I’m a huge fan of fancy swirled tops, but for this recipe I decided to switch things up. This orange-scented soap is piled high with orange peels and rose petals, and the rich orange color comes from paprika — yes, the same paprika that’s probably in your kitchen!
Herbs, botanicals and spices as colorants are some of the best kept secrets in soapmaking, and you can learn more about using them in cold process soaping here. Finally, be aware that although the orange and rose topping is beautiful, they are natural items that will wilt or even mold if left in the shower and in wet conditions long enough.
What You’ll Need:
9.9 oz. Coconut Oil
9.9 oz. Olive Oil
9.9 oz. Palm Oil
3.3 oz. Rice Bran Oil
4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide
10.8 oz. distilled water
1 oz. 10x Orange Essential Oil
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
If you’ve never made Cold Process soap before, stop here! I highly recommend checking out our FREE four part SoapQueen.tv series on Cold Process Soapmaking, especially the episode on lye safety. And if you’d rather do some reading, Bramble Berry carries a wide range of books on the topic, including my newest book, Soap Crafting. You can also checkout the digital downloads for that instant gratification factor.
SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices! That means goggles, gloves and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, and other distractions and tripping hazards are out of the house or don’t have access to your soaping space. Always soap in a well-ventilated area.
COLOR PREP: To ensure that the Titanium Dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. To micronize colorant, simply use a coffee grinder to blend the colorant to break up any clumps of color and prevent streaks of white from showing in the final soap. We like to use a coffee grinder that has a removable, stainless steel mixing area for easy cleaning. Then, disperse 1 teaspoon of the colorant into 1 tablespoon of Sunflower or Sweet Almond Oil (or any other liquid oil). Finally, disperse 1 teaspoon paprika into 1 tablespoon of light liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get the clumps of color worked out smoothly.
NOTE ABOUT THE TOPPING: Keep in mind that although the rose petals and orange peel make for a beautiful top, they will mold if left in the shower or other moist environment. They are purely for decoration. Just like with any organic material, they will wilt and fall off, and unfortunately there is no way to preserve them. If you plan on making this soap to sell, that’s definitely something you’ll want to tell your customers! Just tell them to pick off the herbs on the top – they’ll naturally fall off after a few washings anyways. =)
ONE: Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool.
TWO: Combine the Coconut, Olive Oil, Rice Bran and Palm oils (remember to fully melt then mix your entire container of Palm Oil before portioning). Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that releases faster from the mold, you can add Sodium Lactate to the cooled lye water. Use 1 teaspoon of Sodium Lactate per pound of oils in the recipe. For this recipe, you’d add about 2 tsp. Sodium Lactate.
THREE: Once you’ve reached a light trace, pour about 2 cups of batter into a second container.
FOUR: Add 3 tsp. dispersed Titanium Dioxide to the original container and 3 tsp. dispersed paprika to the newly poured 2-cup container. Mix in the colorant with a wire whisk.
FIVE: 10x Orange Essential Oil will heavily color soap a bright orange color, so only add it to the paprika-colored batter. Mix in with a wire whisk. Citrus essential oils tend to break up trace, so give the batter a good stir.
SIX: For the in-the-pot swirl, start by pouring the orange-colored soap into the white-colored soap in 4 places: 12:00 o’clock, 4:00 o’clock, 8:00 o’clock, and center. Pour from a high point so the soap penetrates the entire depth of the pot, which will create a swirl throughout the soap.
SEVEN: Using a chopstick or dowel, swirl the soap by running the tool through each of the entry points once. Only once! You want to swirl — but not mix — the soap.
EIGHT: Pour the swirled soap into the mold, keeping the pouring container in one place as the soap fills the mold. Tamp the mold on the tabletop to eliminate any air bubbles.
NINE: Garnish the top of the soap with rose petals and orange peels.
TEN: Unmold the soap after 3-4 days and allow to cure for 4-6 weeks. When you’re ready to cut this soap, turn it on its side to avoid pulling petals or orange peels through your soap and accidentally creating deep drag marks. Enjoy!
Hello.
I’ve got one more question. Is it normal that temperature of soap is rising after mixed and put mixture into mold? After join all ingridients and put to the mold temperature is rising to 104-113’F
I put soap into fridge but it’s just slow down heating process.
Hello Soap Queen.
I’ve got a problem. I made last night that soap, and today i cut slices.
I look closer to soap, and i see that crumbles? don’t know how to call. White base got that. Orange doesn’t. Here are photos:
http://img.prntscr.com/img?url=http://i.imgur.com/kdxetNe.jpg
It doesn’t loook nice.
Did you know why that’s happen?
I just want to say that i blend too much tine, and all was not liquid. more thick. But is that problem?
Please help
Tom.
Hi Tom!
Thanks so much for the photo, that’s really helpful! It looks like the soap may have glycerin rivers. Those can form if the soap gets too hot, especially with titanium dioxide. The good news is the rivers don’t affect the final soap! They’re just aesthetic. 🙂
To prevent them for your next batch, we recommend lowering your temperatures to around 100F. You can also pop it in the fridge or freezer for 5-24 hours. Get more tips for preventing glycerin rivers in this post: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/river-runs-deep-explanation-glycerin-rivers/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thanks Kesley.
I will made that again, and I definately will post photo here.
Tell me please, because Your base is melting nicely, did you just use blender for few second to join lye and oil? or longer?
Greetings from Poland!
You’re welcome! We alternated pulsing the stick blender and using it to stir the mixture for about 45 seconds. That gives you a nice thin trace. Then, if you want it a bit thicker, you can pulse and stir a few more times. 🙂
Read more about trace here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/trace/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Can I leave the titanium dioxide out? I’m really only interested in all natural, organic recipes.
Hi Melonie!
You can leave out the titanium dioxide if you like! The titanium dioxide helps lighten the soap so it will be a bit darker without it. It will still look beautiful though. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble BErry
Can I make cold process soap and make it hot process
Hi Deborah!
Just to clarify, are you wanting to make a cold process recipe using the hot process method, or are you wanting to take a cold process soap loaf and melt it down? Either way the answer is yes! Let me know which one you want to do and I can help you out. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi. I was just wondering – am I going crazy or does the pictures show the orange soap being poured in at 12,3,6, & 9 o’clock rather than the 12:00 o’clock, 4:00 o’clock, 8:00 o’clock, and center spots that it says in the directions? Please let me know which is correct. Thanks!
Hi Laura!
Either way would work just fine! When you’re pouring the soap into the bowl, it can be a bit tricky to get it right at the specific spots. However, the important part is to have four separate areas of color in the bowl. That will ensure they swirl nicely as they’re being poured in the mold. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
HI
I have a question , I made soap using melt and pour, but it doesn’t have lather.
I wanted to use sls but don’t know how or when to use it ,I hope u can help me in this matter .
Thanks
MFM
Hi there!
We don’t recommend adding SLS to our bases. It can be tricky to mix in, and may not incorporate fully. You may like our Shaving Melt and Pour Base though! It is made with castor oil, so it has great bubbles. You can use that base alone, or mix it with another base to add a bit more lather. Just make sure to mix the same brand of soap, otherwise it can separate. Bramble Berry bases mix well with each other. 🙂
Shaving Melt and Pour Base: https://www.brambleberry.com/SFIC-Shaving-Melt-And-Pour-Base-P4384.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi!
I plan on making an orange-clove soap, because I love those scents together. From everything I’ve read, I don’t see anyone actually adding the orange peel to the soap, yet it seems to me that the scent and color would make a huge ‘splash’ (pardon the pun). I am also getting ready to play around with adding resins to my soap, like dragon’s blood, frankincense, myrrh, amber… I have a big jar of candied orange peel (It is easy to do and here in California, I eat a lot of lovely organic oranges – I slice the peels and soak them in salt water overnight, then simmer them up in a nice sugar-water simple syrup until they candy and I dry them on wax paper. I am wondering if anyone has tried adding candied fruit or flowers to their soaps? I read one gal freezes frankincense overnight, then grinds it in a coffee grinder the next day and adds it to her soap as if it is another oil. Another infuses her powdered dragon’s blood into oil for no less than 4 hrs and adds it at trace (accounting for the oil in her recipe, I’m sure.) I was thinking that my candied orange peel (I also candy lemon peel, ginger, etc.) would work similar to a resin like frankincense, so I’m thinking I will try the freezing-grinding thing with it and see how it works. It seems like the infusion method would preserve the color and scent, but from everything I have read, adding colorants to the lye solution ahead of time supposedly preserves the color and makes it go farther without fading… so if I just freeze and grind it to a fine powder without infusing it, I can add it directly (through a strainer) to the lye mixture. I also have some sweet orange essential oil that I plan to add at the very end, so the peel is more for color than scent. But if I infuse it in oil, I can add it near the end, with paprika and perhaps do the soap with kaolin rose clay or bentonite clay all for color and swirl clove through it at the end… Have you ever used candied peels, ginger or flowers in your soaps? Or is it still best to just decorate the tops? It seems candied would decorate better, to preserve color and scent. I understand that orange peel might be acidic (I’ve stopped using cinnamon, even though I love it, because it burns the skin.) Is it possible to use clove (numbing agent) and clays or other calming agents to help counteract any acidity? I am just beginning to look at Ph balance… How does alkaline versus acidity work with soap-making? Or is it even an issue?
Hi Allegra!
That’s a great question! You can add full orange peels into your soap. However, like all natural products, it will turn brown and can even grow mold on the exposed peel in the shower. When it comes to full orange peels, we prefer popping them on top of the soap for decoration.
As far as orange peel powder, you can definitely add that to soap! Because it has been dried and ground, it should work great in the soap. It doesn’t really scent it at all, but does add a soft color and a very subtle exfoliation. We actually sell lemon and orange peel powder, and used lemon peel powder in this Tile Inlay Cold Process Soap Tutorial: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/tile-inlay-cold-process/
Our soap made with lemon peel powder had the regular pH level – 9-10. 🙂
Before adding the powder, it helps to mix it at a rate of 1 teaspoon of powder into 1 Tablespoon of a lightweight liquid oil, like sweet almond oil. Then, add 1 dispersed teaspoon of the powder at a time until you get a color you like. Dispersing it in oil helps it mix in smoothly and prevent clumps.
You can also add it to your lye water if you like! We haven’t done as much testing with that, so you may want to make a small test batch just in case.
Also, we love using infused oil in soap. Learn more about infusing your oil here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/how-to-infuse-oils-with-a-crock-pot/
Hope that helps! If you have any other questions, let me know. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Orange peel powder: https://www.brambleberry.com/Orange-Peel-Powder-P4022.aspx
Lemon peel powder: https://www.brambleberry.com/Lemon-Peel-P4939.aspx
Sweet almond oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Sweet-Almond-Oil-P3205.aspx
I love the look of this soap !! Just a few days ago, I made a similar recipe with pink clay, zinc oxide, goat’s milk and pink rose petals. I had high expectations, but this morning when I checked the soap, I found out that the petals look burned on their edges : (
I put the soap in the freezer for 24 hours before I took it out of the mold. Should I have waited longer? Is there any way to prevent the petals from burning?
Hi Rosy!
So glad you liked this soap. I’m surprised to hear that your rose petals look burnt…your soap must have gotten quite hot! The goat’s milk may have been a factor; adding milk to soap also adds extra sugars, which can cause the soap to get hot. But because you placed it in the freezer, that should have kept the temperatures very cool. My guess is the discoloration on the petals is due to the moisture on the soap, rather than burning. Next time you could try removing the goat milk to see if that helps 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
Thank you Amanda ! I’ve made another batch using distilled water. I will share my findings with you as soon as I unmold this soap.
Awesome, we look forward to hearing your results. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I’m new to soap making and I’m sorry if I’m asking this question in the wrong place but I’m wondering why I’m seeing other people commenting on how they place their molds in the freezer. I’ve made 3 batches of soap so far and all of them have been left at room temperature. I’m going to try making this orange/rose soap next (with some modifications to the oils and I have used the lye calculator to see what that equals out to) but I haven’t planned on putting it in the freezer. I was going to let it sit at room temperature like the rest of them. Why use the freezer? Thank you.
Hi Tracy!
No worries, we are happy to help!
There are several reasons to put the soap in the freezer. For instance, if you’re using milk in the recipe, it can scorch if it gets too hot. Popping it in the freezer prevents the milk from scorching. This is also the case if you’re using an ingredient with natural sugar in the soap, like honey, as it can overheat the recipe if it gets too hot.
Some people also put the soap in the freezer to prevent gel phase. During gel phase, the soap gets very hot and gelatinous – up to 180F! It doesn’t affect the final bar, it’s just an aesthetic issue. Some people prefer gelling the soap because it can make the colors pop. Others prefer a non-gelled soap. You can also leave your soap at room temperature. It’s definitely up to you!
We have some posts that talk about gel phase, temperature and when to insulate your soap that are very helpful. I’ll include links below. 🙂
Jazzed About Gel Phase: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/gel-phase/
When to Insulate Handmade Soap: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/when-to-insulate-handmade-soap/
How Temperature Affects Cold Process Soap: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/back-to-basics-how-temperature-affects-cold-process-soap/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Would you provide a PDF please of this recipe?
Hi Linda!
We don’t have a PDF at this time, but we may be working on making recipe cards for all the tutorials in the future! Thanks so much for your suggestion. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi! I made this soap recently and got quite a bit of soda ash between the rose petals. What could be a solution for that? Spraying the soap with alcohol before you decorate w rose petals? Also, (not related to this soap) how to prevent soda ash on a soap that’s sprinkled with a little mica on top. Thank you so much:)
Hi Celine!
Steaming is a great way to get rid of soda ash on top of your soap without affecting the rose petals or mica painting! If you don’t have a steamer, you can use cold water and an old pair of nylons to scrub off the soda ash in between the rose petals and orange peels. I’ll include a blog post with more tips. 🙂
Explaining and Preventing Soda Ash: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/explaining-and-preventing-soda-ash/
Also, spraying 99% isopropyl alcohol on this soap before putting the petals on should help prevent that for next time!
Sunday Night Spotlight: 99% Isopropyl Alcohol: http://www.soapqueen.com/bramble-berry-news/sunday-night-spotlight-99-isopropyl-alcohol/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I received the final ingredients today, and couldn’t wait to get home after work and make it! The recipe called for 1oz of fragrance, is that correct for the 3lb recipe? Just checking. probably something to do with the 10x orange?
Hi Tracy!
We used 1 oz. of essential oil because that was enough to scent the whole batch beautifully! If you want to add more, you definitely can. 🙂
You can use up to .8 oz of essential oil per pound of cold process soap for a strong scent. You can use our Fragrance Calculator to find out exactly how much you need for your batch: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Just made this and it turned out great! Very good instructions. My whole house smells like fresh oranges 🙂
Hi Connie!
That’s so awesome, I’m glad you like the recipe! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Nice soap, mine turned out looking like yours, but I left out the orange peels after reading all the moldy reviews. and Wow, I have never used sodium lactate, what a difference. It completely changes the texture of the soap. Un-molding was incredible!! Thanks AM your the (bath) bomb!! 🙂
Hi Susan!
Thanks so much for your kind words!
We absolutely love Sodium Lactate, it makes such a difference. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi!
Hope this is not a repeat question, but if you don’t want to ruin the pretty topping by adding saran wrap & placing the mold under a towel, will the soap suffer because of that?
Thanks so much!
Hi Gen!
While we didn’t insulate this soap, I believe the flowers should be OK! You may want to make sure the saran wrap is not right on the flowers, as that may smoosh them. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Your soap looks absolutely amazing. Is there a way to stop dried flowers from discolouring the soap or turning brown when placed on top?
Thanks,
Jenn
Hi Jenn!
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Unfortunately, there is no way to stop the flowers from turning brown. Because they’re a natural ingredient, they will go brown no matter what.
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Can slsa be used instead if sls? And what be used instead if rice bran and palm oils?
Thanks,
Ginger
Hi Ginger!
You do not need to use SLSA, OR SLS in this recipe :). If you want to switch out the Rice Bran Oil, you could use Olive or Canola Oil, just be sure to run in through the lye calculator again! While there is not a direct substitute for Palm Oil, there are certainly recipes that do not use it. I have included some below!
A Palm Free in the Pot Swirl:
http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/a-palm-free-in-the-pot-swirl/
Palm Free Vertical Twist Tutorial:
http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/palm-free-vertical-twist-tutorial/
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
Is there a way to incorporate the orange peelings and rose petals in the soap as an exfoliant? I’m new to this, so I apologize in advance if my question is odd.
Anthony
Hi Anthony!
Not an odd question at all :). When botanicals are used in the soap, they will go brown faster than when they are used on top. Also, rose petals and orange peelings may not be the best exfoliaters, they are more used for decorations. That being said, you could definitely add some exfoliation into this soap! Walnut shells, pumice or bamboo powder would be good options. I have included a link below for some exfoliants, I hope this helps 🙂
https://www.brambleberry.com/Exfoliants-C158.aspx
-Amanda with Bramble Berrt
Thank you Amanda. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question.
Anthony
You’re welcome! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Very pretty soap… I recently had a request for a soap with both orange & rose fragrance oil in. Although I wasn’t sure of that combination…it turned out great & later made some for myself.
Thanks for your info as always.
Hi Joan!
Orange and rose does sound like a really interesting scent combination, I bet it smells great! Glad you enjoyed this tutorial 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
That soap looked so wonderful, I just had to make it! It turned out just like the pictures!!! Had to “tweak” it a little as I had no Rice Bran oil, so I used Jojoba.
Hi Bjorn-Ake!
Oh I’m so happy to hear you gave this recipe a try! It’s one of my new favorite bars of soap, I’m happy to hear that yours turned out well! If you get photos, we would love to see your project on our Facebook page! 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/BrambleBerry
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
Hi, I was just wandering if I could use Sweet Almond oil instead of Rice Bran Oil? I have everything else. What changes in the recipe would I have to make?
Also, would it work to make it like this- divide it in 3. Color 1 part white, color the other orange w/ paprika, and leave the third plain, but add some ground oatmeal in it for interest and exfoliation? How much oatmeal for a third of the batter? 1/4 cup? 1/2?
Thank you!
Wait, I just remembered I also have Castor Oil and Cocoa and Shea Butters. Would any of them work instead of Rice Bran Oil to make good soap? Thanks!!
Hi Martina!
When you substitute oils in recipes, you just want to keep in mind the general usage rate for both oils, and if they are similar or not. The more similar their general recommended usage rates are, the better the substitution! The blog post below, Common Soapmaking Oils, is really helpful because it lists average usage rates for common soapmaking oils. I would recommend taking a look at that oil to find a substitution that works best for what type of soap you’d like to make 🙂
That being said, whenever you make substitutions in recipes, you always need to run the recipe through the lye calculator again to make sure you have the right amount of water and lye.
Common Soapmaking Oils:
http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/free-beginners-guide-to-soapmaking-common-soapmaking-oils/
You could definitely change up the design as well! I would recommend adding only a few tablespoons of oatmeal to a third of the batch. A little goes a long way, and you don’t want the batter to be too thick 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
Would soaking those petals in dissolved citric acid help preserve them any? I know we use citric acid in canning to hold the color of the fruits and vegetables better. I just wondered if it would keep things from molding.
Cool. I checked out the link and I’ve got some ideas for natural colorants. Thank you for replying!
You’re so welcome! 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
WAH! That soap is so pretty! I especially like the rose and orange peel… I’m sure that they could be arranged to look like leaves in an autumn inspired soap along with some lemon peel and perhaps some type of bark.
They do mold in the shower though. YUCK 🙂
I wonder if the color from the paprika migrates at all. Do you know?
Hi there!
So glad you enjoyed this soap! Oh that would look so pretty, great idea. Yes, you do need to watch out for that. I have found that the rose petals usually go down the drain before they get to that point, and the orange usually falls off :). The colors in this soap have stayed pretty true and separate from each other, as seen in this blog post as well!
Indigo Spoon Plop:
http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/indigo-spoon-plop-soap-cold-process-tutorial/
-Amanda with Bramble Berry