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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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.
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Shark Attack Melt & Pour Soap DIY
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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 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.
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