Shark Week on the Discovery channel starts June 26th. If you’re a fan, this Shark Soap project is for you! To create the appearance of crashing waves, white and blue soap are swirled together. Then, shark toys are placed into the soap to look like they are jumping out of the water. I scented it with Coconut Mango Fragrance Oil. It’s smells like a tropical vacation. =)
To achieve the colors in this soap, I used Caribbean Blue Mica and Brilliant Blue LabColor. The mica is first mixed with 99% isopropyl alcohol to get rid of clumps before it’s added to clear soap to create a rich blue color. For the very top layer I used Brilliant Blue LabColor. It gives clear soap a tint of color, but still allows the white soap to be seen. LabColors do need to be diluted before use. If you’re unfamiliar with LabColors, click here to learn more. Then check out this post to learn how to dilute them.
What You’ll Need:
6 Bar Oval Silicone Mold
21 oz. Stephenson Ultra Clear Soap Base
6 oz. White Melt and Pour Base
Caribbean Blue Mica
Brilliant Blue LabColor
10 mL Coconut Mango Fragrance Oil
6-12 Toy Sharks
Dropper
99% Isopropyl Alcohol in Spray Bottle
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Find the supplies you need for this project below
ONE: In a small container, mix 1/4 tsp. Caribbean Blue Mica into 1/2 Tbs. 99% isopropyl alcohol. Set aside. Chop and melt 15 ounces of the Stephenson Ultra Clear Soap Base in the microwave using 20-30 second bursts. Once melted, add the mica mixture and stir to fully mix in.
TWO: Add 10 mL of the Coconut Mango Fragrance Oil and stir in. Set aside. Chop and melt 6 ounces of the White Melt and Pour Base in the microwave using 10 second bursts. It’s easy to burn melt and pour base when melting such small amounts, so be careful to not microwave too long. Read more about how to prevent burnt melt and pour here.
THREE: At this point, the white and blue soap should be around 125-130°F. At that temperature, the soap will be thick enough to create swirls rather than mixing together completely. Then, pour the blue soap evenly into each cavity. Working quickly, pour a small amount of the white soap into each cavity of blue soap.
FOUR: Use a spoon, chopstick, dowel or other swirling tool (I used the dropper!) to swirl together the white and blue soap. Don’t worry if the bases begin to harden and start forming a skin. More soap will be poured on top, so an uneven texture is okay. Spray with alcohol to help disperse bubbles.
FIVE: Continue to work quickly. Insert 1-2 shark toys into the soap. Please note these sharks are small and pose a choking hazard for young children. At this point, the soap will have a thick skin on top, but should be slightly liquid underneath. This allows the sharks to be inserted into the soap without falling down.
SIX: While the soap cools, chop and melt 6 ounces of the Stephenson Ultra Clear Soap Base in the microwave using 5-10 second bursts. Then, add 1-3 drops of diluted Brilliant Blue LabColor. A little goes a long way! Stir to fully mix in. If you’re unfamiliar with how to dilute LabColors, click here to learn how.
SEVEN: When the soap is around 125-130°F (so it won’t melt the layers below), spray each cavity of soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to help the layers stick and pour the melted blue soap on top of each cavity. This layer will help embed the sharks into the soap, but their heads should still pop out. Of course if you want to fully embed them, feel free! =) After pouring each layer, spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol to help disperse bubbles. Allow the soap to fully cool and harden.
Remove from the mold, and wrap in plastic wrap to help prevent glycerin dew. Learn more about storing handmade products here.
Click to View the Recipe
- 6 Bar Oval Silicone Mold
- 21 oz. Stephenson Ultra Clear Soap Base
- 6 oz. White Melt and Pour Base
- Caribbean Blue Mica
- 10 mL Coconut Mango Fragrance Oil
- 6-12 Shark Toys
- Dropper
- 99% Isopropyl Alcohol in Spray Bottle
- In a small container, mix ¼ tsp. Caribbean Blue Mica into ½ Tbs. 99% isopropyl alcohol. Set aside. Chop and melt 15 ounces of the Stephenson Ultra Clear Soap Base in thew microwave using 20-30 second bursts. Once melted, add the mica mixture and stir to fully mix in.
- Add 10 mL of the Coconut Mango Fragrance Oil and stir in. Set aside. Chop and melt 6 ounces of the White Melt and Pour Base in the microwave using 10 second bursts. It’s easy to burn melt and pour base when melting such small amounts, so be careful to not microwave too long.
- At this point, the white and blue soap should be around 125-130°F. At that temperature, the soap will be thick enough to create swirls rather than mixing together completely. Then, pour the blue soap evenly into each cavity. Working quickly, pour a small amount of the white soap into each cavity of blue soap.
- Use a spoon, chopstick or other swirling tool (I used the dropper!) to swirl together the white and blue soap. Don’t worry if the bases begin to harden a little, and start forming a skin. More soap will be poured on top, so an uneven texture is okay. Spray with alcohol to help disperse bubbles.
- Continue to work quickly. Insert 1-2 shark toys into the soap. At this point, the soap will have a thick skin on top, but should be slightly liquid underneath. This allows the sharks to be inserted into the soap without them falling down.
- While the soap cools, chop and melt 6 ounces of the Stephenson Ultra Clear Soap Base in the microwave using 5-10 second bursts. Then, add 1-3 drops of diluted Brilliant Blue Lab Color. A little goes a long way! Stir to fully mix in.
- When the soap is around 125-130°F (so it won't melt the layers below), spray each cavity of soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to help the layers stick and pour the melted blue soap on top of each cavity. This layer will help embed the sharks into the soap, but their heads should still pop out. Of course if you want to fully embed them, feel free! =) After pouring each layer, spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol to help disperse bubbles. Allow the soap to fully cool and harden. Remove from the mold, and wrap in plastic wrap to help prevent glycerin dew. Learn more about storing handmade products here.
So you only put fragrance in the first later? Can you add fragrance to the top layer too, or will that cloud it up ?
We left the top layer unscented so it would stay clear. You can add fragrance if you like, just make sure to add one that’s water white so it won’t cause cloudiness: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/what-are-water-white-fragrance-oils/
i tried this and its kind of confusing i thought i screwed up cus there wasn’t enough m&p to fill all cavaties to the top. but i followed directions to the t. but….. your mold has 6 cavaties and each holds 5 oz. thats 30oz of soap. and the recipe only says u need 21 of clear and 6 of white m&p which is 27oz
This recipe doesn’t fill the cavities all the way up, you can see that in the pictures. We did that so there’s room to insert the sharks without the soap spilling over. If you’d like it to fill the cavities you can use 30 ounces.
Love this! Where do you get the sharks from?
You can find all the ingredients for this recipe on our website, BrambleBerry.com: https://www.brambleberry.com/Toy-Shark-P6580.aspx
Does this soap have a good lather?
It does, the Stephenson base has SLS which creates really nice bubbles: https://www.brambleberry.com/Stephenson-Ultra-Clear-Soap-Base-P6558.aspx
You can also use the Shaving Melt and Pour Base, which has nice lather too: https://www.brambleberry.com/SFIC-Shaving-Melt-And-Pour-Soap-Base-P4384.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Do you have to use a preservative. My child has extremely sensitive skin?
You don’t need a preservative! Soap has a pH level that doesn’t allow mold to grow. 🙂
Read more about preservatives here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/talk-it-out-tuesday-preservatives/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Yes but when you dilute the labcolor it says to use germaben can it be diluted with something else or can you use it as is?
Oh I’m so sorry about that, I forgot about the preservative in the colors! LabColors do need to be preserved. If not, they will grow mold and bacteria. You can leave the preservative out and store them in the fridge, but they’ll only have a shelf life of a couple weeks. Learn more about using LabColors here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/diluting-bramble-berry-labcolors/
If you’re not comfortable using LabColors, you can use more Caribbean Blue! That one doesn’t need a preservative. You can prep 1/2 teaspoon of the color in 1 teaspoon of alcohol. Then, add half the color to the bottom layer. For the top layer, add just a couple drops to get that light blue color. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Can you use 90% alcohol? That’s all I have. Thanks!
The 90% rubbing alcohol should work well for popping bubbles, but may not be as effective to adhere the layers. I would recommend making a small test batch with the soap to see if it helps the layers stay together. If not, I would recommend the 99%! You can find that here: https://www.brambleberry.com/99-Isopropyl-Alcohol-16-oz-P5682.aspx
Read more about alcohol here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bramble-berry-news/sunday-night-spotlight-99-isopropyl-alcohol/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Is it ok to use two different brands of base? The sections will not separate over time?
That can sometimes be the case! The bases can dry at different rates and separate. We tested this recipe and found it didn’t separate though. Before using two brands of bases, you may want to make a small test bar to ensure the layers don’t break apart. You can also use the same brand just to be on the safe side. 🙂
Learn more about working with melt and pour layers here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/5-tips-layering-melt-pour/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
These are so cute! I love the swirly water effect.
Thank you so much Monica! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Awesome! Will be making those for sure. My kids will love them – so will all my friends that binge watch shark week!
These would make perfect gifts for Shark Week! Have fun making them Natalia. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I LOVE these! I love shark week and these are adorable!
Yay, glad you love them Pam! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
while that is cute, it would be unpleasant to wash with once the soap wears down to have the sharks poking out both sides….and it would be a shame to demolish a soap to get the toys out.
You can leave the sharks out of this soap if you like! We love the way they look, but they are optional. The soap would still look pretty without them. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry