What Is Mica Powder Used For?

Whether you make homemade soaps, jewelry, cosmetics, or another type of DIY home goods, mica powder is a wonderful way to make your products unique. Mica powder comes in a variety of colors and adds a bit of flair and glamour to your craft products. Make your crafts pop with glittery, pearlescent, or metallic effects. 

This guide will go over everything you need to know about mica pigment powders. If you've never worked with it before, never fear. We'll talk about the best ways to use mica powder so you can start enhancing your homemade pieces with confidence. 

What Is Mica Powder?

Mica powder is ground down mica stone. It's a stone that has a pearly luster made up of several distinct layers. 

Have you seen a piece of slate or granite and admired all the little glittery bits in it? Those tiny pieces would be mica. Mica stone is mined in either sheets or flakes. 

After it's mined, it'll be ground into a glittery powder. The natural color of mica powder tends to be off-white or have tones of yellow, gray, or light brown. To change the color, different oxides are added. 

How Is It Different Than Pigment Powder?

Pigment and mica powders are similar—you can use either to add color to a project you're working on. What is different between the two is the effect.

Since mica powder is glittery, it'll give your finished product a shimmery finish. While it can color your project, its ability isn't as bold as that of a pigment powder. 

Pigment powders are meant to be colorants. They're bold and create a matte finish. You can adjust the amounts you use in order to get the shade you desire. 

What Can You Use Mica Powder For?

Mica powder is versatile and can be used for a variety of crafts and projects. 

Cosmetic Mica Powder

Cosmetic grade mica powder is often used in combination with pigment powder in blush, eye shadow, and foundation. If you'd like to start making your own cosmetics, ensure you're using high-quality mica powder. Natural mica powder needs to have a micron size less than 150 to be FDA approved for cosmetic use. 

If you really want to amp up your homemade cosmetic game, look into chameleon mica powder. Chameleon mica powder blends together a variety of colors, like blue, green, red, and violet to create a unique color blend that'll make your eyeshadow pop. Depending on how the light hits your eyelids, it'll look like a different color each time you look. 

Mica powder is full of shimmer and comes naturally in a fine texture. They're the perfect ingredient to use when creating your own custom makeup products. 

Mica Powder for Resin

Resin art pieces are a great place to use mica powder. If you're a fan of making resin art, you likely have made a lot of tumblers. There are so many design options you can do, especially when you throw mica powder into the mix. 

You can use one shade of mica powder when creating your tumbler or swirl different shades together to add beauty and depth. You can also add an ombre look to your tumbler that blends together with your favorite colors. 

If you tend to lose your tumbler in the dark, no problem. Add in some glow-in-the-dark pigment powder so you can find it any time of day. 

Below are some techniques you can use to add mica powder to your resin projects:

• Add mica powder in your favorite shade to clear resin to create a pearlescent effect
• Swirl small amounts of mica powder into colored resin to create a space-like look 
• Put some mica powder on the end of a cocktail stick, flicking it onto your resin for a unique effect
• Use a wet, small paintbrush to pick up some mica powder and paint on a design
• Add some mica powder to acrylic paint to add depth and dimension to your artwork

No matter how you choose to use mica powder, keep in mind that a little goes a long way. You can always add more mica powder in, but you can't take it out. 

Mica Powder for Jewelry Making

Incorporating mica powder into your jewelry making is straightforward and easy once you master a few techniques. If you make clay jewelry, you can mix in mica powder with the raw clay to add additional color. You can also paint it onto a finished piece, using a finish over the top to seal it in. 

If you use jewelry stamps or sheet metal to form your designs, paint mica powder on top of the stamping. To create a truly unique look, paint a variety of colors. This technique is great for earrings and necklaces. 

Using Mica Powder to Make Soap

Do you like to add a bit of color to your homemade soaps? Pop in a bit of mica powder the next time you whip up a batch. Before you add it in, reading the packaging to ensure that the powder won't fade or morph in cold process soap. 

You'll want to add one teaspoon of mica powder to a lightweight oil, such as avocado or sweet almond. For larger batches, you can increase the teaspoons to tablespoons. Just ensure that it's a 1:1 ratio for mica powder and the oil. 

Mica powder is also a great option for melt and pour soap. There's not as big of a worry that it'll morph like it could during cold process soap. For each pound of soap that you make, use around 1/2 teaspoon of powder. 

Take Your Projects to the Next Level With Mica Powder

Mica powder is a great way to add dimension and a unique flair to all of your homemade pieces. Whether you're making soap, jewelry, or another type of craft, mica powder will give you a wonderful glittery effect you can't achieve with anything else. 

To explore our full catalog of mica powders, check out our online store.