Adding mica powder to hp soap

[Tara08]

Hello!
I have been making hp for a few months now, but an still trying to figure out what the best method is to add mica powder to my soap. I have tried a few different ways, just wondering what others thoughts or experiences have been. Thanks!!

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Was hoping someone else would chime in; it's been a long time since I made HP soap. As I remember, I added color at the end, after the cook. I mixed my colorant, whether mica or pigment, with a little olive oil - about 1 teaspoon of colorant to 1 tablespoon of oil. I used a small whisk to make sure the color was well dispersed in the oil. I would add this to my cooked soap. If I wanted a light shade, I would add 1/2 tsp of the color mix at a time, until I was happy with the color. Of course, with HP, one has to work quickly. Hope this helps.

 

[Tara08]

Thank you for your response! It seems most people cp on here, which is cool. I figure the the methods are similar hp or cp, maybe I'm wrong. I tried dispersing it in a little bit of sweet almond in a batch I made this morning. I actually have never tried this way, I think I felt like the extra oil might be too much since it's after the cook. I guess a couple extra teaspoons or so won't make a difference? I usually put my mica directly into my soap and carefully spritz with a little alcohol which begins the dispersing and it seems pretty ok, I just sometimes don't get it completely mixed in. Mixing with oil was fine, it's just also extra mixing cups I have to clean up. I tried a new color, a light orange, morphed to a nothing color. So I added some more of darker shade, can you added too much mica? By the end of it, I have added double the amount. It seems fine right now, it's still the mold though.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Thank you for your response! It seems most people cp on here, which is cool. I figure the the methods are similar hp or cp, maybe I'm wrong. I tried dispersing it in a little bit of sweet almond in a batch I made this morning. I actually have never tried this way, I think I felt like the extra oil might be too much since it's after the cook. I guess a couple extra teaspoons or so won't make a difference? I usually put my mica directly into my soap and carefully spritz with a little alcohol which begins the dispersing and it seems pretty ok, I just sometimes don't get it completely mixed in. Mixing with oil was fine, it's just also extra mixing cups I have to clean up. I tried a new color, a light orange, morphed to a nothing color. So I added some more of darker shade, can you added too much mica? By the end of it, I have added double the amount. It seems fine right now, it's still the mold though.

Adding the colorant mixed with oil at the end just increases the superfat % a bit. You can compensate by lowering your superfat % a bit in the calculation for lye. If you're planning to use it all in one go, you can just pull out a tablespoon of oil from your mixed oils to mix with the colorant. I now keep pre-mixed colorant in the fridge in small bottles. When I'm getting ready to soap, I pull them out, microwave them for a second or two to liquify the oil completely and stir well. I've started using SF %s of 2-3%, so I don't worry too much about the added oil now.

 

[Tara08]

Oh! Great idea!! What exactly does the refrigeration do? It is for the shelf life of the oil?

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Oh! Great idea!! What exactly does the refrigeration do? It is for the shelf life of the oil?

Yes, to extend the shelf life of the oil.