Below is the first layer for our Jelly Roll Soap. It is colored with Lavender Mica and Liquid Violet Colorant in clear melt and pour soap. It reminds me of a delicious vat of molten blueberry taffy.
The secret to successful Jelly Rolls is 2-fold – timing and 10% liquid glycerin addition to melted soap. Add 10% liquid glycerin to your melted soap base along with the fragrance and color for each layer.
There is approximately 3/4 of a teaspoon of Super Pearly White Mica in 8 ounces of melted soap. It is overkill to use this much mica. The same density of color could have been achieved with half of that amount.
Note: The Sparkle Violet Mica previously used in this recipe will be discontinued when supplies run out. You can use Super Pearly White Mica instead.
Alcohol is essential for mixing in the mica. The mica tends to ball up on the surface of the soap, similar to how hot chocolate clumps when you’re making hot chocolate. As you can see in the photo below, there’s a large mica bubble that is stubbornly refusing the mix in.
The video below shows the magic of Isopropyl Rubbing) Alcohol to break up mica bubbles by breaking the surface tension of the soap. The video quality is poor but it should get the point across (sorry, I was stirring while trying to hold the camera and spritz with mica at the same time).
Check back tomorrow for more on how to make Jelly Roll Soap!
