Orange 10X Essential Oil is fantastic in soap. In this Uplifting Orange Melt & Pour, it acts as a natural colorant and gives the bars a zesty scent everybody loves.
This project is suitable for beginners with a few tips. First, the flower embed needs to be made ahead of time. Once it’s completely cool and firm, it can be placed inside the orange soap. Melt and pour soap begins melting around 120°F. Be mindful of the temperature, otherwise it can melt the flower embed.
Next, be sure to have 99% isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle nearby. It helps the layers stick and gets rid of bubbles.
Uplifting Orange Soap
What You Need:
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
Mini Daisy Silicone Column Mold
9 oz. Goat Milk Melt and Pour Soap Base
55 oz. Clear Melt and Pour Soap Base
1.4 oz. 10X Orange Essential Oil
99% Isopropyl Alcohol in a Spray Bottle
Click below to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
Find the supplies you need for this project below
ONE: Chop 4.5 ounces of Goat Milk Melt and Pour Soap Base into small, uniform pieces. Place them in a small heat-safe container and melt in the microwave using 5-10 second bursts. Small amounts of soap boil quickly, so be careful.
TWO: Pour the soap into the Mini Daisy Column Mold. Place the mold into a tall container to keep it upright and allow the soap to fully cool and harden.
THREE: While the embed hardens, chop 45 ounces of Clear Melt and Pour Soap into small, uniform pieces. Place them into a large heat-safe container and melt in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts.
FOUR: Add 1.2 ounces of Orange 10X Essential Oil into the melted soap and stir to fully combine. Pour about 1/3 of the soap into the 10″ Silicone Loaf Mold and spritz with 99% isopropyl alcohol to get rid of bubbles. Allow to cool and harden.
FIVE: Once the embed is cool, remove it from the mold. Trim off any imperfections and cut the embed the same length as the inside of the 10″ Silicone Loaf Mold.
SIX: Make sure the orange soap inside the mold has cooled enough to support more soap on top. If so, place the embed in the mold slightly off-center.
SEVEN: Remelt the orange soap using 20 second bursts – make sure it’s between 120-130° F. Spritz the soap in the mold with 99% isopropyl alcohol and gently pour the remaining orange soap into the mold. Spritz with 99% isopropyl alcohol to get rid of bubbles. Allow to cool and harden for about 20 minutes.
EIGHT: While the soap in the mold cools and hardens, chop 4.5 ounces of Goat Milk Melt and Pour Soap Base into small, uniform pieces. Place them in a small heat-safe container and melt in the microwave using 5-10 second bursts. Small amounts of soap boil quickly, so be careful. Once melted, pour the soap into the Mini Daisy Column Mold. Place the mold into a tall container to keep it upright and allow the soap to fully cool and harden.
NINE: Once the second embed has cooled and hardened, remove it from the mold and cut into small pieces. Set aside.
TEN: Chop 10 ounces of Clear Melt and Pour Soap into small, uniform pieces. Place them into a heat-safe container and melt in the microwave using 15-20 second bursts. Add 0.2 ounces of Orange 10X Essential Oil and stir in thoroughly.
ELEVEN: Spritz the soap in the mold with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Place the small daisy embeds on top of the soap in the mold. When the orange soap is around 120-130° F, gently pour it into the mold and spritz with alcohol to get rid of bubbles. If you have extra orange soap, pour it into another mold.
TWELVE: Allow the soap to fully cool and harden. Remove the soap from the mold and use a non-serrated knife to cut into bars. If you live in a very humid area, wrap the bars in plastic wrap to prevent glycerin dew. Enjoy!
- 10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
- Mini Daisy Silicone Column Mold
- 9 oz. Goat Milk Melt and Pour Soap Base
- 55 oz. Clear Melt and Pour Soap Base
- 1.4 oz. 10X Orange Essential Oil
- 99% Isopropyl Alcohol in a Spray Bottle
- Chop 4.5 ounces of Goat Milk Melt and Pour Soap Base into small, uniform pieces. Place them in a small heat-safe container and melt in the microwave using 5-10 second bursts. Small amounts of soap boil quickly, so be careful.
- Pour the soap into the Mini Daisy Column Mold. Place the mold into a tall container to keep it upright and allow the soap to fully cool and harden.
- While the embed hardens, chop 45 ounces of Clear Melt and Pour Soap into small, uniform pieces. Place them into a large heat-safe container and melt in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts.
- Add 1.2 ounces of Orange 10X Essential Oil into the melted soap and stir to fully combine. Pour about ⅓ of the soap into the 10″ Silicone Loaf Mold and spritz with 99% isopropyl alcohol to get rid of bubbles. Allow to cool and harden.
- Once the embed is cool, remove it from the mold. Trim off any imperfections and cut the embed the same length as the inside of the 10″ Silicone Loaf Mold.
- Make sure the orange soap inside the mold has cooled enough to support more soap on top. If so, place the embed in the mold slightly off-center.
- Remelt the orange soap using 20 second bursts – make sure it’s between 120-130° F. Spritz the soap in the mold with 99% isopropyl alcohol and gently pour the remaining orange soap into the mold. Spritz with 99% isopropyl alcohol to get rid of bubbles. Allow to cool and harden for about 20 minutes.
- While the soap in the mold cools and hardens, chop 4.5 ounces of Goat Milk Melt and Pour Soap Base into small, uniform pieces. Place them in a small heat-safe container and melt in the microwave using 5-10 second bursts. Small amounts of soap boil quickly, so be careful. Once melted, pour the soap into the Mini Daisy Column Mold. Place the mold into a tall container to keep it upright and allow the soap to fully cool and harden.
- Once the second embed has cooled and hardened, remove it from the mold and cut into small pieces. Set aside.
- Chop 10 ounces of Clear Melt and Pour Soap into small, uniform pieces. Place them into a heat-safe container and melt in the microwave using 15-20 second bursts. Add 0.2 ounces of Orange 10X Essential Oil and stir in thoroughly.
- Spritz the soap in the mold with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Place the small daisy embeds on top of the soap in the mold. When the orange soap is around 120-130° F, gently pour it into the mold and spritz with alcohol to get rid of bubbles. If you have extra orange soap, pour it into another mold.
- Allow the soap to fully cool and harden. Remove the soap from the mold and use a non-serrated knife to cut into bars. If you live in a very humid area, wrap the bars in plastic wrap to prevent glycerin dew. Enjoy!
I’ve made this twice now and both times the entire top layer with the daisies breaks off when I cut into bars- I wait until the soap is 130 degrees before pouring it. Any suggestions?
Layering Melt and Pour Soap is pretty tricky and usually comes down to timing. To salvage your batch you can melt down a little extra clear MP and use that like a glue between the layers that separated.
For more tips on layering MP: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/5-tips-layering-melt-pour/
This recipe calls for orange essential oil. However orange oil is photo sensitive and causes skin docolorization. Is orange fragrance also photo sensitive? Would that be an alternative. I love the smell of oranges and would love to use it in soap but I am worried about it.
Because soap is a wash off product you don’t have to worry about it being a photosensitizer. You can use a synthetic orange fragrance oil instead or another scent.
Orange Peel Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/shop-by-product/ingredients/fragrance-oils/orange-peel-fragrance-oil/V000208.html
I’m definitely going to have a go at this, I’ve been sticking to swirling soap and want to try something new. I have a column mold that I had tried before (not successfully) wedging in the soap loft that kept falling down! Great to know how to do it properly! Thanks
Hi. The idea of orange soap is delightful. But I am very sensitive when it comes to soap, and I wonder if the melt and pour soap isn’t good for my itchy skin. I have made hot process soap once, and it came out okay. I am still using it, but sometimes it bothers me and I itch. I can’t use any commercially made soaps. Can you please inform me about this orange soap? What about cold process soap. What is the difference in the finished product? Softer on the skin? I am in a bit of a dilemma. I used to always be able to buy hand made soaps that didn’t bother me at all. But I have recently moved to an area that doesn’t have the same availability of hand made soaps. I can try again to make my own, but I am so afraid of failure again. I cooked it too long and it was very dry and brittle. Do you have any advice for me? Thanks.
Sincerely, IrisSpring
The citrus oils could be causing the itchiness
Cold process soap is making soap from scratch with a combination of oils and Sodium Hydroxide Lye. It most likely is similar to the soaps you were buying if they were handmade and not like melt and pour.
CP soap also may be perfect for you since you get to pick and choose oils that work well for you. You also may want to think about leaving the soap unscented or use a more soothing essential oil, like lavender, if your skin is particularly sensitive.
Hungarian Lavender Essential Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Hungarian-Lavender-Essential-Oil-P3417.aspx