Teach Soap

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum; also new to soapmaking too and it's become very addictive! I've made eight small batches of soap so far. Already I've decided that I really like shea butter! What I'm wondering is if the scent from cocoa butter will carry over to my soap when I use that? Also, the recipe for my favorite soap so far has 15% shea which makes it quite expensive to make, so is there a comparable but less pricey substitution? Would shea, mango, and cocoa butter all be considered equal (in price they are, but I don't know about quality)?

My next question is about colorants. I love lots of scent and lots of color (not muted, earthy colors...at least not yet ) I've been told that Pop Micas are awesome but I also read that they were being discontinued, so that doesn't help me! What would be the best colorants to use for lots of swirling and lots of color (I don't mean neon, bright, just lots of color)?

Thank you so much for your help!

Welcome to the forum and to the addiction! As for your questions, the scent of cocoa butter will not really come through in your soap, although you may get a smidgen of scent, enough to throw off a fragrance mixture, depending upon the quality of your fragrance and of the cocoa butter. But no, you wont get that nice chocolate scent without enhancing it with your fragrance. Cocoa butter is harder than shea butter, so you cannot just trade them out equally. Make sure that you check your recipes on a lye calculator. Property wise, while they have similar properties, they still differ, so you will need to experiment and see which you prefer. The experimentation and the learning derived from it are the foundations of your journey, so enjoy that aspect of it, and take good notes on your experiences!

This page http://www.teachsoap.com/colorants.html is all about your colorant options. In fact, if you search through the teach soap site you will find a lot of great information to help you get started. Have fun!

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy

Actually unrefined cocoa butter does add a little cocoa scent to the finished CP. I use both refined and unrefined depending on the FO I'm using. I found using unrefined cocoa butter to make strong floral scented CP is not compatible at all. Also unrefined cocoa butter is light tan in color, that might effect your coloring.

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Shieh Design Studio
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Welcome!
BrambleBerry has lots of colorful micas and LabColors.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.