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To find matching or complimentary colors for other products
Look under the Color Family or similar color families (such as for Red also look under Purple and Pink), and choose the product you wish to color. Many times a color for CP Soap will actually have a matching or complimentary color for Bath and Body but may not be the same color name or color family. Example: CP soap using False Blue makes a Rich Lavender color at 1 tsp For Bath and Body a Matching color you would use Cranberry at 1/4 tsp for Opaque which is under the Purple color family, and Spring Iris at 1/8 tsp for Clear Bath and Body which is under the Pink Family.

When trying to match colors
When you have found your base color such as in the example above, False Blue, right click your mouse on the photo, then left mouse click on the photo and select "save picture as" and save to your hard drive. REMEMBER WHERE YOU SAVED THE PHOTO! Open the photo in a program. Most computers have some program that will view the photo. Then do a search for a matching or complimentary color while you have this photo open. This way you can see how closely the colors match.

Coloring Bath Salts
Bath Salts can be harder to color since the whiteness of the salts tends to overpower the colors. There are choices however. If you use only salts, try to color each type of salt individually. If you use Baking Soda or some kind of Starch (Corn, Tapioca etc.) you may find that coloring the product first can also help attain a better color. We actually color the salts individually ahead of time and let them dry. We then add them to the Uncolored Soda and Starch mixture which has already had oils and fragrances added. This gives you colored Salts in a white base which can be very pleasing as you can mix Colored salts. For example at Christmas, we do Red and Green precolored salts mixture. This gives you speckled bath salts which adds interest to the product.

Purple Velvet
Oh that picky Purple Velvet.
SPOTS! - If you get specks in your soap it may mean you are soaping somewhat cold by the time you add your color (At Trace or before) it is the nature of the color
There are a couple things you can do.
1. Strain the color through Cheesecloth before using. This will take care of the most stubborn undissolved color
2. Use a blended color and not plain Purple Velvet.
3. To your color to be used.. (NOT THE ENTIRE BOTTLE) add a pinch of Sodium Hydroxide, stir well and let it sit and cool. This will help the color dissolve better. (We can not do this in production because of the pH levels needed)

Purple Velvet is a stubborn color additive. It likes HOT temperatures, and is not easily dissolved. It is however a great tool for blending and getting vibrant colors!
Alone, PV will be quite bland, so it is always suggested to use PV in blends. Such as Easter Egg for vibrant purples!


Testing Colors
The most common question (or complaint) we get as Technical Staff is

"The color on the chart didn't match the color of my soap when it was done!"

There is really nothing we can say other than "Did You Test?"
The colors are not an exact science, as each persons recipe and oils can be different, you have to expect some unexpected results.
We give you a suggestion of what the color will be for most recipes, but there is no way we can test in all recipes or with all types of scenting products (FO's and EO's) which can alter the results of the color.
We always suggest to TEST first! Make a small 3 lb batch, split the batch up into smaller amounts anywhere from 2 to 8 oz and try a test run on your soap recipe. It will save you from having any problems or surprises!
We actually have used 2 oz Dixie cups for testing colors in soaps. Not only can you get a lot of different colors tested in your recipe, but you can slice these up as Sample Soaps for your customers.