Confetti soap

[penelopejane]

Every coloured swirl soap I've made is very soft where the colours are once they are wet. And some of my solid coloured ones. You can scoop it out its that soft but the surrounding soap is good.

If I confetti it won't it just make a new soap with soft bits or will the new lye help it work better?

 

[KristaY]

What type of colorants are you using? Clays, oxides, micas, etc? What are you mixing them in? Oil, water, glycerin? If it's oil, is it added or do you subtract some from your batch? What is the SF of your soap?

I have a hunch it's a color mixed in oil. Maybe too much extra oil in that part of the batter that increased your SF significantly, resulting in softer areas? Again, this is only a hunch so I may be completely off the mark.

 

[Navaria]

I read your original post about your soft swirls, and I can't figure out what would cause that. I wondered if it was using water to disperse your colors, then I realized you probably have water dispersible colorants as opposed to my oil dispersible one. I think it would be risky to confetti it until we figure out why it's so soft in the first place. How much water do you use per color and how much of that mix do you add to your soap?

 

[cmzaha]

Every coloured swirl soap I've made is very soft where the colours are once they are wet. And some of my solid coloured ones. You can scoop it out its that soft but the surrounding soap is good.

If I confetti it won't it just make a new soap with soft bits or will the new lye help it work better?

I make a soap with 10% superfat and camels milk, confetti it and add it into a plain batch made with 3% superfat. If your softness is from to much oil I would think it should saponify the free oils in the confetti. I only do this because I want to replicate a recipe that I goofed on and ended up with a very high superfat. The soap was oily so I let it age 2-3 months to see what it would do and it was still oily that is why I ended up shredding it and adding it into 2 batches. Since it became a good seller I needed to duplicate it. It is my Hump Day soap.

 

[penelopejane]

It happens with all colour - ultramarine oxides, clay and liquid dispersants. I mix all with a little of the water from the main recipe. SF varies from 5% to 0% still no change.
If it was too much water wouldn't that work its way out in 3 months?

So if I put in 99% of my water mix the batter then divide it into three and add colour (mixed with 1 tbsp max of the reserved water) to two of them I really need to add more water to the main batter. I haven't done that but if I did the main batter might be sludgy too.
So do you think it sounds like too much water?

That can't be it though because if I do a single colour soap (where I can't muck up the water amounts) it still happens - spiralulina and clay.

Someone hid or deleted the first post. I think they do that when I post too often!

 

[fuzz-juzz]

How much water do you add?
I mix swirl colours in oil and it's literally drops, just to make the powder dissolved.
I think you might be onto something with oxides. I stopped using oxides after blue one from aussie soap supplies turned slightly mushy in one of the batches. And all the FO leaked out from blue portion of soap. It was so bad I had to rebatch.
It was a while ago... I never worked it out if it was actual oxides or just that tiny extra bit of water that made it soft.

Edited to add: I just saw your other post... I never had problems with clays though. I used many with success, in swirls, whole batches etc. Never made soap mushy or crumbly. Love clays.

 

[penelopejane]

Fuzz juzz
I won't use the oxides again but I'm a bit reluctant to use micas. What colours do you use?
Has it happened to you with the water dispersal colours? Mine just leech out but the soap remains hard.

I made pumpkin purée soap and spiralulina and clay soap and all were soft. Clay with palm and coconut wasn't soft.

By " rebatch" do you mean confetti or HP it?

 

[fuzz-juzz]

I rebatched it as HP. As it was charcoal, blue and white soap I got grey but it was usable.
I use pinks, purples, greens, yellows, etc from My mica obsession, Aussie soap supplies.
Some blues and purples will morph slightly, but I always test first. I don't use much, I don't like brightly coloured soap, just for pastel colours and swirls.
I really like clay though, it adds slip and lovely shine to soap.
I think it might be oxides that are causing you problems? It it from Aussie soap supplies? It was their blue that caused soft and weepy portions in my bars.
I never had those issues with oil dispersable colours.

 

[penelopejane]

I rebatched it as HP. As it was charcoal, blue and white soap I got grey but it was usable.
I use pinks, purples, greens, yellows, etc from My mica obsession, Aussie soap supplies.
Some blues and purples will morph slightly, but I always test first. I don't use much, I don't like brightly coloured soap, just for pastel colours and swirls.
I really like clay though, it adds slip and lovely shine to soap.
I think it might be oxides that are causing you problems? It it from Aussie soap supplies? It was their blue that caused soft and weepy portions in my bars.
I never had those issues with oil dispersable colours.

So when you HP rebatch that is just removing water isn't it? Or is it doing something else as well?

Yes it was Aussie Soap Oxides but not just the blue, the lilac too. And the water dispersable colours. But it happened with AC, pumpkin and Spirulina so it could be me rather than the colours?

I will buy some oil dispersable colours and see how they go.
Do you worry about Micas in soap? As in harmful for people?

 

[fuzz-juzz]

So when you HP rebatch that is just removing water isn't it? Or is it doing something else as well?

Yes it was Aussie Soap Oxides but not just the blue, the lilac too. And the water dispersable colours. But it happened with AC, pumpkin and Spirulina so it could be me rather than the colours?

I will buy some oil dispersable colours and see how they go.
Do you worry about Micas in soap? As in harmful for people?

Rebatching is done to finish saponification quicker. That's how I see it. And also to correct any soapy mistakes. For example, any separation (oil from lye water), ugly colour, ricing, seizing, etc. Some water will definitely evaporate so it's a good idea to add extra liquid, otherwise soap might become too dry and end up with dried up bits (been there done that ).

So, I looked at your recipe in other thread, is AO, almond or avocado oil. I can see you have lots of soft oils and only one butter. Any reason you are not using CO or palm? They help with hardening the bars. Avocado oil, especially unrefined stuff from Coles make mushy soap (from my experience).
Or have you used them in past with oxides, does the same issue hapen with other recipes?
I don't see issue with micas, micas are safely used in make up and cosmetics. I beleive they are from mineral origin, so basically from nature, but mined. Colour is added later.
I think prefer them to neons and other bright colours. Too me they ar least natural. I also heard they are banned for cosmetics use in EU. Or some at least.

 

[fuzz-juzz]

Are you gelling your soaps?
Gel helps with hardening too.

As far as the pumpkin goes, it doesn't matter how much liquid it's squeezed out there's still decent amount left in the puree.
And spirulina, how do you add it to soap? Mixed with water or?

All in all, by the looks of it, it could be anything or maybe colurs and extra water, combined with your recipe.
But from my experience, their oxides will do funky stuff to soap.

 

[penelopejane]

Yes I gel my soap.
I boiled the pumpkin purée down a lot and used it instead of water.
AO is avocado oil. This is basically the shampoo bar that everyone uses tweeked by Replacing soy oil with RB oil. It can't be the recipe because the main batter in the soap is hard. Wouldn't there have been an uproar if BBs oxides and water dispersant colours (that Aussie Soaps supplies) didn't work?

Spirulina (which I no longer use!!) was infused in OO and replaced 1/2 the OO in the recipe. What a waste of a weekend. Looks beautiful in soap for a week then fades over a month to very pale khaki.

I only use this recipe and Castile. As both work for my skin and people who try it like it. My soap making friend suggested I just make white soap [emoji2][emoji2] she can't work it out either.

I don't like palm and coconut makes me itch.
The fact the the EU has removed micas from cosmetics is a worry for me.
I react to EO and some FOs with headaches etc etc so I know stuff in soap gets transmitted through skin (for me anyway) so am reluctant to use micas but guess I should and just stick to tiny swirls with it.
Thanks so much for pursing this with me. It must be in my process somewhere. I'll get my DH to check my maths when he gets home.

I add salt now 1 tsp ppo but am yet to test those soaps as they aren't 8 weeks old yet.

 

[fuzz-juzz]

Those oxides, maybe they work for some. I guess we were unlucky.
It's same for me with TD, doesn't matter the method I use, I'll get glycerin rivers 9/10 times.
But it works for others and it's selling.

Maybe then just tweak your recipe a biti lower castor to max 5. I believe it's at 8%. And up RBO or shea. See how you then with the texture. Try in smaller batches to avoid disappointment.

I know how it feels we've all been there. But it's all part of learning. 5 years on with my soaping and I still nake mistake sometimes.

 

[dillsandwitch]

Just thought I'd chime in about the oxides and micas from aussie soap supplies. Ive been using then in my soaps for over 2 years and have replenished them many times durring that time. Ive never had any issues with them. Maybe you got a bad batch or something. Otger than that I cant help sorry

 

[SuzieOz]

I haven't had any issues with Aussie's ultramarine blue oxide and green oxide.

I've been thinking of you penelopejane and I do hope you get this sorted. It must be horribly frustrating!

I have serious issues with titanium dioxide - pain in the butt! I love it when it works for me, but so many times I get soft chalky soap and glycerine rivers. I think I've nailed it down to soaping with my oils too cool. Under 40 C using TD just doesn't work for me, and yet it works for others.

 

[penelopejane]

Thanks Fuzz-juzz. I will follow your advice about the castor oil and think I will up the lye concentration and try 33% at least and I am adding salt already. I also think I will put a camera in my soaping room or at least really concentrate on mixing the colours and see if I am doing something wrong that I don't take note of.

TD is a pain. Mine is water dispersible but requires sitting for a little while to ensure it doesn't go spotty and very small amounts added - 1tsp ppo - works for me stopping the glycerine rivers but someone said glycerine rivers are caused by low lye concentration so maybe it was just luck for me?

Congratulations on battling it out for 5 years. :mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

My soap friend made a HP soap of all her soft/mistake soaps. It was extremely well received but unfortunately she could never repeat it!!!!!

 

[DeeAnna]

"Glycerin" rivers (really it's just the streaking, crackling or mottling of the soap -- nothing to do with glycerin) are caused by slow cooling of a soap that has gone into gel. By adding a colorant, you accentuate the streaky look, but mottling happens in uncolored soaps too -- it's just a lot less obvious.

Solutions to the problem -- don't allow the soap to gel and/or cool the gelled soap as quickly as possible. The easiest and most reliable way to avoid gel is to soap with less water (33% lye concentration seems to be a good choice). People also try to put the soap in the fridge or freezer and/or soap really cool, but these solutions are not as reliable as using less water.

Another solution is just to enjoy the mottled look. I think it's kind of neat when it happens. A century or so ago, mottled soaps were highly desired by consumers. A cheaply made soap that contains fillers (starch, washing soda, flour, etc.) won't mottle, because the fillers prevent this from happening. So one way to look at mottling is that it's proof your soap is pure and high quality.

 

[penelopejane]

I make a soap with 10% superfat and camels milk, confetti it and add it into a plain batch made with 3% superfat. If your softness is from to much oil I would think it should saponify the free oils in the confetti. I only do this because I want to replicate a recipe that I goofed on and ended up with a very high superfat. The soap was oily so I let it age 2-3 months to see what it would do and it was still oily that is why I ended up shredding it and adding it into 2 batches. Since it became a good seller I needed to duplicate it. It is my Hump Day soap.

I am going to do a confetti soap batch and test it realising it will take a few months to really tell if it was a success.

You will have to discover if people liked your confetti soap for the looks (easy to replicate) or the feel (not so easy to make failed soap twice!) [emoji12]

 

[topofmurrayhill]

I am going to do a confetti soap batch and test it realising it will take a few months to really tell if it was a success.

You will have to discover if people liked your confetti soap for the looks (easy to replicate) or the feel (not so easy to make failed soap twice!) [emoji12]

I was reading your thoughts and questions about mica. One point is that your problems are probably not directly related to colorant because you're having them with too many different kinds. However, the other thing is that "mica" isn't a colorant. It's there as a reflective thing to create shimmer or sparkle. Micas are colored with oxides (including TD), ultramarines, lakes and dyes. You wouldn't really be coloring with anything different.

 

[penelopejane]

I was reading your thoughts and questions about mica. One point is that your problems are probably not directly related to colorant because you're having them with too many different kinds. However, the other thing is that "mica" isn't a colorant. It's there as a reflective thing to create shimmer or sparkle. Micas are colored with oxides (including TD), ultramarines, lakes and dyes. You wouldn't really be coloring with anything different.

Bugger!