Teach Soap

This is a new soaper question for sure! I made a batch of cp soap recently. I used pink ultramarine and it was my first time using a pigment color. I read somewhere to use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of pigment per pound of oil and to mix ultramarines with 1 tsp of oil. However, I also read somewhere that it can be added to the lye water? I wasn't sure what was right so I did both, mixed it with oil then put it in the lye. Felt silly when I saw it floating in an oil blob in the lye solution but it did end up mixing in nicely once I stickblended everything together.Since I was making a two pound batch I used approx 1 tsp of pigment then I mixed it with 2 tsp of oil.
Here comes my qusestion.. what oil should be used to mix pigments in or is it just as well to throw into the lye water? I didn't know if it mattered if it was an oil being used in the receipe or not. I actually used almond oil which was not part of my recipe. Not sure why I did that except that I know that almond oil is a good carrior oil? Anyway, everything did come out looking nice but when I unmolded it the next day I noticed it was quite oily at the bottom of the mold and a bit on the soap itself. Is this considered separation? Not sure if that was in any way caused by the "extra" almond oil or not. It has been curing now for about a week and everything does seem fine but would just like to avoid the extra oilly soap next batch I make.
Beth

If the color is for the whole batch, whiz the color (with your stick blender) into your cooled off soapmaking oils in the pot. I would not add it to your lye water. If you decide to use a small amount of oil for dissolving, take the small amount of oil from your soapmaking recipe.

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