Why clay?

[cnm]

I've never used it.
What does it do?
I've read the kaolin will whiten up a batch like TD?
Anchors EO?

Am I on the right track?

And while I'm here, witch hazel?

 

[paillo]

I haven't the slightest bit of chemistry knowledge that so many of do but, my two cents:

I like a bit of clay for the bit of 'slip' it brings to soap. Also, I find it really does anchor my fragrances.

As for whitening, I use a good heaping tablespoon kaolin or other for 40 oz oil, and again, only for slip and not for whitening.

Hopefully those with more scientific acumen will chime in!

 

[goodjoan]

I often use it for color, not white, but green and pink and purple. I have a huge bag of white, I've never tried it to whiten a soap. I wonder how it would hold up against a discoloring fragrance oil? It does change the feel of the soap and can affect how your skin feels after using it.

 

[Seawolfe]

I love the texture that clay gives to bar soap, and the slip and glide. I soak my EO's right in them before adding - seems to help them stick.

 

[fuzz-juzz]

It gives bars nice slip and shine.
Kaolin may whiten the base slightly, however, it will give more subtle white look, sort of creamy. I use it together with TD. It will crackle sometimes just as TD does, sadly.
I also use pink, olive, yellow and bentonite. I like the natural colours it gives to the soap.
I sort of didn't believe in all the promises about how it will do this or that to the skin. But I have to say, it does something funky and my skin feels cleaner but softer and less dry at the same time.
I love it!

 

[cnm]

I think i'll try clay here in the near future

 

[Obsidian]

I have such a hard time understanding clay, almost all of it does nothing except dry my skin out something terrible. White kaolin is ok in salt bars, I don't notice it being drying but I also don't notice it contributing anything to the bar/lather/skin feel.

 

[MsHarryWinston]

I keep wanting to use pink clay in a bar because the colour is so pretty but I don't know if it will legitimately do anything else. Pink Clay is supposed to be good for dry skin, but will it make such a huge difference from my current bar? Some additives seem really cool, but sometimes I feel like it's additives for the sake of additives. If you have 5 soaps, all the same base but with 5 different clays will the effects of the soap be THAT different between all 5 bars?