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Non-Bleeding Colors from Bramble Berry

Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

Color plays an important role in the design of your soaps, and can even make or break a sale for many soapers! This is why it is so important that you choose a colorant that works for your project, and does what it is advertised. A few years ago, I wrote a blog post on non-bleeding colorants and since then Bramble Berry has added even more to our inventory.
So while we’re talking non-bleeding colorants, you might ask: what is a bleeding colorant? Bleeding colorants are colorants that can migrate  into other layers of your soap. You can work with a bleeding colorant for a cool effect (like this tutorial, or this one), but if you’re going for crisp, clean lines, you’ll want to stick to non-bleeding colorants. How can you tell if your colorant is going to bleed? Any colorant containing dyes or lakes will bleed. This includes FD&C and D&C dyes as listed in the INCI, or in any of our LabColors.
Bleeding Color Example
An example of colors bleeding and migrating, creating a hazy “halo”
Did you know that Bramble Berry carries over fifty types of non-bleeding colorants? If your project calls for crisp, clean lines, take a look below to learn a bit more about all the different non-bleeding colorants that Bramble Berry carries.
Non-bleeding color example
Non-bleeding colors are what makes this project shine!
Micas are a fabulous addition to any soapy project and can give your  soaps a gorgeous shimmer and glimmer. But here’s the important part: not all micas are created equal when it comes to colorfastness! Some micas are non-bleeding and some are not. For example, Cellini Red Mica contains D&C Red 7 which would make it a bleeding colorant. Copper Sparkle Mica only contains Micas and Iron Oxides which means it wouldn’t be a bleeding colorant. Check those INCIs!
Clays are a great way to add that natural pop of color to your soap without worrying about bleeding. Bramble Berry’s clays range anywhere from the Brazilian Clays to our new Cambrian Clays as well as our original favorites. All of these clays are non-bleeding, and will give you crisp, clean lines in your soapy designs.
Not pictured: Kaolin Clay and Bentonite Clay
Pigments and Oxides are a great way to get that burst and pop of color in your soapy designs, and Bramble Berry does carry some that will make your soaps stand above the rest. Check out these fun and bright colorants that will work great for any non-bleeding project.

Top Row: Electric Bubble Gum,  Ultraviolet Blue, Fired Up Fuchsia

Bottom Row: Fizzy Lemonade, Ultramarine Pink, Tangerine Wow!

Top Row: Yellow, Burgundy, Green Chrome

Bottom Row: Brick Oxide, Ultramarine Blue, Hydrated Chrome Green

Top Row: Ultramarine Violet, Black Oxide, Brown Oxide

Bottom Row: Titanium Dioxide,  Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder &  Zinc Oxide

While some liquid colorants (like LabColors) have FD&C colorants in them and will make your soapy projects bleed, the following liquid colorants are made of non-bleeding pigments and oxides that will not bleed.

Non-Bleeding Cherry & Non-Bleeding Teal

 

Sweet Treats Colorants

 Other non-bleeding liquid colorants: Black, Blue, Brown, Red, Violet, Pink, White, Yellow, Green

If you haven’t used color blocks yet, here is your chance to learn which ones will work for your non-bleeding M&P projects! Color blocks are a non-messy way to easily color your melt and pour soaps. One block can even color up to 10 pounds of M&P base! Need a refresher course on how to use these fun little beauties? Check it out here.

 

First Row: Electrical Bubble Gum, Black Oxide, Brown Oxide, Chrome Green, Fizzy Lemonade

Second Row: Perfect Orange, Merlot Sparkle, Titanium Dioxide, Ultramarine Blue, Ultramarine Pink

Third Row: Hydrated Chrome Green, Brick Red,  Shimmer Cappuccino, Shimmer Red-Blue, Light Gold

Fourth Row: Yellow Oxide, Perfect Red, Tangerine Wow,  Shimmer Black (Luster), Burgundy Oxide

Fifth Row:   Fired-Up-Fuchsia, Ultramarine Violet, Ultraviolet Blue, Copper Sparkle, Super Pearly White

Do you have any questions about Bramble Berry’s non-bleeding colorants or how to use them? Leave me a comment below!

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27 Comments

  1. Hi. I’ve been soaping about a year now, and have been hesitant to try any colors. My biggest concern isn’t that the colors will bleed within the soap itself, but that they will bleed on whatever surface they are sitting on, and stain a counter or shower. Is there any risk of that with the non-bleeding colorants?

  2. What do you use if you want to blue your clear soap. I noticed the melt and pour has a slight yellow hue.

  3. Hi Anne-Marie, I’ve seen your videos on YouTube, and I wanted to know if using Kaolin Clay in your bath bombs makes the bombs any heavier? LUSH Bath Bombs tend to be lighter and softer in general, how does your Bath Bombs recipe compare to the original flagship product from LUSH?

    Thanks in advance. 🙂

    • Hi Isaac!

      I have never used LUSH bath bombs before, so it’s tricky for me to say how our recipe compares. I have found that adding Kaolin Clay helps the the bath bombs helps them become firm, and feels great on the skin! I would guess that if the LUSH bath bombs tend to be light and fluffy, they may not be using Kaolin Clay.

      I hope this helps!

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  4. Hi! I recently purchased Cambrian blue clay from you! I was trying to know how much do i have to add to make my soap, and do i have to add some water? Explain me please, because my clay came like a little rock

    • Hi Anny!

      I’m excited for you to try this clay! You’ll want to use a ratio of 2 teaspoons of clay to 2 tablespoons of water to disperse. Make sure that the clay is saturated by the water before turning on a mini-mixer to blend, or you may end up with a messy cloud of clay!

      Why water? Clays are very absorbent, and tend to accelerate trace when added dry or cause the soap to crack as it cures if used not-dispersed. Dispersing them in water before adding them to soap not only helps them mix in better, but also keeps them from accelerating trace. Once your clay has been dispersed, bring your oils to trace and add the dispersed clay.

      I hope this helps 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  5. I have non bleeding teal and cherry – any ideas on the amount to use per pound of soap? I thought I used a lot in my 2lb test batches and didn’t get very much color in my soap…and it’s such a small bottle – I don’t want to use it all up LOL!

  6. hi, i bought some neon color blocks from brambleberry,
    but i couldnt get that neon colour in both the clear and white melt and pour soap.
    i ended up using the liquid basic colors of red and yellow from the crafts store to obtain a flashy color.
    im afraid to use any of the other color blocks samples, in case i might be using them incorrectly.
    any ideas?
    which is best, mica or color block or liquid to get flashy colors?
    p.s. ive watched the video on how to use them.

    • Good morning, Farah!

      Color blocks can be so much fun to use in melt & pour soaps, and sometimes it does take a little bit of time to get used to them if you have been using micas, oxides and pigment powders for soaping.

      When you have been using the color blocks, how much are you using per pound of soap base? We’ve found that we can color anywhere from 5-10 lbs of M&P base with just one color block — the more color you put in the darker the hue is going to be.

      When you are using any colorants in the white melt and pour base, they are going to be a little bit different because you are adding a color to white. For instance, if you were to add the Perfect Red Color Block to the White M&P base, you would end up with a pink soap, because adding red + white = pink.

      If you could tell me a little bit more about how you have been using them, I’d be happy to help you troubleshoot. 🙂

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  10. Thanks for the info. Other than the color blocks you didn’t mention the type of soap. Do all the micas and oxides work in cold process without morphing? If not, do you have a list of ones that are safe for cold process? There are some colors that I would love to try.

    • Hi Bonnie!

      We are so excited that you would like to try a few of our colors and can’t wait to see your final product. With all the other colorants, you can use them in M&P or Cold Process, but you will want to check the individual product pages to make sure they don’t morph in your batch. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. =)

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  11. Wow, this is an excellent reference resource – thank you for the comprehensive run-down all in one place!

    • Hi Holly!

      We are so happy that you stopped by and were able to read this blog post. If you have any other questions about colorants, soaping or bath and body products, we are here to help you out! =)

      -Becky with Bramble Berry