Mica in recipes

[Mae01]

How are you able to utilize mica in your recipes? Mine do not always turn out. Stopped using them but would like to try again. Any advice?

 

[artemis]

How are you able to utilize mica in your recipes? Mine do not always turn out. Stopped using them but would like to try again. Any advice?

What was your method for using them? And, are you talking about melt and pour, or cold process?

 

[toxikon]

You're in the right spot! Lots of us use micas in our soaps.

Could you give us a little more info? Are you making lye soap? How have you tried using the mica so far?

Here's a few general pointers for lye soap:

1. Use micas from reputable soapmaking sources - other micas may morph or dull when exposed to lye. Good sources are Nurture, Brambleberry, Wholesale Supply Plus, Mad Micas...

2. Disperse them in some sort of fluid before adding to your soap. Some people prefer dispersing them in oil (light oils like olive oil are good), others prefer glycerin, others may use water. I personally use oil. I use about 1/2 tsp mica to 2-3 tbsp oil. I mix it well with a little spatula. Some people premix their micas so they always have them ready to use. If you're using a lot of dispersed mica, you may want to adjust your recipe to account for the extra oil/water.

 

[Mae01]

Thank you for your replies. I have gotten them from Soap Making Resource. Have tried French green clay, bentonite clay, and Moroccan red clay. I added them to oil before adding them to my lye-oil mixture in cold process soap making. They seemed to seize my mixture and maybe separate it, if I remember correctly. Do I need more than 5% superfatting?

 

[toxikon]

Thank you for your replies. I have gotten them from Soap Making Resource. Have tried French green clay, bentonite clay, and Moroccan red clay. I added them to oil before adding them to my lye-oil mixture in cold process soap making. They seemed to seize my mixture and maybe separate it, if I remember correctly. Do I need more than 5% superfatting?

Keep in mind that micas and clays are two totally different beasts.

Clay can be a nice addition to soap, but it definitely needs to be used with a light hand. 1 teaspoon per pound of oils is a good amount - but even at that amount, some people can find the clay makes their soap feel too drying.

You can hydrate your clay in your water or lye solution before adding to your oils - that seems to keep it behaving well.

 

[jcandleattic]

I have found that clays, for the most part, do not color my soaps, only add a slip to the bar when washing. At least I don't get the the deep rich colors that I can get with mica's.

 

[ibct1969]

Here you go Mae01, I found you a link about using clays in cold process soap, although there is a lot about it on the Internet if you do a search for "using clays in soap". As mentioned above, they need to be mixed with water versus oils to get the best results. I use rose clay and it colors my soap beautifully without fading.

https://www.thespruce.com/clay-soap-sampler-517136

Here's one about using micas

https://www.thespruce.com/mica-colorants-in-soap-making-517054