# Coloring Soap



## JuneP

The other day,  I asked about mixing colorants and someone wisely suggested that  I start a soap coloring thread. So here it is! 

I'd love to know what type colorants people use and prefer and how they mix them. I've seen people mixing oxides, pigments, powders and micas using oils, glycerine or water or even what looked like milk to mix their colors. What do you use if anything for the various coloring oxides pigments, powders, etc. the various?

Also this thread is for sharing photos of your work, and sharing the colorants you used  in the soap. 

This newbie could use  a lot of help in this area. 

For instance, I watched a Your Tube video yesterday where the person said they weren't going to cover the soap, because they wanted to avoid glycerine rivers, which I assume occurs when you add too much glycerine. But, what is too much? Inquiring minds need to know!

Thanks for participating!

June


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## IrishLass

Hi June!

I'll help start things off by sharing some of my soap photos and then describe how I achieved the colors:







Above: 2.2 lb. batch of Blackberry Sage. Colored my entire base batter (7 cups worth) with 1 1/4 tsp. TD. The green consists of 1 smidge (i.e., 1/32 tsp) UM Green powder (WSP) mixed with just enough glycerin to disperse the powder, and then added to 1 cup of my TD-whitened batter. The purple consists of 1/4 tsp. Fired-Up Fuschia powdered pigment (BB) blended with 1/4 tsp. Ultraviolet Blue powdered pigment (BB) and mixed with just enough Fractionated Coconut Oil to disperse, and then added to 1 cup of my TD-whitened batter. The 5 remaining cups of my TD-whitened base batter were then mixed with 1/8 tsp Super Pearly White Mica (BB) mixed with a little glycerin first to disperse.







Above: 1.2 lb batch Holiday Sparkle. The gold consists of 1/4 cup uncolored soap batter mixed with 1 pinch (i.e. 1/16 tsp) + 1 dash (i.e. 1/8 tsp) 24K gold mica (OT) mixed in a little glycerin first to disperse. The purple consists of 1/2 cup uncolored soap batter mixed with 1 dash (i.e., 1/8 tsp) Fired-Up Fuschia powdered pigment (BB) + 1 dash (i.e., 1/8 tsp) Ultraviolet Blue powdered pigment (BB) + 1 smidge (i.e., 1/32 tsp) activated charcoal (BB) mixed with a little glycerin first to disperse. The remaining soap batter (3 cups worth) was then mixed with 1 tsp. TD that was mixed with a little glycerin first to disperse.

The Joy stamp was dipped in gold mica before I stamped the soap.

I'll try and add more later.

IrishLass


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## jules92207

Oh IrishLass, I remember these soaps from a previous post a while back and I love them more each time I look at them. I can only hope to reach your talent one day. Thank you for sharing.


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## dwolanin

I'm using pigments for now. Mixing tip I read about are Oxides (O) = Oil
Ultramarines (marines) = water for the liquids that are best for mixing pigments. This tip made it easy to remember. Marines=water, Oxides = oil. I wish i could remember where I read it :/


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## dwolanin

Gorgeous! I hope someday mine will look as good! Lovely.


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## JustBeachy

I'm back to using Coconut milk in all my recipes. I like to use the 50/50 process. Last weekend I was getting ready to mix the colorants and thought, why not just mix them in the milk. It actually worked out really well. I was using a liquid Blue, Activated Charcoal, and a Yellow Oxide. All three mixed into the CM perfectly. The Oxide mixed in without settling, as did the charcoal. I'm thinking the milk acts as a universal conduit. It has water, so things mix in well, but the fat in the CM also allows for the Oxide to mix in well and stay suspended. 

Totally unscientific reasoning here, but it did work like a charm. I'm making at least two soaps this weekend and I'm going to try this method both times again. 

If you don't use milk in your soaps, then this won't help obviously. 

Just noticed the glycerin rivers at the end of your post, while I was looking at Earthen's great list of natural colorants. 

Glycerin rivers don't have to be caused by added glycerin. The soaping process will produce it's own glycerin. There is a belief that overheating can create rivers, probably why the video is saying that they weren't going to cover it. I'm more in the camp that it's related to the amount of water you use. I CPOP most of my soaps, and don't have the problem, so I lean more towards the theory of excess water.  There's a good test done on this somewhere on the web that I saw a while back. She did a split loaf, with a higher water content on one side of the loaf, but otherwise identical recipes. The heavier water side had lots of rivers.


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## Earthen_Step

From my experience with natural colors this is what I can come up with at the moment.  I have only done CP soaps, I add most at light trace with my EO blend.

*Black Walnut Hull Powder*: a nice tan to dark brown depending on amount  -- love it, fades some in sunlight.

*Cocoa*:  A nice tan to dark brown depending on the amount -- I like the look of it, but it bleeds a lot if you put much in.

*Activated Charcoal*: Deep rich black  -- a little goes a long way!  Bleeds a little in the water.

*Safflower Powder*: Yellow to orange/peach color with nice little specs  -- fades a bit in the sun.

*Dandelion Leaf*: Dark green with slight brown colors  -- fades to brown and loses most it's green in the sun.

*Burdock Leaf*: Same results as Dandelion leaf, just slightly darker.

*Red Sandlewood Powder*: Peachy Orange i'd call it, and fades some in the light.

*Paprikia*: Yellow to peachy orange color depending on amount -- This one seems to hold it's color really well from my experience.

*Turmeric*: Yellow/tanish -- I like to blend this in with browns and tans, it livens the color some.  Fades in the sun a bit.

*Indigo*: Grayish blue  -- holds its color decently in the sun.

*Annato Seed*: Infused olive oil 24 hours before use  -- deep orange color that holds up well.


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## JuneP

*Irish Lass soaps*

Oh my, they are gorgeous! The lavender and green are so relaxing to look at. Looks like a summer breeze to me. Might be a good soap name.

My next soap as soon as I can un-mold yesterdays, is going to be lavendar and those color of the lavendar and green are so scrumptious that I will try that combination, and maybe add a bit of pink for the grand daughter whose only color seems to be pink!  It is such a beautiful spring/summer combination. Really lovely!

I got some lavender buds to sprinkle on top and thought about putting some in the soap, but after seeing those gorgeous colors in your beautiful soap, I think it might ruin if if I put bud sin the body of the soap.

 Wonder if it would work to just put some in the bottom third of the white base only, then do a wire hanger swirl above that point. I guess I'll never know unless I try! Right?

June


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## JuneP

I just love your soap! The joy stamp with using mica is ingenious! And I love the idea of putting a positive word, or an aphorism on a bar of soap. And the etching is another  great idea. I've done that in pottery, but of course, it's great in soap as well.. I just never thought of it even though it's so obvious now that I see it! In pottery we call is sgraffito It really adds something lovely and special to your soap. 

I'll have to check out my pottery stamps. I have a bunch of them that I made from clay an then  bisque fired. Some may be suitable for stamping soap. I'll have to test them in my round molds. Another thing I recently found was some great textured buttons at a charity shop and I think they might work with your gold or other mica colors. I'm amazed at all the creative possibilities with soap making.

June


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## seven

i love using micas/oxides/pigments, and to be honest, i rarely measure.. just eyeballed them till i got the shade i wanted. this particular soap, the bottom part was using orange liquid colorant. while the top part, the white base is water dispersible TD, green apple mica, shamrock green mica, activated charcoal, and neon orange >>> mixed in oils first, except the charcoal (water).

then, i dipped my soap stamps in gold mica and stamp them (i'm a self confessed stamp addict!)


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## JuneP

Luscious colors and pattern. I'll have to check out soap stamps - another newly learned thing today!

June


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## jules92207

Beautiful soap, seven! I love the colors. I never think to use two different shades of the same color - nice!


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## IrishLass

Seven, I just can't get over how gorgeous that soap is! It brings me joy to just sit and gaze at it. 

Okay, here's another one, June:





Above: 2.2 lb batch Santa's Pipe FO (SweetCakes). The *red swirl* consists of 2/3 cup uncolored soap batter to which was added 1 dash (1/8 tsp.) + 1 pinch (1/16 tsp.) Colorana Bordeaux powdered mica (TKB) + 5 drops Tomato Red liquid colorant (TKB) which were mixed together with 1/2 tsp glycerin first to disperse. The *black swirl* consists of 2/3 cup uncolored batter + 1 dash (1/8 tsp.) + 1 smidge (1/32 tsp.) activated charcoal (BB) that was mixed in 1/2 tsp. glycerin first to disperse. The *remaining 5 2/3 cup of uncolored batter* was blended with 1 tsp. TD + 1/8 tsp Super Pearly White mica powder mixed with about 1 tsp. of my batch water first to disperse.

By the way, this soap happily does not bleed any colored lather at all, although one would think it would seeing as how the colors are so vivid.

Also- although the bars seem to look more yellowish toward their bottoms in this pic, they are actually off-white in real life. My camera lighting skills are not often the best they could be. The red and the black came out true-to-life in the pic, though.

As an aside, I used BCN's Vanila Stabilizer in this batch since this particular FO normally discolors to a medium tan for me. I kept a bar back for observational purposes, and the off-white coloring is still holding true a little over a year later now.


IrishLass 

Edited to add: June, the decorative 'etching' on the edges of my bars are actually a result of lining my mold with a Wilton's decorative silicone fondant mat (they make for great liners!).


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## jules92207

Gorgeous soap!!!


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## SoapinInAl

How do you get your edges so nicely beveled? I use a 36 bar mold from brambleberry. I am a beginner soap maker. I bevel mine with a potato peeler


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## IrishLass

SoapinInAl said:


> How do you get your edges so nicely beveled? I use a 36 bar mold from brambleberry. I am a beginner soap maker. I bevel mine with a potato peeler



I cut my soap by hand with my largest kitchen carving knife and then I bevel with a Japanese woodworking tool known as a 1/8" to 1/4" radius plane, made by Kauri. This is the one I have: 

http://www.japanwoodworker.com/product/156637/18--14-radius-plane--kakuri.aspx

I actually bought it at Lotioncrafter's of all places about 6 years ago or thereabouts. They billed it as their 'World's Best Soap Beveller' or something like that, and I have to say that it really makes for an awesome soap beveller. It's extremely well-crafted out of hard white oak with carbon steel blades that can be re-sharpened if need be (I haven't had to sharpen them at all in all the years I've had it, btw), and the thing seems to be built to last forever. 

Unfortunately, Lotioncrafters no longer sells it, but you can buy it from the Japanese Woodworker link I supplied above (I think they're located in West Virginia). The selling price seems to be about the same as what I paid for it at Lotioncrafters, which isn't cheap, but considering how well it's made/built to last, it's money very well-spent. They sell replacement blades there, too.

Lotioncrafters still has a PDF picture tutorial online that describes the planer and how to use it for beveling soap and how to adjust it, etc...: http://www.lotioncrafter.com/pdf/soap_beveller.pdf


It's funny, but when I bought it, I had no idea it was a high-quality Japanese woodworking tool. I only found that info out this past year when looking it up for another soap maker.


IrishLass


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## SoapinInAl

I make goat milk soap with coconut Shea palm almond and olive oil. I tried a colorant for the first time tonight. It was awful. It was from tkb in a small dropper bottle.  It didn't mix in well at all. I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to colorants. What should I use?


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## JuneP

*Wow!*

Wow! What amazing soaps. I'm wiped and getting ready for bed, so I'm coming back here tomorrow to re-read your posts and spend more time admiring these gorgeous soaps!

Irish Lass, just when I was wondering how you got that lovely edging, I came to the bottom of your note. I love that you are all giving us newbies some ideas about mixing colors. We have enough angst out of picking a singular color let alone mixing anything! So seeing your beautiful colors and knowing how you got them will give us more things to try. Thank you so much!

Now I did notice that you mixed some of those micas with glycerine, so did you cover that soap to get it to gel? I'm curious about how much glycerine and/or water has to be in the soap that it would make me decide to not cover it, but  refrigerate it instead. 

Those of us who are just starting soap making,  are probably making each soap so precious, that we're terrified of making a huge mistake. I'm sure this will lessen as we make more and more soaps! 

My cheese slicer/soap cutter won't be here for another 3 days or so, so tomorrow I'll be making pate instead of soap. But I've already decided to make a drop swirl with lavender EO next, using a couple of lavender, purples colorants and some pink and maybe a little bit of green to break up those other color, if I can figure out how to get light lime/soft avocado green (the color of the fruit not the skin). !

 I have chrome oxide, hydrated chrome, and another green which I believe is chrome as well (they just gave it a new name!)and I have yellow oxide.

Irish Lass, what vanilla stabilizer did you get. I saw the initials you gave but have no idea what company that is????? 

Anyone get lime by mixing chrome and yellow oxide????

Thanks again everybody!
Night all!
June


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## IrishLass

SoapinInAl said:


> I make goat milk soap with coconut Shea palm almond and olive oil. I tried a colorant for the first time tonight. It was awful. It was from tkb in a small dropper bottle. It didn't mix in well at all. I have no idea what I am doing when it comes to colorants. What should I use? View attachment 10975



SoapinInAl, what's the name of the colorant you used, and how much did you add?




			
				JuneP said:
			
		

> Now I did notice that you mixed some of those micas with glycerine, so did you cover that soap to get it to gel?



Yes- I covered my soap and stuck it in a pre-warmed 120F/49C oven to gel overnight. I turned the oven off as soon as it reached 120F/49C, by the way. I pretty much gel all my soaps this way, and I actually prefer gelled soaps as opposed to un-gelled soaps. I find that my colors come out much more brilliant/vibrant when soaps are gelled. If left un-gelled, that beautiful red in my Santa's Pipe soap pictured above would have turned out more on the dusty-mauve side (I tried un-gelling my soap with the same color combo once and that's how it came out- dusty-mauve instead of vibrant red).




			
				JuneP said:
			
		

> I'm curious about how much glycerine and/or water has to be in the soap that it would make me decide to not cover it, but refrigerate it instead.



I'm sorry, June- I'm not sure I understand your question? Can you elaborate? I'm just wondering because neither the glycerin amount nor the water amount have ever been determiners for me as to whether I decide to gel or not.




			
				JuneP said:
			
		

> Irish Lass, what vanilla stabilizer did you get. I saw the initials you gave but have no idea what company that is?????



I get mine from BCN, which stands for BitterCreekNorth: https://cart.candlesupply.com/Vanilla-Stabilizer-for-soap-pr-20326.html

HTH!
IrishLass


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## JuneP

*Question Irish Lass about this swirl*



IrishLass said:


> Seven, I just can't get over how gorgeous that soap is! It brings me joy to just sit and gaze at it.
> 
> Okay, here's another one, June:
> 
> PS: What kind of swirl is this? It's so pretty as is everything else about this soap!
> 
> June


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## JuneP

Irish Lass, the reason I asked is because a video I was watching on You tube, where the gal has used glycerine to mix her colors, she said she was not going to gel because she wanted to avoid glycerine rivers. So I was curious at what amount of glycerine puts you at risk of ruining your soap. 

Interesting technique of covering the soap and putting in an oven and turning off the heat when it reaches 120 degrees. Can I do that with any CP recipe or does the recipe have to be altered? I love the red you're getting, so I will definitely try those colorants in the future.

 I'm certainly getting a large file of colors and color combinations to try down the line, and enjoying all these gorgeous soaps you are all sharing with us.

June


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## IrishLass

JuneP said:


> PS: What kind of swirl is this? It's so pretty as is everything else about this soap!
> 
> June



It's a hanger swirl that I've nicknamed the 'Ione swirl' (after the soap-maker who's hanger swirl technique inspired me). See Ione's technique here: [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPSn56mdDvQ&list=UU-XsaFN7S6-887kNIUJfqQA[/ame] 

Basically what I did first was pour about 2/3rds of my white batter into my log mold.

Next, I lifted my cup of red batter up to a height of about 12" to 18" above my mold and poured most of it (except for a tablespoon or so) into the mold in a thin-streamed, back-and-forth, snake-like pattern from one long end of the mold to the other long end. (you'll see Ione do this in the above video)

Next, I poured all but a tablespoon of my black batter into my mold in the same manner as the red, except that instead of pouring it from one long end to the other in snake-like fashion, I poured it in the opposite direction, i.e., back and forth in snake-like fashion from short-side to short side all along the length of my mold, like how you see Ione do it in the video, only she takes it a step further than I did by changing directions near the end. I pretty much stuck to only pouring the black from side to side without changing directions. 

Next, I took my hanger (I use the same kind of regular, unmodified metal hanger that Ione uses in the video) and I maneuvered it through my batter exactly like Ione does in her video, no more, no less.

Next, I poured the remainder of my white batter into the mold in a snake-like pattern from one long end to the other, and then I drizzled the black and red on top in no particular pattern (I just basically glopped them on top in random fashion.)

Finally, I took a chopstick like you see Ione do near the end of her video, and I swirled on top with it in the same exact way as Ione does in her video, no more, no less.

And that was it! 




> Irish Lass, the reason I asked is because a video I was watching on You tube, where the gal has used glycerine to mix her colors, she said she was not going to gel because she wanted to avoid glycerine rivers. So I was curious at what amount of glycerine puts you at risk of ruining your soap.


 Ah, I see. Although I do get glycerin rivers from time to time, it's a very rare occurrence for me. The few times I have gotten them seemed to be caused more by my soap over-heating from a specific FO than by how much or how little water or glycerin I used. For what it's worth, though, I only use enough glycerin to liquefy my powdered colorants 'just so', usually anywhere from 1/2 tsp. to 1 tablespoon, depending on how much colorant I'm using. 



> Interesting technique of covering the soap and putting in an oven and turning off the heat when it reaches 120 degrees. Can I do that with any CP recipe or does the recipe have to be altered? I love the red you're getting, so I will definitely try those colorants in the future.


 You can do that with any CP recipe. The reason why I only go as high as 120F on the oven before turning it off is because I usually soap pretty warm to begin with (anywhere from 110F to 120F), and I don't want the soap to overheat during gel. I just add enough initial heat to get the ball rolling, so to speak.


 IrishLass


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## DeeAnna

Glycerin rivers don't have much to do with the glycerin in soap. A batch of soap isn't just one uniform thing, even though it might look that way. Instead, it is a mixture of different types of soap -- oleic, stearic, lauric, palmitic, etc. mixed with water, etc. 

As soap in a mold cools down slowly, the soaps that solidify at the highest temperatures will harden first -- this would be the stearic and palmitic soaps. These soaps make the whiter layers because any colorant is pushed out of the solidifying soap into areas that are still liquid. As the temperature goes still cooler, the still-liquid layers eventually harden trapping the colorant inside those layers.

This streaking or mottling or river-ing is more likely to happen when the soap is a high-water ("full" water) recipe, when the batter is poured into the mold at emulsification when the batter is very fluid, and when the molded soap is allowed to cool slowly. 

Although the common thinking is that allowing a soap to gel is the main cause of streaking, this isn't necessarily true. A soap that is poured at medium or heavy trace and allowed to gel most likely will not show any streaking. 

Colorants -- titanium dioxide (TD), etc. -- will make the streaking/mottling more obvious. Streaking can and does happen without colorants, however, but the pattern just won't be as visible. 

I did a nice beer soap recently using a technique and recipe that I've used before. Only difference is that I was experimenting with higher water content in the soap -- I used a 30% lye solution concentration vs. my usual 33% solution concentration. I didn't do CPOP, but the soap did gel, which often happens and that was fine with me. The whole soap shows streaking.


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## reinbeau

According to Auntie Clara, it has more to do with water discounting http://auntieclaras.com/2014/05/glycerine-rivers-secret-revealed/


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## girlishcharm2004

reinbeau said:


> According to Auntie Clara, it has more to do with water discounting http://auntieclaras.com/2014/05/glycerine-rivers-secret-revealed/



That was fascinating!  I have never had glycerin rivers and was confused when people talked about them.  I'm guessing it's because I've never added a ton of water to my soap.  I  assume people who are adding a lot of water are trying to slow down trace to work with fancy swirling techniques.


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## IrishLass

DeeAnna said:


> Although the common thinking is that allowing a soap to gel is the main cause of streaking, this isn't necessarily true. A soap that is poured at medium or heavy trace and allowed to gel most likely will not show any streaking.


 
 That may be a major factor in why I hardly ever see glycerin rivers in my soap, then. My usual M.O. is to pour at medium-to-heavy trace and to encourage gel.  But it's also a very rare occurrence in my higher-water soaps, too (28% - 31% lye solution), which makes me think that FO might have a part to play as well.


 IrishLass


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## shunt2011

I must be one of the lucky ones.  I frequently use higher water and pour at emusification.  I also soap RT and gel all my soaps and rarely get rivers.  Then only time I get rivers is if I use too much TD.   I hope the soaping gods keep it that way....


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## denisedh

*Love all the example soaps!*



jules92207 said:


> Gorgeous soap!!!



I am a brand new soaper and just want to thank all of you who contributed to this thread - especially sharing your tried and tested safe recipes.  It is a maze of soap out there when you're clueless like me!!

Thank you all!

Denise


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## DeeAnna

I'm pretty shy about sharing pics of my soaps, but here goes:

The first picture shows a beer soap with pencil lines made with cocoa and accents of gold mica. I was trying to imitate rock with gold ore in it. The bottom of the soap is lighter than the rest because I remembered to add my FO after I'd poured the first layer of "rock". Rather than scrape it out and start again, I just mixed the FO into the rest of the batter and kept going. The FO has vanillin in it, so it turns the soap a darker tan -- and now I know by how much!

Second one is my first fancy hanger swirl that actually went more or less as planned. The pinky color is rose (or pink) kaolin clay. The brown is cocoa. To get these colors, I added about 5 g (maybe 1/2 to 1 tsp) of each colorant to about 200 g of soap batter. I'd want to practice more before I could say I really know how to this kind of stuff. I still feel like a kid just barely able to ride a bicycle without training wheels.

The third picture is my gardener's soap. It's all one recipe of soap. Half of the batter got fine coffee grounds stirred in. That is the bottom layer. I followed that with a cocoa pencil line, and finished the soap by adding with plain batter on top. I really like this one. It works pretty well for grubby hands -- you can scrub with the coffee side or not as you wish.

The last picture is the only batch of salt bars I made early on in my soaping misadventures. The orange color is ground paprika dusted over the soap batter. This picture shows the bottom of the bar -- I like this tone-on-tone look, but it was pure accident. The light speckles are salt grains and the smaller dark speckles are paprika. The top looks more like deviled eggs with too much paprika -- I got a little heavy handed with the decorating. Less is more, DeeAnna ... less is more!


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## JustBeachy

Typical engineer. Probably had a magnifying glass out looking for structural defects. 

Not sure why you're being shy DeeAnna. Those are great looking soaps. I really like the Gardeners soap and, of course, the salt soap.


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## DeeAnna

"...typical engineer..."

Yeah, you nailed it, pardner. Too many unknown variables, too much randomness, too much Murphy's law. Stuff like that....! 

But it's good for me. And I'm learning to like "going with the flow" more than I usually do. Soaping, like most good hobbies, teaches a person about more than just how to soap.


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## CaraBou

The gold ore soap is really cool!  I wouldn't have guessed it's a beer soap with how light it is.  Must be a light beer, eh?  :razz: And from a big scale commercial brewery (Bud Light, Miller Lite, etc), as opposed to a microbrew?


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## osso

DeeAnna, I love your soaps, especially the gold rush. Neat effect.

I have also found the glycerin rivers to occur mostly with a heavy hand on the TD.


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## DeeAnna

Hey, CaraBou -- The beer was cheep stuff, but def not "lite" since DH won't allow that junk in the house. I used regular Miller, Bud, Hamm's, or something like that. I simmer it down to about 1/2 the original amount and use it for 100% of the water, but the light-colored stuff still stays light even when boiled down. I've used heavier beers in other batches. The soap is darker and has a more obvious hoppy smell. I'd think a "gold ore" soap would get some interest in your neck of the woods, maybe?

I like the "rock" design -- it's very forgiving and works great when my soap is getting thick and pudding-y. As it often is when I'm not really, really, really careful. :shifty:

Osso -- Actually the Gold Rush (rock) soap has a fine pattern of "rivers" in it, but you can't see them unless you look really close in the right light. It's more of a textural thing in this soap. No TD -- just beer.


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## JuneP

Thanks to everyone contributing to this thread. My computer's been acting up the past two days (just crawling along badly!). But I have checked out the videos posted. The one link didn't work, but I found more of her videos to watch the technique. I also appreciated the link about the glycerin rivers being caused by too much water; and found that very interesting. 
It's been hard finding time to post the last couple of days, but I have been reading the posts and watching more swirling videos and doing some other soap related things like doing a bit more organizing of my materials which meant moving some kitchen things to other areas. My last order of scents has arrived, so now I just have to make the time to get another soap made. I've decided to try a mantra swirl next and today I got some cardboard cut out to make and brace sections in the mold. Instead of the lavender soap I wanted to make next, I think I may go with the amazing mango papaya fragrance that just arrived. It smells good enough to eat; but first, I have to re-check on what if any vanilla is in there and see if it will work to give me a light colored soap that would work with some tropical colors like peach/apricot, a bit of light, warm green and maybe some yellow. I'll do more homework in the morning and see if I have the colors to get what I want and if that fragrance will work without an discoloration. Otherwise, I'll go back to square one and do the lavender soap, since I do have the colorants for that one. So many ideas and so much to learn!


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## CaraBou

DeeAnna said:


> I used regular Miller, Bud, Hamm's, or something like that... I'd think a "gold ore" soap would get some interest in your neck of the woods, maybe?



Hamms?  Land-of-sky-blue-water Hamms??  With the black bear???  I didn't know it still existed!  I remember my dad drinking it when I was a kid growing up in South Dakota.  We had a couple "scenic" metal serving trays that would likely be collector's items today. My DH, who is now a pretty serious homebrewer, grew up in PA and has never even heard of it.  DeeAnna, you are likely right, Hamm's (or other) gold ore beer soap would sell like hot cakes up here in Alaska!  I like that whatever beer you used doesn't discolor the batter -- or the taint the fragrance.  

JuneP ~ sorry for the sidetrack 

I'm partial to natural colorants (like many beers), though recently I've branched out with micas and other great colorants.  But since we've touched the subject of beer, I'll mention that they give shades of browns that are more-or-less tied to the shade of the beer.  So light colored beers give light colored soaps, while darker beers yield correspondingly darker soaps.  And here's a useful tip: when you use dark beer in a soap, it is a great opportunity to use a fragrance oil containing  a relatively high amount of vanillin (vanilla), which will discolor your soap to some shade of brown anyway.  It's an old soaper's trick of working with your ingredients rather than against them.  Here's a golden-ish colored "bitter ale" that I soaped last spring to show a nice shade you can get:


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## Captain_Potbelly

HEY! I NEED TO TELL THE WORLD! :wave:

I managed to mix the most amazing purple by mistake! I accidentally dropped some red mica in my ultramarine mix.

I usually mix 3 ml of ultramarine violet with 0,05 ml of ultramarine blue and this gives a nice lilac color. Mixing this blend with red mica and about about 2*0,05 ml more of ultramarine blue produced the perfect purple in my book!! The one i've been whining about. (IE 0,5ml red mica + 3 ml of ultramarine violet + 3*0,05 ml of ultramarine blue)

I was soooo happy i started jumping up and down! Unfortunately this happened when i had finished pouring my main batter, so i over-filled the mold with the new color and went completely mental! 

I will not rest until i have re-created this.


----------



## jules92207

That looks beautiful!


----------



## CaraBou

Captain_Potbelly said:


> I will not rest until i have re-created this.



I never really know whether to be happy or sad when I see this happen to a fellow addict, but in this case (for the Perfect Purple) I am happy


----------



## JuneP

Captain_Potbelly said:


> HEY! I NEED TO TELL THE WORLD! :wave:
> 
> I managed to mix the most amazing purple by mistake! I accidentally dropped some red mica in my ultramarine mix.
> 
> I usually mix 3 ml of ultramarine violet with 0,05 ml of ultramarine blue and this gives a nice lilac color. Mixing this blend with red mica and about about 2*0,05 ml more of ultramarine blue produced the perfect purple in my book!! The one i've been whining about. (IE 0,5ml red mica + 3 ml of ultramarine violet + 3*0,05 ml of ultramarine blue)



Can you explain what 2*9,05 means? I'm making my first lavender EO soap later this morning using, I hope, the feathered mantra swirl technique, and I want it to have white, lilac, and a purple I have both the ultramarine colors you mentioned and I may have some red mica; but I have no idea what those figures mean. There are so man abbreviations that experienced soapers use that we newbies are clueless about figuring them out!  Maybe we need someone to post something in a permanent files of all of these abbreviations. Any volunteers?


----------



## DeeAnna

2*0,05 ml
means
2 times 0.05 milliliters = 0.10 milliliters

Captain is using a comma (,) as his decimal point. In the US, we use the period (.) instead.

He is also using an asterisk (*) as the multiplication symbol. That's becoming more and more common, since the * for multiplication is used in spreadsheets and computer programming. I have to remember to use the "X" symbol here on SMF for multiplication, because I normally use a "*" symbol too.


----------



## JuneP

*Thanks DeAnna*

Thanks DeeAnna for clarifying that. I had no idea!

June


----------



## IrishLass

Ditto what June said^^^^. Thank you DeeAnna! 


 IrishLass


----------



## Captain_Potbelly

JuneP said:


> Can you explain what 2*9,05 means? I'm making my first lavender EO soap later this morning using, I hope, the feathered mantra swirl technique, and I want it to have white, lilac, and a purple I have both the ultramarine colors you mentioned and I may have some red mica; but I have no idea what those figures mean. There are so man abbreviations that experienced soapers use that we newbies are clueless about figuring them out!  Maybe we need someone to post something in a permanent files of all of these abbreviations. Any volunteers?





DeeAnna said:


> 2*0,05 ml
> means
> 2 times 0.05 milliliters = 0.10 milliliters
> 
> Captain is using a comma (,) as his decimal point. In the US, we use the period (.) instead.
> 
> He is also using an asterisk (*) as the multiplication symbol. That's becoming more and more common, since the * for multiplication is used in spreadsheets and computer programming. I have to remember to use the "X" symbol here on SMF for multiplication, because I normally use a "*" symbol too.



That is absolutely right. Thank you so much for explaining (alot better than i could have)!

I will try to keep this in mind and use "." and "X".
I have a tiny measuring spoon that hold 0.05 ml and it looks like this. I find it's really helpful when working with pigments.


----------



## JuneP

*For Irish Lass*

Irish Lass, 

Two questions came up for me, first about the putting the soap in the preheated 200F oven, then turning it off and leaving overnight. Is that low enough for me to put in my silicone mold? I notice other people go higher(170F) which they say won't work with the silicone molds.

I was also wondering what exactly you do with the fondant mat. Do you cut a piece off and just line only the bottom of the mold or do you line the whole mold? If you line the whole mold is there a trick to get a proper fit? 

I love the idea of getting some textured pattern on the soap as part of the design element. It's really pretty!

June



IrishLass said:


> Hi June!
> 
> I'll help start things off by sharing some of my soap photos and then describe how I achieved the colors:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Above: 2.2 lb. batch of Blackberry Sage. Colored my entire base batter (7 cups worth) with 1 1/4 tsp. TD. The green consists of 1 smidge (i.e., 1/32 tsp) UM Green powder (WSP) mixed with just enough glycerin to disperse the powder, and then added to 1 cup of my TD-whitened batter. The purple consists of 1/4 tsp. Fired-Up Fuschia powdered pigment (BB) blended with 1/4 tsp. Ultraviolet Blue powdered pigment (BB) and mixed with just enough Fractionated Coconut Oil to disperse, and then added to 1 cup of my TD-whitened batter. The 5 remaining cups of my TD-whitened base batter were then mixed with 1/8 tsp Super Pearly White Mica (BB) mixed with a little glycerin first to disperse.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Above: 1.2 lb batch Holiday Sparkle. The gold consists of 1/4 cup uncolored soap batter mixed with 1 pinch (i.e. 1/16 tsp) + 1 dash (i.e. 1/8 tsp) 24K gold mica (OT) mixed in a little glycerin first to disperse. The purple consists of 1/2 cup uncolored soap batter mixed with 1 dash (i.e., 1/8 tsp) Fired-Up Fuschia powdered pigment (BB) + 1 dash (i.e., 1/8 tsp) Ultraviolet Blue powdered pigment (BB) + 1 smidge (i.e., 1/32 tsp) activated charcoal (BB) mixed with a little glycerin first to disperse. The remaining soap batter (3 cups worth) was then mixed with 1 tsp. TD that was mixed with a little glycerin first to disperse.
> 
> The Joy stamp was dipped in gold mica before I stamped the soap.
> 
> I'll try and add more later.
> 
> IrishLass


----------



## hud

Captain_Potbelly said:


> HEY! I NEED TO TELL THE WORLD! :wave:
> 
> I managed to mix the most amazing purple by mistake! I accidentally dropped some red mica in my ultramarine mix.
> 
> I usually mix 3 ml of ultramarine violet with 0,05 ml of ultramarine blue and this gives a nice lilac color. Mixing this blend with red mica and about about 2*0,05 ml more of ultramarine blue produced the perfect purple in my book!! The one i've been whining about. (IE 0,5ml red mica + 3 ml of ultramarine violet + 3*0,05 ml of ultramarine blue)
> 
> I was soooo happy i started jumping up and down! Unfortunately this happened when i had finished pouring my main batter, so i over-filled the mold with the new color and went completely mental!
> 
> I will not rest until i have re-created this.



Very nice purple . Congratulations!
I should try it.
Here are more ways to have purple color, 
 -The combination of ultramarine blue and bubblegum pigment, mix extra and save the leftovers for the next batch.
- Mix ultramarine blue with fired up fuchsia gives a very nice shade of purple.
- Homemade soap Decadence uses TD to get rid of the yellowish color then she adds purple.


----------



## IrishLass

JuneP said:


> Irish Lass,
> Two questions came up for me, first about the putting the soap in the preheated 200F oven, then turning it off and leaving overnight



I think you meant to say 120F, not 200F (I only pre-heat to 120F). 



JuneP said:


> Is that low enough for me to put in my silicone mold? I notice other people go higher(170F) which they say won't work with the silicone molds.



You may have to check and see what temps your particular silicone is rated at, but 120F works fine with all my silicone, except for my Essential Depot silicone molds. Every time I CPOP at 120F with the Essential Depot molds, I end up with bubbling on the surfaces of my soap that directly touched the sides and bottom of the mold. It's the only silicone that does this to me. All my other silicone (i.e., the silicone fondant mats and also my Woodfield's silicone mold liner) are perfectly fine being CPOPed at 120F without causing any weird issues at all. 




JuneP said:


> I was also wondering what exactly you do with the fondant mat. Do you cut a piece off and just line only the bottom of the mold or do you line the whole mold? If you line the whole mold is there a trick to get a proper fit?



I measure out and cut my fondant mat in individual, separate pieces to fit each side of my mold(s). They are amazingly easy to cut. When I soap with my log mold, I put one in the bottom, and then I tack one to each of the long sides with vaseline so they stay in place, but on the two opposite ends I line with heat-resistant mylar instead because I like the faces of all my log bars to to remain smooth.

When I use my slab mold, I only line the bottom with the fondant mat and use the mylar for each of the remaining sides.

I never lay the mats on top of my soap batter, though, btw. I tried it once, but it didn't turn out well at all. What I like to do instead is wait until I've unmolded and cut my soap into bars, and then I immediately take a piece of the fondant mat and use it like a stamp of sorts by pressing the raised design of the mat into the top of each bar. It works great as long as I do it immediately after unmoolding/cutting while the soap is still soft.


 IrishLass


----------



## hud

Spazzmatazz said:


> I want to make soap in the shape of a harmonica.  Does anyone know how to do that?


You can make your own mold , Cathy in soaping 101 made a silicon mold her idea is nice.
I have another link similar to Cathy's with some twist.
I 'll post it for you.


----------



## hud

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.581228291892847.151296.153236471358700&type=3


----------



## The Efficacious Gentleman

HUD, they were banned and their posts deleted


----------



## hud

Thank you Gentleman.


----------



## JuneP

*Thanks Irish Lass*

Oops! I did mean 120F!  Looks like I need to do a better job proof reading my posts before I hit send!

My  silicone mold is the Crafters Choice one with the reinforced sides, but  I couldn't find a temperature rating for it. It does look pretty sturdy  though. I also have one of the Essential Depot larger molds that fits  into their metal baskets; but I haven't used that one yet. It's good to  know that it won't work for CPOP. I'll check out the silicone mold  you're using and put it on my "wish list". 

Thanks also, for the  detailed instruction on how to use the fondant mat. I looked for it at  Michaels Craft store. I was hoping they'd have it since I had a 40% off  coupon, but I didn't see it there. That's another thing for my "wish  list". 

Thanks so much for all your help as always, not just for me but for all the other newbies who have so much to learn!




IrishLass said:


> I think you meant to say 120F, not 200F (I only pre-heat to 120F).
> 
> 
> 
> You may have to check and see what temps your particular silicone is rated at, but 120F works fine with all my silicone, except for my Essential Depot silicone molds. Every time I CPOP at 120F with the Essential Depot molds, I end up with bubbling on the surfaces of my soap that directly touched the sides and bottom of the mold. It's the only silicone that does this to me. All my other silicone (i.e., the silicone fondant mats and also my Woodfield's silicone mold liner) are perfectly fine being CPOPed at 120F without causing any weird issues at all.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I measure out and cut my fondant mat in individual, separate pieces to fit each side of my mold(s). They are amazingly easy to cut. When I soap with my log mold, I put one in the bottom, and then I tack one to each of the long sides with vaseline so they stay in place, but on the two opposite ends I line with heat-resistant mylar instead because I like the faces of all my log bars to to remain smooth.
> 
> When I use my slab mold, I only line the bottom with the fondant mat and use the mylar for each of the remaining sides.
> 
> I never lay the mats on top of my soap batter, though, btw. I tried it once, but it didn't turn out well at all. What I like to do instead is wait until I've unmolded and cut my soap into bars, and then I immediately take a piece of the fondant mat and use it like a stamp of sorts by pressing the raised design of the mat into the top of each bar. It works great as long as I do it immediately after unmoolding/cutting while the soap is still soft.
> 
> 
> IrishLass


----------



## Purplerain

Irishlass, I notice that sometimes you whiten your batter with td and then add your colourant, mica or whatever, and sometimes you don't. I am just starting to use micas and oxides for the first time and I'm curious about this. Why do you choose to do one or the other?


----------



## JuneP

*Irish Lass's Joy Stamp*

Irish Lass, I meant to ask you about that Joy stamps months ago. Can you tell me where you purchased it. I love the idea of stamping some of my soaps with JOY! 

I've tried to find that on one line but none of them are as nice as yours.

June



IrishLass said:


> Hi June!
> 
> I'll help start things off by sharing some of my soap photos and then describe how I achieved the colors:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Above: 2.2 lb. batch of Blackberry Sage. Colored my entire base batter (7 cups worth) with 1 1/4 tsp. TD. The green consists of 1 smidge (i.e., 1/32 tsp) UM Green powder (WSP) mixed with just enough glycerin to disperse the powder, and then added to 1 cup of my TD-whitened batter. The purple consists of 1/4 tsp. Fired-Up Fuschia powdered pigment (BB) blended with 1/4 tsp. Ultraviolet Blue powdered pigment (BB) and mixed with just enough Fractionated Coconut Oil to disperse, and then added to 1 cup of my TD-whitened batter. The 5 remaining cups of my TD-whitened base batter were then mixed with 1/8 tsp Super Pearly White Mica (BB) mixed with a little glycerin first to disperse.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Above: 1.2 lb batch Holiday Sparkle. The gold consists of 1/4 cup uncolored soap batter mixed with 1 pinch (i.e. 1/16 tsp) + 1 dash (i.e. 1/8 tsp) 24K gold mica (OT) mixed in a little glycerin first to disperse. The purple consists of 1/2 cup uncolored soap batter mixed with 1 dash (i.e., 1/8 tsp) Fired-Up Fuschia powdered pigment (BB) + 1 dash (i.e., 1/8 tsp) Ultraviolet Blue powdered pigment (BB) + 1 smidge (i.e., 1/32 tsp) activated charcoal (BB) mixed with a little glycerin first to disperse. The remaining soap batter (3 cups worth) was then mixed with 1 tsp. TD that was mixed with a little glycerin first to disperse.
> 
> The Joy stamp was dipped in gold mica before I stamped the soap.
> 
> I'll try and add more later.
> 
> IrishLass


----------



## IrishLass

Hi June! I really like that Joy stamp, too. I don't know if this will help or not, but for what it's worth, I bought it at Michaels craft store about 5 years ago or so as part of a boxed set of 36 Christmas stamps and 3 ink pads. I found it down their scrapbooking aisle around autumn-time. On the back of the box, it says, 'Distributed by Michaels Stores, Inc.' 


IrishLass


----------



## Susie

I want to know what you do to the sides to get that awesome pattern.


----------



## rparrny

Susie said:


> I want to know what you do to the sides to get that awesome pattern.


Ooo oo oo {raising hand}! I know the answer to that question cause I asked the same thing a while ago...
Those are silicone mats (for fondant) I think that she got at Michaels and cut to line her mold...


----------



## IrishLass

What Rparrny said^^^^.  


IrishLass


----------



## Susie

Awesome!


----------



## JuneP

Thanks so much! I'll check out Michaels and also Ebay. I just love the idea of putting Joy in the soap in more than one way! 



IrishLass said:


> Hi June! I really like that Joy stamp, too. I don't know if this will help or not, but for what it's worth, I bought it at Michaels craft store about 5 years ago or so as part of a boxed set of 36 Christmas stamps and 3 ink pads. I found it down their scrapbooking aisle around autumn-time. On the back of the box, it says, 'Distributed by Michaels Stores, Inc.'
> 
> 
> IrishLass


----------



## SunRiseArts

OMG Irishlass, your soap is gorgeous!  I know you mention you dip the stamp in the gold, but do you spray your stamp with alcohol, or nothing at all?

Personally I like using baby food to tint my batter, and then use micas for the swirl.  I put the mica directly on the batter, and shamelessly I also eyeball it.


I have a question. I am planning my Christmas soaps. I want to make them in September so they have a long curing time.

What would you say is the best red colorant for CP? One that would give you intensity of color?


----------



## Relle

SRA - This is the colour I use for red (scroll down) http://www.heirloombodycare.com.au/colourants/liquid-soap-colour
and add some red reef clay to it. http://shop.newdirections.com.au/epages/newdirections.sf/en_AU/?ObjectID=42261
Makes it into a rich red/burgundy shade.

Christmas soaps with the red in them. (extra one at the bottom of the page).
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=48513


----------



## cobbsie

I think seeing this thread has answered a question....my coloured sections solidify slower and in not keen on the texture. It looks like I may be using too much! My lovely blue and yellow swirl is fab but makes distinctly yellow bubbles and the last one I did with dark blue has left a stain on my ha d after washing some of the soap batter out of a jug and some slooshing into my glove. 

I have been putting a whole teaspoon into the colours and wondering why they don't mix with a teaspoon or two of oil  

Less is more....less is more!


----------



## penelopejane

When people say 1 tsp they might be saying 1 tsp ppo - depending on the colour) So if you are making a swirl using 300g of batter that's only about 250g of oil and requires only 1/4 tsp of colour.


----------



## SunRiseArts

Relle said:


> SRA - This is the colour I use for red (scroll down) http://www.heirloombodycare.com.au/colourants/liquid-soap-colour
> and add some red reef clay to it. http://shop.newdirections.com.au/epages/newdirections.sf/en_AU/?ObjectID=42261
> Makes it into a rich red/burgundy shade.
> 
> Christmas soaps with the red in them. (extra one at the bottom of the page).
> http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=48513


 
Thank you so much! And your soap is GORGEOUS!  Specially the second one!

So I am guessing the liquid red is glycerin based?  Maybe is like the fun color from NG.


----------



## Relle

SunRiseArts said:


> Thank you so much! And your soap is GORGEOUS!  Specially the second one!
> 
> So I am guessing the liquid red is glycerin based?  Maybe is like the fun color from NG.



As far as I know, I don't think it is glycerin based, it's very watery. I have know idea about NG's colours. I get all mine from here in Oz.


----------



## IrishLass

SunRiseArts said:


> OMG Irishlass, your soap is gorgeous! I know you mention you dip the stamp in the gold, but do you spray your stamp with alcohol, or nothing at all?
> 
> What would you say is the best red colorant for CP? One that would give you intensity of color?


 
You'll have to forgive me- I didn't see this post until just now!

After I stamp, I just give it a single spritz with alcohol and call it done.

As for a red colorant, I can't say which is the best because I only have experience with a few, but for what it's worth, my go-to red that has never failed me is a mix of Colorana Bordeaux mica from TKP Trading and Tomato Red liquid colorant, also from TKB Trading, which you can see in this soap: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showpost.php?p=475650&postcount=13. I mix the two together with some glycerin before adding to my batch. I only swirl with it, though. I tried coloring my whole batch with it once and it turned my shower into the scene from Psycho....well, that's probably a bit of an exaggeration, but it did turn my lather quite pink.  When I only swirl with it, my suds stay white. 


IrishLass


----------



## ibct1969

Boy, I just never stop learning new things on this forum... just wanted to lay that one down.


----------



## SunRiseArts

IrishLass said:


> You'll have to forgive me- I didn't see this post until just now!
> 
> After I stamp, I just give it a single spritz with alcohol and call it done.
> 
> As for a red colorant, I can't say which is the best because I only have experience with a few, but for what it's worth, my go-to red that has never failed me is a mix of Colorana Bordeaux mica from TKP Trading and Tomato Red liquid colorant, also from TKB Trading, which you can see in this soap: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showpost.php?p=475650&postcount=13. I mix the two together with some glycerin before adding to my batch. I only swirl with it, though. I tried coloring my whole batch with it once and it turned my shower into the scene from Psycho....well, that's probably a bit of an exaggeration, but it did turn my lather quite pink.  When I only swirl with it, my suds stay white.
> 
> 
> IrishLass


 

Yes! That is the red I want! I will check that supplier   Plus again gorgeous soap.

Also, you do not spray your stamp with alcohol then? That is what I was asking ...  you dip your stamp in dry mica?  Sorry, I probably sound dumb ...


----------



## IrishLass

SunRiseArts said:


> .
> 
> Also, you do not spray your stamp with alcohol then? That is what I was asking ... you dip your stamp in dry mica? Sorry, I probably sound dumb ...


 
Yes- I dip my stamp in dry mica (the stamp is dry, too). Then after I stamp my soap, I give it just one spritz of alcohol and call it done.


IrishLass


----------



## SunRiseArts

I have a question related to colorants.  Have anyone ever pour on CP batch color straight out of the bottle?  (Like the red colorant suggested by Relle and IrishLass).

I mean not mixing it with the batch, but just a line straight of the bottle on the top.  Kind of what saponista did with the gold in the May challenge, but inside the middle of the batter.


----------



## artemis

SunRiseArts said:


> I have a question related to colorants.  Have anyone ever pour on CP batch color straight out of the bottle?  (Like the red colorant suggested by Relle and IrishLass).
> 
> I mean not mixing it with the batch, but just a line straight of the bottle on the top.  Kind of what saponista did with the gold in the May challenge, but inside the middle of the batter.



You mean, like a mica swirl on top, only inside the soap? I think I remember this coming up before. When I have done the mica on top, the oil absorbed, leaving the mica AND a depression in the top of my soap. That makes me think it might leave a cavity in the soap if you tried it inside? If I had any lye today, I'd be inclined to experiment.


----------



## Kittish

SunRiseArts said:


> I have a question related to colorants.  Have anyone ever pour on CP batch color straight out of the bottle?  (Like the red colorant suggested by Relle and IrishLass).
> 
> I mean not mixing it with the batch, but just a line straight of the bottle on the top.  Kind of what saponista did with the gold in the May challenge, but inside the middle of the batter.



I tried it with ultramarine blue in olive oil with my first attempt at a blue lace agate soap. I don't yet know how it worked, not yet able to cut it. I didn't try to get much in the way of particles, just those that had stayed suspended in the oil after it had sat for half an hour or so. I also drizzled some on top and made a swirly, it didn't leave indentions as deep as I've seen from mica in oil.


----------



## SunRiseArts

artemis said:


> You mean, like a mica swirl on top, only inside the soap? I think I remember this coming up before. When I have done the mica on top, the oil absorbed, leaving the mica AND a depression in the top of my soap. That makes me think it might leave a cavity in the soap if you tried it inside? If I had any lye today, I'd be inclined to experiment.


 
Is not a mica colorant, is the one suspended in glycerin


----------



## dixiedragon

SunRiseArts said:


> Is not a mica colorant, is the one suspended in glycerin


 
I've tried what I think you're describing. I was using a column mold. I mixed the mica with olive oil and poured some soap, then dripped some color, then soap, etc, then I did 1 stir to try to get a swirl, not to blend. It didn't really work - when I sliced the soap the oil droplets just fell out, leaving a little hole in the soap.


----------



## artemis

SunRiseArts said:


> Is not a mica colorant, is the one suspended in glycerin



It comes that way? Like, you buy it already suspended in glycerin? I'm sorry-- I'm not quite following. ETA: I followed the links, but I didn't see where it said they were suspended in glycerin. Sorry-- I've never worked with liquid colors like those.


----------



## SunRiseArts

Yes, it comes that way artemis!  Thanks Dixie dragon, that is what I was thinking of doing.  But I guess I mix it with some batter to make my line. I do not want my batch to be damage.

Artemis the fun colorants from NG are suspended in glycerin,  This is what I have, as suggested by Irish Lass

http://www.tkbtrading.com/item.php?item_id=199


----------



## DeeAnna

A time or two, I mixed mica with glycerin, drizzled this "syrup" over a cocoa pencil line, and then poured more soap batter over the pencil line to complete the soap. My goal was to make a soap that looked something vaguely like rock with a line of "ore" flecked with "gold" within the soap. 

It was a nice idea that didn't work out so good. Like Dixie reported, the drizzles of "syrup" within the soap leaked out after I cut the bars, leaving small holes within the pencil line and smears of mica on the cut surfaces of the bars. Even if the glycerin didn't leak out, it would eventually absorb into the soap and still leave a cavity. 

The effect was less than spectacular. :think: 

I now only use this "syrup" on top of my soap, so the cavities left behind where the glycerin used to be will create interesting texture and color accents on top.


----------



## artemis

DeeAnna said:


> :
> 
> I now only use this "syrup" on top of my soap, so the cavities left behind where the glycerin used to be will create interesting texture and color accents on top.



When I made such a syrup and drizzled it on top, it beaded up before I could swirl it.


----------



## DeeAnna

Yes, it will bead up, but it still works. Also, try to drizzle the syrup as thinly as you can, but I know that can be hard. I use a little disposable pipette. If drizzling is tough, try dropping small droplets here and there as best you can. Use a chopstick to lightly swirl through the top 1/8 to 1/4 inch (2 mm to 4 mm) of the soap batter. The chopstick will pull the syrup into pretty curves and puddles. Stop when you get the look you want -- don't fiddle too much. 

After saponification, the glycerin syrup might still be a liquid on top of the soap but give it a few days -- the glycerin will gradually soak into the soap. What used to be beads and lines of wet syrup will be small, dry grooves and cavities in the top of the soap. These grooves and cavities will be coated with the colorant you put in the syrup. 

I don't have a super nice photo of how this looks on a cured bar of soap. Here's the best I can do on short notice -- it's not the prettiest example of what I've done with this technique. The top of the lower bar has the clearest examples of this mica swirl -- look on the right side of the top. I should have used more syrup to get more of these little flecks.


----------



## artemis

DeeAnna said:


> Yes, it will bead up, but it still works. Also, try to drizzle the syrup as thinly as you can, but I know that can be hard. I use a little disposable pipette. If drizzling is tough, try dropping small droplets here and there as best you can.



I'll have to try it again. I've had success with mica in oil for swirls on the top, so I never tried it with glycerin again.


----------



## SunRiseArts

whoa DeAnna, thank you!


----------



## isha

Had anyone tries using food colouring..??  I know they morph n change colour over time..  They also change colour during mixing..  But this is what I have used so far. I couldn't get my hand on mica..  Have ordered n waiting for delivery






Had anyone tries using food colouring..??  I know they morph n change colour over time..  They also change colour during mixing..  But this is what I have used so far. I couldn't get my hand on mica..  Have ordered n waiting for delivery ￼ 

Would love to have your views on my soaps. View attachment 26902


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## jcandleattic

curaherbal said:


> Had anyone tries using food colouring..??  I know they morph n change colour over time..  They also change colour during mixing..  But this is what I have used so far. I couldn't get my hand on mica..  Have ordered n waiting for delivery



The  problem with food coloring in the United States is it is not FDA regulated as skin safe, so for those who sell, they cannot legally use it.


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## isha

I spoke to one of the cosmetic manufacturer.  Here.  N he suggested to use food coloring n mix it with TD so they stick n don't morph...  Not sure how far tats true... 
I has used liquid colors n they changed..


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## SunRiseArts

no no no to food coloring ......  JMHO.....


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## shunt2011

Not me either. Not approved for use by the FDA for our use


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