Many soapers and crafters got into their craft because they wanted to make and use the most natural products possible, and to be able to control what ingredients are in the products they use. One way to do that is to use herbs and other natural colorants in products. They can be a bit unpredictable, but are also fun to use and can yield some very beautiful results.
Here are some natural colorants to use that will yield brown tones in your product:
Acacia flowers (dried, powdered)- maize yellow to golden brown
Cinnamon (dried, powdered) – light to medium brown (go light, as this can irritate skin)
Cloves (dried, powdered) – light to medium brown (go light on this one, too, as it can irritate skin)
Cocoa powder (unsweetened) – brown with shades of gray
Coffee (cold) and coffee grounds (used) – brown to black
Comfrey (dried, powdered) – light brown
Elderberries (steeped in lye solution) – light brown
Glacial clays – grey to brown
Honey – cream to medium brown. Will heat up soap reaction. Go light, as can be sticky
Milks (goat and cow) – tan to brown, depending upon sugar and fat content. Many soapers add these partially frozen, in a slushy state, as they can heat up the lye reaction and brown the soap
Mimosa leaf (dried, powdered) – warm brown or peachy tan
Oolong tea (dried, powdered) – dark green with shades of brown
Rosehips (dried, powdered) – pinkish tan
Rosehip seeds (dried, powdered) – light tan to deep brown
Staghorn sumac berries (dried, powdered) – caramel brown
Walnut hulls and leaves – Persian walnut – yellow/brown. Dried leaves of American walnut produce brown.
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