Working with color is one of my favorite aspects of soap making. I collect tons of color inspiration via Pinterest, magazines, Instagram, nature and fashion. When selecting colorants to use in soap, there are plenty of options including LabColors, clay, micas and color blocks for melt and pour. My go-to colorants are often pigments; they are non-bleeding, produce vibrant color and do not morph in cold process soap.

Part of the fun of working with colors is mixing to create unique shades. Blending colorants can seem a little intimidating at first. But with only three colors, you can create an entire color wheel. To demonstrate how to experiment with color blending I chose three colors to represent the primary colors of the color wheel: Ultramarine Blue Pigment, Fizzy Lemonade Colorant and Electric Bubble Gum Colorant.


Why pink instead of red? A vibrant red can be tricky to achieve in cold process soap. My favorite red is made using one part Merlot Sparkle Mica to two parts Electric Bubble Gum. In order to keep the blends simple, Electric Bubble Gum represents the color red in these mixtures. The bright pink hue keeps the colors looking vibrant while adding a similar effect of a “true red.” [Read more…]