The organic powder finally incorporated – mostly. This is how both solutions looked right before I added them to the oils. I even considered that I might have to toss the one with the powdered organic indigo at this point. By this time, the lye solution is starting to cool, but the indigo is still resisting in both solutions. The crystals turned green and also produced a rank odor when added to the lye. The powdered organic indigo is pictured on the left, and the pre-reduced crystals are on the right in the following photos: Both types of indigo resisted being incorporated into the hot lye solution – the powdered even more than the crystals. I used 1/2 tsp of indigo in both lye solutions for the same size batch (16 oz of oils). However, the indigo takes a bit longer to incorporate than mica, so it requires you to plan ahead at least a few hours before you want to make the soap.Įxperiment #2: Testing organic indigo and pre-reduced indigo crystals in the lye solution. I love that you can treat this indigo just like mica by pre-mixing it with a bit of oil and adding it to portions of soap. The colors are grayish blue, just as they should be! I was worried that the darkest layer might bleed, so I did some testing on a cream-colored wash cloth: Just the slightest bit of color transfer onto the wash cloth Lightest layer: 1/16 tsp indigo in 1 tsp oil in just under 1 c soap middle layer: 1/8 tsp indigo in 1 tsp oil in just under 1 c soap darkest layer: 1/4 tsp indigo in 1 tsp oil in just under 1 c soap This is the recipe I chose for all of my testing:Įxperiment #1: Testing saturation levels with the organic indigo from Botanical Colors using oil infusions. In a couple cases, the soap only reached a partial gel. I also made sure every batch went through gel stage to brighten/darken the colors. It’s important to use a soap recipe with light colored oils so that it doesn’t yellow and turn what could have been a lovely blue soap into an icky green or brown. The powdered indigo can be added either to the lye solution OR in an oil infusion, but the pre-reduced crystals must be dissolved in hot water. incorporating an oil infusion in addition to soap that already had indigo added to the lye solution. dissolving the crystals in hot water, allowing it to cool and adding it after the soap was mixed, and 4. creating strong oil infusions and adding after the soap was mixed, 3. I experimented with four different ways of incorporating indigo in cold process soap. It is an organic indigo powder that is much more saturated than the ones I tested from the soap suppliers. They are not a soap supplier, but market their products to those who dye fabrics. In addition to the powders from Bramble Berry and From Nature With Love, I tested a powder from Botanical Colors. There are also different intensities of indigo powder. (Thanks to the samples provided by Amanda Gail of Lovin Soap, I tested powders from Bramble Berry and From Nature With Love.) The only supplier of the crystals that I could find is Dharma Trading. You can purchase the powdered form from several reputable soap supply vendors. There are two different types of indigo: powdered and pre-reduced crystals. I will show you the benefits and disadvantages of each. It should be noted that there are different types and intensities of indigo available from different suppliers and they are used in different ways. But what about color transfer and colored lather? Can you use too much? Definitely!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |