Clear Melt and Pour
White Melt and Pour
Light Gold Mica
Ultramarine Violet Oxide
Lavender Buds
Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
Brownie Pan or Loaf Mold (that can hold 4 lbs)
Microwave Save Bowl (pyrex)
Step 1: Melt about 16 oz of clear melt and pour soap base. Stir in 1/2 oz of Lavender 40/42 essential oil and about 1/2 tablespoon of light gold mica. Pour soap into your brownie pan or loaf mold. Spritz with rubbing alcohol to eliminate any bubbles.
Tip: To avoid spots and speckles, mix your oxide with a little rubbing alcohol before adding it to the soap base. SoapQueenTV Episode #2 covers mixing oxides (minute 4:00) & using lavender herbs in soap (4:30).
Step 3: For the second layer, melt another 16 oz of clear melt and pour soap base. Mix in 1/2 oz of Lavender 40/42 essential oil and 1/2 tablespoon of ultramarine violet oxide. Spritz the first soap layer with rubbing alcohol to help the two layers adhere. Pour the second layer and spritz again with rubbing alcohol to eliminate bubbles. Let second layer cool.
Step 4: For the third layer, melt 16 oz of white melt and pour soap base. Mix in 1/2 oz Lavender 40/42 essential oil and 1/2 tablespoon of light gold mica. Spritz the second soap layer with rubbing alcohol to help the two layers adhere. Pour the third layer and spritz again with rubbing alcohol to eliminate bubbles.
Step 5: For the fourth and final layer, melt 8 oz of clear melt and pour soap base (we want this layer to be a little thinner than the other layers to really showcase the lavender buds). Mix in 1/4 oz Lavender 40/42 essential oil and between 1/4 – 1/2 cup of lavender buds. Again, spritz the third soap layer with rubbing alcohol to help the two layers adhere. Pour your fourth layer and spritz again with rubbing alcohol to eliminate bubbles. Let cool completely before cutting.
Step 5: Cut these lavender beauties in any shape or size you want. We cut ours with a crinkle cutter and finished them off by putting them in lavender organza bags. Make these as fresh as possible, right before the wedding, because Lavender buds do go brown in soap (eventually). Episode #2 of SoapQueenTV has a shot of an aged Lavender soap around minute 4:47.
Interested in making these favors in a larger quantity? No problem! Just keep in mind that the brownie pan can hold up to 3 pounds of soap. This will make anywhere between 18 and 30 bars of soap depending on how small or large you cut the favors. This project is the most cost effective of the three from the last few days because it’s poured into one big slab and cut (rather than individually poured into smaller molds). We recommend 1/2 oz of fragrance oil per pound of soap base. And for the colorants? It’s really up to you. Add as much or as little as you want to create the perfect shade.
Wou!! I love Lavanda… Muack!!
Lavender is one of my favorite scents too! =)
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Its so beautiful! 🙂 How much lavender buds is needed in this recipe?
The lavender is just used to garnish the top of the soap so the 3 oz size on the website will be plenty. We probably only used 1 ounce in the entire recipe.
https://www.brambleberry.com/Lavender-Grade-1-P4018.aspx
Also remember that the lavender buds will eventually turn brown like any other herb so the fresher the better (if you’re giving it as a gift).
Courtney from Bramble Berry
We test all our fragrances by actually using them in numerous batches of soap.
Fragrance oils are rigourously tested in Cold Process (temperature range 100-115 degrees), Melt and Pour as well as Hot Process soaps. We prefer to keep our Cold Process temperatures low, as higher temperatures can cause trace acceleration, separation or seizing in some batches.
Please tell me the answer.
Could the "Fragrance Oils from Bramble Berry " can be added in Cold Process soap and lotion ?
Thank you very much.
Please tell me the answer.
Could the "Fragrance Oils from Bramble Berry " can be added in Cold Process soap or not ?
Thank you very much.
If you make them RIGHT before the occasion, you're probably okay with the lavender buds, but they brown pretty quickly, and then you have people looking at your soap saying, "WHAT is THAT?" Personal experience, at a craft fair, Haha!! 🙂 But this is definitely a beautiful little soap, and lavender essential oil is FABULOUS and a very popular and soothing scent.
We're on a septic system, which is why dh worries about it. :>
Official plumber answer:
If your drains are clean and clear, it should be no problem.
If your drains are problematic, take your bath, drain the tub and THEN flush more water down it if you're worried about anything being caught up in already-cranky drains.
Thanks so much for the love of the project. Yipeee!
The buds do go brown, eventually. A couple weeks probably. You can see how brown they get in this SoapQueenTV episode:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3VbeNl1Nqg
Anne, If you have a clogged pipe or a plumbing problem, anything will exacerbate the issue. I've not heard of Lavender ever being a problem but just to be on the safe side, I put a call into a plumber today and should have the 'official' answer on the subject later today or tomorrow. Thank you so much for being such a long time customer. I totally appreciate the support. =)
These are gorgeous!
I remember there was a discussion on your blog previously about the buds browning; I believe you said it would.
But, I, too, am curious about the plumbing question because that was my dh's concern when I've bought soaps (and made soaps) that had chunks of stuff in it.
Thanks!
very pretty soaps
These are beautiful! The crinkle cut is really a beautiful touch! I love it!
Anne-Marie,
Does the lavender hold its color or will it turn brown after awhile?
Love your blog and this pretty soap. I think I actually began purchasing products from you before you were famous… You provided me with an intro to mica as "bonuses" with a couple of my initial orders, years ago.
Anyway, my (hopefully not too silly) question is this… What will the lavender buds do to my plumbing? I used to make "naked" lavender bath bombs, but I now encase them in a mesh bag because I had a very bad (yet fragrant) encounter with the Roto Rooter guy. Talk to me about the soap 🙂
The lavender farms in my area have a "U Pick Em" day coming up next month, and I love lavender. I really enjoy finding new projects for my "harvest".
Hugs and blessings~
~~~Anne
I wish I had thought about this when I got married! I love soap as favors!
Beautiful! I like how the M&P doesn't turn the lavender buds into brown little mouse turds! So much more appealing! 🙂
Very pretty. This is a nice twist on Lavender.
what a cute bar of soap!!!! I love how it looks and I LOVE lav!