How do you get your CP soap white?

[okieScents]

The title says it all. I bought Titanium Dioxide for the whitening part, but no matter how much I use it will not turn white. Now i am not using a BUNCH per say, but with a 3# batch of lemon supreme. I used OO, CO, Lard, and mango butter. I used 2 tsp of TD and still not white. Help me figure this out pleeeease.

Jennifer

[Scented]

Got a picture? Maybe the lemon supreme carries some form of a vanillin to keep it from being white. I don't get bright white, except I did once when I knocked my water down and used no fragrance (go figure.) I'd tell you to up the TD, but I can't get TD to work for me either. When I'm out of what I have, perhaps I'll try the TD for oil only and see what happens.

Your other oils could play into this too. I don't use enough clear oils to get the solid white bar, but again, I was surprised when I when I had soaped with no scent and dropped my water significantly.

Edited July 21, 2010 by Scented

[okieScents]

I do actually have a pic. Don't get me wrong I really like how this turned out. I colored 1/4 yellow and 3/4 white (haha). Put lemon zest in the white, and wanted a marbled effect. Got the effect but not white.

[Kitn]

It looks like vanillin made your soap morph to a beigey color, it is very pretty tho.

Pure white soap is a challenge, it depends on the colors of your oils. Lard, co and pko will get you a nice white soap.

[LovelyLathers]

It does look like the lemon darkened it. I think the only way to get pure white soap is to make it with only lard or shortening, coconut oil, pko. I have also tried Titanium with no luck added about a TBL pp, it does help a little. I just got in the oil soluble titanium today, I will try that tomorrow.

[LovelyLathers]

I used the oil soluble titanium in a batch today. It was nice and white going into gel. I will see tomorrow how it does. It am trying it with a non discoloring FO but oils were a greenish yellow, that I normally would get a creamy color with

[okieScents]

Let me know. I am really wanting to try again. I have 3 wooden log molds coming. 2 4# and 1 1#. I can't wait to try again but wanted to get feedback first and wait for my molds to come. Thanks again. Oh, and they have lighted up a bit. Sooo we will see.

Jen

[Scented]

Try it with a non-discoloring scent See what you get.

[LovelyLathers]

I did not get a chance to take it out of the mold tonight at the shop. Actually I was getting ready to and the store got busy, had to pack the car for the market tomorrow and left. I got home and remembered it. I am too tired to go back there. Tomorrow I promise. I did uncover it it looked pretty good though. We will see tomorrow now that it is umcovered and the air hits it.

[chuck_35550]

This article came from About.com

Think "harder oils" and you'll generally get whiter soap. Generally, that is, because most of the "harder" oils will give you a whiter soap as well.

• Beef Tallow
  
• Lard
  
• Coconut
  
• Palm Kernel
  

will all give you nice hard white soap.

A little bit of Castor in the recipe will also help give you a nice hard white bar, as will really light-colored Olive Oil. (Note: usually only the "refined grade A" is light enough color to not impart any of the green to the soap.)

So, here are a few simple recipes using these oils that should give you a nice hard white bar of soap with or without the Titanium Dioxide. (Note: Yes, these all use Beef Tallow. You can order it commercially from soapmaking oil suppliers like Columbus Foods, or it's really easy to render tallow for soap making yourself.)

Basic White Soap

• 35% Beef Tallow
  
• 30% Coconut
  
• 30% Lard
  
• 5% Castor Oil
  

Basic White Soap with Shea

A little refined shea butter (Buy Direct) will give you some extra moisturizing without imparting much color at all.

• 30% Beef Tallow
  
• 30% Coconut
  
• 30% Lard
  
• 5% Shea Butter
  
• 5% Castor
  

Basic White Soap with Olive

If you've got some really light-colored refined Olive Oil, you can try that too. It's often worth the slight beige tint to get the extra moisturizing qualities of Olive.

• 25% Beef Tallow
  
• 25% Lard
  
• 25% Coconut
  
• 20% Olive
  
• 5% Castor
  

So for a nice, hard, white bar of soap, just like Granny used to make, use one of these combinations of oils, or create your own soap recipe using combinations of these oils. If you want to use your tried and true recipe, but want it whiter, add some Titanium Dioxide to the batch. Or...better yet...use one of these recipes AND add some TD and folks might just think you've slipped a bar of Ivory (Which is really not very Ivory colored, is it?) into the bath! (Heaven Forbid!)

[chuck_35550]

I ran those recipes through calc and the last one is best but try this one: 25% Tallow, 25% Coconut oil, Lard 20%, 25% Olive oil, and 5% Castor. Remember to use a light colored olive oil. HTH.

Steve

Edited July 28, 2010 by chuck_35550

[Grannyscandles]

Another oil that makes a really white bar is Sunflower. I use the high Oleic. Great soap.

[okieScents]

Thanks guys. I am going to start my "white" soap making again this weekend. :rolleyes2 I will let you know how it works out for me.

Jen

[Starr]

I've never been able to get really white with Olive Oil. It's just too dark. I can get a pale yellow, but never white.

[josie1091]

I get very white soap using olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil and castor oil with no fragrance.

[topofmurrayhill]

I ran those recipes through calc and the last one is best but try this one: 25% Tallow, 25% Coconut oil, Lard 20%, 25% Olive oil, and 5% Castor. Remember to use a light colored olive oil. HTH.

I might add that it would be best to soap that warm. Looks like a good recipe, but look out if you need to do a swirl or something cuz it will trace fast. Don't even think of touching it with anything but a whisk, and consider using extra water if you need time to work.

[chuck_35550]

Yup, it will be a fast one. You might consider soaping it on the cool side. You think it would be fast in a large sized batch Top?

[topofmurrayhill]

Yup, it will be a fast one. You might consider soaping it on the cool side. You think it would be fast in a large sized batch Top?

Yeah I think so. Probably manageable with a well-behaved fragrance if you just need to mix, color and pour. Otherwise maybe not so much.

I like to do my signature swirl, so I have take that into account with the soap formulation. It gets shaken in a 5 gallon plastic jug to mix, separated into portions for color, alternating portions poured into the mold, then the final swirl.

You can do that with a saturated recipe, and I do, but I have to be organized and on my game. Having castor oil in the recipe would just be impractical. It makes things move way faster.

[LovelyLathers]

Here is the pictures of soaps I did one That is whiter is with Oil dispensable TD, scent Spearmint and eucalyptus. The other is sane recipe no TD added with Amazing Grace FO (it does not discolor at all) This is after a 10 day cure. It certainly helps with the oil dispensable TD. Edited August 8, 2010 by LovelyLathers
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