Titanium Dioxide

[Sonya is soaping]

I read in my soap book that titanium dioxide can make your soap less moisturising. Has anyone found this to be true? I'm wanting to use some in my next soap but wondering if I should superfat a little more to compensate or not?

 

[Relle]

I use TD in my soap and don't have any issues if it's in there or not. I'm not sure what book you are reading, but soap doesn't moisturise as it's a wash off product and doesn't stay on the skin.

 

[opensea]

Can't say I have ever heard of that. Wonder what the logic is behind it. The search is on.

 

[dibbles]

No difference in my experience. I've never heard that one before!

 

[shunt2011]

I’ve never noticed a difference either. Use it frequently with no issues

 

[Sonya is soaping]

I use TD in my soap and don't have any issues if it's in there or not. I'm not sure what book you are reading, but soap doesn't moisturise as it's a wash off product and doesn't stay on the skin.

The book is Called 'Milk Soapmaking' by Anne L Watson.
It talks about making your milk soap whiter by using titanium dioxide, which
" might give you a prettier soap when adding colorants, but there's a tradeoff:
titanium dioxide reduces lather and moisturizing significantly".

 

[Relle]

TD does make milk soap whiter, but I've never heard of it reducing lather and as I said soap doesn't moisturise. Make a batch and put TD in half and leave half without, put in 2 separate moulds and make up your own mind. I'd cure it for 4-6 wks.

 

[Dennis]

I read in my soap book that titanium dioxide can make your soap less moisturising. Has anyone found this to be true? I'm wanting to use some in my next soap but wondering if I should superfat a little more to compensate or not?

Mr Doubting Thomas here. I have to wonder if the author based this on some scientific finding or if it's opinion and on what that opinion is based. I've used TD a good bit, too much maybe at first, and found no real negatives other than white stains that washed off the tile easily enough. Got carried away with some brick red also. That was messy.

 

[DeeAnna]

Anne is a reputable author and she does try to back her statements with personal experience and testing, but I don't always entirely agree with her.

Also the amount of TD used is an important factor. I seldom use much TD in my soap, and can't say I've noticed an obvious difference between soap with a bit of TD versus soap without any at all. But I imagine if I loaded up an entire batch with TD to get a chalky white result, the TD might change the properties of the soap, just as various clays can also affect soap.

But, honestly, I have to also add that soap really doesn't moisturize. It can feel more drying to the skin or it can feel more neutral and mild to the skin, depending on the additives and the recipe, but soap doesn't actually add moisturization.

 

[Anju Agarwal]

Since this thread is of titanium dioxide am just a novice to soap making and I made a batch of M&P using calamine soap base, I added 1 tsp to 200 gm of soap base which was wayyyy toooo much as it should have been just a pinch, is there anyway I can rectify the batch

 

[amd]

Since this thread is of titanium dioxide am just a novice to soap making and I made a batch of M&P using calamine soap base, I added 1 tsp to 200 gm of soap base which was wayyyy toooo much as it should have been just a pinch, is there anyway I can rectify the batch

Hi Anju, it would be better to start a new thread for this question. Not everyone will read it here because the OP and thread title is for Titanium Dioxide.

 

[Anju Agarwal]

Ok, shall do so, thanks

 

[Alfa_Lazcares]

Mr Doubting Thomas here. I have to wonder if the author based this on some scientific finding or if it's opinion and on what that opinion is based. I've used TD a good bit, too much maybe at first, and found no real negatives other than white stains that washed off the tile easily enough. Got carried away with some brick red also. That was messy.

THIS! I am super new at using TD and my first white batch is like super duper white. The soap feels the same, but its a salt bar, dont know it that matters.

 

[Dr.J]

Deja vu. I read the same book and asked the same question here a while back. Good to see the responses here are consistent.

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/tips-for-white-soap-on-purpose.68565/#post-679277

 

[Shelby Johnson]

I've never seen any problem with using titanium dioxide in soaps.

 

[OldHippie]

Anne is retired from a "long and honored career" as a historic preservation architecture consultant. I suspect that her conclusions are experience/belief based rather then based upon science per se.

I think that you would have to use way more than we normally do before it "reduces lather and moisturizing significantly".

 

[Sonya is soaping]

Okay all good, I was surprised when I read it that's why I wanted some other feedback.

 

[Steve85569]

My experience:
TD uses a bit of water. I think it is because of the very small particle size of the TD I use ( food grade) and the amount of surface area it has. I simply up the water in a given recipe by 3 times the weight of TD. It's like 3 grams of extra water at most. I can't see that small an amount of water and TD changing the soap's properties especially since I've never found a SAP value for TD.