How hard is it to blend pigment/oxide powders?

[valerieinthegallery]

I just made a rather large order a few days ago for soap supplies and forgot one thing - an orange colorant for a pomegranate/blood orange soap.

I have only ever used liquid colorants, so I was a little nervous to begin with, ordering colorants this time around in powder form (I thought maybe I could get more for my money with powder vs. liquid?) and now I am even more wary, wondering if it is difficult (or even possible?) to mix a red powder and a yellow powder to make orange? Should I be ok?

Maybe I'll go search youtube for some info too.

 

[Saponista]

I would mix it in a little bit of liquid oil taken from your weighed out oils from your recipe.

Then it will be easier to mix into your batter and you can mess around getting the colour right before you actually make the soap and are in a panic trying to get it done before the soap sets up.

 

[valerieinthegallery]

Right. That is what I was planning on doing - probably mixing it with my superfat (I do hot process exclusively). But what I mean is, is it easy to mix a red and yellow powder together to make orange? Do they blend well? I have never used powdered colorant in my life for anything.

Thanks!

 

[Saponista]

Yes it is very easy. Start with the paler colour (in this case yellow), mix it into the oil until it is fully dispersed, then just add the red, tiny bit by tiny bit until you reach the orange you require. Be patient and only add a really small amount at a time, once you have gone too dark it's pretty difficult to fix it.

 

[KristaY]

I do just what Saponista suggested - hold out a bit of OO from my batch and mix the powder. I mix colors all the time to get something unique. I haven't specifically tried to mix red and yellow to get orange but I don't see why you can't give it go. Start with just a bit of each then add until you get what you want. I also use a mini frother to mix in the powder as it can be hard to get all the little lumps out by hand. Good luck with it Valerie!

 

[MorpheusPA]

It does depend on what the powder will disperse best in. For my lake pigments, that's oil. For my titanium dioxide, water.

If you mix very well in whatever you use then add it, then mix well again, you shouldn't have any problems.

My only exception is Blue #1. For some reason, it often goes polka-dot on me. I finally put some in a dropper bottle and added water, and use that to color the batch. This finally got me a consistent color.

 

[cmzaha]

I use glycerin for my pigments and oxides to premix them. Titanium Dioxide I mix a batch up with a light colored olive oil. I do not use water TD. Micas I premix with a light color oil all my colors I mix in deli cups with lids so I do not waste the color if I do not use it all. My TD I mix in a 6 oz deli cup. My lake colors I also use glycerin. For me, glycerin is very easy to use.

 

[IrishLass]

I agree with Carolyn - glycerin is very easy to use. It's sort of become my all-purpose mixing medium. When in doubt which particular medium will work best with which colorant, try glycerin.


IrishLass

 

[valerieinthegallery]

Thanks for all the tips, everyone! Very helpful!

The idea of mixing in deli cups is perfect! I will definitely do that!

Not sure where I could get glycerin, though. If I have to order it, I might as well just go and order the orange colorant, too.

Good tip for next time, though! I will try mixing it in a bit of oil this time around.

Thanks again!

 

[Saponista]

Glycerin is sold as cough medicine. I normally order mine online but today I bought some in our local chemist as it was a soaping emergency!