# Pink & Black soap



## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

After many batches and several recipes, I have finally got a soap recipe that I think will work for me. Now I am ready to try some colors/swirls. My stepson is getting married next April and the bride to be has asked me if I would make soaps for some bride gifts. Her colors are black & pink - I thought I would make a pink soap with black swirls. Looking for suggestions on what to use to get this look. Or any other ideas you guys might have - I have a couple of months to practice. :help Please!


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

I make a white soap (as white as gm can be) with a tiny bit of black and a tiny bit of pink swirled inside. Very pretty


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

Are you looking for natural colorants or does it matter? I've had great success with activated charcoal for black. You can use madder root for pink.


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## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

Cindy, I've never done any colors, so I have no idea if I need natural or not. Where did you order your madder root? 

Peggy, what did you use for your colors?


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

I make a pink soap with black swirls.....very pretty. I use TKB's Raspberry POP for the pink and charcoal for the black. You'll need to experiment a bit to get the shade you want and the FO used will also affect the outcome. But pink and black together are stunning.


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

OOOoooooooooooooooo. And scent with anise and peppermint. I'm going to have to do that! Oh, oh, oh. For Valentine's Day. YES! Thanks for the inspiration. I am going to do heart imbeds. I'll color those pink and make a black bar. The swirl sounds stunning!

I got the madder root from www.soapmakingresource.com. Haven't tried it yet, though.


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

Or you could use pink kaolin clay.


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## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

Cindy, you make me smile - your enthusiasm is contagious....it's such a wonderful trait. Don't you love to get excited over fun things you can do? It's always a joy to read your posts! 

When you say charcoal, are we talking a powder? or actual pieces of charcoal?


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## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

Kathy, if I have learned only one thing about soap making, it's practice, practice, practice. But it is nice to know that if I can't get it, you have some I can order. I love the black & pink combo myself and her wedding plans are beautiful. I want my soap to measure up!


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

It's a powder. Activated charcoal.


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

You can also use micas and oxides. 

I have been learning with each batch that less is better. So start out simple and small. These two colors will bleed, there is no way around it unless you use a small amount as Peggy does. I have bars here that weep. The nice thing is they do not stain.
Micas are beautiful...add to much and you get it becomes abrasive. 
Liquids colorants are interesting :biggrin. Some like to morph while going through the whole procedure so you really never know the true color until it has cooled all the way. Adding pastel liquid colorants do not swirl well with other liquid colorants and leave pockets of colorant which bleed and do stain a little. Natural colorants are unpredictable in their coloration, depending on Ph, oils, reaction to the lye, excetra. 

These are just my finds...others may have had better luck with the pastel liquids.
Tam


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

And newdirectionsaromatics.com sells dead sea mud. Pink clay and dead sea mud swirls are beautiful for Valentines Day also, plus super label appeal. Do a basket with also dead sea mud mask, and maybe one of the 'new' lip exfoliates. My daughter is making feet scrubbie packs to sell when she does pedicures. You aren't getting my Valentines scent but the duo is super pretty. Vicki


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

I used oxides. Pink and black.


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## tmfinley (Feb 21, 2008)

I have a pink and black soap. I use activated charcoal and French pink Clay.


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## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

How does clay work in the soap? Is it really the consistency of clay? or do you melt it?


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## tmfinley (Feb 21, 2008)

The clay isn't like modeling clay. It comes in powdered form.


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## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

I made my pink & black soap, and it looks great (I think), but my swirls didn't go all the way to the bottom. I thought I was dragging it through, but evidently not. Is there a trick to this or did I just not use enough and not mix it through?


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

I think it depends on how you did it? In the pot or in the mold?


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## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

I did it in the mold -


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

If I'm doing it in the mold and I want the color all the way through then I will layer the colors all the way up, then run a stick through it....but not too much. If I want the swirls just from the middle up I will pour about 2/3 my base then my contrast color then the rest of my base. If you do this at the right consistency (not too thick or thin) it will swirl itself. But mostly I swirl in the pot and get color throughout my bars.


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

I have one recipe that thickens real fast, so I use a wire whisk on it to swirl. I am going to try out some bath salt diffusers when I get some to see what different pattern they give, cause I always have the sides that seem not to swirl.
Tam


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

You can also drizzle color on the bottom of the mold. Pour your main color, then add the swirl color at different heights. The higher you pour from, the deeper it goes into the soap. I use a small spatula to swirl, incorporating the bottom color. For me I didn't get much effect just using a chop stick.


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## jdranch (Jan 31, 2010)

y'all are so creative


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## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

Never thought about swirling in the pot - somehow I thought it would come out looking like a swirl. I'll try it on my next batch. Thanks!


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## linbee (Jul 7, 2010)

I mean....."not looking like a swirl". I did use a chop stick - maybe I'll try a spatula.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

It doesn't look like a swirl linbee, it is called marbled. I pour my base soap, leaving some of the raw soap I color in a measuring cup. I then pour really high above the mold, this drops the swirl material to the bottom of the mold, then I pour closer and closer in snake S's across the mold, I then swirl it through with a chop stick.


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