One of the values at Prairie Soap Shack is that we only use natural colourants in our products. So what does that mean exactly? It’s something that truly makes our handcrafted soaps and skincare stand out as being all-natural, eco-friendly, and better for your skin.
We colour our soap and products using plant materials that come straight from the earth, in beautiful, natural hues. This includes different clays and dried botanicals such as indigo, annatto, and alkanet root. Sometimes we even grind up plants like wild juniper berries or wild rose hips, or we juice carrots, rhubarb, and apple to create natural colour variations.
How do we do this?
We often infuse the natural colourant into oil, letting it slowly infuse over several weeks before straining it for use. Sometimes we make a strong tea to work with, or we add clays directly into the soap-making process. It all depends on the plant itself and which method gives the most vibrant, stable colour.
Soap making is a chemical reaction, which means natural colourants can produce some fascinating transformations! For example, when we add saskatoon berries to our soap, the colour changes in seconds — from purple to orange to green to brown and back to purple again. It’s pure science magic, and we love watching it unfold.
Over time we have had many experiments with natural colourants, always being hopeful for the outcome. However, that pretty bright red colour from my garden beets- changes to a dull brown in the end. As is the same with raspberries- a beautiful red to a dull brown. So we have had to learn how to achieve the outcome we desire- and sometimes mix in a second colourant to make the difference.
We have even pulled from our early elementary learning of mixing primary colours to achieve a secondary colour. For example, I have mixed a blue indigo lye solution with an annatto oil infusion in soap- to achieve.... you've got it- green!
There are many extra steps involved in our handcrafted soap-making process to use only natural colourants — but it’s absolutely worth it. Beyond the lovely, earthy tones we create, we believe that artificial dyes and synthetic colourants can be harmful to your skin and body.
Your body absorbs so much of what you put on it, and studies have shown that synthetic dyes may affect our endocrine systems. Many customers have shared that their skin reacts to artificial dyes in conventional products. So why risk it?
We believe you can connect with nature and still enjoy creative, colourful skincare that’s safe, nourishing, and even beneficial for your body.
Let's keep in mind that we are just talking cosmetic natural colourants here... but we should all be mindful of the colorants used in the food and drink we consume as well.
Cheers to the purple hued Saskatoon Berry Soap that gives extra vitamins to our cleanse from the berries, but also gently detoxifies our pores with the purple clay.
Just another reason our Prairie Soap Shack products stand apart from mainstream brands. I’ll always be an advocate for reading ingredient lists, understanding what’s inside the products you use, and feeling proud of the natural choices you make.
Wondering which of our products use natural colourants?
All of them — or none at all.
That’s the Prairie Soap Shack promise.
