Oxides and micas

[hotcarl]

Hello all, I have only recently started making cold process soaps. I've made 2 large batches that turned out pretty well. I am having a hard time using colors though. I read a lot about dissolving oxides and micas. When I tried it, I mixed it directly in right before trace. It ended up that I guess I didn't mix very well, even though I used my stick blender. Is there a way to get around colors changing due to the yellow color of the olive oil or so I just have to play around with it until I get it?

 

[lpstephy85]

Do you have another oil you can mix in like soybean or sunflower? You don't need a lot of these so you shouldn't have an issues with DOS. They so look nice though

 

[Lin]

Only way of getting around a yellow cast of a finished soap recipe is to change the recipe to a whiter bar. Some people claim they add titanium dioxide before adding other colors. But the thing is, you're not making your base more clear for the colors you add next, you're adding white to the colors you're going to add next. A clear example would be clear melt and pour base vs white melt and pour base. Adding TD before another color would be like starting with white base which will dilute the end result with white slightly in comparison to if you used clear base.

Regular olive oil usually makes a very white soap, are you using EVOO? If you are, one option would be changing to regular olive oil. Some people will use the 'light' olive oil to get a more white soap. You can also just add more coloring to get a brighter color over the base. Oxides generally work best when premixed with some oil for better blending into the soap batter, but I've heard mica mixes much more easily. I haven't used mica yet myself.

 

[hotcarl]

Am I able to sub the same amount of any other oil for olive oil in my recipe? I've been using a pure olive oil that I ordered from bramble berry. Should I just subtract a few grams of oil from my normal measurement to dissolve the color in?

 

[lpstephy85]

Am I able to sub the same amount of any other oil for olive oil in my recipe? I've been using a pure olive oil that I ordered from bramble berry. Should I just subtract a few grams of oil from my normal measurement to dissolve the color in?

You can, just re-run the recipe through a lye calc like Soapcalc or BrambleBerry's calc. You can subtract if you want to depending on the superfat you want in the soap.

 

[hotcarl]

Thank you both for your help and suggestions!!

 

[OliveOil2]

Your colors are beautiful! If you are seeing colors change it is also due to the chemical reaction that takes place with the process of becoming soap. Some of the oxide and mica colors that I pour turn out nothing like the finished product. I have found blue ultramarine to be particularly difficult to mix. I usually add some blue or red to the violet ultramarine to avoid grey. I always pre-mix the color before adding to the soap batch, and think you can use the oil in your soap pot. I am trying to break my habit of mixing with glycerin, since it is just one extra thing to buy.

 

[AnnaMarie]

On olive oil, I get pure olive oil as opposed to extra virgin because evo leaves my soap yellow/green. Pure oo gives me a nice white color. On using td, I actually do use it to give myself a "clean palate" to work with if I am concerned about a particular color. This works very well for me with primarily with light, pastel-like shades, however. I am not sure that would work well with darker colors, but you can always try. Definitely dissolve your oxides with oil before adding (Soap Queen has some great posts on how to use colors on her blog). Micas can be added straight and are lovely to use, but pay attention to which ones are acceptable for cp soap- not all are. If you use lab colors then those should be diluted as well. Your soaps are beautiful!
Cheers!
Anna Marie

 

[FlybyStardancer]

The thing with adding TD is that you're adding a tint to your color.

Warning: Color Theory Ahead!

The main color is the 'hue'. That's whether it's red, blue, green, etc etc. When you add white to a hue, you get a tint. When you add black, you get a shade.

TD is white, so when you add it with something else, you're making a tint of that color. It will always end up lighter, and the amount of TD you add will affect how much lighter it gets. That's why it works so well for pastels.

 

[hotcarl]

Also, where else do you guys buy supplies besides brambleberry? I'm looking for some masculine fragrance oils.

 

[lpstephy85]

Also, where else do you guys buy supplies besides brambleberry? I'm looking for some masculine fragrance oils.

Wholesale supplies has Barber Shoppe FO, Coolwater and Natures Garden had Coolwater and Deadly Weapon as well as others but I love those the most. You can also mix EOs to get a manly scent.

 

[OliveOil2]

I love South Pacific Waters from WSP, it sticks forever, very easy to work with, and the price for the 16 oz is a real bargain. I still want to try Perfect Man from Natures Garden, it gets great reviews.

 

[MzMolly65]

Question .. so far I've only used blue, green and black oxides and rose clay and I'm getting finished soap colours that are pretty true to their starting colour. However, I just bought some yellow mica and I'm wondering if this colour will soap true or will the lye morph this colour?

Thoughts? Advice?

 

[seven]

what is the name of the mica? where is it from?
the mica i have that's yellow is cellini yellow. stays true.

 

[MzMolly65]

It's a Bramble Berry product I bought at a local store. It just says Yellow Mica; CP, Lip safe, eye safe

 

[shunt2011]

I love vibrance micas from Nurture Soap supplies. I too add a bit of TD to almost all my batches. I've found it has a more opaque finish. I am still able to get bright clean colors using it. A couple of my best selling manly scents are The Perfect Man & Teakwood & Cardamom and Cracklin Birch from Nature's Garden and Bay Rum from WSP.

 

[Lbrown123]

This is the yellow lip safe mica I got from Brambleberry. Love it! It looks pearly but just comes out yellow.
I think you will like.....

 

[hotcarl]

I've also been using fizzy lemonade yellow from brambleberry. It's more of a neon color, but I really like it.

 

[shunt2011]

Another place for colorants is TKB Trading. They have neon & flourescent colors. My favorites now are the colorants from Nurture Soap Supplies. I've not had any morphing and can get my colors as light or as bright as I want.