TD

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Baileysgirl

Member
Joined
May 10, 2017
Messages
13
Reaction score
21
How do you mix you Titanium Dioxide!? I have tried mixing it in my superfat oil but I always get lumps :( it mixes so well in water but wont adding water at that point significantly increase cure time??
 
There are several kinds of titanium dioxide. Some disperse in water and others disperse in oil. You probably have the TD for mixing with water, and that's never going to mix properly if you try to blend it with oil.
 
A lot of people mix TD in advance with whatever liquid -- water, glycerin, or oil -- that the TD will disperse in. Then they add that TD mixture as needed to the soap. Regardless of the liquid, there are always downsides --

Adding extra water or glycerin might make the soap softer in the mold and take longer before it's ready to cut. Extra water may also cause the soap to shrink more during the cure. Adding extra oil is going to raise the superfat and may also make the soap softer than desired.

Trying to account for this extra liquid when creating a recipe can be tough, because TD is not always added to the entire batch. But whether the extra oil or water or glycerin is a problem depends on how much you use. If you don't use a ton of TD, it's not going to be a big deal.
 
There are several kinds of titanium dioxide. Some disperse in water and others disperse in oil. You probably have the TD for mixing with water, and that's never going to mix properly if you try to blend it with oil.

I've heard this before, but I don't understand it. How can there be two different kinds of an oxide? Are they something other than just TiO2?
 
I actually seem to get more lumps when I mix with water.

Either method you choose, make sure to SLOWLY incorporate your liquid/oil. If you dump in a few tablespoons and swish it around, it will be clumpy.

If I add a tiny bit of oil, mix well, then a bit more oil, mix again - rinse and repeat - it helps prevent clumps.

I tend to take oil from my bowl of melted oils (before lye solution has been added) to mix with my TD so it wont affect my superfat.
 
TiO2 is TiO2. But the TiO2 particles can be coated with various materials. The different coatings are what makes a given TD product either hydrophilic (water loving) or lipophilic (oil loving). Apparently there are also TD products that are both oil and water dispersible.

Here are the sources that gave me the scoop:
https://www.google.com/patents/US2480092
https://www.google.com/patents/US5188831
 
How much water are you all mixing your td with? I use such a small amount, I can't imagine it would affect the soap.
For a two lb batch that is getting colored bright white, I use roughly 1 tsp td mixed with maybe 1/2 tsp water. Its enough to get out lumps and disperse the td, I never get specks like this.
 
How much water are you all mixing your td with? I use such a small amount, I can't imagine it would affect the soap.
For a two lb batch that is getting colored bright white, I use roughly 1 tsp td mixed with maybe 1/2 tsp water. Its enough to get out lumps and disperse the td, I never get specks like this.

I used two tbs for 5 lbs, I could defiantly use less though, thanks
 
Back
Top