white soap/what am i doing wrong?

[honor435]

ok, i see many people that make their soap white, is it becuase i use too dark of olive oil? i even tried a crisco recipe, no white, just a lovely lt yellow, always!

 

[Guest]

Hi , the only white soap I have made was a laundry soap with lard in it.Some folks use titanium dioxide to whiten the soap.

HTH
Kitn

 

[topcat]

Hi honor435 - I have achieved a very white soap using TD. I have also made an 80% CO 20% Shea which was a kind of flat white and an 80% CO 20% Cocoa Butter which is a rich creamy white. The lighter the oil colour, the lighter the soap usually. I have seen pics of 100% Castille soap made with OO Grade A (light) and that was white too.

Tanya

 

[surf girl]

I made a 100% coconut (20% superfat) and it was very white.

 

[honor435]

surfgirl
did you like the all coconut soap with 20% superfat?

 

[Deda]

Honor - are you using any fragrance?

 

[honor435]

yes, fragrance , used candy green apple, main part lt yellow, w green swirls.

 

[SimplyE]

Fragrance can certainly color it. I made a Red Apple, but did not color it. It started out white or noncolored but then turned a really pretty blush red.

Add TD to your white color of the swirl and you will see a big difference!

 

[jbarad]

yes, fragrance , used candy green apple, main part lt yellow, w green swirls.

Definitely certain FOs will discolor your soap. What I usually do if I want it WHITE is only scent the colored portion, then leave the white part unscented.

Some FOs have no discoloration though ( thankfully ) and you can use them with no problems and still get white soap.

 

[SimplyE]

What I usually do if I want it WHITE is only scent the colored portion, then leave the white part unscented.

Ditto-

 

[surf girl]

surfgirl
did you like the all coconut soap with 20% superfat?

Actually, no, I didn't. A lot of folks seem to adore it, but it wasn't my cup of tea. It wasn't drying at all, but I didn't like the texture of the bar (which was very hard, but not super-smooth like a salt bar...) or the lather (which was fluffy and fairly abundant, but not as good, IMO, as my mixed recipes). I intend to try a coconut/shea and see if I like that one any better.

 

[jbarad]

surfgirl
did you like the all coconut soap with 20% superfat?

Actually, no, I didn't. A lot of folks seem to adore it, but it wasn't my cup of tea. It wasn't drying at all, but I didn't like the texture of the bar (which was very hard, but not super-smooth like a salt bar...) or the lather (which was fluffy and fairly abundant, but not as good, IMO, as my mixed recipes). I intend to try a coconut/shea and see if I like that one any better.

I loved the look of the 100% CO bar, but in the shower I wasn't overjoyed with it either. I like a creamier lather rather than the bursting bubblefest you get with the 100%CO

 

[surf girl]

Some of my other soaps are pretty close to white-white too, not just the coconut. There's a pic in the gallery of "Pretty in Pink", the top of which is only very slightly off-white in colour. It is a bastile made using olive pomace oil. with lavender EO and patchouli EO for scent. And the white in a black and white swirl soap (pic somewhere) is also just barely off-white in colour as well; it is shortening, OPO, cocoa butter and castor with straight patch for scent.

 

[surf girl]

jbarad, have you tried any of the almost-100% coconut bars (added shea or added cocoa butter or whatever)? If so, were you happier?

 

[jbarad]

jbarad, have you tried any of the almost-100% coconut bars (added shea or added cocoa butter or whatever)? If so, were you happier?

I did try the 80%CO / 20% Shea and liked that more yes, I also did 80%CO / 20% Shortening and really liked that one too

 

[jbarad]

Some of my other soaps are pretty close to white-white too, not just the coconut

My regular basic recipe is almost completely white I love it

 

[honor435]

ok im going to try this right now
8z of each coc, canola, crisco, olive, calculator says 10.56 water, 4.4 lye, should i use less water?

 

[jbarad]

ok im going to try this right now
8z of each coc, canola, crisco, olive, calculator says 10.56 water, 4.4 lye, should i use less water?

If you're not adding an unfamiliar FO or one that misbehaves you "could" discount that water up to an equal amount with your lye.

I usually soap a 35% or 40% solution - many use a 33% solution

33% would be - 4.4 lye / 9 water
35% would be - 4.4 lye / 8.3 water
40% would be - 4.4 lye / 7.6 water

 

[surf girl]

I did try the 80%CO / 20% Shea and liked that more yes, I also did 80%CO / 20% Shortening and really liked that one too

Cool. That gives me more incentive to try the coconut/shea combo. Never thought of shortening... Ah, so many choices!

 

[honor435]

im using lemongrass eo, so that shouldnt act up?