White soap with unrefined shea butter

by Jen

Thanks for this site! I have a question about making cold process soap with unrefined shea butter (instead of palm oil). I did a test batch and it turned out a really bright yellow. I actually really like it, but for some of my designs, I need white. Can I get that by adding titanium dioxide or do I need to switch back to palm oil for those soaps? In other words, how well does titanium dioxide work? Can I make yellow into white or is it just for making off-white into snow white? Thank you!

Jen

Answer:

Titanium dioxide will give the soap a more pastel look and it will lighten the soap but not actually make the soap white. In order to make white soap you need to use oils that have very little colour of their own. The lighter the ingredients, the whiter the soap.

Cathy