Sometimes the most stunning soap projects come from a simple design idea. This Spiced Copper Cold Process features layers of uncolored soap separated by lines of Copper Sparkle Mica. The top is then covered in the mica, creating a sparkly and slightly rustic look. This soap is scented with Spiced Amber Ale Fragrance Oil, which does not discolor in cold process soap. Read more about discoloration here. Having a non-discoloring fragrance oil is crucial for the mica lines to pop. If you choose a different fragrance oil for this project, keep that in mind!
The technique of creating lines in cold process soap using powder colorants is known as a mica line, or mica vein. The key to this technique is creating thin and even lines of colorant. If the lines are too thick, the layers of soap can separate. A small powder duster really comes in handy. While other colorants like oxides and pigments can be used for this technique, micas work best as they are extremely fine. The fine powdery texture of micas makes it easy to create a thin and even line. If you are thinking about trying this technique, now is a great time!
What You’ll Need:
Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold
40 oz. Lots of Lather Quick Mix
5.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
13.2 oz. Distilled Water
Copper Sparkle Mica
2.5 oz. Spiced Amber Ale Fragrance Oil
Optional: Powder Duster
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
If you’ve never made Cold Process soap before, stop here! I highly recommend checking out our FREE four part SoapQueen.tv series on Cold Process Soapmaking, especially the episode on lye safety. And if you’d rather do some reading, Bramble Berry carries a wide range of books on the topic, including my newest book, Soap Crafting. You can also checkout the digital downloads for that instant gratification factor.
SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices! That means goggles, gloves and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, and other distractions and tripping hazards are out of the house or don’t have access to your soaping space. Always soap in a well-ventilated area.
COLOR PREP: Have the Copper Sparkle Mica nearby. There is no need to disperse it with any oil, you will add the colorant to the soap dry. To help evenly sprinkle the mica onto the soap, a powder duster comes in handy!
MOLD & TOOL PREP: Line the Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold with freezer paper with the shiny side up. For tips on how to line the mold, click here.
ONE: Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool.
TWO: Fully melt the entire bag of Lots of Lather Quick Mix until there is no cloudiness. Shake to mix and measure out 40 oz. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that releases faster from the mold, you can add sodium lactate to the cooled lye water. Use 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate per pound of oils in the recipe. For this recipe, you’d add about 2.5 sodium lactate.
THREE: Once you have reached a thin trace, add the all of the Spiced Amber Ale Fragrance Oil and use a whisk to thoroughly mix in the fragrance.
FOUR: Portion off the batter into five even containers.
FIVE: Stick blend one of the containers until you reach a medium to thick trace. This will be the very bottom layer, so having a thick base will help support all the layers on top.
SIX: Pour the thick soap into the mold, and firmly tap the mold onto the counter to help release any bubbles and disperse the soap throughout the mold. Use a spoon to spread the mixture, and create soft waves.
SEVEN: Add a small amount of the Copper Sparkle Mica to the powder duster, and lightly cover the soap with a layer of Copper Sparkle Mica. Close your eyes and blow gently on the color to help disperse it evenly on top of the layer. Watch out, this part can get a bit messy!
EIGHT: Use a spoon to add another container of soap on top of the first layer. If it’s extremely thin, stick blend for several seconds until it reaches a medium trace. Using a spoon helps gently add the soap; if you were to pour, it may break through the mica layer and into the layer below. Once all the soap has been added, use the spoon to gently smooth the soap and create soft texture.
NINE: Add another layer of Copper Sparkle Mica and blow gently. The entire layer of soap should be covered, but be careful not to add too much! Excess mica can cause the soap layers to separate once cut.
TEN: Spoon another container of soap onto the layer below. Use the spoon to spread out the soap, creating an even layer. Use the spoon to create soft waves.
ELEVEN: Cover this layer of soap with a thin and even layer of Copper Sparkle Mica and blow gently. Tap the mold on the counter to help eliminate air bubbles.
TWELVE: Spoon another container of soap into the mold, on top of the Copper Sparkle Mica layer. Spread out the soap evenly throughout the mold, and create soft texture with the spoon.
THIRTEEN: You guessed it…cover with more Copper Sparkle Mica and blow gently!
FOURTEEN: Add the last of the soap on top of the Copper Sparkle Mica line. Use a spoon to create a textured top. There is no right or wrong way to do this, just have fun with it! Once you’re happy with the top, cover the top with plenty of Copper Sparkle Mica. Then, close your eyes and gently blow off the excess powder.
Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 3-4 days. Remove from the mold, and peel away freezer paper. To cut, lay the soap on its side and cut in the direction of the mica lines. This helps prevent dragging the mica down the bar and into the cream layers. Allow to cure for 4-6 weeks, enjoy!
Have you tried the mica line technique before? If you’d like to see it in action, check out the Lemon Poppy Seed Cold Process Soap on Soap Queen TV.
- Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold
- 40 oz. Lots of Lather Quick Mix
- 5.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- 13.2 oz. Distilled Water
- Copper Sparkle Mica
- 2.5 oz. Spiced Amber Ale Fragrance Oil
- Optional: Powder Duster
- Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool.
- Fully melt the entire bag of Lots of Lather Quick Mix until there is no cloudiness. Shake to mix and measure out 40 oz. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that releases faster from the mold, you can add sodium lactate to the cooled lye water. Use 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate per pound of oils in the recipe. For this recipe, you’d add about 2.5 sodium lactate.
- Once you have reached a thin trace, add the all of the Spiced Amber Ale Fragrance Oil and use a whisk to thoroughly mix in the fragrance.
- Portion off the batter into five even containers.
- Stick blend one of he containers until you reach a medium to thick trace. This will be the very bottom layer, so having a thick base will help support all the layers on top.
- Pour the thick soap into the mold, and firmly tap the mold onto the counter to help release any bubbles and disperse the soap throughout the mold. Use a spoon to spread the mixture, and create soft waves.
- Add a small amount of the Copper Sparkle Mica to the powder duster, and lightly cover the soap with a layer of Copper Sparkle Mica. Close your eyes and blow gently on the color to help disperse it evenly on top of the layer. Watch out, this part can get a bit messy!
- Use a spoon to add another container of soap on top of the first layer. Using a spoon helps gently add the soap; if you were to pour, it may break through the mica layer and into the layer below. Once all the soap has been added, use the spoon to gently smooth the soap and create soft texture.
- Add another layer of Copper Sparkle Mica and blow gently. The entire layer of soap should be covered, but be careful not to add too much! Excess mica can cause the soap layers to separate once cut.
- Spoon another container of soap onto the layer below. Use the spoon to spread out the soap, creating an even layer. Use the spoon to create soft waves.
- Cover this layer of soap with a thin and even layer of Copper Sparkle Mica and blow gently. Tap the mold on the counter to help eliminate air bubbles
- Spoon another container of soap into the mold, on top of the Copper Sparkle Mica layer. Spread out the soap evenly throughout the mold, and create soft texture with the spoon.
- You guessed it…cover with more Copper Sparkle Mica and blow gently!
- Add the last of the soap on top of the Copper Sparkle Mica line. Use a spoon to create a textured top. There is no right or wrong way to do this, just have fun with it! Once you’re happy with the top, sprinkle the top with plenty of Copper Sparkle Mica. Then, close your eyes and gently blow off the excess powder.
- Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 3-4 days. Remove from the mold, and peel away freezer paper. To cut, lay the soap on its side and cut in the direction of the mica lines. This helps to avoid dragging the mica down the bar and into the cream layers. Allow to cure for 4-6 weeks, enjoy!
I’m going to try to make a batch with a “mica line” but I’m going to use walnut shells instead to match the theme of the soap, plus I have no mica on me at the moment. Have you guys experimented with natural exfoliants or other items in place of the mica with any success?
We have used activated charcoal as a mica line! That looked really nice. We haven’t tried walnut shells though. I would recommend making a small test batch to see how they work. Make sure to sprinkle a very thin layer so the soap doesn’t separate. 🙂
Walnut shells: https://www.brambleberry.com/Walnut-Shells-P4531.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi I just made this soap but You Wish don’t sell the amber ale FO, so I used Nag Champa instead and took Kelsey’s advice just to embrace discolouration and use gold mica for the layers. I was very careful to spoon each layer on top to avoid breakthrough but when I look down the sides of the mould it looks all coloured – I think this is due to the mica being all down the sides of the mould. I used the 12 inch silicone mould. So when I unmould if the sides are very messy can I clean this with rubbing alcohol? I realise I should have used a cloth to wipe the sides to avoid this in the first place!!!
Many Thanks
Kate 🙂
Hi Kate!
You can use rubbing alcohol! Spritz the bars and wipe away any mica with a paper towel. That way you have nice clean bars. 🙂
See that technique in the Lemon Poppy Seed video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8ReVwhBCDU
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
99% Isopropyl Alcohol: https://www.brambleberry.com/99-Isopropyl-Alcohol-16-oz-P5682.aspx
I made this over the weekend and was very excited about it! I noticed the soap got thick really quickly though, I had no choice to pour, I had to scoop it all out into the mold in a hurry- not sure if it was the oil mix, the FO or that the temperature I was soaping at was too high. It was only my second cp ever and I panicked a little bit when I saw the soap getting thick, but it turned out alright, a few soap bubble holes here and there. I will try it again now that I know what to expect.
The scent is just ok though, any suggestions for a different scent that will not accelerate?
Hi Lois!
Glad that soap turned out well! In our tests and recipes, we found Spiced Amber Ale doesn’t accelerate, so I’m wondering if it’s another factor. Our Lots of Lather Recipe does contain quite a few hard oils, so it will trace more quickly than a recipe with a lot of soft oils. You can see the recipe for our Lots of Lather Quick Mix here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/sunday-night-spotlight-quick-mixes/
It can also be temperature! If the temperatures are on the higher or lower end, that can affect trace. What temperatures were you working with? Also, how long did you stick blend the soap for?
Let me know and we’ll get this figured out. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Spiced Amber Ale Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Spiced-Amber-Ale-Fragrance-Oil-P5670.aspx
Thanks Kelsey,
I added the lye water to the oils when the lye was about 128F and the oils about 130F. The room was a little warm, but not too much. I was stick blending for say 20-30 second bursts – stick blend, stir, stick blend, stir. My plan for the next batch is to whisk rather than stick blend.
Thanks for those details Lois! It sounds like your temperatures and stick blending method was just perfect, so I’m not exactly sure why this recipe traced so fast on you. I’m going to have our testing department test Spiced Amber Ale Fragrance Oil. In our previous tests it didn’t accelerate, but we’re going to test to see if anything changed. I’ll contact you after we get that tested! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I have a suggestion… Instead of blowing into the mold to spread the mica layers, use an empty pipette or a straw to direct the air and have less dust flying up from the box.
That is an amazing suggestion Mary! It definitely sounds a bit less messy. Thank you so much, can’t wait to try it on my next mica line soap. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Dropper: https://www.brambleberry.com/Droppers-With-Suction-Bulb-P3802.aspx
I un-molded and cut this soap yesterday. I scented it with a mixture of Kentish Rain, Crisp Apple Rose, Sandalwood, Blackberry Sage and Violet. All very very lightly scented. (bought some sample EOs from BB and experimenting has been so much fun!) OMG yum! i waited 24 hours and it popped right out of the mold practically on its own. I did not however use the lactate, it didnt need it. I just used a recipe very close to the lots of lather, equal parts coconut, palm and olive, in my case it was 10.5oz and 1.3 oz castor oil ( superfat at 6% at added silk to lye). I cant wait to try this soap out! totally worth the mess of mica it leaves everywhere lol!! such a beautiful soap. Too bad i cant post a pic on here!
Yay, so glad you like the recipe and that your soap turned out well Vanessa! That fragrance combination smells amazing. The woody sandalwood paired with sweet and floral fragrances sounds awesome.
You can post a picture on our Facebook wall! We would love to see it. 🙂
Bramble Berry Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BrambleBerry/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Kentish Rain Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Kentish-Rain-Fragrance-Oil-P3625.aspx
Crisp Apple Rose Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Crisp-Apple-Rose-Fragrance-Oil-P5484.aspx
Sensuous Sandalwood Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Sensuous-Sandalwood-Fragrance-Oil-P3884.aspx
Blackberry Sage Cybilla Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Blackberry-Sage-Cybilla-Fragrance-Oil-P3360.aspx
Violet Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Violet-Fragrance-Oil-P3889.aspx
Am curious – does the mica line leave mica on your hands when you use the soap?
I experimented with making a line with clay once. The soap looked nice but made a mess in the sink when it was used.
Hi Sharon!
From my personal experience, I notice the mica line does leave a little bit of color behind when it’s being used. However, micas are very fine and I find they wash off fairly easily. Every once and awhile I’ll notice a bit of shimmer on my arms. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I love this soap- simple and beautiful. 🙂
Thank you so much Martina, glad you love the soap! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry