Micas and Lace

[Fendigirl]

Let me beginning by saying thank you to all of you who generously took the time out of your schedule to answer my first post. As a beginning soaper, your advice, suggestions and comments were of great help.
Seeing all the pics of beautifully coloured soap on this forum, I thought that I would try using titanium dioxide and micas for the first time.
I was aiming for a whiter bar with coloured swirls
Thought I followed the rules, where did I go wrong?
Blending temperature- 120 degrees
Mica :1/2 teaspoon , mixed in I teaspoon avocado oil from my recipe - not extra oil
Did this for the two colours.
Titanium Dioxide :1 teaspoon with 2 teaspoons of water from my recipe - not extra water
Mixed really well- no lumps that I could see
I added the titanium at very light trace and blended with my stick blender until I reached a slightly thicker trace.
My micas where bright when I added them.
I just put them here and there and swirled.
Sprayed with alcohol, cardboard cover, towels.Soap got pretty warm but not really hot.
I was all excited to see the results. Got up early and cut the soap
My colours almost disappeared!!! ( I knew they would fade some, but that much)?
And what the heck is all that “lace” look? Is it crackling?Rivers? Still safe to use? I’ve attached a pic.
The one on the left is the same recipe but with coco powder. I’m happy with that one ( for my skill level)

I guess I’ll just lie to the family and tell them that I’ve learned a new technique and was going for “the lace look

 

[shunt2011]

Are you using micas that are high PH stable? Made for soapmaking? Looks like you got rivers from the TD. Using less water will help with that. I use cocoa powder quite frequently for my browns and it woks the best.

 

[AliOop]

^^ what @shunt2011 said. Also, it sounded and looked to me like you put the pre-mixed mica + 1 T oil directly into the main batter. Is that correct? Normally you would separate out some batter, and mix the oil-dispersed mica into that. Then you would swirl the colored batter into the main batter. Maybe you did do that and I am just misunderstanding?

Nice job on the recipe, btw!

 

[TheGecko]

Thought I followed the rules, where did I go wrong?
Mica :1/2 teaspoon , mixed in I teaspoon avocado oil from my recipe - not extra oil

Titanium Dioxide :1 teaspoon with 2 teaspoons of water from my recipe - not extra water

My colours almost disappeared!!! ( I knew they would fade some, but that much)?
And what the heck is all that “lace” look? Is it crackling?Rivers? Still safe to use?

Yes, your soap is still safe to you.

The 'rules', with exceptions (like lye safety, lye usage and minimum cure time. ETA: EO/FO usage rates) are more like 'guidelines' since every recipe is different, every colorant is different, every design is different.

General rule of thumb for TD is that it should be dispersed at 1 tea to 1 tab of liquid (water or oil) and then you use 1 tea PPO of the dispersed liquid. Too much TD and you end up with what is called "glycerin rivers" (@DeeAnna can tell you why that is wrong, but it is what it is). Or way too much TD; I used 2 tab...dry...for 2 lbs of oil and my loaf shattered.

Rule of thumb for Micas is 1 tea PPO, but that can change depending on the colorant and the design. For my Lemon Sherbet Soap, 1 tea PPO works great...I get a pale shade of yellow. But for the "swirl" in my Lemon Verbena, I want something more vibrant, my usage rate was about 2 tea PPO. I say 'about' because I separated 2 cups (volume) of batter out of 99.16 oz total batter weight and added 2 tea of Mica to it.

 

[Fendigirl]

The mica I ordered online said it was for cosmetics and soap making. I just mixed the mica with a little oil and plopped that onto the batter- didn’t mix it with any batter. My thinking was that it would have a more intense color. Since I used less titanium than required, would that cause rivers? Do you think it would help to lower my 120 degree blending temperature ? Or maybe not insulating. So much to read, so much to learn! Thank you

 

[AliOop]

Yes, you can definitely add the mica+oil directly to the batter for intense swirls. Often that is done to decorate the top of the loaf. But if you want more swirl color showing throughout the loaf, you will need to mix it with some batter, and then use your choice of swirl techniques (there are so many!).

My understanding of the crackling effect, aka "glycerin rivers," is either too much TD, too much water, too much heat, or any combination thereof. And be sure to mix your TD in the correct medium, as some are oil-dispersible and some are water-dispersible. Using the wrong mixing medium can also result in TD clumps or rivers.

The only other thing I'd add to what @TheGecko said is that like lye safety and usage rates, FO and EO safety usage rates are not just guidelines, but more like rules. So when you get around to adding any kind of scent, be sure to follow the IRFA guidelines for usage, and not the default 3% shown in most soap calculators. That will be way too little of some scents, and way too much of others.

Welcome to the addiction hobby!!