Infusing Natural Colourants

I love using natural colourants in my soap making, not only can you get a gorgeous Symphony of colour variations, you also have the added bonus of knowing that they have been derived from nature.

So what's on the soapmaking menu today?

Clockwise from the top.
Spirulina, Paprika, Alkanet, Madder Root
Indigo, Turmeric, Australian Bush Tomato
Centre: Chlorophyll

I am infusing these colourants in light olive oil. As it is winter and I don't have alot of shelving space alongside windows, I'm opting for the warm infusing method.  This involves gently warming the oils slowly over 3-4 hours in simmering water using a double boiler.  It is important when using this method to not "cook" the oil.

What colours might I expect the infused oils to produce?

Spirulina - blue-green colour

Paprika - Salmon to orange colour

Alkanet - Pinkish red through to purplish blue

Madder Root - Light pink to earthy red

Indigo - Blue

Turmeric  - Lemony yellow to earthy gold.

Australian Bush Tomato - I'm not sure what to expect.  Perhaps an orange to red colour.

Chlorophyll - Pale green

Colourants waiting to be infused. Left to Right:
Spirulina, Australian Bush Tomato, Alkanet,
Madder Root, Indigo & Turmeric

You can see in this image that some of the colourants started to infuse themselves without the need of the water bath.