Question for Colors & Molds

[Nicole Mori]

Hi I am new to soap making I have two question and I was hoping that some of you fellow soap makers would be able to assist me. I appreciate any guidance you can give me.

1) I have bought some Mica's and Pigments from Bramble and I am having a hard time with mixing the colors in my CP soap. Once it's to trace I am the color but it's completely different than the actual color. I have tried mixing it both with a light oil and with distilled water.

2) With this mold how long would it take for the soap to cure? Not sure if it's still the same 4-6 weeks.

Paw Shaped mold measures 7.2” x 5.5” and 0.7 Inch deep. Each Paw Print cavity measures 2.1 x 1.8 x 0.7 Inch deep.

 

[Snowbell]

I’ve never had a true match with micas, usually close. Can’t comment on BB since I’ve never used them. Yellows and purples are hit and misses for me.
As for your moulds once the soap is firm you can remove them 18-24hrs usually. Then you should let the cure for 4-6 weeks.

 

[dixiedragon]

Does Bramble = Brambleberry?

The mold size doesn't affect cure. IMO gelling does speed things up a bit - gelled soap is harder, faster and therefore you can unmold it sooner. But we're talking a matter of days here. Not really significant in a 6-8 week cure process.

 

[shunt2011]

I highly recommend the colors from Nurture Soap. They perform well and are tested in CP.

As for the molds are you talking about how long to get them out of the mold or true cure time. Individual molds generally take longer to get out. It will also depend on your recipe. Lots of soft oils will take longer than hard oils.

Cure for most soaps are generally 4-6 weeks regardless. Can they be used sooner, yes, but they won’t be at their best. A couple exceptions are all olive Castile and salt bars. I personally don’t like the first but I cure the, for at least a year. Salt bars 9 months to a year or more.

 

[Nicole Mori]

My apologies I thought I wrote Brambleberry. Thank you for the tips I appreciate it. Just trying to figure out what is the best way.

 

[Zing]

I use micas from Brambleberry and find that the color closely matches their website's photographs of each color. My melted oils are pale yellow. Some soap batters can be a bit green and I wonder it that's affecting your color?

 

[dixiedragon]

Can you post pics? I've used BB's colors with no trouble. Are they morphing/changing? Or are they a shade or two off from what you want?

If you are using TD, that might be muting the colors.

And as Zing said, the colors of your oils can affect the final look.

Did you gel? Gelling can make colors more vivid.

 

[earlene]

Perhaps you aren't using enough mica when coloring your soaps. I suggest doing some small batch tests for coloring your soaps and keep notes as to how much mica you use with each test batch. Then take photos and you can determine how much mica you need for the result you prefer.

In the beginning, I was very stingy with the mica so my results were quite on the pastel side of the spectrum. I learned that I can get really vibrant colors, but it requires more mica than I initially thought as a new soaper.

Also the recipe affects the outcome with color as well, so in your notes, indicate the oils used. Example: darker oils, such as sesame oil, will alter (mute or soften) the colorants; purely white soaping oils will give you a truer color.

Additionally, make sure the micas you are buying are intended for lye soap. Not all colorants, even micas, are lye tolerant. BB and most reputable vendors do list suitability for CP/HP etc.