Just because we don't use color in our soap doesn't mean it's bad for you! There are plenty of ways to add variety to the look of your soap both safely, and naturally. Many fragrances and additives naturally change the color of soap. As you can see in our store we have many different shades in our soap without the use of color. Fragrance is the big factor for us. Usually sweeter fragrances tend to turn the soap tan or even dark brown in some cases. This is because of Vanillin which is the compound that gives Vanilla it's flavor. You can read a bit more about it over at Soap Queen's Blog.

So Vanilla turns Cold Processed soap brown, what other ingredients can we use to change the color of soap? Micas are always a good choice! They are non-toxic minerals mined from the earth. Most of them have a naturally green or blue hue to them. For red, purple, yellow and many other colors, oxides are usually mixed in with the micas to cover the full color spectrum. Sometimes micas will be mixed with FD&C pigments to give it a brighter look. The only real downside is the cost. Some of the more exotic colors (like the purples, or pinks) can get a little expensive but not prohibitively so. When working with large amounts of mica be sure to wear a mask or have a well ventilated room. The particles are quite tiny and you don't want to breathe those in.

Micas are always a good choice and are easy to work with, but what else can we use? Clays are another popular additive to soap making. Not only do clays make your soap look great, they have fantastic properties for you skin! Rhassoul and Moroccan clays are packed full of minerals and are great for drawing out toxins in the skin. They give soap a neat, almost matte looking color to them. The range of clays is much narrower in terms of the color spectrum but tend to be just as effective at coloring soap. You can find some Rose Kaolin Pink, or French Green to give your soap line a little more variety. We actually like the pastel color from clays quite a bit, we recommend it for sure!

After those two big ones you start to get into other natural additives based on the color you want. For example Red is a notoriously hard color to reproduce in soap naturally. Moroccan Red Clay and Sandalwood Powder are both common but will give you more of a burnt brown/red not a bright candy apple red. Madder Root is probably your best bet for a non-brown red. Check out Soap Making Resource for an amazingly comprehensive list of natural colors!

Got any unique ways of coloring soap? Let us know in the comments!

Looking for an easy way to start down the path of being a business owner? What about a productive hobby for the young ones in your family so you can teach them a little business sense? Maybe you just want a fun weekend activity to spice up your life?

Selling Goat's Milk Soap isn't as hard as it sounds. These are all great reasons to drive into the soap business. We want to make it as easy on you as possible that's why we offer our bars with finished labels at wholesale pricing. That way you are ready for the market as soon as you get your order!

Our customers have been getting up to $5.00 a bar in some of the hotter tourist areas. Even in rural areas it's not uncommon to get $3.50 to $4.00 per bar. Ask around your area and see what people would be willing to pay for quality handmade soap. The best selling point you can use is the high quality of ingredients used in every batch. Be sure to let them know every bar has organic shea butter AND organic goat's milk! Coconut Oil and Olive Oil are also great talking points and both are fantastic for the skin.

The best advice I can give is to take some bars with you and get them into people's hands. You can talk about soap all day but unless the potential customer has something tangible in their hand, it will be a harder sell. Another point of pride for us is our fantastic fragrance selection. As soon as you give someone a bar the first thing they will do is smell it and they'll be hooked for sure!

Let us know how your soap selling adventures are going. We always love to hear how customers are fairing in their respected markets.

Want to try your hand in making your own Goat Milk Soap? It's not as hard as you think. The video below does a great job of showing the overall process with the inclusion of always hilarious family banter.

The recipe is listed in the video and we have not tried it but at first glance it does seem like it would be a very moisturizing bar. The high percentage of Olive Oil will be responsible for super slick lather and most of the moisturizing properties. The lard in the soap is more popular in the southern states usually but it really makes your bar nice and hard. The main problem with Olive Oil recipes is they tend to take a long time to cure. Even then the bar tends to be softer than recipes that have higher percentages of Coconut Oil or Palm Oil. It also makes the bar last a bit longer too!

Got any recipes you want to share? Let us know in the comments below!