Titanium Dioxide Spots...Ugh

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scrubadubdub

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This was my first attempt at a tiger stripe pattern. I liked the way the stripes came out but the TD spots and drag marks are so disappointing! I even put it in a coffee grinder before mixing into sweet almond oil and that still didn’t help. I have since switched to TD from another supplier, and it is the water mixable kind. I haven’t gotten a chance to use that kind in a significant amount yet but hoping that will work a little better. Any ideas on how to avoid this issue in the future? Also, is it okay to sell the soaps in this condition or should I just give those away?
 
I use water soluble TD and never get spots. I mix up the TD I'm going to use a good 20-30 minutes before hand so it has a chance to soak up the water and I mash any lumps with a tiny spoon.
You can also get a milk frother to mix your colors really well.

Your spotty soap is perfectly safe to use so I see no reason not to sell them. You can clean up the drag marks and say the speckles are on purpose.
 
I'e had the same problems in some of mine Scrubby, and i was very careful to mix the TD as well as I could before hand. I've since started using water to mix it and it seems to mix a lot better, AND i premixed a bunch with water and I keep it in a little jar. No problems at all now.

And yes I used the spotty/draggy soap and it was fine. I even sold some - no-one even asked what the lines were.
 
Brilliant idea, obsidian. I hadn’t thought of making it a part of my ‘design’. Thanks for the tip! I plan to make another bar in that design and hope the water soluble TD behaves.

I'e had the same problems in some of mine Scrubby, and i was very careful to mix the TD as well as I could before hand. I've since started using water to mix it and it seems to mix a lot better, AND i premixed a bunch with water and I keep it in a little jar. No problems at all now.

And yes I used the spotty/draggy soap and it was fine. I even sold some - no-one even asked what the lines were.
Thanks Kiwi. My sister in law said she didn’t think it detracted from the soap at all visually. But she isn’t a soap maker and it’s nice to get the opinions of fellow soapers :)
 
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To what ratio have you mixed your TD? I started my soaping journey back in my home country (Colombia) and the only place I could get TD from was not a very reliable source, and I still didn't get spots ever. I always mixed it with water in a 3:1 water to TD ratio at least 10 mins before I started the soap process. I also do a very high water discount so I'm never worried about adding a few tablespoons of water diluted TD. But I'm also not very heavy on the whites so Idk if my insight is very helpful.
 
Somewhere in my internet travels a soaper in a video put a marble in a squeeze bottle to help keep her TD mixed. I thought that was clever if you use enough TD.
Thats a great idea! I’m going to try that. I have it premixed in a 15 oz bottle as I use it quite frequently.

To what ratio have you mixed your TD? I started my soaping journey back in my home country (Colombia) and the only place I could get TD from was not a very reliable source, and I still didn't get spots ever. I always mixed it with water in a 3:1 water to TD ratio at least 10 mins before I started the soap process. I also do a very high water discount so I'm never worried about adding a few tablespoons of water diluted TD. But I'm also not very heavy on the whites so Idk if my insight is very helpful.
Measuring could be my issue. I just eye it and mix it in. I’ll have to pay better attention next time. Thanks for the tip!
 
To what ratio have you mixed your TD? I started my soaping journey back in my home country (Colombia) and the only place I could get TD from was not a very reliable source, and I still didn't get spots ever. I always mixed it with water in a 3:1 water to TD ratio at least 10 mins before I started the soap process. I also do a very high water discount so I'm never worried about adding a few tablespoons of water diluted TD. But I'm also not very heavy on the whites so Idk if my insight is very helpful.
Ratio? ;)
I just eyeballed it.
 
Thats a great idea! I’m going to try that. I have it premixed in a 15 oz bottle as I use it quite frequently.

You can use ball bearings or stainless steel sinkers. I went searching for ball bearings one day, but could only find stainless steel sinkers (in the fishing section of Walmart), so that's what I use.

I know a lady who uses a small car toy! That's one that probably never would have occurred to me, even when my boys were little.
 
Hahaha eyeballing it's fine but it's really not for me. Not even with the sugar in my coffee, if I don't measure it, it never comes out right
You sound like my husband lol. He measures everything and cringes when I loosely follow a food recipe. Measuring is important, especially in baking and in soap making. But anything in soap making that I can get away with not measuring...Im not measuring it.
 
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