Question about your colors (I love them!)

When we started Tantus 11 years ago, it was me and my partner (no longer with the company). He was a color fanatic. Over the years we really have chosen our colors very carefully to meet aesthetic values.

The silicone we use is really clear (no fillers) and it really allows that color to come through. When we started 99% of silicone products (that were really silicone) were pastel... and I'm just not that kind of girl. I wanted products that worked aesthetically as well as for the body.

The shimmery is Mica pigments (like your sparkle eye shadow) and the marbling is in how we pour the piece.

Thank you for your question Saraid. Hope I answered it ok.

"So what exactly do you do to make the silicone clear? Not all silicones that are not clear have fillers, and to say that is to say something incorrect as far as the material itself goes."
The answer is we buy a lot more RTV silicone than any other US manufacturer (in any field). We demand a lot out of our material suppliers and many have competed for our business and come back telling us that they just can't meet our standards.

When we started, the only silicone made in the US was a Tin Cure- which is primarily made for mold making. It's a lot less expensive than Platinum cure and almost always is white. Fillers in silicone bring down the price per pound.

The difference with Tantus is that we had worked with silicone before. My former partner had cast the largest silicone mold in the world at the time. We knew the supply chain, the machinery, and we knew how to do production.

Now the problem with clear silicone, when you can find it, is that it does have a tendency to yellow. We've looked at water clear material before- because damn it's beautiful, but the tensile strength is really bad and it's so hard. WC silicone is the material that contact lenses are made of but when it's and inch and a half diameter it's pretty much hard as a rock and the price is prohibitive (a dildo would run you several hundred dollars).

Are you talking silicone liquids in your hair? My Chi Silk Infusion is Cyclomethicone, Dimethiconol and Dimethicone. Had I read the ingredient list before buying it from my hair dresser (who I adore) I would have saved a lot of money. My 2 oz bottle went for $11.00 and I could have reached into my dresser drawer and pulled out my Pjur for a lot less.

My Kerastase Oleo Relax serum has Cyclpentasiloxane, Dimethiconol as it's first two ingredients and I notice a difference from this and even your Chi Silk. But that's really interesting that Pjur would work great for hair too. LOL

What I was curious about is are the same types of cones used in your dildos, etc. as we use in our hair? And, if so, are the differences in the quality of what you buy the same types of quality differences in drugstore vs high end hair care products? Because from what I understand there are huge differences in the quality of the cones that we put in our hair.

Also have you tried Pjur in your hair?

Does that make sense?

Your comparing liquids to solids? Hard to do. They have some of the same qualities- they are inert but silicone dildos don't put oil stains on your sheets. LOL

The grade used in lubes varies too much, just like those in your hair and shaving products. It may be that the one's in some lubricants are actually better quality materials.

I remember when I met Mike, my husband, he used a lot of Jack Black bath and body products. His shaving gel had dimethicone in it. I've shaved with silicone for 5 or 6 years now. It is inert, keeps the razor blade sharper longer, moisturizes my skin, and gets me a very close shave. My lube of choice for shaving though is not my fav for sex, nor for hair products. I like ID silicone to shave with because it's a little bit thicker. Warning if you use a lot it will make the tub/ shower slippery so be careful.

For my hair I like something a little thinner. Pjur Light works well.

The silicone in our dildos is a two part RTV (room temperature vulcanization). It's basis is silica so it's in the same family as the oils but it's processed differently. And this is also different than the gels used in silicone breast implants or silicone breast forms (used in the bra as a prosthesis).

On Twitter I mentioned the article Red put up was typical Dow because they were the ones taken to court over breast implants. They have had a long policy since then of not allowing companies to use their material when it was being put into the body. So don't mention that we now ingest silicone with our vitamins and medicines in gel capsules.

Fascinating! Thank you!

I never thought of shaving with silicone. I'm definitely going to try that. Looks like ID silicone is going on my wishlist.

I did know that the grade of the cones in hair products varies quite a bit. That's why I only use Kerastase Oleo Relax serum. It's the best.

So, you get a custom-created product from those suppliers?
And, if tantus stuff isnt water-clear, then what exactly is it? The way light goes through the sparkly ones, I always figured it was.

Water Clear is really really clear- exactly like glass or at least a soft contact lens. I think in bulk quantity it's about $30.00- $60.00 a pound. Luckily they get a lot of those little lenses out of a pound.

Ah. Hmmm. Well I'd have never known it wasnt that way for tantus if you never told me. Besides the tint and glitter, my Pixie looks pretty damned clear. My Blush Acute obviously is a little cloudy but I figured that was part of the charm of the soft pink color

Thanks for answering all my silly questions!