Colorants in Soapmaking Manual By Erica D. Pence © Pence Enterprises, Inc. and Erica D. Pence. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher. Table of Contents Overview ....................................................................................................................................................... 3 All About Color .............................................................................................................................................. 3 Colorant Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 7 FD&C Colorants ............................................................................................................................................. 8 FD&C Colorants – LabColor Dilution Guide ................................................................................................... 8 Using FD&C Colorants ................................................................................................................................. 10 Pigments ..................................................................................................................................................... 11 Using Pigments............................................................................................................................................ 11 Micas ........................................................................................................................................................... 13 Using Micas ................................................................................................................................................. 13 Plants and Clays .......................................................................................................................................... 15 Making Oil Infusions.................................................................................................................................... 15 Using Plants and Clays ................................................................................................................................ 16 Color Blending ............................................................................................................................................. 18 Dusting Soap Tops ....................................................................................................................................... 19 Creating Veins in CP Soap ........................................................................................................................ 18 Coating Soap for Embedding ...................................................................................................................... 21 Mica Painting .............................................................................................................................................. 20 Mica Swirls in CP Soap ................................................................................................................................ 20 Troubleshooting .......................................................................................................................................... 21 Appendix A – Colorant Suppliers ................................................................................................................ 22 Appendix B – LabColor Chart ...................................................................................................................... 23 Appendix C – Natural Colorants for Soap .................................................................................................. 23 Glossary of Soap Terms ............................................................................................................................... 27 About the Bath Alchemy Lab ...................................................................................................................... 28 2 Colorants in Soapmaking Manual ©Pence Enterprises, Inc. Overview This manual is written for soapmakers of any kind. Whether you make cold process, hot process, or melt and pour soaps, this manual will address all things color so you can achieve the results that you want in your soap projects. This comprehensive manual will discuss pigments, dyes, and micas, as well as natural plant colorants and clays. You’ll learn about color in general, what each type of colorant brings to soapmaking, how to color your soap, and special considerations. All About Color While this section is not really ‘all’ there is to know about color, having a basic understanding of color and related terminology may help you understand the information in this manual as well as give you a crash course in color and color theory. Color theory attempts to classify color in an attempt to assist in combining and harmonizing color. The most common way to classify color is using a color wheel. Sir Isaac Newton developed the first circular diagram of colors in 1666. Over time many were developed, but today, this image shows a common color wheel example. 3 Colorants in Soapmaking Manual ©Pence Enterprises, Inc. The color wheel is based on different categories of color. Primary Colors: Red, yellow and blue In traditional color theory (used in paint and pigments), primary colors are the 3 pigment colors that cannot be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues. Secondary Colors: Green, orange and purple These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors. Tertiary Colors: Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue- purple, blue-green & yellow-green These are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color, hence the name of the hue is two words, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange. Color harmony is the arrangement of color in a manner that is pleasing to the eye. Extreme unity leads to under-stimulation, extreme complexity leads to over-stimulation. Harmony is a balance. When working with color, it is good to know how colors are combined to create color harmony. Complementary color scheme Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel are considered to be complementary colors (example: red and green). The high contrast of complementary colors creates a vibrant look especially when used at full saturation. This color scheme must be managed well so it is not jarring. Analogous color scheme Analogous color schemes use colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. They usually match well and create calming designs. Analogous color schemes are often found in nature and are harmonious and pleasing to the eye. 4 Colorants in Soapmaking Manual ©Pence Enterprises, Inc. Triadic color scheme A triadic color scheme uses colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel. Triadic color schemes tend to be quite vibrant, even if you use pale or unsaturated versions of your hues. Split-Complementary color scheme The split-complementary color scheme is a variation of the complementary color scheme. In addition to the base color, it uses the two colors adjacent to its complement. Rectangle (tetradic) color scheme The rectangle or tetradic color scheme uses four colors arranged into two complementary pairs. This rich color scheme offers plenty of possibilities for variation. Square color scheme The square color scheme is similar to the rectangle, but with all four colors spaced evenly around the color circle. 5 Colorants in Soapmaking Manual ©Pence Enterprises, Inc. Hues, Tints, Shades, and Tones The primary (3), secondary (3) and tertiary colors (6) are the family of twelve purest and brightest colors. They form the full spectrum of hues which progress around the Primary Color Wheel in gradual increments. The word hue and color are often used interchangeably, so to avoid confusion, think of hue as being the part of the 12 main colors of the color wheel. If a color is made lighter by adding white, the result is called a tint. If black is added, the darker version is called a shade. And if gray is added, the result is a different tone. Tints - adding white to a pure hue: Shades - adding black to a pure hue: Tones - adding gray to a pure hue: Warm and cool colors The color circle can be divided into warm and cool colors. Warm colors are vivid and energetic, and encompass reds, oranges, and yellows. Cool colors give an impression of calm, and create a soothing impression and include blues, greens, and violets. White, black and gray are considered to be neutral. 6 Colorants in Soapmaking Manual ©Pence Enterprises, Inc. How is this relevant to soapmaking? Any of the designs you make such as layering, embedding, swirling, and creating scenery relies on a harmonic choice of color. If you understand basic color theory, you can take the information and apply it to the color choices used in your soap. When using 3 or more colors in your soap, it is a good practice to choose one of the colors to be dominate. Be sure to plan your colors ahead of time to coordinate with your scent or fragrance. Color blending will be discussed