Best way to whiten CP soap batter?

[SoapOfTheNorth]

What is a good way to whiten soap batter?
I've tried Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide. I don't like either although they do whiten a little.

 

[Obsidian]

I use titanium dioxide and it gives me a very bright white. How much do you use and are your soaping oils very dark?

 

[TheGecko]

I don't like either although they do whiten a little.

Depends on how much you use. And it helps to start with the lightest, in terms of color, oils to start with. The darker your oils, the more mineral you will need. And since it's a natural mineral, it will absorb moisture and thicken your batter which is why it is recommended that you disperse it first.

 

[shunt2011]

Titanium dioxide works the best for whitening soap batter. I've tried whit mica and zinc oxide but nothing works as well as TD. I don't find it takes much TD to get it a nice white/light beige if the oils are darker. My oils aren't all that dark though

 

[SideDoorSoaps]

When I use coconut oil or lard in high amounts and less olive oil, I get pretty white soap. I also use TD and it’s always whitened my soap pretty well. Mine dissolves in the lye water and then I strain when I add it to my oils.

 

[SoapOfTheNorth]

I use titanium dioxide and it gives me a very bright white. How much do you use and are your soaping oils very dark?

Not too dark, I'd call the batter sort of creamy. Like the background of the formatting bar in this message window. I've been using about 1/2 p/lb of ZO. I can't recall the titanium amount. Do you find the that TDO alters the texture of the finished product? I noticed that with zinc..

 

[shunt2011]

No, I've never noticed any change in texture unless you use too much, it can get chalky. I use 1-2 tsp PPO. I use water soluble but either will work, I just had better luck with the water type.

 

[SoapOfTheNorth]

hmm. I think I used too much. I'll use less and see what happens. Thanks

 

[Carly B]

hmm. I think I used too much. I'll use less and see what happens. Thanks

I can tell when I've used too much. My bars are shaggy, for lack of a better description, when I cut them.

 

[SoapOfTheNorth]

We might have a similar problem.
This is what I get.. these wax deposits - it's only when I use zinc oxide. I don't have a picture of one that I used TDO on. This is was with Zinc Oxide.

I used loose earl grey tea leaves to make the color (made tea, and used that as the water step. the lye really darkens it which is nice - the ZO made it lighter, which is what you see. The color was what I was after but this texture was not..

 

[Obsidian]

I use around 1 tsp PPO of TD and never have issues. Any chance you can post a picture of the texture you get with ZO? I'm thinking it might be crackle which ultimately is usually caused by too much water.

 

[SoapOfTheNorth]

I use around 1 tsp PPO of TD and never have issues. Any chance you can post a picture of the texture you get with ZO? I'm thinking it might be crackle which ultimately is usually caused by too much water.

Sure - this is what it looked like. I keep the water ratio around 2.2 : 1 (2.2oz water per ounce of lye).

What I'm referring to here is the small waxy pock marks.

 

[Obsidian]

Ok, thats not crackle and the water amount is fine.
Do you mix your zo or td with water and make sure all the lumps are out? I honestly never seen spots quite like that and the zo should have whitened the soap more.

Did this soap have any sugars or discoloring fo? It quite dark for a uncolored soap.

Try td again, mix 1 teaspoon with just enough water to disperse it. Do this a good 15 min before making the soap and make sure to smoosh up any lumps with a spoon.

This should be enough to whiten a 1 lb batch, if not then we need to take a look at your recipe and additives.

This is a picture of my unscented, uncolored soap. White enough I don't have to lighten it.

I disperse it well in water then add it either to the oils if I'm whitening the whole batch or at emulsion if only coloring part.

 

[IrishLass]

I agree with Obsidian that it wasn't dispersed properly.

I've never use zinc oxide to whiten/lighten my soap, but I do use titanium dioxide, which works great for me. I normally use anywhere from 1/2 US teaspoon to 1 US teaspoon of TD ppo, depending on what other discoloring additives I might be using, such as certain FOs, etc.... I don't like to go over 1 teaspoon ppo because I get chalky-feeling soap when I do more than that.

How white or light of a soap TD gives you depends on your oils/fats and the discoloring power of your additives. Some additives, such as FO's with a high % of vanillin in them, for example, aren't affected by TD very much and you'll end up with a dark soap, regardless. I've never used tea infused water, so I cannot say how light or dark of a soap one will end up with if using TD.

I mix my TD with enough vegetable glycerin to make a somewhat thick, but smooth slurry. To get out any lumps, I like to mix it with this mini-mixer made by Badger . Then I add the smooth slurry to my soap batter and use my stickblender to make sure it's dispersed well in the batter before pouring into my mold. I never get any of those pesky white dots when done this way.


IrishLass