So I know it's not used in liquid soaps because those aren't (usually) thick enough to hold it in suspension, but it seems like cream and shave soaps would be thick enough. I haven't seen any pictures of thicker soap products with color, so I'm just wondering if there's a reason. Or maybe I'm just really un-observant?
Mica in cream/shave soap?
- Thread starter GemstonePony
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LOL, I have ALL the colors! I'll figure it out when I know what FO I'm using, but for now I just want to know if it's possible. I also have like, so many FOs. It's really bad. I'm leaning towards a hyacinth FO (because it accelerates rapidly) with pink/purple/green/yellow swirled into a clear bottle. Once it's cured, preserved, and diluted a smidge if necessary, of course. And assuming once it's gotten that far that it's something I'd want to use. I'll be experimenting, and colors/fragrance are a way I can quickly and easily keep track of which batch was which recipe as characteristics change over time.I'm curious as to what colour - given free rein - you would want to add to them? Somehow it seems they're always white, traditionally
A
amd
My thought, as you are using it as a method to track your batches, is to add it to your oils upfront rather than try to incorporate it into a finished cream/shave soap. Once you've settled on a recipe, I think go with no color. I'm learning that some of my customers are hesitant to use shampoo bars because they are colored, so I only imagine someone would be nervous putting it on their face. I imagine you wouldn't over color to produce colored lather, so perhaps a moot point if selling. If not selling, then do as you will!
Not selling, so this is just me being overly dramatic. Good to know about the selling point, though, I'll keep that in mind if I ever go pro.
Also, sad about the shampoo bars. A lot of shampoos contain colorants, so it's strange to me that it would be a selling counterpoint, but that's good to know as well.
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
Wouldn't mineral additions (like mica) dull razor blades?
Maybe, but people put kaolin clay in shave soap at higher amounts than I would use for mica, so I'm not sure how much more impact the little bit of mica would have. My larger, more glittery sizes of mica would have some grit to them, but I have some colors that are pretty matte because they're so small. I rarely use them because the more sparkly colors stand out more. Hence, looking at where all I can dump my lesser-used mica.
There's a higher chance there will be small abrasions or nicks while shaving as opposed to general bathing. The idea of solids contaminating a cut concerns me, so I will never put mica or other powdered colorants (or clay for that matter) in shave soap. I don't use FOs in shave soap either -- only EOs that are GRAS (generally accepted as safe) and preferably ones with have some anti-microbial benefits.
That makes sense. I have lake dyes lying around, so since it's just me using stuff for now I might take some chances and color-code with that instead. My skin tends to not react well to the more antimicrobial EOs, but I do see your point about fragrance being a potential source of irritation. I have some FOs that are highly skin safe, so I'll steer that way instead.
