Bright and cheery, it’s no wonder the Lemon Poppy Seed Cold Process was the top tutorial from 2014! With so much great feedback, you can now watch this project from start to finish in the Lemon Poppy Seed Cold Process video on Soap Queen TV. This soap is an advanced project, with a super straight mica vein and textured top. The fragrance combination of Lemon Verbena Yankee Type and Champagne smells bubbly and slightly sweet.
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
Titanium Dioxide
Fizzy Lemonade Colorant
Luster Black Mica
1 tbs. Poppy Seeds
.5 oz. Lemon Verbena Yankee Type Fragrance Oil
1 oz. Champagne Fragrance Oil
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
Optional: Sodium Lactate
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
Can I use lots of lather quick mix with this recipe?
You sure can! Just make sure to run it through the Lye Calculator to get the correct lye and liquid amounts. 🙂
Lye Calculator: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Lye-Calculator.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi: I am ordering the ingredients for your Lemon Poppy Seed CP Soap but It seems to me that for 3 lbs of soap that you are short on the Fragrance Oils. Can you tell me how many ounces of soap this is so that when I go to the Fragrance Calculator it will give me the right amount of Fragrance to use? Better than that, can you tell me how many ounces I would put for the Champagne and the Lemon Verbena Yankee FO in the Fragrance Calculator? Because what I am coming up with is more than what your formula/recipe is calling for. Also, the 10″ Silicone Loaf Mold – wouldn’t that be for 2 lbs of soap and not 3????? I get confused about that.
Hi Betty! This recipe is 48.4 ounces. The 10″ Silicone Loaf Mold holds 50 ounces, which is just over 3 pounds. When calculating fragrance, you want the amount to equal the total strong suggestion. So, a strong recommendation for Champagne is 2.4 ounces and strong for Lemon Verbena is .5 ounces (it’s lower because using too much can cause irritation). If you add those up, you’ll get 2.9 ounces, which is too much fragrance. Instead, we went for 1 ounce and .5 ounces. That’s because both scents are very strong and 1.5 oz. scents it nicely. If you like, you can add 1.9 ounces of Champagne and .5 ounces of Lemon Verbena. Just don’t go over 2.4 ounces or it can irritate the skin.
Let me know if that makes sense! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Is there an ‘expiration date’ for this soap? New to soaping, just wonder what I should tell people. Or how long they should expect the scent to last.
Thanks!
This recipe has a shelf life of a year or more! It’s made with long shelf life oils. To keep the bars as fresh as possible, store them in a cool, dry place. 🙂
Learn more about how to find the shelf life of products here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/shelf-life-bath-products-ingredients-rancidity-vs-mold/
Learn more about storing your products here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/how-to-store-handmade-bath-products/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Great, I will read those, thank you!
I’ve been enjoying (or rather obsessed with) watching all the great soap making videos but have yet to make a single bar of soap! I’m still trying to absorb every bit of information I can before diving in. I was thinking with this particular soap if you placed the black mica in a stripe pattern, and left some soap plain maybe it would help prevent the soap layers from separating? That way you will be cutting through the black line so it shows up on the outside of your cut bars but there will be the two layers of soap sticking together in the center of the bar. Just a thought!
We haven’t given that a try, so I’m not entirely sure! It may be difficult to pour the mica in stripes, as it’s pretty light. As long as you pour a very thin layer the layers shouldn’t separate! Just dust a bit on and blow to distribute it over the soap. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
No need to insulate? I never know when to insulate and when not to.
It depends on your recipe and personal preference! Insulating the soap makes it go through gel phase. During gel phase, the soap gets really hot and gelatinous. It doesn’t affect the final bar, just the look of it. Some people prefer it because it makes the colors pop. In this case, you could gel it to help that yellow look more vibrant.
If you prefer a more pastel look, or if you have anything in your recipe that can scorch (sugar, milk), you’ll want to prevent gel phase. You can do that by leaving the soap in a cool area like a garage or fridge. 🙂
This post talks more about when to gel and when not to: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/when-to-insulate-handmade-soap/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Made this doap with grapefruit FO and as a Taiwan swirl. So pretty! Thanks for the inspiration!
Oh that sounds lovely! I love the Taiwan swirl technique. If you have a picture we’d love to see it on our Facebook page. 🙂
Bramble Berry Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrambleBerry/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi! Can I use activated charcoal powder to make the black vein? Thanks very much.
You can! Activated charcoal will work nicely. You can apply it the same way – sprinkle a fine layer and blow gently to distribute it. Be very careful working with it! It is a very fine powder, so it can get a little messy. 🙂
Activated charcoal: https://www.brambleberry.com/Activated-Charcoal-P4956.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi Kelsey
Is there another oil i can use instead of the Rice Bran oil.
Regards,
Emma
Hi Emma!
Instead of the rice bran oil, you can increase the olive oil in the recipe by 3.3 ounces to cover it. Rice bran oil and olive oil have similar textures! You can also replace rice bran oil with canola oil if you like. Remember to run your recipe through the Lye Calculator again after any substitutions. 🙂
Lye Calculator: http://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Lye-Calculator.aspx
This post on substituting oil in cold process soap is helpful as well: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/how-to-substitute-oil-in-cold-process-recipes/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thanks for the tutorial, I love all your tutorials.
I made a batch of Lemon poppy seed two days ago and looks great today, but I could not make the layer because I don’t have black mica, so I just omitted it.
I have two questions about this project:
-Can I use Black Oxide instead of black mica for the layer?
-Why my bar breaks apart? the yellow one separated of the white one.
I will appreciate your feedback
thanks a lot
Hi Griss!
You’re welcome, so glad you love the tutorials! 🙂
We haven’t had great luck with using oxides as a mica line. Because they are more heavy, they’re a bit trickier to dust over the soap and distribute evenly. We prefer micas because they’re nice and light. That makes them really easy to dust and distribute evenly over the layer!
Also, I’m sorry those layers separated! Did you use Black Oxide as the mica line? If so, that may be it. Because they’re heavier, we found we dusted more on to get an even coating. If too much powder is used in between the layers they can separate. Let me know and we’ll get this figured out. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thanks Kelsey,
No, I didn’t use any, I didn’t make the layer, even so, my bar was divided into two and I don’t know why.
Thanks again
Did you pour the second layer on right away, or did you wait before doing so? Thanks for answering my questions. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
When layering I pour one color & let it set up overnight. I make a new batch for the next layer & spritz the first layer with alcohol quickly before I pour the 2nd layer. My layers rarely break apart=)
That’s awesome Kathy, so glad that works well for you! For cold process layers, we like to pour the first layer, then pour the second layer on immediately with no alcohol. That works well for us. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi guys I recently made a few batches of Hot process poppyseed soap using 30% Shea butter 35%olive oil and 35% coconut oil. I have scented them with a blend of May Chang, lemongrass and basil EOs. All of my batches turned out an off white colour, but have darkened considerably over the past two weeks. The thing that has me baffled is three different batches of this soap have developed a pinkish purple hue around the poppyseed as the soap has darkened, almost as if they have bled. I don’t think it is dos as I have use the same recipe and oils/butter batches for many other soaps which seem fine. I have googled pictures of lemon and poppyseed soap and a few seem to have the same pink hue. Any ideas what could be causing this? I am baffled. Thanks!
Hi Amanda!
We actually noticed a pink hue on some of our bars as well! I am not entirely sure what causes that hue, but I can tell you it did go away as the soap cured. Also, the bars felt just fine on the skin. It may just be a quirk of the poppy seeds, or some bleeding! It should fade away though. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thanks so much for the tutorial! I had a blast making this soap, I think it came out just like your picture. I noticed some mica stuck to the side of the mold when I added the layer. I did not clean off with rubbing alcohol and instead put my white frosting on top. I did get some mica on the side of the frosting which was easy to clean off afterwards, but I could have saved myself the step by cleaning the mold before adding the white.
Hi Kate!
You are very welcome! Glad you like the tutorial, and glad your soap turned out well. 🙂
Also, alcohol is so helpful for cleaning off any excess mica. We always have lots of it around for spills!
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Are there printed instructions available for this soap?
Thank you!
Hi Valerie!
You can find instructions on the original tutorial! 🙂
Lemon Poppy Seed Cold Process: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/lemon-poppy-seed-cold-process/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi, I’m look forward to make this soap for the first time. In the list of of what you will need it is optional to use Sodium Lactate. My question is what does Sodium Lactate do to soap and when do you apply to your mixture. Also, is the Sodium Lactate included in the measurement. How much of Sodium Lactate do you use?
Hi Gladys!
That’s awesome, so glad you’re going to give this soap a try! Sodium lactate helps harden the bars, making them release faster from the mold and last longer. We absolutely love using it. 🙂
We recommend using sodium lactate at a rate of 1 tsp. per pound of oils. To use, add it to your cooled lye water and stir well. In this case, you’d use about 2 teaspoons. Read more in the Sunday Night Spotlight: Sodium Lactate: http://www.soapqueen.com/bramble-berry-news/sunday-night-spotlight-sodium-lactate/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I still don’t understand well what the gel phase is, but I’m guessing it has to do with transparency in the final soap?
I’ve seen that at times soap has to be wrapped in towels or placed under a “roof” of cardboard, but not with this recipe. Could you explain why? Thank you…
Hi Rosy!
During gel phase, the soap gets very hot and gelatinous. This makes the final soap look slightly shiny and makes the colors a bit brighter. Wrapping the soap in a towel helps warm it up and force the soap through gel phase. It doesn’t affect the final bar of soap, it’s just an aesthetic thing. Some soapers prefer the look of gelled soap, while others don’t.
This Jazzed About Gel Phase post has lots of great information on gel phase, including how to make your soap gel: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/gel-phase/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I want to try this recipe, but I don’t see the sweet almond oil where the colorants where mixed… the actual question is if those 3 tbsp of sweet almond oil should be included in the lye calculator or not. Thank you.
Hi Rosy!
The sweet almond oil is not part of the main batch of oils. It is considered an additive, so it’s extra oil going into your soap. It helps that color disperse nicely and adds more luxurious oil to your soap. 🙂
If you’re worried about too much extra oil in your soap, you can decrease your superfat slightly. You can also mix the colors in your premade oils. To do that, use a spoon or a dropper to transfer some of your soaping oils into a separate container. Then, mix your colors in and add them at trace. You can see that in action in the Making Sunshine Soap video on Soap Queen TV: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/making-sunshine-cold-process-soap/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Droppers: https://www.brambleberry.com/Droppers-With-Suction-Bulb-P3802.aspx
Thank you so much Kelsey !
You’re welcome! 🙂
Hi, Great looking soap. Did you superfat this recipe? If so, by how much? Thanks and thank you for the videos. Love’em.
Hi Michelle!
So glad you like the soap! We typically superfat our recipes at 5%, but we superfatted this soap at 7% for a little extra luxury. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
How do you package soaps with a textured top? My clear wraps only cover soap bars if they are perfectly even all the way around.
Hi Kelly!
You can actually use a heat gun to shrink your wraps on over the texture! Just aim the heat gun at the top for a second and it will conform to fit your soap. Don’t aim the gun at your soap too long, otherwise it may melt. You can see that process in the Packaging video on Soap Queen TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD4bJgtaHMg
The video is about melt and pour, but also has fun ideas for cold process soap too. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Oh, that’s funny! What a coincidence! I just made that one yesterday again too, and cut today. It always looks great, even though I got only partial gel this time.
I use Energy FO for it.
Hi Martina!
Too funny! So glad you like the recipe. It’s one of my favorites too. Also, Energy Fragrance Oil is so fresh and bright, it’s perfect for this soap. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Energy Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Energy-Fragrance-Oil-P3861.aspx
I bet this smells delicious!
Hi John!
It’s a really fun scent combination! It’s really fresh and bubbly. Hope you get a chance to try it out! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry