Finding just the right natural soap colorant is just a big old guessing game sometimes. Since cold process soap takes up to 4 weeks to fully cure, it may be quite a while before I get to see if my latest experiment resulted in the color I had my heart set on.
A good example is my latest addition of Rosemary Powder to a basic olive oil soap. I added about 1 T. to a 5 pound batch, and initially saw a pretty yellow green color. Three weeks later, the soap is almost fully cured- it’s gotten quite hard, the scent is wonderful (I used a peppermint essential oil and a bit of rosemary as well). But, the color is no longer the same green. It’s faded a bit, appearing almost beige, and although it’s attractively natural looking, it’s not very green. So, I’ve tried again today, this time with dried cucumber rind. The traced soap is a beautiful spring green. I’m crossing my fingers that the color will last. But, if it doesn’t, I’m already planning my next attempt, this time with parsley powder. They say the third time’s a charm!
