Hi, I just wanted to ask if mica that you put on the top of the soap loaf as a decoration stays on your hands when you use the soap to wash your hands. Like will my hands be covered in this shimmer. How does it behave? What about when you mix it into the batter.?
Mica behaviour while using soap
- Thread starter Phantomina
- Start date
Help Support Soapmaking Forum:
jcandleattic
Well-Known Member
It rinses clean.
Same as when it's in the batter.
It's a non-issue. It's my personal preference, but I think less is more when I sprinkle mica on top. I suck at making tops and jealous of all the sculptors and artisans on this forum. So I often cover by using BB's snowflake sparkle mica.
Welcome to this community!
Welcome to this community!
Thanks for replys. I will put some golden mica on top of my loaf as I didn't do any interesting swirls ot so. So bit of mica on top just for some fancines. 
Will post some photos after the cut.
Will post some photos after the cut.
Many of us like fancy soaps.Thanks for replys. I will put some golden mica on top of my loaf as I didn't do any interesting swirls ot so. So bit of mica on top just for some fancines.
Brilliant!!!
HansvP
Member
Probably not a popular topic but why use mica in soap? One of the reasons I make soap is that I have control of what goes in, no synthetic detergents, no parabens, no micro-plastics etc. Mica is one of those ingredients that, in my opinion, should not belong in soap. Mining of mica is an industry with a lot of negative sides to it. Even if it is not done with child labour, it is still a very unhealthy occupation and working conditions are poor. Furthermore the health risk of the miners is extremely high. If mica was essential to make soap it would be debatable to use it. But it is only in there because we want fancy soaps with bright colours.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(18)30178-4/fulltext
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(18)30178-4/fulltext
Never did research on mica like that. I understood it was made out of minerals so I asumed it was alright to use. Well thanks for that insight. I will not use it again.
But how much we know about the oils used, I didn't use palm oil because of harsh industry. But what about the others? Like coconut or olive? I live in the Mediterranean, so olive oil for me flows in rivers here. My favourite oil. And i can get it from my olive groves, so I know exactly the origin and the impact on this planet. What about coconut or cocoa butter? I guess we need to do research on each ingredient we use and suppliers to be 100% we're on the good side right? Is this something you do?
Also not everyone in soap making is looking for natural ingredients or labour safe ingredients.
I see many people using refined oils and synthetic fragrances and so on. I do not support them but also do not criticise them either. It is their choice. Although I find it sad.
HansvP
Member
Hi Phantomka, I am from The Netherlands so no rivers of olive oil here! But to come back to your question, yes I do try to get as much as possible organic and fair trade products. But with everything we do in life it will have an impact, the best we can do is to try to minimalize it as much as possible.
And to your second point, no I also do not judge people that make other choices to what they put in their soaps. I can only speak for myself that for me the benefits of some ingredients are not in line with the disadvantages.
If you ever again see my posts and notice something to criticise in them, please do so. I won't mind it.
HansvP
Member
Haha I do not like to criticise. Better just sharing all our joint knowledge.
Here’s what I found on Mad Micas’ website under their FAQs about how they source their micas:
WHAT ABOUT CHILD LABOR AND FAIR AND ETHICAL EMPLOYEE PRACTICES AMONG SUPPLIERS?
Mad Micas has a strong commitment to social responsibility and ethical business practices.
While we purchase our colors and supplies from all over the world, including here in the United States, we know that other countries have different regulations and practices.
So we pre-screen all of our manufacturers and suppliers, and require declarations stating there are no children employed (monetarily or otherwise) by the company or any sub-contractors of that company. Further, we require declarations of safe and healthy working environments for their employees.
We believe that by requiring these declarations we are helping to support safe, healthy working conditions as well as children's rights and well-being worldwide.
WHAT ABOUT CHILD LABOR AND FAIR AND ETHICAL EMPLOYEE PRACTICES AMONG SUPPLIERS?
Mad Micas has a strong commitment to social responsibility and ethical business practices.
While we purchase our colors and supplies from all over the world, including here in the United States, we know that other countries have different regulations and practices.
So we pre-screen all of our manufacturers and suppliers, and require declarations stating there are no children employed (monetarily or otherwise) by the company or any sub-contractors of that company. Further, we require declarations of safe and healthy working environments for their employees.
We believe that by requiring these declarations we are helping to support safe, healthy working conditions as well as children's rights and well-being worldwide.
Pretty 'judgmental' if you ask me. To be truly honest about it, there is absolutely no reason to put anything in 'soap' other than fats and lye other than we want what we want and who doesn't want a soap that looks pretty and smells pretty? Doesn't matter if you're using a spinach powder that was hand-picked by sky-clad virgins under the light of a blue moon on the second Tuesday of the week or a mica that was synthetically produced in lab.
Ya just criticized them. And FYI - Everything that is sold in a first or second-world countries is refined and/or processed to some degree. Nobody is squeezing oil from an olive directly into a bottle. Nobody is digging clay from the ground and putting it in jars.
Not really a (harsh) critique, but that is your opinion, and FYI everybody gets to have one, weather we like it or not. And you just decided to share yours and criticise, right? These days you gotta be extra careful with sharing opinions I guess.
I am a fan of constructive critiques (I find them motivating) as you could notice if you go thru my posts. But they should be in polite manner if you don't want to offend someone, but rather see them grow.
I do think Hanspv and you could have find better way to communicate, but luckily I don't get offended or upset easily.
I do not know your way of life, profession or location. But you have to understand that people live their lives differently. My location, proffesion and way of living seems to be much different from yours. I have my own olive groves and yes, every drop of that oil goes thru my hands. My proffesion is manly collecting material from the nature, yes, I did collect many clay in my life, herbs, seeds, funghi or whatever. This is how I make a living. I am not one of the modern hippies you described, I am a person that tries to live in sincronicity with nature around me. I try to provide as much materials as I can, needed in my work and life, from natural habitat. If you surround yourself with people living this way, a word REFINED will not be in your vocabulary any more. But I can't expect from people to understand things that they obviously don't even know exist or could be done, because they chose or have different life. People who relly only on shops are very limited in my opinion.
Honestly, everything humans harvest has negative impact on other humans or the environment or both...so you really pick your battles.
Just devoting land to farming harms biodiversity (and I want to clarify: I am more critical of corporate farming here than small individually owned farms). Slavery is still a huge issue in the commodity market.
That being said...what we are doing, making soap and the like...is such a small drop in the bucket compared to what big corporations are doing to harm the world. I don't think we should beat ourselves up too much about it.
Absolutely every action has reaction. Whatever we do has some kind of impact somewhere. That is why we should more think about sustainability.
Boicoting big fish is a way.
Boicoting big fish is a way.
I wasn't criticizing you, just pointing out your hypocrisy. And I was very polite about it too. There is no second Tuesday in a week...I was being facetious. You might want to look up the word 'refined': with impurities or unwanted elements having been removed by processing.
