Is Titanium Dioxide A Sun Protection Factor-How To Make Soap With Titanium Dioxide
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a white, powdery substance that is commonly used as a pigment to give products a white color or opacity. In soap making, it’s often used to brighten the soap or to give it an opaque look, which can be especially useful for creating a base color that can make other colors stand out.
Here’s a basic guide to making soap with titanium dioxide. Please note that this is a cold process soap making method, and it’s important to take proper safety precautions when working with lye, which is caustic and can cause chemical burns.
### Materials Needed:
– Fixed oils (like coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil, etc.)
– Lye (sodium hydroxide)
– Distilled water
– Titanium dioxide powder
– Essential oils or fragrance oils (optional)
– Soap molds
– Stick blender
– Protective gear (gloves, goggles, long sleeves)
– Scale
– Thermometer
– Measuring spoons and containers
### Instructions:
1. **Prepare Your Workspace**: Ensure your workspace is well-ventilated. Put on your protective gear.
2. **Calculate Recipe**: Use a soap calculator to determine the correct amount of oils, lye, and water for your desired batch size. Remember to account for the titanium dioxide as an additive, though it typically does not affect the lye or water calculations.
3. **Mix the Lye Solution**: Weigh out the water and lye separately. Carefully pour the lye into the water (never the other way around) while stirring with a spoon. The mixture will heat up and release fumes, so be sure to keep your face away from the container. Set the mixture aside to cool.
4. **Prepare the Oils**: Weigh out your oils and melt them in a pot or heat-safe container if they are solid at room temperature. Allow the oils to cool to a temperature that is within 10 degrees of your lye solution (usually around 100°F or 38°C).
5. **Add Titanium Dioxide**: If you want your entire batch of soap to be white, you can disperse the titanium dioxide in a small amount of oil or the soap batter before adding the lye solution. If you’re using it as a colorant for only parts of the soap, you can mix it with a little bit of oil or alcohol to create a paste.
6. **Combine Lye Solution and Oils**: Once both the lye solution and oils have reached the appropriate temperature, slowly pour the lye solution into the oils while stirring gently with a stick blender.
7. **Mix to Trace**: Use the stick blender to mix the soap batter until it reaches trace. Trace is when the soap batter is thick enough that when you drizzle a spoonful of it onto the surface, it leaves a visible trail before sinking back in.
8. **Add Color and Fragrance**: If you haven’t already added the titanium dioxide, do so now, stirring it into the soap batter until fully incorporated. Add any essential or fragrance oils at this stage as well, stirring thoroughly.
9. **Pour into Molds**: Pour the soap batter into your molds. If you’re doing layers or embedding objects, you may need to work quickly and use a technique called “ashing” to prevent the layers from melding together.
10. **Let it Set**: Allow the soap to set in the mold for 24-48 hours, or until it’s firm enough to unmold.
11. **Cure the Soap**: After unmolding, let the soap cure in a well-ventilated area for at least 4 weeks. This allows the soap to harden and the saponification process to complete, resulting in a milder, longer-lasting bar of soap.
Always remember to handle lye with care and follow all safety instructions. If you’re new to soap making, it’s a good idea to try making a few batches of simple, uncolored soap before moving on to adding colorants like titanium dioxide.