Making Minecraft-based soap: help with colorants

[Fotosintesis]

Hello everyone,

Have been reading the forum for answers for some time (very valuable info btw!), but had never participated. I decided to ask as it is my first time working with colorants in CP soap.
I am trying to make Creeper and Slime soaps (minecraft based). I made a very basic soap (34% olive oil, 33% coconut oil, 33% palm oil, 5% superfat).

First try: I used micas (Gwen green) and, although the soap was nice, I wanted a more matte tone. I assumed maybe all micas give this shiny, pearly tones, so I decided to try with liquid colorants.

Second try: I tried liquid colorants with the same soap recipe, but this time I made a smaller batch of 70 grams (maybe too small though). I noticed this time, I had to add quite an amount of colorant and when I stirred after, the color was fading into a brown color I was thinking this type of colorant might not be good for soap making, and maybe it's getting burnt and mixed with the yellow color of the olive oil?

Another experiments I want to try:

• Decrease amount of olive oil, or substitute by a lighter oil. Then the resulting soap will be lighter and the color won't get mixed?
• Try another colors of micas, maybe there are more matte tones?
• Surrender to MP soap... Tried same colorants with transparent MP soap. Didn't notice any color change with MP soap, although it might because the temperature is definitely higher when the soap is forming.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Bubz]

You could try using pigments instead of mica so there is less of a sheen and perhaps you could prevent gelling yo get more of a matte look. Only thing to watch out for without gelling could be potential stearic spots.

Love the minecraft theme. Would love enderman ones too. Or a tall and skinny mold that looked like the nether portal. That would be a fun pour.

 

[Fotosintesis]

Thanks for the answer! I will get some pigments and continue my experiments.

Actually I tried to make an enderman too (a first prototype) Had to be a little creative to do the different colors all at once, as I didn't want to pour that little amount after.
Then one friend of mine reminded me that endermans don't like water, so indeed making an enderman soap is a bit of a contradiction but still fun

 

[Fotosintesis]

Hello all,

I continued with my experiments

As I wanted to test if my liquid colorants didn't work because my soap was too yellow (because of the olive oil), I took advantage I made a 100% coconut oil soap for laundry and tested them and definitely they don't work for CP soaps (they turn brown with the heat during the saponification).

Then, I tried the mineral pigments (thanks for the suggestion @Bubz) : iron oxide green and iron oxide black. They work better for soap, although I think I put too little (I added about 0.75 teaspoon for 250 grams of soap) and the color also fades a little bit. But at least I got a matte green!

 

[AliensrReal]

I love pigments. I use a lot of neon pigments and will mix them with oxides and ultramarines to get the colors I want.

 

[Bubz]

I like to add neon pigments to micas to enhance yellow and orange since they kinda get muted.

The con with using pigments is that they are much harder to incorporate 100%. I like to predisprese them in oil and mix them very well, then add it to my batter. If tou think you've mixed them enough, mix them more to prevent specks in finished soap.

I am in love with your minecraft soap. Excited to see what other designs you create.

 

[AliensrReal]

I like to add neon pigments to micas to enhance yellow and orange since they kinda get muted.

The con with using pigments is that they are much harder to incorporate 100%. I like to predisprese them in oil and mix them very well, then add it to my batter. If tou think you've mixed them enough, mix them more to prevent specks in finished soap.

I am in love with your minecraft soap. Excited to see what other designs you create.

I put some oils in a ziplock bag along with the pigment and then get a paper towel and just start pushing everything around in the bag and smooshing the bag on the table until it’s well mixed. I’ll hold it up to the light to see if there are any unmixed particles. It has worked very well for me. No more streaks!! Yay!