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Butterfly Swirl Soap Tutorial

October 17, 2013 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

This beautiful Butterfly Swirl is inspired by the nonpareil paper marbling of old (not sure what a nonpareil pattern looks like? Check out the beautiful handmade paper that inspired this tutorial for a good example!). Four different tones create dynamic complex and rich patterns both on top of the soap and within the bars themselves. It is the perfect recipe for giving these new swirl tools a whirl.

What You’ll Need:
24 oz. Canola Oil
16 oz. Coconut Oil
4 oz. Hemp Seed Oil (refined)
4 oz. Mango Butter
20 oz. Palm Oil
12 oz. Rice Bran Oil
10.9 oz. Sodium Hydroxide
26.4 oz. Distilled Water
3.8 oz. Lychee Red Tea
1.2 oz. Peppermint Essential Oil, 2nd Distill
Titanium Dioxide
Aqua Pearl Mica
Activated Charcoal Powder
Fired Up Fuchsia Pigment
Ultramarine Violet Oxide
18 Bar Birchwood Mold
Liner for 18 Bar Mold
Comb Swirl Tool

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: Disperse 1 teaspoon of Aqua Pearl, Activated Charcoal, Fired Up Fuchsia and Ultramarine Violet into 1 tablespoon of liquid oil (we like Sweet Almond or Sunflower oils). Disperse two teaspoons of Titanium Dioxide in 2 tablespoons of liquid oil. Prepping your colors in the beginning will allow you to work quickly and give you more time to work with your soap. Use the mini mixer to get all those clumps worked out smoothly.

FRAGRANCE BLEND: In a glass container, combine the Lychee Red Tea Fragrance Oil and the Peppermint 2nd Distilled Essential Oil. Give the mixture a good stir and then set it aside.

ONE: Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water, and stir until clear. Set aside to cool. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that lasts longer in the shower, you can add Sodium Lactate to the cooled lye water. Use 1 teaspoon of Sodium Lactate per pound of oils in the recipe.

TWO: Melt and combine the Canola, Coconut, Hempseed, Mango, Palm and Rice Bran oils in a large glass container. 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.

THREE: Equally split the batter into 5 containers. Then use a wire whisk or spatula to stir in one colorant per container at the following rate:

• ½ teaspoon dispersed Titanium Dioxide and 1 teaspoon dispersed Aqua Pearl
• ½ teaspoon dispersed Activated Charcoal and 1 teaspoon Titanium Dioxide
• 1½ teaspoon dispersed Titanium Dioxide
• 1½ teaspoon dispersed Fired Up Fuschia and 1 teaspoon dispersed Titanium Dioxide
• 2 teaspoons dispersed Ultramarine Violet

FOUR: Once you’ve fully incorporated the colorant, split the fragrance blend between the five containers and mix with a whisk or spoon.

FIVE: Once the fragrance has been fully incorporated, pour each color into its own condiment bottle. Fill each bottle about halfway (6 oz.) full.

SIX: Beginning in the bottom left-hand corner of the mold, pour about half of the remaining color in your mixing containers in a diagonal zigzag motion. Repeat this pattern with each color, layering one color on top of another and keeping the same order.

SEVEN: When you have used about half the soap in all five containers, change your pour pattern. Begin at the far left hand corner and pour the soap in the same diagonal zigzag pattern across the mold to the near right hand corner. Repeat this process until all the soap in the containers is gone.

EIGHT: Insert a chopstick or dowel into the soap beginning in the near left hand corner. Drag the tool in a diagonal zigzag pattern to the far right hand corner.

NINE: Using the condiment bottles, squirt each color vertically across the mold. Repeat this pattern layering colors on top of each other in the same order until you have about 2 oz. of soap in the bottles.

TEN: When you have about 2 oz. left in your bottles, start making your lines more purposeful. Carefully lay down lines of thick color, working your way from one end of the mold to the other. Space your color lines about an inch apart.

TEN: Using a chopstick or dowel again, start in the far left-hand corner and make a diagonal zig-zag across the mold to the lower left-hand corner. And then, back again.

ELEVEN: Drag the Comb Swirl Tool in a slow and smooth motion from the top of the mold to the bottom. Lift it straight up out of the soap, and the design is done!

Spray the entire top with 91 or 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to reduce soda ash. Cover and insulate for 24 hours and unmold after 3-4 days, and allow to cure for 4-6 weeks.

Holly Berry Cold Process Soap

October 10, 2013 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

We’re continuing our Christmas-y cold process kick because of the 4-6 week cure time required for cold process recipes. On Tuesday we showed you the absolutely delectable Holiday Cookie Bar recipe and today we’re introducing the festive Holly Berry design. For this project we used squirt bottles to make fun holly leaf designs on top of a two color in-the-pot-swirl, and then we garnished it with real cranberry seeds to mimic plump holly berries. We fragranced with Fresh Snow Fragrance Oil, which performed beautifully in our recipe and smells airy and clean — just like freshly fallen snow!

What You’ll Need:
Silicone Square Tray Mold
2 oz. Avocado Butter
8 oz. Coconut Oil
10 oz. Olive Oil
8 oz. Palm Oil
2 oz. Palm Kernel Flakes
6 oz. Rice Bran Oil
4 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
5.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide
13.2 oz. distilled water
Cranberry Seeds
Hydrated Chrome Green
Titanium Dioxide
Merlot Sparkle Mica
Electric Bubblegum
Super Pearly White
Activated Charcoal
1.8 oz. Fresh Snow Fragrance Oil

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

COLOR PREP: To ensure that the Titanium Dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Please note this is an optional tip but it does help with the titanium dioxide clumping in the soap =) To micronize colorant, simply use a coffee grinder to blend the colorant to break up any clumps of color and prevent streaks of white from showing in the final soap. We like to use a coffee grinder that has a removable, stainless steel mixing area for easy cleaning. Disperse 1 teaspoon all colorants except the Super Pearly White into 1 tablespoon of liquid oil (we like Sweet Almond or Sunflower). Make a double batch of the Super Pearly White by mixing two teaspoons of colorant into 2 tablespoons of oil. Prepping your colors in the beginning will allow you to work quickly and give you more time to work with your soap. Use the mini mixer to get all those clumps worked out smoothly.

TWO: Begin by melting down the Palm Kernel Flakes in the microwave on 30 second bursts. Then, combine the melted Palm Kernel Flakes with the melted Avocado Butter, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Palm Oil, Rice Bran Oil and Sweet Almond Oil in a large glass container. 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.

THREE: Pour approximately 2 – 3 oz. of soap batter into a condiment bottle and color with 1 teaspoon of dispersed Hydrated Chrome Green. Plug the tip with your finger and then shake vigorously. Release your finger with the tip pointing away from your face and then set aside.

FOUR: In two additional containers, pour off about 2 cups each. You should have about 4 cups left in the original container.

FIVE: Add the following colorants to the three containers:

2 teaspoons dispersed Super Pearly White in the original container.
3 teaspoons dispersed Merlot Sparkle Mica and 1/2 teaspoon Electric Bubblegum in one of the 2-cup containers.
3 teaspoons dispersed Super Pearly White and 1/4 teaspoon dispersed Activated Charcoal in the remaining 2-cup container.

SIX: Using a wire whisk or spoon, split the fragrance equally among the 3 containers.

SEVEN:For the in-the-pot swirl, start by pouring the grey colored soap into the Titanium Dioxide colored soap in 4 places: 12:00 o’clock, 4:00 o’clock, 8:00 o’clock, and center. Repeat with the Merlot Sparkle Mica. Pour from a high point so that the soap penetrates the entire depth of the soap in the pot, which will create a swirl throughout the soap.

EIGHT: Using a spatula, chopstick or dowel, swirl the soap by running the tool through each of the entry points once. Only once! You want to swirl but not mix the soap.

NINE: After you’ve swirled the soap, slowly pour the batter into the mold. We started pouring in the upper left hand corner and moved diagonally to the bottom right hand corner.

We’ve even got a video of this pour too!

TEN: Now use the condiment bottle to “draw” holly leaf designs on the surface of the soap. We free-handed our designs, so have fun with this part!

ELEVEN: Once you’re satisfied with your leaves, pour the Cranberry Seeds as berries. In order to get little round berries that were relatively the same shape, we poured the seeds through an 8 oz. Funnel.

TWELVE: We recommend keeping a chopstick or pair of tweezers on hand to clean up any stray seeds. That will help you keep your “berries” looking like berries and not scattered bunches of seeds!

Spray the entire top with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol to help prevent soda ash. Cover and insulate for 24 hours and unmold after 3-4 days. Allow to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!

Bonus: Check out the cut of this soap below!

Holly Berry Cold Process Soap

This Holly Berry Soap is perfect for the holidays!

Author: Soap Queen

Recipe type: Cold Process

Ingredients

Silicone Square Tray Mold
2 oz. Avocado Butter
8 oz. Coconut Oil
10 oz. Olive Oil
8 oz. Palm Oil
2 oz. Palm Kernel Flakes
6 oz. Rice Bran Oil
4 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
5.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide
13.2 oz. distilled water
Cranberry Seeds
Hydrated Chrome Green
Titanium Dioxide
Merlot Sparkle Mica.
Electric Bubblegum
Super Pearly White
Activated Charcoal
1.8 oz. Fresh Snow Fragrance Oil

Instructions

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: To ensure that the Titanium Dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Please note this is an optional tip but it does help with the titanium dioxide clumping in the soap =) To micronize colorant, simply use a coffee grinder to blend the colorant to break up any clumps of color and prevent streaks of white from showing in the final soap. We like to use a coffee grinder that has a removable, stainless steel mixing area for easy cleaning. Disperse 1 teaspoon all colorants except the Super Pearly White into 1 tablespoon of liquid oil (we like Sweet Almond or Sunflower). Make a double batch of the Super Pearly White by mixing two teaspoons of colorant into 2 tablespoons of oil. Prepping your colors in the beginning will allow you to work quickly and give you more time to work with your soap. Use the mini mixer to get all those clumps worked out smoothly.
Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water, and stir until clear. Set aside to cool. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that lasts longer in the shower, you can add Sodium Lactate to the cooled lye water. Use 1 teaspoon of Sodium Lactate per pound of oils in the recipe.
Begin by melting down the Palm Kernel Flakes in the microwave on 30 second bursts. Then, combine the melted Palm Kernel Flakes with the melted Avocado Butter, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Palm Oil, Rice Bran Oil and Sweet Almond Oil in a large glass container. 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.
Pour approximately 2 – 3 oz. of soap batter into a condiment bottle and color with 1 teaspoon of dispersed Hydrated Chrome Green. Plug the tip with your finger and then shake vigorously. Release your finger with the tip pointing away from your face and then set aside.
In two additional containers, pour off about 2 cups each. You should have about 4 cups left in the original container.
Add the following colorants to the three containers:
2 teaspoons dispersed Super Pearly White in the original container.
3 teaspoons dispersed Merlot Sparkle Mica and ½ teaspoon Electric Bubblegum in one of the 2-cup containers.
3 teaspoons dispersed Super Pearly White and ¼ teaspoon dispersed Activated Charcoal in the remaining 2-cup container.
Using a wire whisk or spoon, split the fragrance equally among the 3 containers.
For the in-the-pot swirl, start by pouring the grey colored soap into the Titanium Dioxide colored soap in 4 places: 12:00 o’clock, 4:00 o’clock, 8:00 o’clock, and center. Repeat with the Merlot Sparkle Mica. Pour from a high point so that the soap penetrates the entire depth of the soap in the pot, which will create a swirl throughout the soap.
Using a spatula, chopstick or dowel, swirl the soap by running the tool through each of the entry points once. Only once! You want to swirl but not mix the soap.
After you’ve swirled the soap, slowly pour the batter into the mold. We started pouring in the upper left hand corner and moved diagonally to the bottom right hand corner.
Now use the condiment bottle to “draw” holly leaf designs on the surface of the soap. We free-handed our designs, so have fun with this part!
Once you’re satisfied with your leaves, pour the Cranberry Seeds as berries. In order to get little round berries that were relatively the same shape, we poured the seeds through an 8 oz. Funnel.
We recommend keeping a chopstick or pair of tweezers on hand to clean up any stray seeds. That will help you keep your “berries” looking like berries and not scattered bunches of seeds!

Holiday Cookie Bar Cold Process Tutorial

October 8, 2013 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

Holiday madness is officially upon us … well, it is if you’re a cold process soaper! I am always so inspired by all the wonderful treats and desserts that show up at yearly holiday parties, and we wanted to try and replicate a delectable holiday treat in soap form. This recipe was inspired by a lovely dessert I came across on Pinterest: soft, doughy cookies with ample fudge and swirled holiday frosting. Delish!

The goal with this soap is to get your layers as straight as possible by using a pour-over-the-spatula technique. We also incorporated the fragrance sample of the month, the delightfully warm Chai Tea Cybilla. It does discolor in cold process soap, which is something we kept in mind when formulating this recipe. In the end, we think the result is just as sweet as the original dessert inspiration!

[Read more…]

Frog Foot Swirl

October 3, 2013 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with swirling because of these new swirl tools — they make achieving techniques like the Peacock Swirl a breeze! For this tutorial we tried our hand at the Peacock Swirl’s counterpart, the Frog Foot! Simply drag the Easy Swirl Tool in a different way (basically, the opposite way) to achieve this beautiful, striking design.

What You’ll Need:

16 oz. Coconut Oil

16 oz. Canola Oil

24 oz. Palm Oil

3.2 oz. Castor Oil

4.8 oz. Hazelnut Oil

8 oz. Rice Bran Oil

8 oz. Sunflower Oil

11 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

26.4 oz. distilled water

Aqua Pearl Mica

Apricot Blush Mica

1982 Blue Mica

Super Pearly White Mica

Activated Charcoal

18 Bar Birchwood Mold with Silicone Liner

Swirl Tool Kit

Fragrance blend of:

3.4 oz. Cedarwood Essential Oil and 1.6 oz. Peppermint 2nd Distilled Essential Oil

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of each pigment into 1 tablespoon of liquid oil (we like Sweet Almond or Sunflower oils). Prepping your colors in the beginning will allow you to work quickly and give you more time to work with your soap. Use the mini mixer to get all those clumps worked out smoothly.

FRAGRANCE PREP: In a glass container, combine the Cedarwood and Peppermint Essential Oils. Give the mixture a good stir, and then set it aside.

TOOLS: This is a tutorial that uses two brand new soaping tools: the Comb Swirl Tool and the Easy Swirl Tool. You’ll use them in steps seven and eight to create the beautiful Frog Foot Swirl in just two motions. If you decide to order the new tools, please note that they will arrive fully assembled and ready for use in our 18 Bar Birchwood Mold. If you’d like to use them in a smaller mold, or rearrange the screws to create a different pattern, you can easily disassemble the whole tool and configure it to your specifications. Each tool is lovingly handcrafted in our Bellingham, Wash. warehouse, and just like all handmade items, variations between products are normal.

ONE: Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water, and stir until clear. Set aside to cool. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that lasts longer in the shower, you can add Sodium Lactate to the cooled lye water. Use 1 teaspoon of Sodium Lactate per pound of oils in the recipe.

TWO: Melt and combine the Coconut, Canola, Palm, Castor, Hazelnut, Rice Bran and Sunflower oils in a large glass container. 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.

THREE: Split the batter equally into five containers, and then add one colorant per container. We added:

1.5 teaspoons of dispersed Super Pearly White in container 1.
3/4 teaspoons of dispersed Super Pearly White and 1/3 dispersed Activated Charcoal in container 2.
1.5 teaspoons dispersed Aqua Pearl in container 3.
1.5 teaspoons Apricot Blush in container 4.
1 teaspoon 1982 Blue in container 5.

Using a spatula or whisk, mix the colorant into the batter.

FOUR: Once you’ve fully mixed in the colorant, divide the fragrance oil blend equally between the 5 containers and mix.

FIVE: Once the fragrance has been fully incorporated, pour each color into its own condiment bottle. Fill each bottle about halfway (6 oz.) full.

SIX: Using the remaining soap in the containers, pour one color at a time down the middle of the mold. Layer each color on top of the other in the same order to create a unique pattern that will spread outward. Repeat this process until you’ve emptied all 5 soap containers.

SEVEN:Once you’ve emptied all 5 containers, use your condiment bottles to squirt horizontal lines of soap across the mold. Repeat this process with all 5 colors, layering one on top of the other in the same order, until you’ve emptied all the bottles.

EIGHT: Insert the Comb Swirl Tool at the top of the mold and slowly and smoothly drag it straight down to create a non-pareil pattern.

NINE: Pay close attention, because this is where the Frog Foot differs from the Peacock Swirl. Instead of dragging the Easy Swirl Tool in the same direction you drug the Comb Swirl Tool, drag it in the opposite direction. So, if you drug the comb tool down from the top of the mold, start with the swirl tool at the bottom and drag it up in slowly undulating ‘S’ curves. The resulting design will create the same S-curves, but they will have points instead of soft bubbly plumes like the Peacock.

Spray the entire top with 91 or 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to reduce soda ash. Cover and insulate for 24 hours and unmold after 3-4 days, and allow to cure for 4-6 weeks. Below you can really see the difference between the Frog Foot (top) and the traditional Peacock (bottom).

Have you used either of our new swirl tools to create either the Frog Foot or the Peacock Swirl? We’d love to hear how they’ve worked out for you!

Soap Challenge: Peacock Swirl

September 26, 2013 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

I’m no stranger to making multiple batches of soap and perfecting recipes and techniques. It’s just part of soaping! However, the Peacock Swirl technique set a new record for me — we tried this recipe at least 6 times, resulting in more than 40 pounds of soap! Some of our batches didn’t quite make it, some of them allowed us to experiment with exciting new color palettes and some of them, after many attempts and several hours, actually turned out quite beautifully. This was all in the name of perfecting these awesome swirl tools, which makes creating the beautiful technique a breeze.

What You’ll Need:

20 oz. Coconut Oil

28 oz. Olive Oil

24 oz. Palm Oil

8 oz. Rice Bran Oil

11.2 Sodium Hydroxide

26.4 oz. distilled water

18-Bar Unfinished Birchwood Mold with Silicone Liner

Fragrance Blend of:

3.2 oz. Kumquat and 2 oz. Ginger Ale

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

Don’t want to make the oil blend from scratch? Consider purchasing our Swirl Quick Mix for this recipe. You’ll save time weighing and blending the oils while still getting the same great swirly result!

COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of each pigment into 1 tablespoon of liquid oil (we like Sweet Almond or Sunflower). Prepping your colors in the beginning will allow you to work quickly and give you more time to work with your soap. Use the mini mixer to get all those clumps worked out smoothly.

FRAGRANCE PREP: In a glass container, combine the Kumquat and Ginger Ale Fragrance Oils. Give the mixture a good stir, and then set it aside.

TOOLS: This is the debut tutorial for two brand new soaping tools: the Comb Swirl Tool and the Easy Swirl Tool. You’ll use them in steps seven and eight to create the beautiful Peacock Swirl in just two motions. If you decide to order the new tools, please note that they will arrive fully assembled and ready for use in our 18 Bar Birchwood Mold. If you’d like to use them in a smaller mold, or rearrange the screws to create a different pattern, you can easily disassemble the whole tool and configure it to your specifications. Each tool is lovingly handcrafted in our Bellingham, Wash. warehouse, and just like all handmade items variations between products are normal.

TWO: Melt and combine the Coconut, Olive, Palm and Rice Bran oils in a large glass container. 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.

THREE: Once the batter has reached a thin trace, use a spatula or whisk to incorporate the fragrance blend.

FOUR: Fill four condiment bottles roughly two-thirds of the way full. Mix one colorant per bottle in the following measurements: 1 teaspoon disperse Fizzy Lemonade with 1/2 teaspoon Titanium Dioxide; 1 teaspsoon dispersed Aqua Peal with 1 teaspoon Titanium Dioxide; 1 teaspoon Ultramarine Blue with 1/2 teaspoon Titanium Dioxide; and 1 teaspoon Black Oxide. Securely fasten the cap, plug the opening with your finger and shake vigorously, releasing the tip away from your face.

FIVE: Pour the remaining batter into the mold. Tamp the mold several times on the table to ensure even coverage and disperse bubbles.

SIX: Now take your squirt bottles and pour thin, horizontal lines across the length of the mold until you reach the bottom. Repeat this process with the other colors, methodically layering one on top of the other in the same order and pattern. Do this until you’ve emptied all the colored squirt bottles.

SEVEN: Once you’ve layered all the colors, insert the Comb Swirl Tool at the top of the soap and slowly drag it downward. When you reach the end, pull it straight up and out of the soap so as not to ruin the pattern.

EIGHT: Now insert the Easy Swirl Tool into the soap. Be sure to drag it in the same direction you drug the Comb Swirl Tool. Gently move the tool from side to side, working your way down to the end of the mold. Take care to move the tool in a smooth, fluid motion. Ideally you should end up with rounded S curves that run down the length of the mold.

Spray the entire top with 91 or 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to reduce soda ash. Cover and insulate for 24 hours and unmold after 3-4 days, and allow to cure for 4-6 weeks. Enjoy your beautifully swirled Peacock Soap!

Soap Challenge: Mica Topped Cold Process

September 19, 2013 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

We’re hooked on the Great Cakes Soapworks Soap Challenges! They’re a great way to practice new techniques and learn from other soapers, and this particular challenge was all about finishing off the soap with a mica swirled top. It’s a relatively simple yet beautiful technique that adds the perfect finishing touch. For the base of the soap we did a simple spoon plop technique, which closely resembles the faux funnel pour. The good thing about the mica top technique is it can used with any cold process soap, no matter what technique was used in the base.

If you’d like to check out our other entries to the Soap Challenge, take a look at our Leopard Spot, Mantra Swirl or Elemental Swirl tutorials.

What You’ll Need:

33 oz. Swirl Quick Mix

4.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

11 oz. distilled water

1.1 oz. Blueberry Fragrance Oil

1.1 oz. Pineapple Cilantro Fragrance Oil

10″ Silicone Loaf Mold

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

Don’t want to buy the Swirl Mix or want to make a recipe up from scratch? I’d recommend at least 60% liquid oils and no more than 40% (total) of solid oils and butters to give yourself a long time to work with this intricate design.

COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of each pigment into 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil. Prepping your colors in the beginning will allow you to work quickly and give you more time to work with your soap. Use the mini mixer to get all those clumps worked out smoothly.

TWO: Melt the entire bag of Swirl Quick Mix and portion out 33 oz. in a large glass container. 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. You can use any standard recipe with this design if you don’t have the Swirl Mix on hand but keep in mind that you need a lot of working time with multiple techniques.

TWO: Split the batch into two equal portions. Eyeballing it is okay! After the split, you should have about three cups of batter per container.

THREE: Add 3 teaspoons dispersed Titanium Dioxide to one cup and 1/2 teaspoon dispersed Black Oxide to the other. Mix the colorant into the batter with a wire whisk or spoon. After the colorant has been incorporated, mix the Pineapple Cilantro Fragrance Oil into the white batter and the Blueberry Fragrance Oil into the black batter.

FOUR: Using a spoon, start with the black soap and plop three spoonfuls into the mold. Do the same with the white soap, layering the spoonfuls on top of the black soap. Repeat this process until you’ve emptied both containers of batter.

SIX: Insert a chopstick or dowel about 1/2 inch into the top of the soap. Beginning in the top left-hand corner, make a figure eight pattern through the soap, working your way across the mold.

SEVEN: Using a dropper, drizzle the Aqua Pearl Mica across the top of the soap. We drizzled the mica in loop-de-loop swirls, but you can create your own design too!

EIGHT: Repeat the process with the Amethyst Purple Mica.

NINE: Once all the mica has been drizzled on the soap, use a chopstick or dowel to make small loop-de-loops across the length of the mold. When you reach the edge, begin your curve again and make a second set of loops under the first.

TEN: Spray the entire top with 91 or 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to reduce soda ash. Cover and insulate for 24 hours and unmold after 3-4 days, and allow to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.

Hawaiian Shirt Cold Process Tutorial

September 12, 2013 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

If you didn’t get to take a tropical vacation this summer, making this Hawaiian shirt-themed soap might be the next best thing. Big, bright flowers of color give this soap a special pop, and it’s scented with our brand new Shave and a Haircut Fragrance Oil, which was a favorite of our 2013 S.O.A.P. Panel. The powdered coconut milk in this recipe gives the finished soap a thick, conditioning lather, and the milk won’t discolor in the final product. Surf’s up!

What You’ll Need:

16 oz. Coconut Oil

16 oz. Olive Oil

16 oz. Palm Oil

16 oz. Canola Oil

12 oz. Sweet Almond Oil

4 oz. Hemp seed Oil

10.9 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

26.4 oz. distilled water

4.9 oz. Shave and a Haircut Fragrance Oil

Fired Up Fuchsia Colorant

Fizzy Lemonade Colorant

Tangerine Wow Colorant

Ultraviolet Blue Colorant

Titanium Dioxide Pigment

18 Bar Unfinished Birchwood Mold with Silicone Liner

1 oz. Coconut Milk Powder

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart! And remember, you can always remove anything you don’t need. If you want to use one of Bramble Berry’s Quick Mix oils instead of doing a recipe from scratch, I’d go with the Swirl Mix.

COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of each pigment into 1 tablespoon of Sunflower or Sweet Almond Oil. Be careful to saturate all the colorant under the oil before mixing or you’ll end up with a messy poof of color. Use a mini mixer to disperse clumps of colorant.

ADDITIVE PREP: Mix 1 oz. Powdered Coconut Milk in 2 oz. of distilled water. Saturate the powder with water before using a mini mixer to blend the two together.

ONE: Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water, and stir until clear. Set aside to cool. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that releases more quickly 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.

TWO: Melt and combine the Coconut, Palm, Olive, Canola, Hempseed and Sweet Almond oils in a large glass container. 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.

THREE: Using a whisk or spatula, mix in the powdered coconut milk.

FOUR: Fill five 12 oz. condiment bottles halfway full (about 6 oz.) with soap batter.

FIVE: In the remaining batter, whisk in the entire container of fragrance oil.

SIX: Split the large batch of soap batter again, this time into two separate containers. Fill each container with approximately 2.5 cups of soap batter, and add 1/2 teaspoon of Ultraviolet Blue to one, 1 teaspoon of Fizzy Lemonade to another and 1 teaspoon of Titanium Dioxide to the third.

SEVEN: Add one color per condiment bottle. We added 1 teaspoon of Fired Up Fuchsia, Tangerine Wow and Titanium Dioxide to three separate bottles. Add 1/2 teaspoon Ultraviolet Blue to the fourth bottle and 1.5 teaspoons Fizzy Lemonade to the last bottle. Cover the tip of the bottle and shake vigorously to disperse the colorants. Release your finger with the tip pointing away from your face. A little bit of soap always comes out the top and that’s the last thing you want on your skin.

EIGHT: To create the in-the-pot swirl in the base of the soap, start by pouring the yellow colored soap into the white soap in 4 places: 12:00 o’clock, 4:00 o’clock, 8:00 o’clock, and center. Pour from a high point so the soap penetrates the entire depth of the soap in the pot, which will create a swirl throughout the mixture. Use the same technique when pouring the blue soap. To complete the swirl, use a spatula, chopstick or dowel and swirl the soap by running the tool through the entry points once. It is important to swirl only once because you do not want the colors to completely blend together.

NINE: Pour the freshly swirled soap into the silicone mold. Tamp the mold on the table after you are finished pouring to ensure even coverage and disperse bubbles, but be careful to not over-agitate the swirl.

TEN: Add color by squirting golf ball-sized pools of color on the top of the soap. Layer up to four colors on top of each other to create a “flower” look.

ELEVEN: With a chopstick or dowel, start at the outer edge of the color pools and drag the tool into the center. Do this 4 to 5 around the pools to create the “petals”. Be sure to wipe your tool off between drags. Repeat with all the pools of color in the mold.

TWELVE: Spray the entire top with 91 or 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to reduce soda ash. Cover and insulate for 24 hours and unmold after 3-4 days, and allow to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.

Tip: Highlight the design by cutting the bars horizontally around the flowers. You may not end up with equal-sized bars, but you will have an awesome design!

Bonus video: Want to watch us cut this soap? Check out the Instagram video!

Soap Challenge: Mantra Swirl

September 5, 2013 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

We love a good challenge — especially if it’s a soapy challenge! The Great Cakes Soapworks Soap Challenge is a great way to experiment with new techniques and learn from other soapers, and we had such a great time participating in the Elemental Swirl and Leopard Spots challenges that we didn’t hesitate to enter the Mantra Swirl challenge. For this technique we chose a bold color scheme and a luxurious blend of oils — the Cocoa Butter, Hemp Seed and Argan Oils make this a truly pampering bar of soap.

What You’ll Need:

2.7 oz. Argan Oil

2.75 oz. Deodorized Cocoa Butter

8.25 oz. Coconut Oil

5.5 oz. Hemp Seed Oil

16.5 oz. Olive Oil

11 oz. Palm Oil

8.25 oz. Rice Bran Oil

7.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

18.1 oz. distilled water

3.5 oz. Cucumber Oak Fragrance Oil

Fizzy Lemonade Colorant

Black Oxide

Titanium Dioxide

5 lb. Wood Mold with Sliding Bottom and Silicone Liner

Condiment bottles

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart! And remember, you can always remove anything you don’t need.

COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of Black Oxide colorant into 1 tablespoon of Sunflower or Sweet Almond Oil (or any other liquid oil), 1 teaspoon Fizzy Lemonade Colorant into 1 tablespoon liquid oil and 2 teaspoons of Titanium Dioxide into 2 tablespoons of liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get clumps worked out smoothly.

Then, add one color to three separate condiment bottles. We added 3/4 teaspoon dispersed Titanium Dioxide to one, 1 teaspoon dispersed Fizzy Lemonade to another and 1/2 teaspoon Black Oxide to the last. Set the bottles aside.

MOLD PREP: Using cardboard, cut one divider that fits snugly down the center (lengthwise) of the mold. Cardboard brackets on either end can help with stability.

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: Combine the Argan, Cocoa Butter, Coconut, Hemp Seed, Olive, Rice Bran and Palm Oils (remember to fully melt then mix your entire container of Palm Oil before portioning). 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 lasts longer in the shower and 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.

THREE: Grab your condiment bottles and fill them about 1/4 of the way full with batter. Screw on the tops, plug the hole with your finger, and shake vigorously to mix the colorant and batter. Release your finger with the tip pointing away from your face.

FOUR: Once you’ve filled all three condiment bottles, split the remaining batter in half. Each container should hold about 4 cups of batter.

FIVE: To one container, add 1/2 teaspoon of dispersed Black Oxide. To the other container, add 3 teapsoons dispersed Titanium Dioxide. Mix in the colorant with a whisk or spatula so as not to accelerate trace.

SIX: After the colorant has been incorporated, split the fragrance between the two containers. Eyeballing it is okay! Mix in the fragrance oil with a whisk or spatula.

SEVEN: For this part you may need to grab a friend. Make sure your center piece of cardboard is stable, and then get someone to help you simultaneously pour the black and white soap on either side. Tamp the mold on the table several times once all the soap has been poured, and then slowly lift the cardboard straight up and out of the mold.

EIGHT: Now use the squirt bottles to make vertical stripes down the length of the mold. We started with a yellow stripe down the center with black and white stripes on the opposing sides (remember, the base of this soap is a black and white split — pour the opposite color over the top for a cool checkered effect!).

NINE: Using a chopstick or dowel inserted all the way into the soap, swirl the soap in a figure 8 pattern. The tops and bottoms of the “8″s should touch the sides of the soap mold. Here’s a quick illustration of the swirl without soap:

TEN: Allow the soap to sit in the mold for 24-48 hours. For this soap, try cutting a few bars horizontally to emphasize the beautiful swirl on top. Cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!

Silicone Column Oatmeal Milk and Honey

August 30, 2013 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

Phew! I’m sorry this blog post is a day late. We had our big Soap Crafting Book release party last night where we announced our special Soap Crafting Club. The celebration went late! =) Stay tuned to hear more about that and see photos of the cupcake laden event.

The rain has really picked up around here, and we’re once again starting to live up to our nickname as ‘Evergreen State’. But cooler temperatures and a wetter climate doesn’t have to be a bad thing — in fact, for this soap we took a cue from all the evergreen trees around here that give us our lush reputation. I love the way the brown, white and black colors swirl to look like tree rings, and the gold mica dusting on the outside mimics bark. For this technique, we used our fabulous Silicone Column Mold, which seals so tightly you can fill it with water and not worry about spilling a drop. We scented this soap with our ever popular Oatmeal Milk and Honey Fragrance Oil for a warm, comforting touch.

What You’ll Need:

3.6 oz. Canola Oil
.69 oz. Castor Oil
7.5 oz. Coconut Oil
3.4 oz. Olive Oil
7.5 oz. Palm Oil
3.3 oz. Sodium Hydroxide
7.5 oz. distilled water
1.5 oz. Oatmeal Milk and Honey Fragrance Oil
Titanium Dioxide
Brown Oxide
Black Oxide
Silicone Column Mold

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

Side note: This soap stayed pretty soft for a while. I wish I would have used 1 tsp of Sodium Lactate per pound of oils (added to my lye water).

COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of each colorant into 1 tablespoon of Sunflower or Sweet Almond Oil (or any other liquid oil). Use a mini mixer to get clumps worked out smoothly.

MOLD PREP: This mold is absolutely water and soap tight but you need to make sure it is FULLY CLICKED in the seam area. Run your fingers over those seams extra times just to be on the extra safe side.

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: Combine the Canola, Castor, Coconut, Olive and Palm Oils (remember to fully melt then mix your entire container of Palm Oil before portioning). 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 lasts longer in the shower and 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.

THREE: Once the batter has reached thin trace, divide it into three equal portions (each container should hold approx. 4 cups of batter). Side note: How awesomely amazing are these containers? They can even hold lye water and their long pouring spouts make for easy design work.

FOUR: Now add the dispersed colorants. We added 3 teaspoons of dispersed Titanium Dioxide to one cup, 1 teaspoon disperse Black Oxide to the second and 1 teaspoon dispersed Brown Oxide to the third. Whisk the colorant into the batter so as to not accelerate trace.

FIVE: Divide the fragrance evenly between the three cups. Use a spatula or spoon to incorporate the fragrance into the batter.

SIX: Once the fragrance and colorant have been fully mixed into the batter, pour off about 1/4 cup of one color into the mold. In between pours, use a Powder Duster to dust a thin layer of Sparkle Gold Mica directly over the opening of the silicone column mold.

You can see from the above photo how thin of a trace I’m working with. I really wanted to have the colors swirl beautifully together, rather than be a traditional faux-funnel pour (which works with slightly thicker trace to suspend the design).

SEVEN: Continue alternating between pouring each color and dusting a mica vein. Continue the pattern until the soap fills the mold. I count to ‘three’ to know when to stop with each color. It’s more accurate for me than eyeballing the pour.

To unmold the soap:

Because this is a particularly soft soap, we recommend waiting 1-2 weeks before unmolding it and then another week after that to cut it. Really, I said “weeks”. You can freeze the soap and it will come out sooner but we just were super patient. The recipe combined with the nature of silicone molds to not release and evaporate water makes this a longer release and cutting period that most soaps.

ONE: Stand the mold up on its end and pull apart the seam on one side. If you find that the mold is pulling soap off the loaf, it is still too soft and needs to be left in the mold for a few more days. Once the seam has been opened on one side, gently pull apart the seam on the other side.

TWO: Even though you’ve unmolded the soap, it may still be soft enough to show finger prints if you touch it directly. To eliminate this, roll the loaf onto a piece of wax paper (shine-y side up!). Using a sharp knife, cut the soap between 1 – 1.5 inches thick. Place on a cookie cooling rack to dry.

Allow the soaps to dry for another 1 – 2 weeks, then enjoy!

Spooky Eyeball Cold Process Soap Tutorial

August 22, 2013 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

Sure it’s August, but with a 4-6 week cure time, it’s not too early to start prepping for the holiday season. If the holiday of ghouls, ghosts and things that go bump in the night is your thing, this whimsically creepy eyeball-inspired soap may be right up your (dark) alley. This soap incorporates a simple swirl technique, as well as the use of condiment bottles to create the cutely creepy “eyes” on top. We fragranced this soap with the Tart Apple Fragrance Oil, which was chosen by our 2013 S.O.A.P. Panel for its distinctive tart, fruity notes. In this soap, it brightened up the darker Fall color scheme, which is one more reason this soap is perfectly festive for Fall!

What You’ll Need:

2.2 oz. Avocado Oil

1.1 oz. Castor Oil

5.5 oz. Coconut Oil

5.5 oz. Palm Oil

7.7 oz. Rice Bran Oil

3 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

7.2 oz. distilled water

1.4 oz. Tart Apple Fragrance Oil

2 lb. Wood Log Mold with Silicone Liner

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

Extra equipment that you need: empty (clean!) condiment bottles plus all the normal things like bowls, spoons, spatulas, stick blenders and a whisk.

COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of Brown Oxide into 1 tablespoon of Sunflower or Sweet Almond Oil (or any other liquid oil), 1 teaspoon Black Oxide into 1 tablespoon of liquid oil, 1 teaspoon Titanium Dioxide into 1 tablespoon of liquid oil and 1 teaspoon Green Chrome Oxide in 1 tablespoon of liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get clumps worked out smoothly.

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: Combine the Avocado, Castor, Coconut, Rice Bran and Palm Oils (remember to fully melt then mix your entire container of Palm Oil before portioning). 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 lasts longer in the shower and 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.

THREE: Reserve some soap to make the “eyes” by pouring off about 1 oz. of batter each into three condiment containers.

FOUR: Add 1/4 teaspoon of dispersed colorant to a single bottle. Only add one colorant per bottle. With gloved hands, screw the cap on and plug the hole with your finger and shake the bottle to fully disperse the colorant into the batter. Release your finger with the tip **pointing away from your face.** Set the bottles aside for now.

FIVE: Pour off about 1 cup of batter from the main batch.

SIX: In your newly poured container, whisk in 1 teaspoon of dispersed green colorant. In the original container, whisk in 2 teaspoons of dispersed white colorant. The white helps to provide fantastic contrast to the deep green.

SEVEN: Add roughly half the fragrance oil (.7 oz.) to the green batter and the remaining fragrance oil to the white batter. To avoid accelerating trace, use a whisk or a spoon to combine the fragrance oil and batter. Do NOT fragrance the condiment bottle soap. You want this soap to be as fluid as long as possible.

EIGHT: Pour roughly 3/4 of the white soap into the mold. Tamp the mold on the table several times to disperse air bubbles.

NINE: From a high point, pour about 1/3 of the green soap into the center of the mold. Pouring from high up will create the streaks of green color you see in the final soap.

TEN: Use a spatula to scrape the last remaining white soap from the container into the mold. (Bonus tip: We’re using one of our brand new Bramble Berry exclusive silicone tools. Pick one up for yourself here.)

ELEVEN: Pour the remaining green soap over a spatula (or the nifty amazing square spoon spatula thing pictured below) so as not to disturb the white soap below. Smooth the green soap in the mold to get a nice, even layer.

TWELVE: Take your colored condiment bottles and make small, dime-sized dots of color on the surface of the soap. We layered the colors on top of each other in a random order to get a fun assortment of “eyes.”

THIRTEEN: Spray the entire top with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol to reduce soda ash. Cover and insulate for 24 hours and unmold after 3-4 days. Allow to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy this spooky soapy delight.

Bicycle Melt & Pour Project

August 20, 2013 Filed Under: Melt & Pour Soap

Let’s face it: life is better on a bike (and it definitely is if you’re on the Bramble Bike). This mold captures all the fun of a sunny summer bike ride, and the intricate detailing allows you to practice and perfect your melt and pour skills. Highlight the detail on the bike with a mica painting technique and you’ve got yourself the quintessential summer soaping project.

What You’ll Need:

18 oz. Clear Melt & Pour Soap Base

6 oz. White Melt & Pour Soap Base

Perfect Red Color Block

Ultramarine Blue Color Block

Super Pearly White Color Block

Hydrated Chrome Green Color Block

Shimmer Yellow Color Block

Shimmer Black Color Block

Sparkle Gold Color Block

Electric Bubble Gum Color Block

Heavy Metal Gold Mica

Super Pearly White Mica

9 mL Tart Apple Fragrance Oil

6 mL Spiced Amber Fragrance Oil

6 mL Cucumber Melon Fragrance Oil

Bicycle Mold

Injector Soap Tool

3 droppers

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart! Note that I did three different color combinations for three different bikes. You can just choose one if you want to make a bunch in one color – if you do that, remember, the ‘Add to Cart’ button above allows you to edit your shopping cart before purchasing.

ONE: Begin by melting 1 oz. of Clear Melt and Pour Base in the microwave on 5 second bursts. Because you’re working with such a small amount of soap, there is a higher probability that the soap will boil and become much harder to work with, so take care to only microwave it for a few seconds at a time. After the soap has been fully melted, shave off chunks of the Perfect Red Color Block. Color blocks are what-you-see-is-what-you-get, so the amount of color is up to you. Stir the colorant into the soap until it has been fully incorporated.

TWO: Use an injector tool to carefully fill in the bicycle with soap. Don’t worry if the soap runs over the mold or if things start to get messy. You can always wait for the soap to harden and clean it up later. Once the soap has hardened, use a Clean Up Tool to scrape away any soap that overflowed the mold. If you don’t have a clean up tool, a butter knife will work in a pinch.

THREE: Melt 1 oz. of Clear Melt and Pour Base in the microwave on 5 second bursts. After the soap has been fully melted, shave off chunks of the Shimmer Yellow Color Block. Color blocks are what-you-see-is-what-you-get, so the amount of color is up to you. Stir the colorant into the soap until it has been fully incorporated.

FOUR: Use an injector tool to carefully fill in the bicycle with soap. Don’t worry if the soap runs over the mold or if things start to get messy. You can always wait for the soap to harden and clean it up later. Once the soap has hardened, use a Clean Up Tool to scrape away any soap that overflowed the mold.

FIVE: Melt 1 oz. of Clear Melt and Pour Base in the microwave on 5 second bursts. After the soap has been fully melted, shave off chunks of the Electric Bubble Gum Color Block. Color blocks are what-you-see-is-what-you-get, so the amount of color is up to you. Stir the colorant into the soap until it has been fully incorporated. Obviously, I chose three different colors for the bikes. You can choose whatever colors you want; this technique works for them all! The more contrast you have with your background, the better.

SEVEN: For the background of the yellow bike, melt 6 oz. of Cleat Melt and Pour Base on 15 second microwave bursts and split it into two containers with about 3 oz. each. In one container, shave off chunks of the Sparkle Gold Color Block. In the other, shave off chunks of the Shimmer Black Color Block. In each each container, add 3 mL of Spiced Amber Ale Fragrance Oil. Once the colorants and fragrance has been added, mix well.

EIGHT: With the gold soap in one hand and the black soap in the other, pour from opposites sides of the mold. To get the best swirl, don’t just pour all the color into the same area! Feel free to move the containers around to get a nice mixed swirl. Be sure to keep track of your temperatures when doing the double pour. Pouring too hot will cause the soap to mix and melt the soap bicycle beneath it, while pouring too cool won’t let the soap swirl much at all. Pouring at about 135 degrees is ideal. To keep the bicycles on the soap and not stuck in the mold, do this pouring layer process right away (within 10-20 minutes of pouring the first layer). Spraying a little rubbing alcohol on the bicycles before pouring the second layer also helps with adhesion.

NINE: To add extra swirl, use a chopstick or dowel to swirl the soap around in the mold. Run the tool through the soap only once as you do not want to over mix the colors. Spray with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to disperse bubbles.

TEN: For the background of the pink bike, cut 6 oz of White Melt & Pour Base and split into two container with about 3 oz. of soap each. In one container, shave off chunks of the Hydrated Chrome Green Color Block. Leave the second container uncolored. Melt the soap in 10 second bursts. Then, in each container, add 3 mL of Cucumber Melon Fragrance Oil. Once the colorants and fragrance has been added, mix well.

ELEVEN: With the green soap in one hand and the white soap in the other, pour from opposites sides of the mold. To get the best swirl, don’t just pour all the color into the same area! Feel free to move the containers around to get a nice mixed swirl. Be sure to keep track of your temperatures when doing the double pour. Pouring too hot will cause the soap to mix, while pouring too cool won’t let the soap swirl much at all. Pouring at about 135 degrees is ideal.

Use a chopstick or dowel to swirl the soap around in the mold and then spray with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to disperse bubbles.

TWELVE: For the background of the red bike, cut 9 oz. of Clear Melt and Pour Base and divide equally into three containers. In once container, shave off chunks of the Hydrated Chrome Green Color Block and the Super Pearly White Color Block. In in the second container, shave off chunks of the Ultramarine Blue Color Block. In the last container, shave off chunks of the Super Pearly White Color Block. Remember, color blocks are WYSIWYG so how much or how little color you add is up to you!

Microwave each container on 10 second microwave bursts. Once all the containers have been fully melted, add 3 mL Tart Apple Fragrance Oil to each.

THIRTEEN: With the green soap in one hand and the blue soap in the other, pour from opposites sides of the mold. To get the best swirl, don’t just pour all the color into the same area! Feel free to move the containers around to get a nice mixed swirl. Be sure to keep track of your temperatures when doing the double pour. Pouring too hot will cause the soap to mix, while pouring too cool won’t let the soap swirl much at all. Pouring at about 135 degrees is ideal.

FOURTEEN: Leave about a 1/4 inch of room in the mold and then pour the white soap throughout the cavity.

FIFTEEN: Wait 1 – 2 hours for the soaps to harden before unmolding them. After unmolding them, use a small paint brush to carefully paint on the mica. We used Heavy Metal Gold Mica on the yellow bike, and Super Pearly White Mica on the pink bike and the red bike.

SIXTEEN: Mica painting can be messy, and you can use a q-tip or rolled paper towel to carefully clean the mica away from small crevices.

Bicycle Melt & Pour Project

Cook time

2 hours

Total time

2 hours

Author: Soap Queen

Recipe type: Melt and Pour

Serves: Three 4 oz. bars

Ingredients

18 oz. Clear Melt & Pour Soap Base
6 oz. White Melt & Pour Soap Base
Perfect Red Color Block
Ultramarine Blue Color Block
Super Pearly White Color Block
Hydrated Chrome Green Color Block
Shimmer Yellow Color Block
Shimmer Black Color Block
Sparkle Gold Color Block
Electric Bubble Gum Color Block
Heavy Metal Gold Mica
Super Pearly White Mica
9 mL Tart Apple Fragrance Oil
6 mL Spiced Amber Fragrance Oil
6 mL Cucumber Melon Fragrance Oil
Bicycle Mold
Injector Soap Tool
3 droppers

Instructions

Begin by melting 1 oz. of Clear Melt and Pour Base in the microwave on 5 second bursts. Because you’re working with such a small amount of soap, there is a higher probability that the soap will boil and become much harder to work with, so take care to only microwave it for a few seconds at a time. After the soap has been fully melted, shave off chunks of the Perfect Red Color Block. Color blocks are what-you-see-is-what-you-get, so the amount of color is up to you. Stir the colorant into the soap until it has been fully incorporated.
Use an injector tool to carefully fill in the bicycle with soap. Don’t worry if the soap runs over the mold or if things start to get messy. You can always wait for the soap to harden and clean it up later. Once the soap has hardened, use a Clean Up Tool to scrape away any soap that overflowed the mold. If you don’t have a clean up tool, a butter knife will work in a pinch.
Melt 1 oz. of Clear Melt and Pour Base in the microwave on 5 second bursts. After the soap has been fully melted, shave off chunks of the Shimmer Yellow Color Block. Color blocks are what-you-see-is-what-you-get, so the amount of color is up to you. Stir the colorant into the soap until it has been fully incorporated.
Use an injector tool to carefully fill in the bicycle with soap. Don’t worry if the soap runs over the mold or if things start to get messy. You can always wait for the soap to harden and clean it up later. Once the soap has hardened, use a Clean Up Tool to scrape away any soap that overflowed the mold.
Melt 1 oz. of Clear Melt and Pour Base in the microwave on 5 second bursts. After the soap has been fully melted, shave off chunks of the Electric Bubble Gum Color Block. Color blocks are what-you-see-is-what-you-get, so the amount of color is up to you. Stir the colorant into the soap until it has been fully incorporated. Obviously, I chose three different colors for the bikes. You can choose whatever colors you want; this technique works for them all! The more contrast you have with your background, the better.
For the background of the yellow bike, melt 6 oz. of Cleat Melt and Pour Base on 15 second microwave bursts and split it into two containers with about 3 oz. each. In one container, shave off chunks of the Sparkle Gold Color Block. In the other, shave off chunks of the Shimmer Black Color Block. In each each container, add 3 mL of Spiced Amber Ale Fragrance Oil. Once the colorants and fragrance has been added, mix well.With the gold soap in one hand and the black soap in the other, pour from opposites sides of the mold. To get the best swirl, don’t just pour all the color into the same area! Feel free to move the containers around to get a nice mixed swirl. Be sure to keep track of your temperatures when doing the double pour. Pouring too hot will cause the soap to mix and melt the soap bicycle beneath it, while pouring too cool won’t let the soap swirl much at all. Pouring at about 135 degrees is ideal. To keep the bicycles on the soap and not stuck in the mold, do this pouring layer process right away (within 10-20 minutes of pouring the first layer). Spraying a little rubbing alcohol on the bicycles before pouring the second layer also helps with adhesion.
To add extra swirl, use a chopstick or dowel to swirl the soap around in the mold. Run the tool through the soap only once as you do not want to over mix the colors. Spray with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to disperse bubbles.
For the background of the pink bike, cut 6 oz of White Melt & Pour Base and split into two container with about 3 oz. of soap each. In one container, shave off chunks of the Hydrated Chrome Green Color Block. Leave the second container uncolored. Melt the soap in 10 second bursts. Then, in each container, add 3 mL of Cucumber Melon Fragrance Oil. Once the colorants and fragrance has been added, mix well.
With the green soap in one hand and the white soap in the other, pour from opposites sides of the mold. To get the best swirl, don’t just pour all the color into the same area! Feel free to move the containers around to get a nice mixed swirl. Be sure to keep track of your temperatures when doing the double pour. Pouring too hot will cause the soap to mix, while pouring too cool won’t let the soap swirl much at all. Pouring at about 135 degrees is ideal.Use a chopstick or dowel to swirl the soap around in the mold and then spray with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to disperse bubbles.
For the background of the red bike, cut 9 oz. of Clear Melt and Pour Base and divide equally into three containers. In once container, shave off chunks of the Hydrated Chrome Green Color Block and the Super Pearly White Color Block. In in the second container, shave off chunks of the Ultramarine Blue Color Block. In the last container, shave off chunks of the Super Pearly White Color Block. Remember, color blocks are WYSIWYG so how much or how little color you add is up to you! Microwave each container on 10 second microwave bursts. Once all the containers have been fully melted, add 3 mL Tart Apple Fragrance Oil to each.
With the green soap in one hand and the blue soap in the other, pour from opposites sides of the mold. To get the best swirl, don’t just pour all the color into the same area! Feel free to move the containers around to get a nice mixed swirl. Be sure to keep track of your temperatures when doing the double pour. Pouring too hot will cause the soap to mix, while pouring too cool won’t let the soap swirl much at all. Pouring at about 135 degrees is ideal.
Leave about a ¼ inch of room in the mold and then pour the white soap throughout the cavity.
Wait 1 – 2 hours for the soaps to harden before unmolding them. After unmolding them, use a small paint brush to carefully paint on the mica. We used Heavy Metal Gold Mica on the yellow bike, Opalescent Turquoise Mica on the pink bike and Super Pearly White on the red bike.
Mica painting can be messy, and you can use a q-tip or rolled paper towel to carefully clean the mica away from small crevices.

Sudsy Shampoo Bars

August 16, 2013 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

We’ve reached the end of our Soap Crafting-inspired tutorial extravaganza week. In case you missed it, we started out with an awesome beer soap, got fruity with a strawberries and cream recipe and yesterday we introduced a beeswax soap using a fun spoon-plop technique. And below, find our final recipe — Sudsy Shampoo Bars! These shampoo bars are a biodegradable, packaging-free alternative to traditional liquid shampoos, and contain a mixture of several hair nourishing oils. Keep in mind — the nature of soap is to clean, and these bars have a pH of around 7 (slightly less than regular cold process soap). These bars will leave your hair feeling nice and refreshed and in my experience, I needed to load on the conditioner to really make my hair soft and lovely. [Read more…]

Busy Beeswax Soap Tutorial

August 15, 2013 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

This is day three of our Soap Crafting-inspired tutorials, and I’m particularly excited about this one because the result is visually stunning. This soap incorporates real Yellow Beeswax, which gives the finished soap a translucent and shiny texture. It also utilizes a fun spoon plop technique, which is easy to do and results in something that almost looks like an In-The-Pot-Swirl. The fragrance combo of our best-selling Oatmeal, Milk and Honey Fragrance Oil and Black Cherry Fragrance Oil is dessert-like and sweet, and topping this soap off with a little gold mica gives it an elegant look. This is an advanced tutorial because of the beeswax addition so don’t soap this one until you’ve got a few recipes under your belt. It’s worth the wait =)

What You’ll Need:

3.5 oz. Sweet Almond Oil

2.8 oz. Yellow Beeswax

.7 oz. Cocoa Butter

7 oz. Coconut Oil

3.5 oz. Hazelnut Oil

8.75 oz. Olive Oil

8.75 oz. Canola Oil

4.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

11.5 oz. distilled water

2 teaspoons Cocoa Powder

Gold Sparkle Mica

10″ Silicone Loaf Mold

Fragrance blend of: 1.5 Oatmeal, Milk and Honey Fragrance Oil and .6 oz. Black Cherry Fragrance Oil

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart! I didn’t put this awesome silicone spoon/spatula combo into the kit but that’s what I used in this tutorial. I highly recommend it.

If you have never made cold process soap before, I highly recommend you get a couple of basic and intermediate recipes under your belt before attempting this advanced recipe. Check out this (free!) 4-part series on cold process soap making, especially the episode on lye safety. Bramble Berry carries quite a few books on the topic as well, including my brand new book Soap Crafting in which you’ll find a ton of great info for new soapers and veterans alike.

FRAGRANCE PREP: In a glass container, combine 1.5 oz. Oatmeal, Milk and Honey Fragrance Oil and .6 oz. Black Cherry Fragrance Oil. Set aside.

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. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that lasts longer in the shower and 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.

TWO: Melt and combine the Coconut Oil and Cocoa Butter. Add the Sweet Almond, Hazelnut, Olive, and Canola Oils and the Yellow Beeswax. Heat the mixture until the Beeswax has melted entirely. Melting the Beeswax in the oils facilitates even distribution of heat for optimum melting. This oil wax mixture is very hot – above 160 degrees to keep the wax melted. Be careful removing it from the microwave or stove.

Note: Beeswax has a high melting point and tends to harden very quickly. This is an expert-level cold process recipe, and you’ll need to keep your oils above 170 degrees and work quickly to prevent the mixture from clumping.

THREE: Pour the lye into the oils and stir gently with a spatula or spoon. Switch to a stick blender and gently pulse until thin trace.

FOUR: Split the batch in half. In the first container, add two teaspoons of Cocoa Powder for color. Mix using a spoon or spatula. Leave the other portion uncolored.

FIVE: Add half of the fragrance oil to each of the portions, and mix well using a spoon or spatula.

SIX: Starting with the brown soap, use a spoon to plop three mounds of brown soap across the mold. Follow with three plops of uncolored soap, directly on top of the brown soap. Repeat this process, layering mounds of brown soap on top of uncolored soap, until you fill the mold. Tamp the mold intermittently on the table to eliminate any air bubbles. The Square Silicone Spoon/Spatula combo is ideal for this project.

SEVEN: Once all the batter has been plopped into the mold use a spoon or mini spatula to gently form two small ridges running from end to end in the middle of the mold.

EIGHT: Using a chopstick or dowel (or, in my case a dropper!), make tiny looping swirls on the top of both of the ridges. This will created a nice, swirled texture on the top of the soap.

NINE: To put the finishing touches on this soap, use your gloved hands or a powder duster to sprinkle Sparkle Gold Mica across the top of the mold. Then, gently blow on the mica to press it into the soap batter. Be careful because this part can get messy! Be sure to have 99% Isopropyl Alcohol on hand to clean up any mica spills.

Unmold the soap after 4 -7 days and then allow to cure for 4-6 weeks. Enjoy your busy bee soap!

Strawberries & Cream Soap: A cold process tutorial

August 13, 2013 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

In celebration of the release of Soap Crafting, we’re continuing our special series of cold process tutorials inspired by the book. If you missed it, check out yesterday’s awesome beer soap (yes, we said beer) and then get ready for today’s recipe filled with another fun additive.

Sweet, juicy and perfect for a picnic, strawberries are one fantastic fruit to eat. They also happen to be wonderful in soap as well. This recipe includes fresh strawberry puree, real cream and strawberry seeds. If you haven’t experimented with additives in cold process soap yet, this is an excellent place to start. One thing to keep in mind: because this soap has so many natural additives, it has a shelf life of about 6 months.

What You’ll Need:

1. 05 oz. Cocoa Butter

8.75 oz. Coconut Oil

17.5 oz. Olive Oil

3.5 oz. Palm Oil

1.75 oz. Palm Kernel Flakes

2.45 oz. Sweet Almond Oil

4.9 oz. Sodium Hydroxide

10.4 oz. distilled water

1 tablespoon Strawberry Seeds

Fired Up Fuchsia

Titanium Dioxide

1.2 oz. cream

3 oz. strawberry puree

10″ Silicone Loaf Mold

Fragrance blend of:

.8 oz. Strawberry Fragrance Oil

.8 oz. Sun Ripened Raspberry Fragrance Oil

.5 oz. Summer Fling Fragrance Oil

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

If you have never made cold process soap before, I highly recommend you get a couple of basic recipes under your belt. This is not a recipe to make on your first try at soapmaking. Check out this (free!) 4-part series on cold process soap making, especially the episode on lye safety. Bramble Berry carries quite a few books on the topic as well, including this downloadable book on making cold process soap.

COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of the Fired Up Fuchsia into 1 tablespoon of Sunflower or Sweet Almond Oil (or any other liquid oil) and 2 teaspoons Titanium Dioxide into 2 tablespoon of liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get clumps worked out smoothly.

ADDITIVE PREP: Using a food processor, grind up about a dozen fresh strawberries to yield 3 oz of puree. Then, portion out 1.2 oz. cream into a second container. Set both containers aside.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Create the fragrance blend by combining the Strawberry, Sun Ripened Raspberry and Summer Fling Fragrance Oils in a glass bowl. Mix well and then set aside.

ONE: Once the oils and lye water mixture are under 120 degrees F (and ideally within 10 degrees of each other), slowly and carefully add the lye water mixture to the oils and stick blend to light trace. Set aside to cool. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that lasts longer in the shower and 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.

TWO: After the lye and oils have been thoroughly stick blended together (think thin trace – not thick), split the batter into two cups: one with about 1.5 cups of batter and the second with about 2 cups of batter.

THREE: In the original container, add the strawberry puree and 1 tsp. of the dispersed Fired Up Fuchsia Colorant.

FOUR: In the second 2-cup container, add 2 teaspoons of dispersed Fired Up Fuchsia.

FIVE: In the remaining 1.5 cup container, add the Strawberry Seeds.

SIX: Add 1 tablespoon of Titanium Dioxide to the cup with the Strawberry Seed batter. Add another tablespoon of Titanium Dioxide to the cup with the strawberry puree to lighten this color up. It’s quite a dark, almost brown color, without it. Using a wire whisk, thoroughly mix the colorants and additives into each cup of soap batter.

SEVEN: When the batter has reached a thin trace, pour about half the container of cream (.6 oz.) in the container with the Strawberry Seeds. Pour the remaining half (.6 oz.) into the container with the strawberry puree. Using a wire whisk or a stick blender, mix the cream into the batters.

EIGHT: Split the fragrance blend in thirds, pouring approximately .7 oz. of the oil into each cup of batter.

NINE: Pour approximately one-third of the strawberry puree batter into the silicone mold.

TEN: Starting at one end of the mold, pour about half of the pink-colored batter in a wave pattern until you reach the other end of the mold. Do the same with half of the white-colored batter.

ELEVEN: Pour almost all of the remaining puree soap into the mold. Save about a half cup to complete the final top design.

TWELVE: While pouring over a spatula, pour two-thirds of the remaining pink soap over the top of puree soap. Tamp the mold on the table to release bubbles and smooth out the surface, and then use the same spatula technique to pour two-thirds of the remaining white soap. Tamp the mold again to release bubbles.

THIRTEEN: Pour the remaining puree soap on top of the mold in a loop-de-loop pattern, from one end of the mold to the other (far right). Then, pour the remaining white soap over it, making a stretched out, horizontal zig-zag from right to left (center). Finally, pour the pink soap in an opposite zig-zag to fill in the space left by the white soap (far right).

FOURTEEN: Insert a chopstick of dowel about 1/4 of an inch into the soap. Start in the bottom left-hand corner and drag the tool up and down through the soap, slowly making your way to the far end of the mold.

Spray the entire top with 91% – 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to reduce soda ash. Cover and insulate for 24 hours and unmold after 3-4 days. Allow to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!