# Micas/colors that stay true



## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

I am posting here rather than on some other larger soap forum because I swear there are some colorants that everyone else can CP that just can't take the gel of a REAL gm soap.

I am in coloring he** right now! I just made 3 loaves of plumeria using the MMS grape colorant. I made a triple layer using less colors on each I was going for purple. Those of you who are in the swap will get my speckly orange and purple energy bar - that was done with annato for the orange and the MMS grape for the purple - but the grape didn't mix in too well obviously. So I mixed the grape really well with some glycerine before using this time and of course it totally disappeared when I Added it to the soap, just like it had before in the energy (which is why I didn't see it wasn't blended well). BB Plumeria heats up like no other and went full on dark brown hot gel in no time. I soaped VERY cool RT and there was no stopping that baby from going into gel! Well the layers were so cool but are this sagey blue green which doesn't go with plumeria at all...

Next bomb. BB sleeping angels. Did this fo on the advice of Barb and it is lovely. I added BB blue micah (it's a bright almost turqoisey blue). Morphed into this weird pink color - maybe it will return after the gel, who knows. I had used three different blue micas and this was one in my Soap by the sea - it came out with 2 shades of blue swirls so maybe this is the one that disappeared? 

Anyway this is my saga! I've had shamrock and blue micas freak out on me and the labcolor liquid pinks and reds - well the only way I can make them stay is to make sure the soap doesn't gel which sometimes requires refrigeration and using full water which means cutting in 3 days or something. And sometimes I've taked them out of the fridge and they heat up anyway!

I've read somewhere that some colors NEED to gel to be consistent, go figure!

I just missed the craftserved Coop on TKB mica's, but I've seen some cool stuff done with them. Anyone use them in thier GM soaps? I want some bright popping colors for summer and I'm just not happy with the results with BB colors.


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## beaglady (Jan 16, 2008)

I've used some TKB micas successfully. I suspend them in a bit of oil from the recipe before adding them. For a 3# log, I end using about a tablespoon of mica for a swirl. Their neon colors are fun too & have worked for me in gm soap.

Other than ultramarine blue, most blue colorants morph to purple or pink in raw alkaline soap. Once you know this, you can use it to your advantage. FD&C blue (#5?) makes a nice purple or lavender depending on how much you use.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/beaglady/Individual Soaps/cellini.jpg shows how BB cellini blue mica looks in gel

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/beaglady/Individual Soaps/purplecut.jpg Cut pics, cellini on left, fd&c blue on the right.

Hope this helps you out.


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

Weird that I have used cornflower blue mica and got cornflower and the one or two of the blue mica's in one of my soaps stayed true

But you are right. My blue that was a weird pink color in gel is turning purple right now, we'll see what the final result is!

Thanks,
Bethany


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

Wow...that color change is amazing. I been trying to get more color in my soaps but not having much luck. I had one that was amazing looking but after 3 weeks of curing it is now starting to change colors. Looked back at my sample bar for the fo and it's obviously a very slow discoloring fo. Grrrr.


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

Oh the irony! My purple turn this blue green color and my blue turned the very most gorgeous lavender ever! 

The lavender is fine with the sleeping angels fo, but what am I supposed to call a bar scented with plumeria that has blue green stripes in varying shades? I have 36 bars!!!! They actually really are cool looking, but ugly for the fragrance so I don't want to toss them.

I think gel really does impact things because looking back maybe the bar I did with this blue before didn't gel, and if it did it wasn't really hot...


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## Heavenly Angels (Nov 1, 2007)

I know I probably know this but what is TKB???


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## Shadow Woods Nubians (Nov 19, 2007)

Gel definitely affects color, at least in soap with milk as the liquid. I have made wonderful soap with violet ultramarine color and the log that gelled turned a dark grey (ugly!) but the one I put in the fridge stayed a lovely lavender color. I wish it weren't so, because it's so hard to keep some soaps from gelling!
Elizabeth


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

Heavenly Angels said:


> I know I probably know this but what is TKB???


TKB is a place online that sells HUNDREDS of kinds of Mica - they are supposed to be the best for Mica

Bethany


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## Guest (Mar 13, 2008)

Bethany,
Most labs colors will not stay true in soap, even if it does not gel.. and FD&C colors are the same as lab colors..But I love the lavenders I can get from the blues in this catagory...
But with micas and oxides, if you can stop the gel the color will stay true...Don't rebatch you pretty soap with green, just rename it something spring.. Spring is green..Once your customers realize the benefits of the soap, they stop caring about what color it is.. and most don't know the true color of plumeria anyway.. 
Barbara


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

SO how do you stop your soap from gelling???? I made some last week that went into individual molds. Just 5 oz bar molds. And before I was done cleaning up half of them were gelling. I've had others that I put a fan on and it is enough but for some it isn't. I guess I'm going to have to keep better notes on that aspect. THere has to be a rhyme or reason.


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

I have had micas that have morphed the moment they were put into the soap... :sigh
The first step to stop gel is to soap everything room temp with full liquid. Take out sugar and honey - GM heats up too, but we don't want to take that out! I think high stearic oils like palm and cocoa butter can heat it up too. Then after you get it in the mold stick it in the fridge for about 12 hours. Don't shove multiple molds together as that insulates them. Don't cover with anything but saran wrap if desired. Like I said even after doing this I have had soaps start to heat up anyway. I have to say that I don't love ungelled soap so much cause it stays soft for days before I can cut it.

Some FO's just are going to gel no matter what you do. With that plumeria there was no way it was going to stay cool. Most florals will heat up like crazy. 

So does anyone have a good springy name for my green soap? I need to take a pic...


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## Guest (Mar 13, 2008)

> what am I supposed to call a bar scented with plumeria that has blue green stripes in varying shades


Blue Plumeria (yes they come in blue)
Aqua Verde
Island Girl
Spring Fling

Christy


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

Island Girl! I like that one and spring fling - but I'm going to try a bar made with BB Spring Fling FO so I will save that one...

It really is probably more green than blue...does plumeria come in green?

Island Girl, yep I think I will use that if you don't mind, Thanks!

Bethany


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## Guest (Mar 13, 2008)

I like Island Girl the best too! I don't mind if you use it but I might use it too sometime 

Christy


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## Becky-DixieDoesAlpines (Oct 26, 2007)

Bethany,
I use pink mica from www.mystifyyoursenses.com , have lots to use up. It is great, but I use it in Plumeria and if it gets too hot.....and Plumeria gets HOT, it will morph to whitish silvery swirls. I do not cover my Plumeria but it still gets too hot sometimes. Sigh.

Other micas I have tried are 3 greens and 1 orange from www.alternasense.com.

So far I have used all but 1 green. All have stuck and not morphed even in hot gel.

I will say that I love blue ultramarine because gel does not seem to morph ultramarines, also use pink clay and never had that change.
Oh yes gold mica from www.mystifyyoursenses.com sticks in gel too.
Becky


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I have had good luck with Mica and clays but never have wanted vivid colors until now...so I went to the source, not to a forum where they LYE to you 

ellensessentials.com she sells peacock colors. She shows you the colors they turn in low PH and high PH soaps, melt and pour or CP soaps. They just had a swap with natural colorants/herbs etc..that they will then post the photos of and she sells all the herbs and seeds and flowers. She is in Houston and her website is really informative, plus I got to see some of her colorings in soap in person. I am looking for ultra fake, psychedelic colors 

I bought the multi colored pack that is on sale right now. 

For mica colors ask Sara, she has played with alot of them. Also on soapdishforum there is an old thread of how much of this mica or this clay makes this color, we used to have this thread up on our old forum in the soap section. Also know alot of folks making wild colored soaps are not using real GM but powdered. Vicki


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

Vicki McGaugh Tx Nubians said:


> For mica colors ask Sara, she has played with alot of them. Also on soapdishforum there is an old thread of how much of this mica or this clay makes this color, we used to have this thread up on our old forum in the soap section. Also know alot of folks making wild colored soaps are not using real GM but powdered. Vicki


Yes I know they are using a TB of GM powder to a batch and calling it GM soap and it does make a big difference in how much it heats up I think. That is why it is hard to go on regular soap forums and ask about GM soaping because I think using fresh is a different animal

I will look into the peacock colors! I have heard they are good and also select shades.


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