Enthusiastic feedback flew in after posting this tutorial in the Bramble Berry Newsletter we just knew we had to share it with the Soap Queen Readers too! We are loving the possibilities with this new vertical mold! PS – Do you get our newsletter? It comes out monthly and has specials for newsletter subscribers only along with a recipe or technique that newsletter readers see before anyone else! Sign up on the Bramble Berry Home page.
Ingredients
15.4 oz Olive Oil
13.2 oz Coconut Oil
11 oz Palm Oil
4.4 oz Palm Kernel Flakes
6.57 oz Lye
14.52 oz Water
4 ounces of Herb infused Sweet Almond Oil
(we used Alkanet and Annatto seeds)
2 oz Orange Peel Cybilla Fragrance Oil
1 oz Amber Fragrance Oil
1 oz Black Tea Fragrance Oil
Buy everything you need with the click of a button! (I’m leaving the herb infusion up to you so add the herbs to your cart on your own.)
prep: Line your mold and make your fragrance/essential oil blend ahead of time. I blended 2 ounces of Orange Peel Cybilla with 1 ounce of Amber Fragrance Oil and1 ounce of Black Tea Fragrance Oil. The combo is clean, fresh and sophisticated. Usage rate for the entire batch is approximately 3 ounces of the fragrance blend so you will have just a tinch left over at the end.
ONE: Weigh out all of your oils. Melt the Palm, Coconut and Palm Kernel Flakes and add the Olive Oil. Set this aside. Assemble your mold with all of the liners and center divider.
TWO: Wearing full safety gear and following basic CP principles (unsure about CP soap? Watch the FREE SoapQueen.TV tutorials on CP soap here), weigh out your water and Lye. Add the lye slowly, slowly, slowly to the water, stirring the entire time, taking pains NOT to breathe in the fumes. Work only in a well-ventilated area. If you are ultra sensitive, wear a mask.
THREE: Slowly add the Lye mixture to the oils and use your stick blender to achieve a light trace.
FOUR: Pour half of the mixture into a separate container.
FIVE: Add the Annatto infused oil to one of the containers and mix in well. I used about 1 ounce of colorant infusion but you might use more or less depending on the color you are trying to achieve. Blend in well.
TIP: Other great herbs to use as natural colorants are Maddar Root, Kelp Powder, Paprika, Safflower Powder and Spirulina Powder.
SIX: Add half of the fragrance blend (mix well) and pour into one side of the mold.
SEVEN: Add the Alkanet infused oil (or whatever colorant you’d like) to the other batch of soap and mix in well. Add the rest of the fragrance blend, mixing well and  pour into the second side of the mold.
EIGHT: Remove center divider. Insulate mold if needed, and set aside for 2-4 days.
NINE: To remove from the mold be sure to slide or twirl the side liners off of the soap log so you don’t tear your soap. It might help to set the mold up sideways on the side of the table so you can really push down on the divider to loosen it. If you pull on the sides of the dividers, they tend to tear the soap so slide, slide, slide.
