Titanium Dioxide

[She’sBubbly]

Hi soap-friends
Quick question; when making a white soap I usually mix titanium dioxide with a carrier oil but I can’t seem to get the right measures to make it all white - do you have any advice on on that subject? thank you so muchT

 

[shunt2011]

TD is a tough one. I use less than two tsp in 5 lbs of soap. TD is more apt to cause glycerine rivers. Too much can make a chalky soap. I don’t use it often. I mix mine in water from the batch.

 

[moodymama]

I usually just put a bit in until I get the color I want. I start with light oils anyway so doesn't really take much but stick blending a bit helps to disperse TD into the soap batter and bring out the white.

 

[She’sBubbly]

OK you use water - I haven’t tried that! Thank you @shunt2011 !

So you just add it directly to the batter? Thanks @moodymama !

I usually just put a bit in until I get the color I want. I start with light oils anyway so doesn't really take much but stick blending a bit helps to disperse TD into the soap batter and bring out the white.

 

[moodymama]

So you just add it directly to the batter? Thanks @moodymama !

No I have it premixed in oil, equal parts each 1:1 because if TD is not well incorporated you will get TD dots. I never really measured how much does into the batter because it's in a condiment bottle that I can give a good shake to before putting a little squirt.

ETA TD can be water soluble or oil soluble, if you use water or oil check which you have first.

 

[shunt2011]

OK you use water - I haven’t tried that! Thank you @shunt2011 !

TD comes in different types. Oil soluble or water. I never had luck with oil as I alway had little bits that didn’t dissolve/disperse.

 

[Obsidian]

I use water soluble, maybe 1/2 teaspoon for a 1-2 lb batch but my recipe is really white to begin with.
If you are using green oils like extra virgin olive or hemp, you might never get a truly white soap.

 

[She’sBubbly]

Thanks so much!!

No I have it premixed in oil, equal parts each 1:1 because if TD is not well incorporated you will get TD dots. I never really measured how much does into the batter because it's in a condiment bottle that I can give a good shake to before putting a little squirt.

ETA TD can be water soluble or oil soluble, if you use water or oil check which you have first.

 

[SPowers]

The brambleberry site recommends putting TD in a coffee grinder to make sure it disperses properly... I'm wondering if you could do that in a magic bullet then add the oil directly to it to whiz it all smooth. Any thoughts?

 

[Obsidian]

The brambleberry site recommends putting TD in a coffee grinder to make sure it disperses properly... I'm wondering if you could do that in a magic bullet then add the oil directly to it to whiz it all smooth. Any thoughts?

Oily TD can be difficult to wash off plastic. I wouldn't do it.
Look into a mini milk frother for coffee. Its basically a mini stick blender. Lots of people like them for mixing colors.

 

[moodymama]

I went cheap and just bought a spool of wire from the auto section in dollar tree. made it into looped shape and coiled up the stem. I stick that into my cordless drill/driver and use that to mix my colors in oil. It's not the prettiest thing in the world but it works well and cost me a dollar. To clean it I whirl it in soapy water, which doesn't always get all the color out so I made a couple. I don't use it for soap batter because I have no idea the metal it is.

 

[SPowers]

I have one of those... do you think it's necessary to whiz the dry TD in a grinder before adding it to the oil?

A thought just occurred to me, the TD I have say is can be dispersed in oil or water... would it make a difference if I added water to the bullet rather than oil? Or would cleanup still be a mess. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad if I dedicated the small bullet jar to this purpose only?

Kind of thinking 'out loud' here. Thanks for you comments.

 

[Obsidian]

It would be a lot easier to clean up in water. I mix mine in small plastic cups and the TD rinse out fairly easy.

I really don't think grinding it is necessary but it won't hurt anything.
When I mix mine, I do it before anything else so it can absorb water and soften any lumps. Then I go through it with a baby spoon and make sure its smooth.
I never get specks if I take time to make sure its smooth.

If you are coloring the whole batch, you can add the slurry before the lye and really get it mixed in.

 

[earlene]

I keep a bottle of pre-mixed TD in a squirt bottle. Inside the bottle I have Stainless Steel fishing weight (it can be a BB or even a kid's toy car) to facilitate a good last-minute mixed by shaking the bottle just prior to squirting it into the soap batter. By pre-mixing a fair amount of TD this way, I don't have to do it for each and every batch. A small 4 ounce bottle lasts months, depending on how often I even use it.

 

[She’sBubbly]

Thanks so much everyone - I’m gonna experiment with your suggestions, thank you!!

 

[IslandSoap]

Thanks so much everyone - I’m gonna experiment with your suggestions, thank you!!

My TD container says to mix it with a light weight oil.... Nope. I can’t get it to blend no matter what I do.. it turns into a clumpy unmixed mess... even with the mini mixer. I took a suggestion from here and tried using a little water... . Disperses like a champ and no more little white specks in the soap!.

 

[She’sBubbly]

This is really good to know - definitely trying it out! Thank you!!

My TD container says to mix it with a light weight oil.... Nope. I can’t get it to blend no matter what I do.. it turns into a clumpy unmixed mess... even with the mini mixer. I took a suggestion from here and tried using a little water... . Disperses like a champ and no more little white specks in the soap!.

 

[CathyB]

The brambleberry site recommends putting TD in a coffee grinder to make sure it disperses properly... I'm wondering if you could do that in a magic bullet then add the oil directly to it to whiz it all smooth. Any thoughts?

I Dream in Soap has a video for preparing TD where she does use a Magic Bullet and gets a nice result.

 

[SPowers]

thanks!

 

[Cindy1961]

I went cheap and just bought a spool of wire from the auto section in dollar tree. made it into looped shape and coiled up the stem. I stick that into my cordless drill/driver and use that to mix my colors in oil. It's not the prettiest thing in the world but it works well and cost me a dollar. To clean it I whirl it in soapy water, which doesn't always get all the color out so I made a couple. I don't use it for soap batter because I have no idea the metal it is.

Brilliant!