pale pastel to vivid grass green and come in a range of plants and clays. My top pick would have to be French green clay which gives a soft and natural gray-green.
| Ingredient | Usage and notes |
|---|---|
| Alfalfa Medicago Sativa | Color: Medium green |
| Avocado puree Persea Gratissma | Color: Shades of yellow-green. Add at trace. |
| Burdock leaf Arctium lappa | Color: Natural green - Infuse in liquid oils |
| Comfrey leaf, (powder) Symphytum officinale leaf | Color: Natural green - Add at light trace or infuse into oils. More on using comfrey leaf in soap |
| Cucumber Cucumis sativus | Color: Bright Green - Add as a puree at light trace. |
| Dandelion leaf (powder) Taraxacum officinale weber | Color: Natural green - Stir in as a powder at light trace |
| French Green Clay Montmorillonite | Color: Some have the experience of soft, natural, green. I've seen it turn out more of a light tan tint. Use 1-2 tsp PPO. Pre-mix in a Tablespoon of water before adding to your lye water. |
| Grass (Barley) Clippings Hordeum vulgare | Color: Green - Infuse fresh clippings in water and use in lye solution. |
| Kelp, powder Fucus versiculosus | Color: Dark green - Add to liquid oils or at trace. Pre-mix in a little oil before adding. |
| Nettle leaf (powder) Urtica dioica | Close to Lime-green - Add direct to liquid oils or infuse oils with the leaf and discard. |
| Parsley Carum petroselinum | Color: Green - I've come across instructions to add to liquid oils or at light trace and to use fresh, powdered, or in dried flakes. However, when I tried using parsley in cold-process soap making the green color faded from the bars within days. The best way I've found to use parsley as a natural soap colorant is in this rebatch recipe. |
| Sage - Salvia officinalis | Color: Green |
| Spinach | Color: Light green. Use as a puree or powder and stir in at light trace. |
| Spirulina Spirulina maxima | Color: Light green - Stir in as a powder at light trace or infuse into oils. More on using spirulina in soap |
| Wheatgrass juice Triticum aestivum | Color: Deep vivid green |
Use activated charcoal and Brazillian black clay to naturally color soap gray to black
Natural Black Soap Colorants
Black soap looks incredible and in some cases can add skin benefits. Activated charcoal is said to have cleansing and purifying properties and can tint soap a light grey to dark black. You’ll need to use quite a lot of it to achieve darker shades though. Using smaller amounts give you blue.
| Ingredient | Usage and notes |
|---|---|
| Activated Charcoal (powder) | Color: Deep black - add to liquid oils or to soap at light trace. You have to use quite a lot of it to get darker shades of gray and black. Mix with a small amount of liquid oil first and add at trace. |
| Black Brazilian Clay Kaolin | Color: grey to black depending on how much is used. For darker shades, use 1 tsp clay per pound of soap making oils. |
| Coffee Grounds Coffea Arabica seed | Color: Black specks. Add fresh or used coffee grounds to your soap at trace. A teaspoon per pound of oils is plenty. |
| Dead Sea Mud (powder) Maris limus | Color: Grey - Mix with a small amount of liquid oil first and add at trace |
| Poppy Seeds Papaver somniferum | Color: Blue-grey to black specks. Add about a teaspoon per pound of soaping oils and stir the seeds in at trace. A lovely speckled effect as you can see in this Gardeners Hand Soap recipe |
Natural Red Soap Colorants
It’s difficult, if not impossible, to get a true red when using natural soap colors. Most plant-based colorants will be closer to deep pink, reddish-brown, and mauve, with the exception possibly being Himalayan rhubarb. I’ve not used it yet myself, but the photos of another soaper’s creations are simply stunning. Deep ruby red with a pink undertone.
| Ingredient | Usage and notes |
|---|---|
| Himalayan Rhubarb Root Rheum emodi | Color: deep magenta-red that's probably the best natural red I've seen. Infuse the dried root / root powder into liquid oil and use that oil for up to half of your soaping oils. Soap turns red as it comes to traces. |
| Cochineal Cochineal/Carmine | Color: Orange to pink and red - Add powdered to liquid oils or at trace. You can also use an infusion of raw cochineal in your cold-process soap recipes. Using this recipe you can get a lovely dusky pink this way. Please note that this is not a vegetarian or vegan ingredient. |
| Moroccan Red Clay Kaolin | Color: Warm-brown to brick-red. Use 1/2 to 2 tsp PPO. Pre-mix in a Tablespoon of water before adding to your main soaping oils. |
| Red Sandalwood Pterocarpus santalinus | Color: Red when soap is lower PH - Add powder direct to liquid oils. |
| Rose Pink Clay Kaolinite (Rose Clay) | Color: Pink to Brick Red. Add to soap batter at trace. Use 1/4 to 1 tsp PPO and I recommend premixing it in a little oil and then straining it through a sieve whilst pouring into your soap batter. Tiny clumps of un-mixed pigment can leave speckles in your soap if not strained out. |
| St Johns Wort Flowers Hypericum perforatum | Color: Red - Infuse fresh flowers in liquid oil. |
To get naturally white soap bars, use white to light-colored base soaping oils, such as in this recipe
Natural White Soap Color
If left un-colored, most handmade soap takes on a creamy shade. That’s because it’s picking up on the original soaping oils’ color. If you’d like a bright white soap, use white or clear soaping oils like coconut oil and less yellow oils.
Another way to keep your bars as light as possible is to make soap at low temperatures — between room temperature and 100F. Refrigerating soap afterward will stop gelling from happening and also help to ensure your bars are as white as possible.
Maria says
Hi Tanya
Thanks so much for this precious information. I love your website, your wonderful soaps and all your tips and ideas that you generously share with us.
Heather says
What a super post! You worked so hard on it, and gave us so much great information. Love your blog and videos. Thanks, very much!
Chris says
Can cocoa powder be used as a colourant in CP soap? I.m just starting my soap-making journey and need to know. I have seen videos where it is used, but I like to err on the side of caution.
lovelygreens says
You can, but it does have a slightly gritty texture. Try making a small batch and see if it feels okay to you before investing in making more.
Satyajay Mandal says
Why don’t you update this site with many such more exotic ideas to color soap?
KRISTEN D. says
I have a question about Red Sandalwood. I used some in a soap but my testers said it was too scratchy. I tried to make an infusion, however the soap came out more maroon. Any ideas why? And have you ever used an infusion? Any advice on how to make the red sandalwood less harsh?
Thank you!
Satyajay Mandal says
i would like to use this recipe
Elana Lombard says
Could you tell me what each of the beautiful soap colors you show here (there are 8) are obtained from? I wish that they were labeled in the photo.
Thank you!
Natalie Lassman says
Hi there
Some years ago I bought some of the colbalt blue powder they sell in Egypt, in the markets, I was wondering if this is suitable to use in CP soap? Thanks
lovelygreens says
Hi Natalie, the short answer is no. Never use ingredients in skincare or soap making unless you know exactly what it is, and that it’s certified as skin-safe, non-poisonous. It should also preferably come via a soap making supplier with an MSDS sheet. Cobalt, cobalt chloride, (if that’s even what your powder is) is listed on the EWG Skin Deep Database at having a mid-high risk of being a carcinogen (cancer-causing) and expected to be toxic or harmful to human life. Unsurprisingly, it is banned or found unsafe for use in cosmetics.
Lydia Saunders says
Hi and thank you so much for this guide! I will treasure and refer to it for many years! Could you please tell me how did you get that lovely robbbin’s egg blue that is next to the purple soap on your first image? Thank you again! So grateful!
lovelygreens says
That one is with the ‘nature-identical’ ultramarine blue.
Sue says
At what point would you add bentonite clay?
justine says
Sorry for the really dumb question, but what does PPO stand for? i am hoping it is per pound of oils but just want to make sure
lovelygreens says
It means ‘Per Pound (or 454g) of Oil’
BABAR KHAN says
Hi I wanted to find out if I could use methylene blue to color soap safely? And thank you for a wonderful list of colors.!!!
lovelygreens says
I don’t have any information on that, but can say that it would not be a natural soap colorant.
Kai says
Hi Tanya,
I am wondering if you can you use these colorants for handmade lotion as well as handmade soaps? And if so, which ones would you recommend? Micas? Clays?
Thanks,
Kai
lovelygreens says
Some of them, yes, but amounts used and colors may be different.
Sonya says
Hello to make the 3 oil soap what temperatures do have to keep.
Thank you in advance.
lovelygreens says
Instructions for that recipe are over here: https://lovelygreens.com/simple-castile-soap-recipe-make-olive-oil-soap/
carla says
Have you tried using Butterfly Pea Flower for coloring? I’m new to this and don’t have experience yet how stuff works…
Thanks for your wisdom.
Carla
Suzy says
Are mica’s actually considered natural? I know they are naturally mined but it was my understanding that dyes were added to most of them to get those bright vivid colors?
lovelygreens says
Micas are a tricky one to give a label to. Some are made using only ‘nature identical’ micas and pigments. Others use dyes which are definitely not natural or nature identical.
Subena Bailey says
Hi, im so blessed to have found your website. I am creating a natural at home skincare line that i would like to sell to my community. I have the products i would like to make and oils along with it. I wanted to know do you mentor?.
Veronica says
I didn’t see measurements for Rhassoul clay. I want to assume it’s the same answer as French green clay. I’m trying to achieve a brown color with it.
Teresa says
FYI, Hibuscis flowers do NOT keep a pink or red color. They turn a dark bluish purple. I hate seeing incorrect information because it makes me doubt everything.
lovelygreens says
Hi Teresa, natural soap colorants can give differing colours depending on the technique, temperature, and amount used. Saying that, this is one colour that I’ve not yet tried personally. There are accounts online of people using hibuscis and getting everything from a red colour to brown. Dark bluish purple is a new one to me! What technique do you use?
alison says
I hand mill soap and get a lovely brick color with hibiscus…dark red
lovelygreens says
Thanks for letting us know Alison 🙂
Terri says
WOW, SO EXCITED TO HAVE FOUND YOUR WEBSITE!!! THANK YOU!!
Louise says
I want to make soap using red wine. Which natural red soap color would you recommend for a burgundy/maroon color?
lovelygreens says
Red Iron Oxide mixed with Ultramarine Violet or Blue could give you the shade you’re after
Louise says
Thanks for the quick response. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Kim says
I’m curious if I could use zucchini juice in place of water in soap? Or will it do something gross to it?
lovelygreens says
You could but I can’t really imagine a reason why you would. What’s your idea?
Shara says
I have found that lightly scented waters don’t really hold up once the lye is made. Things like aloe juice and rose water are overcome by the chemical reaction taking place. You would probably get better results from putting peel shreds into your soap at heavy trace.
Beer and wine, on the other hand, hold up really well and produce some really interesting soaps. I just made a batch of Tangerine IPA with orange zest and it might be my favorite yet.
doro says
hey. whatsup!? have you ever try to make red soap with St Johns Wort infused oil?
lovelygreens says
I’ve not yet tried but have seen it referenced as a natural soap colourant.
mnmalatras says
very nice suggestions for natural soap coloring
Kris says
Great information. Thank you. How can I print this page?
Heike says
I do love the daffodil colour and was all set to pick some this spring. BUT then somebody mentioned that daffodils are poisonous….So, would it be a good idea to put it in soap??
lovelygreens says
Hi Heike! Many things that are toxic when eaten are safely used in skin and hair care. Imagine what would happen if you ate some shampoo. On the other hand, Daffodil extract is used in many high end skincare formulations and is known by the name narcissus tazetta in the ingredients. It’s used as an antioxidant and is touted as being a youth-reviver. I won’t make such claims though.
The poison in Daffodils mainly comes from lycorine, an alkaloid that’s most concentrated in the bulb but is also present in the leaves and flowers. When ingested it can cause severe sickness and vomiting. The bulbs also contain oxalates, microscopic needle-like structures similar to the ones that you find on Nettles. When ingested they can cause a lot of discomfort and on the skin they feel like a nettle burn.
michelle macdonald says
Can I use these colorants in melt & pour soaps
Terry says
Hi Tanya: Thank you for posting these great Soap Making instructions.
Anne-Marie says
Love the beautiful, fresh colors of all your soaps. I love making soap with herbal based colorants and essential oils.
Tanya from Lovely Greens says
Thank you so much Anne-Marie 🙂 I really like subtle and feminine colours and think natural ingredients can be so effective in creating them.
The Squirrel Family says
Informative as ever ! I made a batch recently using alkanet and its more of a vanilla fudge colour i guess i should have used more?
Tanya from Lovely Greens says
Yes, you could use more but Alkanet changes colour over time so wait first and see what colour it is after about a month.
Ashely Earthchild says
Just wondering which of these can be used for hot process soap? I have having an extremely hard time finding hot process soap colorant information. Thank you.
lovelygreens says
I’ve made hot-process Ashely but it’s not my area of expertise. However, I don’t see why you couldn’t use any of these for HP as well as CP. The colour will probably deepen with HP but your best bet is to try and see.