Do, reds and bright oranges bleed into white in M&P? If not, what base and colorant do you use? Is it the EO?

[akseattle]

Okay, I have been having a terrible time with reds and bright oranges bleeding into white in my M&P soaps. It seems this is even worse in shea butter base and goat milk base. Those bases seem to be softer than a plain white base or a clear base. In a plain white base, it seemed like it took a couple months to start bleeding, and it was super gradual. In goat milk base it took exactly one week. Or maybe I just added too much EO? I did sort of pour in the peppermint ..... Could it be certain EO's that cause this?
Since coconut oil is supposed to make soap harder, I thought I'd try adding a little coconut oil to these softer bases to see if that will help. I also thought that I might make some embeds and let them sit there for a couple months to see if the embeds lose moisture, they will bleed less. I'm also thinking I should just try different micas. But, I'm wondering if anyone has this problem and if you have don't have a problem 1) what kind of a base are you using and 2) what mica are you using? or 3) if you were having this problem but have figured out how to prevent this, what did you do?
Thanks in advance if you have any suggestions or help to offer.

 

[artemis]

Or maybe I just added too much EO? I did sort of pour in the peppermint ..... Could it be certain EO's that cause this?

Off topic:
I don't know how experienced you are so you may already know this. Be careful with that peppermint eo. It can cause a burning sensation, especially on sensitive areas.

 

[AliensrReal]

I don't really have a problem with bleeding in my soap that I have noticed. Although I do know reds have a reputation for bleeding depending on the colorant used. I do use WSP detergent free baby buttermilk soap and their detergent free clear base. I also use neon pigments and micas specially made for soap that say non-bleeding. Adding coconut oil to melt and pour soap isn’t going to make it harder. I use micas from mad micas and wsp. I have some from Amazon that work well in melt and pour, but I don’t recommend buying from Amazon. Mad micas has a true red blend that is reported to not bleed.

Where are you getting your micas from?

 

[basti]

I also have not noticed any bleeding in my MP soaps. I use micas and neons from Nurture Soap. I also use the Wholesale Supplies Plus detergent free bases (Hemp and Triple Butter, specifically but have also used Honey and a few others without issue) like AliensrReal does.

And yeah, unfortunately, adding coconut oil or any additional oil/butter will do nothing but make base softer. Coconut oil makes a hard soap when saponified in cold process or hot process soapmaking, but it doesn't work the same way in MP.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Okay, I have been having a terrible time with reds and bright oranges bleeding into white in my M&P soaps. It seems this is even worse in shea butter base and goat milk base. Those bases seem to be softer than a plain white base or a clear base. In a plain white base, it seemed like it took a couple months to start bleeding, and it was super gradual. In goat milk base it took exactly one week. Or maybe I just added too much EO? I did sort of pour in the peppermint ..... Could it be certain EO's that cause this?
Since coconut oil is supposed to make soap harder, I thought I'd try adding a little coconut oil to these softer bases to see if that will help. I also thought that I might make some embeds and let them sit there for a couple months to see if the embeds lose moisture, they will bleed less. I'm also thinking I should just try different micas. But, I'm wondering if anyone has this problem and if you have don't have a problem 1) what kind of a base are you using and 2) what mica are you using? or 3) if you were having this problem but have figured out how to prevent this, what did you do?
Thanks in advance if you have any suggestions or help to offer.

I have only had a gold mica bleed once, so stopped using it in MP.
I get most of my micas from Brambleberry. In the product description it says whether it is recommended for MP, bleeds, etc.
You mention only using EOs, so what I am about to say probably doesn't apply. Some fragrances contain vanilla which can cause any mica to bleed color. When these are used, a vanilla color stabilizer should be added to the melted soap along with the fragrance.
The MP base I use is the SFIC brand from Brambleberry.

 

[akseattle]

Well, I'm definitely not that experienced. As you can tell from my assumptions! I've made exactly 53 bars since starting in March. I make a couple here and there every couple weeks and I give them away to family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. So, I didn't know that peppermint can have a burning sensation. I bought it because it seemed to be such a popular scent for the holidays. My sister visited for Thanksgiving and we made some M&P soap together. She said her husband liked the refreshing feel of peppermint and that's the scent she chose for his soap. Guess he likes having his buns burned off in the shower?
It's so weird that coconut oil has to saponify ( whatever that is.... ) to get hard. It gets hard as a rock just sitting in its jar in my basement!
Most of my micas are Ceya and I got them on Amazon when I first started. They had lots of colors and they were also reasonably priced - and accessible. The only other place I knew to get supplies was from Brambleberry. Although their site has information about shipping methods, they provide no information about shipping costs. I emailed to them a couple times and they never responded. Although I have enough micas to last a lifetime, I think I'll look for a few micas that say they won't bleed. One of these days, I'm going to try making cold process soap. Maybe these reds and oranges will fare better in CP.

 

[akseattle]

Off topic:
I don't know how experienced you are so you may already know this. Be careful with that peppermint eo. It can cause a burning sensation, especially on sensitive areas.

Nope. News to me

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Well, I'm definitely not that experienced. As you can tell from my assumptions! I've made exactly 53 bars since starting in March. I make a couple here and there every couple weeks and I give them away to family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. So, I didn't know that peppermint can have a burning sensation. I bought it because it seemed to be such a popular scent for the holidays. My sister visited for Thanksgiving and we made some M&P soap together. She said her husband liked the refreshing feel of peppermint and that's the scent she chose for his soap. Guess he likes having his buns burned off in the shower?
It's so weird that coconut oil has to saponify ( whatever that is.... ) to get hard. It gets hard as a rock just sitting in its jar in my basement!
Most of my micas are Ceya and I got them on Amazon when I first started. They had lots of colors and they were also reasonably priced - and accessible. The only other place I knew to get supplies was from Brambleberry. Although their site has information about shipping methods, they provide no information about shipping costs. I emailed to them a couple times and they never responded. Although I have enough micas to last a lifetime, I think I'll look for a few micas that say they won't bleed. One of these days, I'm going to try making cold process soap. Maybe these reds and oranges will fare better in CP.

On Brambleberry's site, they have a fragrance calculator. This will help with the amount to use per EO or fragrance (as long as it is an EO or fragrance they carry). As far as the shipping cost on Brambleberry , you have to get into the checkout screens - then there is a button to calculate shipping cost. If you decide it is too pricey, you can back out and cancel/clear your order. Their shipping costs depend on weight, type of shipping, etc. Alternatively, you can call their customer service, tell them what you want to order and your address, they can then tell you the shipping and sales tax. I am not a salesperson for Brambleberry, but have ordered from them a lot and am extremely happy with the quality of their products and customer service (1-877-627-7883).

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Also, since you're just getting started, I highly recommend watching YouTube videos on Melt and Pour soaps. I watched lots for MP and then CP. I picked up pointers from most of them.

 

[A-Polly]

That's great that you're so close to Bramble Berry — they have good stuff. I use mostly their melt-and-pour bases for projects with my grandchildren. Other places with great micas are Mad Micas Mad Micas | Premium Mica and Colorants for Makers (they specialize in colorants), and Nurture Soap Nurture Soap Making Supplies (they have other soap supplies, plus a calculator for their fragrances, like BB).

One other important site that I think most everyone on this forum uses is the essential oil calculator EOCalc Calculate Usage Rate - EO Calc - Essential Oil Calculator — it is so easy overdo essential oils and make an unsafe product!

 

[akseattle]

On Brambleberry's site, they have a fragrance calculator. This will help with the amount to use per EO or fragrance (as long as it is an EO or fragrance they carry). As far as the shipping cost on Brambleberry , you have to get into the checkout screens - then there is a button to calculate shipping cost. If you decide it is too pricey, you can back out and cancel/clear your order. Their shipping costs depend on weight, type of shipping, etc. Alternatively, you can call their customer service, tell them what you want to order and your address, they can then tell you the shipping and sales tax. I am not a salesperson for Brambleberry, but have ordered from them a lot and am extremely happy with the quality of their products and customer service (1-877-627-7883).

@Nona'sFarm , good suggestion. I think I'll go on and try that. I'd really like to try some color blocks.