Hot Process Soap Additives: Paprika

paprika from the spice cabinet to color soap

There are many things that can be added to cold and hot process soap for color.  Some are natural and some are not; the naturalness of some is a bit of a debate.  To date I have used powdered mica and oxide pigments, coffee and paprika as colorants.

Paprika is a natural additive used as a soap colorant.  I didn't have to buy it online or from a specialty shop; I took the paprika right off my spice shelf!  I have used paprika in two different soap batches.  Both were a 1000gm (2.2lb) sized batch of hot process soap.  The two batches were the same recipe of fats, oils, lye and water.  See my previous post on hot process soap here.  Paprika was added at the end of the cook in both batches.  That means soaponification had taken place in the crock pot, after about a hour of cooking on low, and was ready to be put into the mold.  When adding things after the cook, you need to stir very well to incorporate the additive evenly throughout the soap batter.  You also need to work quickly as hot process soap can easily become too firm to put into the mold.  I usually spoon a bit a soap into the mold and follow with a quick but gentle tapping of the mold on the counter, then repeat.

In addition to paprika being a colorant for soap, I have found that it adds an exfoliating component to the soap.  I enjoy that aspect of paprika as much as the color.  If however you want a smooth bar, you may want to skip the paprika and try another colorant.

Batch 1:

sandalwood scented with orange stripes

When I made this soap, I was hoping for a white bar with orange or brown swirls that would compliment a sandalwood fragrance oil.  No colorant other than paprika was used.  At the end of the cook, after adding sandalwood fragrance oil, I removed 1/3 of the soap batter into a separate pot (from my foot locker of soap making supplies).  To this I added 2 teaspoons of paprika and stirred very well.  About one fourth of the uncolored soap was poured into the soap mold, followed by half of the colored soap, a second layer of uncolored soap, the rest of the colored soap and a final layer of uncolored soap.  The resulting soap bar was a natural cream colored soap with a light orange stripe.  The orange color of paprika in the soap was a lighter shade than paprika in the spice jar, but brilliant in its intensity.

Batch 2:

orange & anise scented with paprika & coffee colorants

Because I was attempting to make a dark brownish orange for an anise/orange scented soap, this batch was colored with coffee in addition to the paprika.  Paprika was added to the whole soap batch, again the amount was 2 teaspoons.  This soap came out dark brown with subtle orange undertones.


Some final thoughts on paprika as a soap additive:
I love how easy it is to use, the color it creates, and the exfoliating properties of the soap when it is added.  I was very pleased with both batches of soap and will definitely be using paprika again.