What is mica powder? How do you use it? Why is it important? You may have come across mica powder on the labels of a number of products lately and not necessarily by accident. If you're wondering what mica powder is, here's a quick run down of the basics: Mica is a naturally occurring stone mineral which contains many tiny, slightly irregular-looking flakes. It's then ground down into a fine powder, to form mica powder. A shimmery metallic shade that resembles a fine shimmer and is available in an extensive range of natural colours. As well as being used for things such as in artwork or jewellery - where it's used to enhance the look of the piece rather than hide its features, as would be the case with most mineral pigments - it's also used in a wide variety of household products, such as electrical wiring, flooring and some types of cooking utensils. In fact, you'll often find that certain electrical parts and cooking utensils (particularly those which are stainless steel) contain mica powder as part of the finishing process. While it's not particularly difficult to work with, this powdery substance can be quite messy, so it's useful to know how to use it safely and simply. The best way to use this product is obviously to use it in the context of soap making. Because the product can easily attract water and as a result can dry out when it is hardened, it has to be kept in airtight containers when it's being used to make soap. Soap, however, generally doesn't lend itself too well to powder, so it is best to use it in conjunction with vegetable oil. In this way, you can add the oil and mica powders together, then add in the water, and create a kind of glue for your soap. Once you've gotten your mica powder ready, you can begin to melt it. If you're using vegetable oil, pour it in a large container and heat it up until it melts. Keep heating it up until the oil begins to run out. You may need to pour in more than enough to completely melt the soap, as you don't want it to be too thin or the mica powder will be too difficult to work with. Once it's all melted, you can stir it into your soap molds, or you can leave it to solidify on its own. Read more about arts at https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/legally-blind-illustrator-designer_us_5b19589ce4b09d7a3d6fe7fa. Once it is all melted and solidified, you can add your fine glitter. If you want to do that, just melt the mineral powder with the mineral spirits, and pour them both into the container with the mica powder, including the oils and the fine glitter. Shake it until the colours are evenly mixed. Then, once everything is blended, pour it into the moulds, and wait for it to cool. If you are going to use mica powder at Hippie Crafter to create beautiful candle products, like soaps and candles, you should always keep the jar of the product as clear as possible. You should never use mica powder as a lubricant for your hot glue guns, or any kind of heat gun, for that matter. If you do, the mica powder will melt the wax, causing the candle to come apart.