Welcome. Totally get how overwhelming it can be, especially when you get conflicting information or suspect information.
Does the amount of mica colourant and the amount fragrance affect the consistency and performance of that soap? I see a lot of recipes that just say to put in whatever colour and fragrance you want but never mentions amounts.
Yes, for all soap...M&P, Cold Process, Hot Process, Liquid, Dual Lye. Regarding 'fragrance'...whether it is Fragrance Oil or Essential Oil you first have safe usage rates; this is the maximum amount of that fragrance that you can use without causing harm. Floral scents in FOs and Spice scents in EOs tend to accelerate in CP...I don't do HP or M&P so I'm not sure there. FOs and EOs are also liquids and too much liquid as a whole can cause issues.
The biggest issue with using too much Mica is that it will discolor your bath water and stain washcloths. And if you add too much as with a 'mica line', your soap layers can separate.
I saw on another tutorial that said you should mix your mica up with some isopropyl alcohol first before putting it into your base, but again no measurements, how much is too much? How much is not enough? Also I saw a cool technique that made a pretty effect in melt and pour where they mixed up colour and dripped it into the mould and poured the base over top and let it swirl naturally, but again no measurements, how do a make a colour solution for something like that?
You don't want to mix mica with alcohol for Cold or Hot Process soap, but it's okay for M&P. For CP/HP, you should use glycerin or oil. But you don't HAVE to pre-disperse your mica...you can add it straight in to your oils or batter, but it does often take more blending putting it in dry into batter. I do recommend pre-dispersing clays, oxides, pigments, neons, ultramarines for various reasons.
General rule of thumb is 1 tea per pound of. Some micas you may need more, some micas you may need less...depends on color saturation.
Is there a resource somewhere that lists what carrier oils go well together and what percentages they should be used in?
Yes and no. BrambleBerry has a list of
Common Soap Making Oils that lists attributes, recommended rates, if it is comparable to another oil, etc. It's not a bad place to start, but it's not absolute. To be honest...soap making is VERY individual (what works for you, may not work for someone else) and it's a lot of trial and error. Take Coconut Oil...BB says that it can be used as high as 33%, but recommends 15% for dry or sensitive skin. I have dry skin and use it at 20%, but I also have a 5% SuperFat and I use other oils and butters.
For melt and pour soaps I read it forms a skin fast and also hardens very quickly and can be challenging to work with. If it forms a skin do you just mix it up or do you have to heat it up again?
I haven't worked with a lot of M&P, but I have researched and watched videos and yes, once it reaches a certain temperature it will start to form a "skin" and depending on how thick the layer of soap, it can harden fairly quickly. If your M&P is still fairly warm, you can 'dissolve' the skin by stirring it back into the rest of the soap or you may have to reheat it for another 15 to 30 seconds. You don't want to overheat M&P...it will burn.
Yes, because M&P is very thin and fluid, and cools and hardens fairly quickly it can be challenging to work with. Heavy additive will sink to the bottom and a lot of swirls simply aren't possible. Layers though...magic with M&P.
My recommendation is that you start with a simple soap recipe (CP)...no scent, no colorant...and make a small batch of soap (16oz-20oz total). BB has very basic recipe:
Simple & Gentle Soap Project that uses just Olive Oil, Palm Oil and Coconut Oil and the Instructions are easy to follow. You'll want enter the percentages in a Soap Calculator and scale it down since the weights they give results in a 50 oz batch. Then after you make a few batches, get some a couple of trial or 1oz FOs and add scent. Then get some Sample Micas and add color.
Once you get some soap making under your belt, then you can start to develop your own recipe. This is where you want to learn about Soap Qualities and Fatty Acids and how they contribute to Soap Qualities and in what oils and butters you can find them. But something you need to consider...1) The purpose of soap is to get you clean. 2) Sodium Hydroxide is a caustic substances and will destroy the majority of "benefits" of an oil/butter. 3) Soap is a wash on/rinse off product and is only on your skin for maybe five to ten minutes. 4) Squeaky clean is great for dishes and pots and pans, but not for skin or hair.
