Playing with Ultramarine Blue and Titanium Dioxide

[Gerry]

UB is my favorite blue colorant, partly because of its price, but also because again it's predictable and makes a great mixing colorant to get other shades and colors. A little goes a long way.

This is a simple in-the-mold spoon swirl I made yesterday and just cut this morning. There is nothing less predictable than sticking a spoon deep in a mold and swirling the soap batter. It makes for a very exciting cutting session because you never know what the heck you're going to get. Plus every bar is very different in that unpredictable way.

This was "gently" CPOP'd, and scented with my favorite jasmine FO from Candora Soap. I love this particular jasmine but it both accelerates and rices. It definitely adds to the challenge! It has a little pearl cosmetic glitter sprinkled over the sculpted top.

 

[cmzaha]

Very pretty. It is my go to blue

 

[BlackDog]

These are great! I love tone-on-tone color palettes.

 

[cherrycoke216]

Love the oceanic color and textured tops look like waves! Reminds me of some Japanese ancient style ocean painting!

 

[CaraBou]

Way to go Gerry, for the perfect reminder that micas aren't the be-all, end-all

 

[penelopejane]

Very nice. How much UM did you use PPO? Or do you add "as much as necessary" :mrgreen:

 

[shunt2011]

Very pretty. I like working with UM blue too.

 

[mommycarlson]

So pretty!! Where does a person get this ultramarine blue you speak of?

 

[lsg]

Beautiful soap!

 

[Gerry]

Very nice. How much UM did you use PPO? Or do you add "as much as necessary" :mrgreen:

For the light shade I used 1 squirt, for the dark 3 squirts PPO! Haha

I premix (masterbatch) all my colors with glycerin or OO. I just squirt it from my plastic squeeze bottles until the soap batter takes on the shade I want. UB goes a long way, so it doesn't take much. I wouldn't recommend this technique for commercial soap makers who need consistency.

I use this method with colors because I avoid a lot of mess and I'm very lazy!

 

[Gerry]

So pretty!! Where does a person get this ultramarine blue you speak of?

You can buy ultramarine blue at any soap or cosmetic supply store. I bought mine from a Canadian online company that sells just over half a pound for about $20 Canadian. Half a pound is like a life-time supply for me considering its recommended usage rate is one teaspoon per 5 pounds of soap.

All about this pigment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultramarine

If you use this in bath bombs you will make a stink bomb! In any application with a pH lower than 6, it will emit hydrogen sulphide in a reaction which smells like rotten eggs. :twisted:

 

[Prysm]

That's very pretty in the soap. I like how you describe the unknown effect until it is cut.

 

[Millie]

If you use this in bath bombs you will make a stink bomb! In any application with a pH lower than 6, it will emit hydrogen sulphide in a reaction which smells like rotten eggs. :twisted:

Thanks for the heads up! Your soaps are beautiful!

 

[Lissakp54]

Those are beautiful!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

...If you use this in bath bombs you will make a stink bomb! In any application with a pH lower than 6, it will emit hydrogen sulphide in a reaction which smells like rotten eggs. :twisted:

Ohhh, you just gave me the BEST idea of what to send to my brother for April Fool's Day. heh heh heh :twisted: