Titanium Dioxide Woes...

[LilBeachCottage]

I have Brambleberry's Titanium Dioxide and I mixed mine with oils and it made my soap grainy and it never got completely white...
I have no idea what I did wrong?! Please help!
Thanks in advance!

 

[artemis]

It's probably the kind that needs to be mixed with water.

 

[LilBeachCottage]

Brambleberry says theirs is can be mixed in either...ugh... I have never had good luck with TD... I keep hoping and trying...

 

[Obsidian]

Try mixing it with water and give it a good 15 minutes before using. Stir once in awhile to make sure you break up any little clumps.

How much are you using.and what size batch? Are you using any really green oils like extra virgin olive?

 

[LilBeachCottage]

Let's see...it's a small 2 lb. batch and the only thing giving it color is the unrefined Shea butter {1.4 ozs}.
I used 2 tsps of Titanium Dioxide.
Maybe I used too much?!

 

[Anstarx]

I usually use TD at 1% of my entire batter weight (lye+oil+water) so I think you should be fine.
For the grainy-ness, do you mean the batter was clumpy or the finished soap look grainy?
I've not mixing my TD completely before but the worst it did was having some small TD clumps in the finished soap, I've never got grainy batter before.

 

[LilBeachCottage]

I usually use TD at 1% of my entire batter weight (lye+oil+water) so I think you should be fine.
For the grainy-ness, do you mean the batter was clumpy or the finished soap look grainy?
I've not mixing my TD completely before but the worst it did was having some small TD clumps in the finished soap, I've never got grainy batter before.

Yes, my soap batter was grainy... I am hoping it will look better in the morning?! If not, I will rebatch it....

 

[Jersey Girl]

Have you used this particular Shea butter before? I’ve heard that some unrefined Shea can have that grainy texture. Was it thoroughly melted? I’ve been using unrefined lately but have not had any issues. Just guessing.

 

[LilBeachCottage]

Thank you all for the great advice! The soap ended up turning out great! I worried for nothing...

 

[Todd Ziegler]

Thank you all for the great advice! The soap ended up turning out great! I worried for nothing...

Gelling your soap can often fix perceived problems. The first time I made soap with a FO it got really thick very fast and I thought it would be a disaster but when I unmolded it, it was beautiful. I learned later that it was all because of the gelling. Now I gel all my soap. It doesn't fix everything but it doesn't hurt anything either.

 

[LilBeachCottage]

I agree! I gel almost all my soaps...
I think it was the shea butter, it was unrefined and very grainy. I am going back to refined shea butter.