A great project for kids of all ages (and I’m totally counting myself in this ‘kid’ category), this theme will particularly appeal to those who enjoy their time with a sci-fi edge. Swirling multiple colors of melt and pour base into sphere molds creates a planetary feel while shimmery black mica paired with silver glitter sends the planets on an adventure through a star-filled sky.
Recipe:
3 oz White Melt and Pour Soap Base
32 oz Clear Melt and Pour Soap Base
0.5 oz Blackberry Cybilla Fragrance Oil
0.5 oz Fresh Mango Fragrance Oil
Silicone Liner for 2 lb Wood Mold
Optional, but recommended: Alien Toys
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
FRAGRANCE OIL PREP: Blend the Blackberry Cybilla and Fresh Mango Fragrance Oils to create the custom Blackberry Mango fragrance blend. NOTE: Fresh Mango is definitely a more green-smelling mango, which I think balances out the super fruit notes of the blackberry. However, if you’d prefer a more fruity explosion of awesomeness, try out Mango Mango Fragrance Oil or even Mango Peach Salsa Fragrance Oil in your blend! We’ve got you covered on the mango front. =)
ONE: Cut 15 ounces of Clear Melt and Pour Base into 1-inch cubes and melt in a heat-safe container on 30 second bursts in the microwave. Repeat with the White Melt and Pour Base. Add 0.4 oz of the Blackberry Mango fragrance blend to the clear soap, and 3 mL of the Blackberry Mango fragrance blend to the white soap. Stir until well mixed.
TWO: Split the Clear Melt and Pour Base into 5 – 3 oz portions. Create your planetary colors using the color blocks. For my colors, I used the Chrome Green Color Block in one, the Ultramarine Blue in another, a combination of Ultraviolet Blue and Perfect Red to create a purplish-red in the third, Perfect Orange with just a hint of Shimmer Yellow in the fourth, and Shimmer Yellow on it’s own in the fifth. Remember that what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG), so have fun with blending color blocks for an out-of-this-world palette!
NOTE: Is this your first time using color blocks? I use a Clean-up Tool to shred the blocks and mix those in. If you’re a visual person, check out his quick vid!
THREE: Once all of your 3 oz portions of soap (including both the colorful and the white portion) are around 130 degrees Fahrenheit, start filling your spheres. There isn’t enough soap to fill each cavity of each sphere mold; what I did was filled one cavity of the 4 sphere mold, 6 cavities of the Large 9 Ball Silicone Mold, and all of the cavities of the Small 9 Ball Silicone Mold. Create swirls in the spheres by pouring a little bit of one color into a sphere followed by another, followed by another, until the cavity is full. Unmold the spheres when the soap has fully hardened.
FOUR: Cut the remaining Clear Melt and pour Base into 1-inch cubes and melt in a heat-safe container on 30 second bursts in the microwave. Add the remaining Blackberry Mango fragrance blend and stir until combined. Color with the Shimmer Black Color Block (remember WYSIWYG!) and 1/8 teaspoon glitter. Stir until the color block shreds have fully melted.
FIVE: Once the Shimmer Black soap is 130 degrees or below, pour about 1/2 inch layer into the bottom of the mold. Spritz with Isporopyl (Rubbing) Alcohol. Place 2-4 spheres liberally spritzed with Isporopyl (Rubbing) Alcohol into the still soft soap. Spritz again with Isporopyl (Rubbing) Alcohol and allow the layer to harden. Repeat this step, building up the soap and embedding spheres as you go, until the mold is full. Remember that each embed should be liberally sprayed with Isporopyl (Rubbing) Alcohol before being embedded! Allow the soap to fully harden.
SIX: Once the soap has fully hardened, unmold and cut the loaf. Each cut will be a unique planetary scene! Wrap the soaps in plastic wrap (or any form of air-tight packaging).
- 3 oz White Melt and Pour Soap Base
- 32 oz Clear Melt and Pour Soap Base
- Green Oxide Color Block
- Ultramarine Blue Color Block
- Ultraviolet Blue Color Block
- Perfect Red Color Block
- Perfect Orange Color Block
- Shimmer Yellow Color Block
- Shimmer Black Color Block
- Iridescent Glitter
- 0.5 oz Blackberry Cybilla Fragrance Oil
- 0.5 oz Fresh Mango Fragrance Oil
- 2 lb Wood Mold with Wingnuts
- Silicone Liner for 2 lb Wood Mold
- Small 9 Ball Silicone Mold
- Large 9 Ball Silicone Mold
- 4 Sphere Silicone Mold
- Clean Up Tool
- Optional, but recommended: Alien Toys
- FRAGRANCE OIL PREP: Blend the Blackberry Cybilla and Fresh Mango Fragrance Oils to create the custom Blackberry Mango fragrance blend. NOTE: Fresh Mango is definitely a more green-smelling mango, which I think balances out the super fruit notes of the blackberry. However, if you’d prefer a more fruity explosion of awesomeness, try out Mango Mango Fragrance Oil or even Mango Peach Salsa Fragrance Oil in your blend! We’ve got you covered on the mango front. =)
- Cut 15 ounces of Clear Melt and Pour Base into 1-inch cubes and melt in a heat-safe container on 30 second bursts in the microwave. Repeat with the White Melt and Pour Base. Add 0.4 oz of the Blackberry Mango fragrance blend to the clear soap, and 3 mL of the Blackberry Mango fragrance blend to the white soap. Stir until well mixed.
- Split the Clear Melt and Pour Base into 5 – 3 oz portions. Create your planetary colors using the color blocks. For my colors, I used the Chrome Green Color Block in one, the Ultramarine Blue in another, a combination of Ultraviolet Blue and Perfect Red to create a purplish-red in the third, Perfect Orange with just a hint of Shimmer Yellow in the fourth, and Shimmer Yellow on it’s own in the fifth. Remember that what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG), so have fun with blending color blocks for an out-of-this-world palette!
- Once all of your 3 oz portions of soap (including both the colorful and the white portion) are around 130 degrees Fahrenheit, start filling your spheres. There isn’t enough soap to fill each cavity of each sphere mold; what I did was filled one cavity of the 4 sphere mold, 6 cavities of the Large 9 Ball Silicone Mold, and all of the cavities of the Small 9 Ball Silicone Mold. Create swirls in the spheres by pouring a little bit of one color into a sphere followed by another, followed by another, until the cavity is full. Unmold the spheres when the soap has fully hardened.
- Cut the remaining Clear Melt and pour Base into 1-inch cubes and melt in a heat-safe container on 30 second bursts in the microwave. Add the remaining Blackberry Mango fragrance blend and stir until combined. Color with the Shimmer Black Color Block (remember WYSIWYG!) and ⅛ teaspoon glitter. Stir until the color block shreds have fully melted.
- Once the Shimmer Black soap is 130 degrees or below, pour about ½ inch layer into the bottom of the mold. Spritz with Isporopyl (Rubbing) Alcohol. Place 2-4 spheres liberally spritzed with Isporopyl (Rubbing) Alcohol into the still soft soap. Spritz again with Isporopyl (Rubbing) Alcohol and allow the layer to harden. Repeat this step, building up the soap and embedding spheres as you go, until the mold is full. Remember that each embed should be liberally sprayed with Isporopyl (Rubbing) Alcohol before being embedded! Allow the soap to fully harden.
- Once the soap has fully hardened, unmold and cut the loaf. Each cut will be a unique planetary scene! Wrap the soaps in plastic wrap (or any form of air-tight packaging).
Tina says
L O V E !!!
Becky with Bramble Berry says
Thanks, Tina!
We love this project too and can’t wait for others to try it out. If you do get a chance to play around with this tutorial and get any pictures, be sure to share them with us on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/BrambleBerry
Happy Soaping!
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Ginger Muenster says
My “business” name is Cosmic Potions. You just know I have to try this out.
Becky with Bramble Berry says
These are going to be perfect for your business! You’ll have to keep us updated on how they turn out for you and if you get any pictures, we’d love to see them. You can share them with us on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/BrambleBerry
Happy Soaping!
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Jean Horn says
What a fun soap!
Thanks for another great tutorial 🙂
Becky with Bramble Berry says
We’d love to see your interpretation of it! There is so much you can do with this recipe and I know what soap recipe I’ll be working on this weekend. =)
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Melissa says
I totally love this one. Not only is it a cute idea, but it has a cool name. There was a Beastie Boys song by this name I totaaly loved! 😀
Lianne Van L says
I totally started playing that song in my head as soon as I saw the title to this tutorial. 🙂
Becky with Bramble Berry says
You aren’t the only one, Lianne! =)
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Becky with Bramble Berry says
Hi Melissa!
I’m so happy to hear that you like this soap as much as we do. It was so fun seeing A-M put the recipe together and we all got a kick out of them name as well. =)
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Timmi says
Very cool! I homeschool my kids and we’re currently learning about the planets. I can see a slar system soap in our future. Thanks for the awesome idea. Now to go order the sphere molds :0)
Timmi says
*solar system. Obviously I should proof read when I’m typing with a baby in my arms. lol
Becky with Bramble Berry says
Aren’t these just so much fun? Your kids would have so much fun making solar system planet soap with you! Keep us updated, we’d love to know how they turn out. =)
-Becky with Bramble Berry