*One of the varieties of gold and mica soaps will be picked at random. *
The traditional uses of indigo range anywhere from being drunk as a tea used as a fabric dye for antibacterial properties, fire-resistant qualities, and to soothe the skin while providing natural insect protection, even in beauty products, such as beautiful natural soaps. You may even be familiar with indigo in some hair products and dyes. Japan used indigo for many different garments, and with the ability to age gracefully the way old leather can, Indigo clothing is worth every penny. Indigo has been used not only to color fibers blue but cakes and candies also. The practice of dying fabrics the traditional shiboro ways are still being practiced today, made by hand folding the fabrics methodically into ornate patterns, or sometimes simple lines and dots. Indigo is so much more than just blue jeans!
I love indigo as an ingredient because blue is one of my favorite colors, it is so beautiful in any shade it is in. Working with indigo is always exciting because you only need a tiny bit to transform an oil, or beauty product into a deep rich natural blue. Blending it into body butters, body oils, bath salts, aloe vera, glycerine, shampoos, soaps, hydrating body mists, and salves and drastically changing each item into a deep rich blue. Experimenting on items used daily in our home and turning everything we use blue made every item seem more luxurious. Sitting in a bath with a bit of indigo powder is like sitting in the most tropical waters from the comfort of your own home.
Skincare items are a must in any beach bag, throw in a bar of indigo soap in addition to your regular items to wash off after you are done swimming. Using a natural soap on sun-kissed skin is always a good choice, and an indigo bar is one of my personal favorites after a long day in the summer sun and water. Often in the summer, I will carry a little bottle of glycerine, distilled water, menthol crystals with some indigo in it to soothe my summer skin and provide a bit of cooling sensation. Packing oils and body butters with me almost every place I go, my friends usually know I have something good for your skin in my beach bag! Using aloe vera gel with indigo in it is always a treat for tender sunburned spots.
Indigo is such a magnificent plant that it is also given the name of a color in the color spectrum, ROYGBIV, indigo blue. The color blue is calming to many people, reminding us of a beach, or the sky on a cloudless day. Using color to invoke emotion and feeling is something that artists have been doing for a long time. The color indigo is relaxing and soothing to me, and every item I add to it is immediately transformed into a royal treat. Blue represents so much, it is even the color we use to represent babies, blue for boys and pink for girls. The next time you have a baby shower and need a little special gift outside of the traditional items, don't forget about custom blue and pink soaps. Do you have any items made with indigo in your home? I would love to see your favorite indigo items!