Titanium Dioxide Mix For Laser Engraving With Glue-When To Add Titanium Dioxide To Cold Process Soap

Titanium dioxide is a common ingredient used in cold process soap to achieve a white color or to opaque the soap base. It’s a pigment that helps to reflect light, giving soap a bright white appearance. When adding titanium dioxide to cold process soap, it’s important to consider the following steps and tips:

1. **Pre-mixing**: Titanium dioxide can be difficult to disperse evenly in soap batter, so it’s often pre-mixed with a lightweight oil (such as sweet almond oil or rice bran oil) before adding it to the soap. This helps prevent clumping and ensures a smooth, even color distribution.

2. **Timing**: You should add titanium dioxide at a specific point in the soap-making process. Here are the common stages:

– **At Trace**: Many soap makers add titanium dioxide when their soap mixture has reached a thin to medium trace. This is after all the oils and lye solution have been combined and before any additional fragrance or colorants are added.

– **Before Dividing Batch**: If you’re planning to use titanium dioxide to make a portion of your soap white (for example, in layers or swirls), you might add it just before dividing the batch, ensuring that you mix it thoroughly in the portion you want to be white.

3. **Amount**: The amount of titanium dioxide you add to your soap depends on the desired opacity. A small amount goes a long way. Typically, you might use between 1/4 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon per pound of soap, but this can vary.

4. **Mixing**: Once you add the titanium dioxide (whether pre-mixed with oil or not), mix it thoroughly into the soap batter. Use a stick blender to ensure it’s well incorporated, taking care not to accelerate the trace too much.

5. **Considerations for Accelerated Trace**: Titanium dioxide can sometimes cause the soap to reach trace more quickly. Be aware of this and work quickly but carefully to mix the pigment in without speeding up the saponification process too much.

6. **Curing Time**: After adding titanium dioxide and pouring your soap into molds, the curing process remains the same as with any cold process soap. Allow the soap to cure for at least 4 weeks to ensure a hard bar with a long shelf life.

Remember that the addition of any pigment or colorant can affect the final look of your soap, and it may take some experimentation to get the exact results you’re looking for. Always follow safety guidelines when working with lye and soap-making ingredients.