mica and clay questions

[Chris_S]

I was just wondering if there was any way I could pre mix mica powders with oil and store so I can use a small pipette and add a little at a time would this work and how long would they be likely stable enough to store in say an old jam jar?
Also iv just got some bentonite clay iv read you can just add it to oils before adding the lye solution but is there any better way people add clays? I believe some people add clays for amongst other reasons to add a natural colour so could they be added to oil mixed and left in storage in the same way I have asked if the mica can be stored?
Last of all iv read you can add milk powder would this have the same benefits as a liquid milk but potentially more stable and easier to work with maybe?

 

[cmzaha]

You really do not want to mix clays and let them sit without preserving. Clays can grow funky yucky and oils can go rancid. I used to mix my micas in glycerin because it does not leak and go rancid like oils. No I just add my micas into my batter and mix well.

 

[Chris_S]

You really do not want to mix clays and let them sit without preserving. Clays can grow funky yucky and oils can go rancid. I used to mix my micas in glycerin because it does not leak and go rancid like oils. No I just add my micas into my batter and mix well.

ah ok thank you how did glycerine work for storing I know you have said you have gone back to just mixing it into your batter but is that because it's just easier than making up batches of a colour?

Any input on the use of milk powders an alternative to using liquid milk? iv got a nearly full tub of milk powder and very little ideas of how to use it up I'm guessing you would just add it to the oils mixture like you would a clay or mica?

 

[SmilingSunSoaps]

While a bit off topic, another way to have pre-mixed color is using LabColors (LC) (Bramble Berry has them). While there aren't many different colors, the ones they have are nice. It makes it easy to just add a few drops of pre-mixed LC and I've had good success with CP soap.

 

[Chris_S]

While a bit off topic, another way to have pre-mixed color is using LabColors (LC) (Bramble Berry has them). While there aren't many different colors, the ones they have are nice. It makes it easy to just add a few drops of pre-mixed LC and I've had good success with CP soap.

Thank you for the suggestion but unfortunately living in England on this occasion presents a slight issue with that idea but mostly the company you have suggested and having just googled it I think that's a bramble berry specific product. The main reason I was asking about mica is because I have just got some delivered but I have managed to mix them with relatively good results so far so will probably just carry on with that method.

 

[penelopejane]

You can use powdered milk. Use the split method and it won’t burn and go brown.

Bentonite is lovely in soap but to get it to appear as a discernible colour you have to add lots. It also requires a lot of time to adsorb water and set up before use otherwise it goes clumpy in the soap.
1 Tbsp bentonite to 3 Tbsp water from the recipe and leave it to sit for at least an hour, stirring often. You might need more water.

I don’t use micas anymore but when I did I mixed them in oil or water from the recipe before adding them to the oils. Glycerine is great because you don’t have to account for it out of the recipe oils or liquid. You just stir it into the mica and add it to the batter. No flying mica anywhere. Glycerine is great for AC too.

 

[Chris_S]

You can use powdered milk. Use the split method and it won’t burn and go brown.

Bentonite is lovely in soap but to get it to appear as a discernible colour you have to add lots. It also requires a lot of time to adsorb water and set up before use otherwise it goes clumpy in the soap.
1 Tbsp bentonite to 3 Tbsp water from the recipe and leave it to sit for at least an hour, stirring often. You might need more water.

I don’t use micas anymore but when I did I mixed them in oil or water from the recipe before adding them to the oils. Glycerine is great because you don’t have to account for it out of the recipe oils or liquid. You just stir it into the mica and add it to the batter. No flying mica anywhere. Glycerine is great for AC too.

Thank you for the reply, so this 3 tbsp of water you use to add the clay too is taken out of the water used to mix the lye? does this clay mixture then get added at trace to the batter or to the oils before the lye water gets added? sorry I'm still very new to this so I maybe asking questions that may seem obvious to someone with more knowledge.

Could I ask what you use now if you don't use micas? or do you not colour your soaps now?

 

[penelopejane]

I only use natural colourants now.

So if your recipe says 200g total water dissolve your lye in part of it (must be a minimum of 1:1 so if your recipe says 100g NaOH you need a minimum of 100g water to mix it with).
The rest of the liquid can be use to mix colours or replaced with milk or fruit purée.