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 yellow and gold tones to your product:
Acacia flowers (dried) – maize yellow to golden brown
Agrimony flowering tops (dried) – butter yellow
Annatto seed (infused in oil – 2 Tbs seed in 100-150 ml of oil – use drained oil as colorant) – yellow (light), orange (medium) to red (heavy), depending on amount of seeds used and length of infusion
Black-eyed Susan petals (dried) – yellow when mixed in lye water
Butterfly bush flowers (dried) – orange gold to golden brown
Calendula petals (dried) – yellow. Retain color in soap.
Carrots (shredded or ground) – yellow to orange due to beta carotene
Chamomile flowers and heads (dried) – yellow. Retain color in soap.
Cornmeal – Pale yellow, gritty/scrubby in soap and scrubs.
Curry powder – yellow
Dandelion flower (dried) – from yellow to orange, depending on amount used. Fades over time.
Elderberry leaves (dried) – yellow
Fennel – mustard yellow
Grape leaves (dried) – intense yellow
Licorice Root – earthy yellow
Mugwort – greenish gold
Palm or palm kernel oil (unrefined) – yellow to orange/red, depending on amount used
Paprika – pale pink to orange, depending on amount used.
Patchouli essential oil – light yellow to amber
Queen Anne’s Lace (dried flower) – yellow
Safflower petals (dried) – yellow to deep orange.
Saffron (ground or infused in oil) – yellow. Ground petals produce a warm yellow.
Seaweed (dried, infused or powdered) – yellows to greens
Soapwort powder – starts bright lime green, but fades to a muddy, earthy greenish yellow.
St. John’s Wort (dried, infused or powdered) – yellow
Turmeric – Gold to amber
Walnut hulls and leaves – Persian walnut – yellow/brown. Dried leaves of American walnut produce brown.
Yarrow (leaves and flower heads, dried) – yellow gold
Yellow illite clay – light yellow