What to mix micas and oxides in?

[misslavey]

I haven't quite come across any good solid search results as to what you mix colorants with to put into MP soap. My first time doing MP, i just put straight powder into the soap, and it dissolved and dispersed very easily.. I wasn't so lucky the next time because I ended up with little bits that clumped, although they were evenly spread out so they ended up almost looking like sparkles put there on purpose. After sitting for a couple days, it looked like those spots began to kind of disperse in the soap, as they got lighter in color and wider. I remelted the soaps thinking the last bits of powder would finally work they way in, but they didn't. Even a stick blender couldn't save me. Last night I tried mixing the powder in with a little bit of castor oil, then putting it into the soap and that worked quite well, but I was extremely worried I'd end up with an oily feeling soap, so I only used a small amount, and that resulted in me only achieving half the darkness of color I wanted. Any suggestions?

 

[candice19]

You can just mix it in with the regular amount of FO you would use, and then pour the FO into the batch. That way, you aren't adding any extra oils.

 

[misslavey]

I would, but I make very small batches of MP at a time, maybe 4-6 bars at a time, mostly because I'm just trying out different colors and scents

 

[JaneDoe]

Even if you're only doing one bar at a time, you can still mix it with the FO as you would only be using a tiny amount of Mica Just mix it in the measuring cup you use or spoon etc

 

[llineb]

I mix my micas with a little alcohol then stir and add. it dissolves nicely. My oxides(which i use rarely...love Mica) I mix with a small 4oz batch of clear melt & pour base...stir a good amount in it them mix really well and pour into a mold. Then when it dries I use it as a color block. I will cut a piece of the color block and add it to my large batch of M&P base and stir. If I think the color should be darker I will add another piece from my color block.

Again...I love mica with M&P and it dissolves all the way with alcohol.

Good luck!

 

[naturalbathing]

If I'm using oxides I usually mix them with a drop of water to dissolve them then add it to my mixture. Apparently the excess water evolves and leaves the colour intact. I can't say I've ever had any problems with this method so you could give it a go

 

[backporchsoap]

Mixing Micas and Oxides

I mix my mica up with glycerin and my oxides with a bit of oil or melted butter. If I'm not adding glycerin or oxides, then I agree that mixing with the fragrances generally works very well.

 

[ablessing]

Great mica and oxide mixing videos

these are the most comprehensive i've come across so far...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx2UB1ggUBE&feature=BFa&list=ULfSEbmwT_qwY&lf=mfu_in_order[/ame]

and...
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSEbmwT_qwY&feature=BFa&list=ULlx2UB1ggUBE&lf=mfu_in_order[/ame]

and they have lots more as you'll see when you click on the first link.

Good luck [/url]