# Bentonite Clay in Clear m&p



## whitewitchbeauty (Sep 1, 2015)

I feel like I'm over-posting but I have so many questions! I have 10 lbs. of clear melt and pour base. I have bentonite clay and want to try it out. I looked online researching through Google searches hoping to find info on bentonite clay in clear m&p base. I couldn't find anything except mixing it with a white base. Can I mix it in clear base? I just want to try it using 1 lb of clear base.


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## Dorymae (Sep 1, 2015)

It can (same as mixing with the white base) but it wont be attractive.


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## whitewitchbeauty (Sep 1, 2015)

Thanks for your input. I can add color, maybe that will make it prettier.


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## not_ally (Sep 1, 2015)

Like Dory, I think the clay will opacify/cloud the clear base, it will not be as pretty (even if you use a color).  The reason I use clear mp bases is b/c they are so pretty!  Although I mostly do CP these days, I still use clear MP bases because there are design things I can do w/them that I just cannot with CP.  I probably will never use opaque MP again, though.

Also, bentonite clay is pretty drying, and MP bases - even the good ones - tend to be more drying that other hand made soaps to begin with.  That is good sometimes (eg, for certain types of really oily skin, not all), but something to think about otherwise.  If you really want to try clay and don't want a drying one, another would be better.


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## whitewitchbeauty (Sep 1, 2015)

Here is my test soap bar of clear glycerine m&p base with Bentonite clay. I like how it turned out!


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## rparrny (Sep 5, 2015)

not_ally said:


> Although I mostly do CP these days, I still use clear MP bases because there are design things I can do w/them that I just cannot with CP.  I probably will never use opaque MP again, though.



Any photos of those soaps?  I need some ideas fast!  Even when I did use glycerin it was for adding herbs and was strictly medicinal...not pretty at all.


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## not_ally (Sep 5, 2015)

I don't have any to photograph b/c I usually make them as presents and give them away immediately, I don't hang on to them b/c I don't think they improve w/age, like CP, plus if I need more they are so quick to make.  This is not going to help b/c of shipping time,  probably, but two of the things I really like to do to make an MP soap v. pretty,  and v. fast, is to use clear base and then either:

(1) add BB's heavy metal gold mica mixed with an oxide, usually hydrated green chromium oxide or yellow oxide, this combination makes the soap beautiful and metallic, like a slab of metallic jade or gold.   Other micas will not do this, only the HMG and a v. few others on the market which contain metal powders that create this effect, or;

(2) use a liquid/ very clear colorant (micas actually make the clear bases more opaque/cloudy) and then add TKB's Gold Reflecks, you have all these beautiful little golden bits floating through a pretty, translucent base.   I usually use Elements liquid colorants for this, they are really, really clear and non-opacifying.  From what I have seen of BB's Labcolors in CP, they might work too, but I have not tried them in MP (if you do, make sure to get the ones made for MP, the ones for CP are different.)

I always have BB's HMG mica and the TKB gold reflecks around just in case I want to make up something pretty and fast for presents.  Some links below (EBB has other liquid colorants, but the cola is one of my favorites.  Most of these do *NOT* work in CP, though.)

http://www.brambleberry.com/Heavy-Metal-Gold-Mica-P3599.aspx

http://www.tkbtrading.com/item.php?item_id=333

https://www.elementsbathandbody.com/Liquid-Colorant-Cola.html


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## rparrny (Sep 6, 2015)

not_ally said:


> I don't have any to photograph b/c I usually make them as presents and give them away immediately, I don't hang on to them b/c I don't think they improve w/age, like CP, plus if I need more they are so quick to make.  This is not going to help b/c of shipping time,  probably, but two of the things I really like to do to make an MP soap v. pretty,  and v. fast, is to use clear base and then either:
> 
> (1) add BB's heavy metal gold mica mixed with an oxide, usually hydrated green chromium oxide or yellow oxide, this combination makes the soap beautiful and metallic, like a slab of metallic jade or gold.   Other micas will not do this, only the HMG and a v. few others on the market which contain metal powders that create this effect, or;
> 
> ...


Thank you for all the info!


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## whitewitchbeauty (Sep 8, 2015)

I read Bentonite clay cant touch metal. I didn't do it while making my sample soap bar. Does it matter? My double boiler is metal. I did my mixing with silicone tools and molds/containers.


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## not_ally (Sep 8, 2015)

I've never heard of that, which is not to say that it is invalid.  Although I can't think of why that would be the case.  I guess I have always mixed my mp in plastic or glass before it goes into the mold, so it has never really come up.  Also, even if your double boiler is metal, that is not coming into direct contact w/the soap base, I would think?


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## DeeAnna (Sep 8, 2015)

"...Bentonite clay cant touch metal...."

Are you referring to this quote (or its equivalent) from the internet blog-o-sphere? --

"...Bentonite is very unusual in the fact that once it becomes hydrated, the electrical and molecular components of the clay rapidly change and produce an “electrical charge”… When it becomes mixed with water it rapidly swells open like a highly porous sponge. From here the toxins are drawn into the sponge through electrical attraction and once there, they are bound. It is for this reason that bentonite clay should never be stored in a metal container or stirred with a metal spoon (hence the bamboo spoon in my photos) since the clay absorbs the metals and becomes less effective...." Source: http://bodyunburdened.com/bentonite-clay-what-is-it-and-how-to-use-it/

If so, this is the most cockeyed piece of pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo I've read so far this week. It takes bits of truth about how a clay functions and distorts them into utter nonsense. 

Thanks for the laugh -- I'm even more convinced that far too many internet bloggers don't have a clue about what they're talking about.


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## whitewitchbeauty (Sep 8, 2015)

Glad I could bring some laughter to you  I just read as much as I can and ask a lot of questions.


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## not_ally (Sep 8, 2015)

There is just so much craziness out there in the web-o-sphere it is hard to separate the wheat from the chaff.  But this is a good place to ask about it, you will definitely get the right advice.  DeeAnna and some of our other resident chemists are especially good about keeping us on the right track from that perspective.


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## DeeAnna (Sep 9, 2015)

I came across as a bit of a smarty pants in my last post. To make amends and to address your concerns, I want to say you did just fine, WhiteWitch. You really don't need to be concerned about using metal utensils to mix the clay -- what you did is what I would have done.

That said, I am particular about metal contamination in my soap, but not for the reasons the blogger gave about "toxins". Tiny particles of metal can be the source of those ugly orange spots of DOS (aka dreaded orange spots, aka rancidity) that sometimes happen on soap. While I can't eliminate all sources of metal particles, I can do my best to minimize them. I use a stainless steel stick blender, but almost all of my other equipment is lye-safe silicone or other plastics. I wash my hands before handling my soap, and I try to keep my soap bars on clean surfaces when I work on them. I use a stainless steel veggie peeler to bevel the edges of my soap. I'm not sure about my wire cutter -- it's a guitar string, so it might not be stainless steel, but that's about the only thing I can think of that isn't stainless or plastic.


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## whitewitchbeauty (Sep 9, 2015)

Thanks a million! I am lucky I found this forum. I appreciate all the advice of the experienced. My soap Jedis


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## whitewitchbeauty (Sep 11, 2015)

So no star wars references?


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