White Liquid Soap

[FGOriold]

Does anyone know how to make or keep a liquid soap white in color instead of clear. I have a liquid soap formula that uses 25% palm oil since it is high in stearic acid and my goal was to make an opaque liquid soap. Once diluted, it is a clear yellow color. As it sat overnight in my cold kitchen it turned opaque white and is currently 66 degrees F. It also has a Ph of 8.9.

I do know that liquid soap can turn cloudy in cold temperatures, but not sure the role that the stearic acid from the palm oil plays in regards to temperature since I am not sure what component in liquid soap can make it cloudy in cold temperatures. If anyone knows which component causes cloudiness with temperature changes, please share.

Now, I do not have a problem with the opaque white as that was what I was hoping for by using a high percentage of palm oil, but I want it to stay white and not vacillate between white and clear. I have yet to thicken and scent it but I know that as it heats back up to room temperature, it will clear up. Does anyone know how I can keep the white opaque color in this soap? I have attached a picture of how it looks right now at 66 degrees F.

 

[jcandleattic]

Sorry I can't answer your question, but it look like a glass of milk!

A friend of mine made and kept a whitish, cloudy soap a couple months ago, but I don't know how she did it. I know she used the GLS method and she kept cooking through the normal time of cook and diluted immediately (before letting it go to paste -or immediately after, I can't remember, but I know she didn't leave it sit) and that work for her.
I'll see if I can get some instructions from her...

 

[FGOriold]

Thanks for the response. I do have a water soluble white mica powder that I was thinking of using, but not sure how much to use per pound of finished soap as I have never added colorant so my liquid soaps before.

 

[FGOriold]

So I thickened my soap shown above and added some water soluble white sparkle mica and this is how it turned out. I have to say that I like to the look of it for a body wash. As I suspected, when I heated it back up it turned amber and clear again.

 

[houseofwool]

That is really pretty.

 

[Badger]

Wow, that is very pretty! Good job!

 

[FGOriold]

Thanks - I think that look would go great with a vanilla or coconut/vanilla fragrance.

 

[Mommysoaper]

Will the mica settle out or is the soap thick enough to keep it suspended? I like how pearly it looks, Great job!

 

[FGOriold]

I am unsure about the settling of the mica. It is a water dispersable one that I mixed with distilled water before adding (and not adding much to it either). I am going to let this sit for several weeks to see what happens to it. This is the first liquid soap I have colored and everything I have read indicated that liquid dyes work best on liquid soap - so we shall see.

 

[whitetiger_0603]

I am unsure about the settling of the mica. It is a water dispersable one that I mixed with distilled water before adding (and not adding much to it either). I am going to let this sit for several weeks to see what happens to it. This is the first liquid soap I have colored and everything I have read indicated that liquid dyes work best on liquid soap - so we shall see.

I've used micas in my liquid soap. You just have to add them in while it's still boiling point hot..or as you did, mix it with water. You can also try Glycerine or alcohol. Yours look very pretty and i agree on the scent. Or you can try the Buttercream Snickerdoodle from Brambleberry. My kids, husband and sister all say it smells like cake batter.