Here in Bellingham, WA, almost every restaurant has a specialty cocktail. Many of the drinks feature house-infused liquor and funky combinations like thyme and peach puree. The interesting combination of flavors, colors, and textures in artisan cocktails inspired this melt and pour project.
Swirling melt and pour isn’t difficult, but it does require an understanding of how the soap behaves at different temperatures. If you’ve never swirled melt and pour soap before, see our tips here. A thermometer comes in handy for this project to check temperatures. A spray bottle of 99% isopropyl alcohol is also a must. Without spraying alcohol before each layer, they may not stick together.
Note: The Sparkling Fig Cocktail Fragrance Oil previously used in this tutorial was discontinued. It has been replaced with Cranberry Fig Fragrance Oil.
What You’ll Need:
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
32 oz. Honey Melt and Pour Soap Base
22 oz. Goat Milk Melt and Pour Soap Base
0.7 oz. Cranberry Fig Fragrance Oil
Evergreen Mica
Gold Sparkle Mica
Merlot Sparkle Mica
99% Isopropyl Alcohol in a Spray Bottle
Optional: Infrared Thermometer
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
COLOR PREP: In small separate containers, combine 1/2 teaspoon of Merlot Sparkle Mica, Evergreen Mica, and Gold Sparkle Mica with about 1 teaspoon of 99% isopropyl alcohol. Mixing the mica with alcohol helps it mix into the soap easily without clumps. Set colors aside.
ONE: Chop 32 ounces of Honey Melt and Pour Soap Base into small uniform pieces. Place 16 ounces of the chopped Honey Melt and Pour Soap Base into one heat-safe container, and the remaining 16 ounces into another heat-safe container. Then, chop 22 oz. of Goat Milk Melt and Pour Soap Base into small uniform pieces. Place all of the Goat Milk Melt and Pour Soap Base into one large heat-safe container.
TWO: Place the container of Goat Milk Melt and Pour Soap Base into the microwave and melt using 30-60 second bursts. Between each burst, stir the soap to help it melt evenly and prevent overheating. Continue heating and stirring until the base is completely melted.
THREE: Melt both containers of Honey Melt and Pour Soap Base in the microwave using about 30-40 second bursts. Mix between each burst to help it melt evenly and prevent overheating. Continue heating and stirring until the base is completely melted.
FOUR: Add all of the dispersed Evergreen Mica to the melted goat milk soap and stir to combine. Then, add all of the dispersed Gold Sparkle Mica to one container of melted honey soap, and all of the dispersed Merlot Sparkle Mica to the other container of melted honey soap. Stir to combine.
FIVE: Add 0.3 ounces of the Cranberry Fig Fragrance Oil to the green soap and stir until completely combined. Then add 0.2 ounces of the Cranberry Fig Fragrance Oil to the gold and burgundy soap. Stir completely to combine the colorants.
SIX: Check the temperature of each container of soap. The ideal temperature for swirling melt and pour is around 125 ° F. If the soap is too hot the colors will muddle together, but if it’s too cold they won’t swirl. If some of the soap has cooled too much, place it in the microwave and reheat using short 5-10 second bursts.
SEVEN: Once each container is in the correct temperature range, pour some of the green soap into the mold to completely cover the bottom. Spritz with alcohol to get rid of bubbles and pour a small amount of the green and burgundy soap into the green. Pour at varying heights and in varying areas to help the soap swirl.
Allow the soap to cool and harden slightly for about 2-3 minutes. In this time it will develop a thin skin but may not be completely firm. Allowing the soap to cool slightly prevents the colors from muddling together.
EIGHT: Spritz the soap in the mold with alcohol to help the layers stick together. Pour a thin layer of the green soap, spritz with alcohol to get rid of bubbles, then pour burgundy and gold soap soap in random areas to create a swirl effect. Spritz with alcohol to get rid of bubbles, and allow to cool and harden for about 2-3 minutes.
NINE: Continue this process until all the soap has been poured into the mold. Immediately after pouring the last bit of soap into the mold, spritz with alcohol to get rid of bubbles, then use your fingers to sprinkle Gold Sparkle Mica onto the soap. Spritz again with alcohol.
TEN: Allow it to fully cool and harden for about 4 hours or up to overnight. It’s tempting to cut into the soap while it’s still warm, but don’t do it! Layers are more likely to separate when the soap is cut while still warm. Once the loaf is cut into bars, wrap the bars in plastic wrap to help avoid glycerin dew. Enjoy!
Sparkling Fig Melt & Pour Soap Tutorial
Ingredients
- 10 ″ Silicone Loaf Mold
- 32 oz. Honey Melt and Pour Soap Base
- 22 oz. Goat Milk Melt and Pour Soap Base
- 0.7 oz. Cranberry Fig Fragrance Oil
- Evergreen Mica
- Gold Sparkle Mica
- Merlot Sparkle Mica
- 99 % Isopropyl Alcohol in a Spray Bottle
- Optional: Infrared Thermometer
Instructions
COLOR PREP: In small separate containers, combine 1/2 teaspoon of Merlot Sparkle Mica, Evergreen Mica, and Gold Sparkle Mica with about 1 teaspoon of 99% isopropyl alcohol. Mixing the mica with alcohol helps it mix into the soap easily without clumps. Set colors aside.
- Chop 32 ounces of Honey Melt and Pour Soap Base into small uniform pieces. Place 16 ounces of the chopped Honey Melt and Pour Soap Base into one heat-safe container, and the remaining 16 ounces into another heat-safe container. Then, chop 22 oz. of Goat Milk Melt and Pour Soap Base into small uniform pieces. Place all of the Goat Milk Melt and Pour Soap Base into one large heat-safe container.
- Place the container of Goat Milk Melt and Pour Soap Base into the microwave and melt using 30-60 second bursts. Between each burst, stir the soap to help it melt evenly and prevent overheating. Continue heating and stirring until the base is completely melted.
- Melt both containers of Honey Melt and Pour Soap Base in the microwave using about 30-40 second bursts. Mix between each burst to help it melt evenly and prevent overheating. Continue heating and stirring until the base is completely melted.
- Add all of the dispersed Evergreen Mica to the melted goat milk soap and stir to combine. Then, add all of the dispersed Gold Sparkle Mica to one container of melted honey soap, and all of the dispersed Merlot Sparkle Mica to the other container of melted honey soap. Stir to combine.
- Add 0.3 ounces of the Cranberry Fig Fragrance Oil to the green soap and stir until completely combined. Then add 0.2 ounces of the Cranberry Fig Fragrance Oil to the gold and burgundy soap. Stir completely to combine the colorants.
- Check the temperature of each container of soap. The ideal temperature for swirling melt and pour is around 125 ° F. If the soap is too hot the colors will muddle together, but if it’s too cold they won’t swirl. If some of the soap has cooled too much, place it in the microwave and reheat using short 5-10 second bursts.
- Once each container is in the correct temperature range, pour some of the green soap into the mold to completely cover the bottom. Spritz with alcohol to get rid of bubbles and pour a small amount of the green and burgundy soap into the green. Pour at varying heights and in varying areas to help the soap swirl. Allow the soap to cool and harden slightly for about 2-3 minutes. In this time it will develop a thin skin but may not be completely firm. Allowing the soap to cool slightly prevents the colors from muddling together.
- Spritz the soap in the mold with alcohol to help the layers stick together. Pour a thin layer of the green soap, spritz with alcohol to get rid of bubbles, then pour burgundy and gold soap soap in random areas to create a swirl effect. Spritz with alcohol to get rid of bubbles, and allow to cool and harden for about 2-3 minutes.
- Continue this process until all the soap has been poured into the mold. Immediately after pouring the last bit of soap into the mold, spritz with alcohol to get rid of bubbles, then use your fingers to sprinkle Gold Sparkle Mica onto the soap. Spritz again with alcohol.
- Allow it to fully cool and harden for about 4 hours or up to overnight. It’s tempting to cut into the soap while it’s still warm, but don’t do it! Layers are more likely to separate when the soap is cut while still warm. Once the loaf is cut into bars, wrap the bars in plastic wrap to help avoid glycerin dew. Enjoy!
