Before I buy, a question on colorants

[John Harris]

I'm looking to build a repertoire of soap colors. I notice that they are water based (the oxides & ultramarines) and oil based (the micas).

Is there one you prefer over the other? And Why?

 

[lenarenee]

I prefer micas; they are generally easier to mix and the colors more true, or cleaner. I like my colorants to work like crayons; what I see is what I get. I buy from Nurture because a huge portion of their micas do exactly that; however a few greens tend to temporarily morph, and oranges....well....they can do some weird stuff no matter what company they come from. Nurture is really good as informing customers about quirky micas.

I also prefer micas because I can add them dry to the batter. Spots are rare, but I actually like them.

No matter the colorant, I rarely mix with water or oil because 1) I don't like using batch oil because the uncolored portion doesn't get it's share of the oil 2) I don't like using extra water or oil, because I have good reasons for choosing the amount of water or oil I use in my batch. Plus, sometimes these imbalanced proportions leave an uneven texture in the finished bars.

Hope that was helpful.

Oh - and just as important: Choosing just one type of colorant keeps my bank account happy. If I were rich, I would buy one of every single type and color and shade because even the 96 size of Crayola Crayons isn't enough!

 

[Zing]

Lazy soaper here and I LOVE micas because I like to just dump them in the batter. I do have a few oxides and ultramarines because I prefer certain shades and then I go the dispersing route.

I like to get the sample size collections from Bramble Berry before I commit to a small jar.

Earlier on there was quite a lot of discussion on the best red if you want to do a search. I actually got several reds from several vendors and still testing them.

 

[Tara_H]

I use only micas*; have tried a few oxides but I find them a bit unpredictable. I have a set of primary and secondary colours (I e. 6) of mica that I'm happy with *plus activated charcoal and titanium dioxide and I use those to mix whatever other colours I want.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

activated charcoal […] I use those to mix whatever other colours I want.

 

[Carly B]

Micas for me too. Mostly from Nurture, because she has this great chart that tells you what the color will look like in soap.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1290/7115/files/Nurture_Soap_CP_Color_Guide.pdf

Sometimes I pre-mix in a tiny bit of oil, but sometimes I don't. I don't think I've ever mixed mica with water.

 

[John Harris]

Well! It looks like the micas have it! Thanks so much. Your experience in these matters is highly appreciated.

 

[Cat&Oak]

Well! It looks like the micas have it! Thanks so much. Your experience in these matters is highly appreciated.

Micas are so easy to work with let us know what you end up getting ❤

 

[Bubble Agent]

Micas for me too, can add them directly to my batter without getting lumps, clumps or other bumps.

Nurture Soap is my regular dealer ahem, supplier too.

 

[John Harris]

Micas are so easy to work with let us know what you end up getting ❤

Ok, you asked for it... The round ones are from Candora Soap Supplies in London, Ontario. The color splotches are from Windy Point in Alberta, Canada.

 

[Cat&Oak]

Ok, you asked for it... The round ones are from Candora Soap Supplies in London, Ontario. The color splotches are from Windy Point in Alberta, Canada.View attachment 60557View attachment 60558View attachment 60565View attachment 60566View attachment 60567View attachment 60568View attachment 60569View attachment 60570View attachment 60571View attachment 60572

Very nice! Once you've jumped down the mica rabbit hole you can never return

 

[dibbles]

I see some fun in the future

 

[Catscankim]

Apparently I like blue LOL. I was JUST going through my colors last night to pick out something for a soap and I had seas of blue. Had to mix a blue with a yellow for a green.

 

[Zing]

Apparently I like blue LOL. I was JUST going through my colors last night to pick out something for a soap and I had seas of blue. Had to mix a blue with a yellow for a green.

Most of my colors are blue too! It is my favorite color. When I was a kid, my parents dressed me exclusively in blue clothes so that people could my twin brother and I apart. We're old now but I still wear mostly blue. My favorite flowers in my garden are blue. I have to plant and dig up/give away a lot because often catalogs classify flowers as "blue" when in actuality they are purple.

 

[TheGecko]

I'm looking to build a repertoire of soap colors. I notice that they are water based (the oxides & ultramarines) and oil based (the micas).

Is there one you prefer over the other? And Why?

Nope. I have a mixture of micas, clays, pigments, oxides, powders. I made two kinds of purple soap last weekend. One was made with a Purple Ultramarine and TD, the other with Lavender Mica and green Retro Mica. The purples were the same shade, but I got two different results.

The key to using anything that is water based is making sure you add sufficient water to be able to blend it smooth.

 

[Carly B]

Ok, you asked for it... The round ones are from Candora Soap Supplies in London, Ontario. The color splotches are from Windy Point in Alberta, Canada.

Nice. How did you decide on those colors? I found that I was buying sample packs because I had no idea what I would use.

I discovered that I'm a big "green" person. Most of my favorite scents are "green"--herby or woodsy. I usually smell the fragrance to determine what color I'm going to make the soap. Do you have fragrances in mind for some of those colors?

I mentioned a couple weeks ago my son and future DIL have asked me to make soap for their wedding. The bride picked out three colors and three scents, but to my mind, one of her choices makes my inner synesthete cringe--a baby blue soap with a lemongrass fragrance. But whatever they want is fine.......

 

[John Harris]

Nice. How did you decide on those colors?

I just wanted to have a basic set of popular colors. For two days I just looked around myself and asked, "Do I have that color?" I think I am off to good start.

 

[Carly B]

I just wanted to have a basic set of popular colors. For two days I just looked around myself and asked, "Do I have that color?" I think I am off to good start.

Now the fun starts continues.....

 

[TheGecko]

I just wanted to have a basic set of popular colors.

Then all you need is Red, Blue and Yellow (along with some black oxide or A/C and TD) and you can make any color that you want.

I am working on decreasing the number of colorants that I have. Just how many shades of pink do you need really?

 

[John Harris]

Then all you need is Red, Blue and Yellow (along with some black oxide or A/C and TD) and you can make any color that you want.

I am working on decreasing the number of colorants that I have. Just how many shades of pink do you need really?

Thanks for the advice! I'll have to get a mixing chart!