Natural Dyes for Soap Making

[barefootgardener]

Journey, YW..Be careful what kind of colorants and scents you use w/hot process soap..certain ones can make your batch seize up pretty quickly! You might know that already...

 

[journey11]

I haven't started yet, just gathering up some supplies. Thanks for the heads-up! I will be sure to stick to the recipes starting off.

Do you suppose it would be ok to half a recipe if I were going to try a new additive? I was thinking I would use pringles cans for molds starting off and slice with a soap cutter.

 

[barefootgardener]

Any time you change a recipe, always run it through a soap calculator first..it will give you the right amount of ingredients in weights..( ounces, pounds) to use..The amount of lye will also change..Even when halving a recipe,it might change slightly..

What new additives are you thinking of using? Colorants, EO'S.. ?

A pringles can is a good mold..Make sure to line it with parchment paper/wax paper etc...so the soap will slide out easier after 24 hrs..

Also www.soapmakingforum.com is one of the best out their to learn about soapmaking..

 

[journey11]

There's a whole forum just for soapmaking?! I'll be hopping on over there... (ETA: It seems they may have moved from that domain name?)
Right now the only thing I have ready from my own garden is the dried basil. I've read that it should be powdered very fine. I got a few EO's from the craft store, the brand is Abbey and Sullivan. But I'd also like to try steeping things like pine, lavender, rosemary, etc in the olive oil pomace for a few days prior to mixing.

I have this online soap calculator bookmarked. I was glad to see it included deer tallow on the list. I have saved up a lot of it this past hunting season and that's what got me thinking I should try making soap.

 

[barefootgardener]

Sorry Journey, It is www.soapmakingforum.com. Any ? you have and someone will be glad to help. A wonderful forum for learning soapmaking..And lot's of pic's of soap also!

 

[journey11]

Oh boy, I could get lost looking at photos over there. You guys might not see me for awhile!

 

[hoodat]

Red amaranth leaves were used by the Aztecs as a fabric dye. It should give you a pink or red depending on how much you use. Another source of red might be purple perilla leaves. Osage orange wood chips can be boiled in water to give a yellow to green and turmeric is orange.

 

[journey11]

I'm going to grow some red amaranth is summer, so I'll have some to experiment with. Thanks for the ideas, Hoodat.

 

[lesa]

I was just looking at Richter's herb catalog. They mention mullein for gray, yellow and bronze. I have those growing wild in my chicken yard...

 

[journey11]

I see a lot of mullein growing wild around here too. It has such pretty yellow flower spikes in summer. My grandmother has been naturescaping all her flowerbeds over the past couple of years and has some in there.

I remember as a kid, I rubbed one of its soft leaves on my cheek and broke out in a terrible rash! But I think it's the little hairs that do that. I know it is also used as a folk remedy, for chest congestion, I think...