Washington state is known for its delicious apples. In fact, Washington produces 6 out of every 10 apples consumed in the United States! To highlight this local ingredient, applesauce from BelleWood Acres was added to this cold process recipe. BelleWood Acres is one of Northwest Washington’s largest apple orchards. It’s located just about 15 minutes away from the Bramble Berry offices and is a great addition to the community. Using a local ingredient in your soap is a fantastic way to highlight where it comes from and support other makers in your area.

Normally when one thinks apples, a deep color palette of red and green come to mind. But because this soap contains applesauce made with Honeycrisp apples, we used colors inspired by them. That means shades of bright red/pink, green and a touch of yellow. Then, a Hanger Swirl is used to pull the colors up and down to mimic the stripes on the apples. Apple Macintosh Candle & Soap Fragrance Oil gives the bars a slightly tart and fruity scent.

If you’ve never added a puree to your soap before, read this article to learn how. Don’t worry about the applesauce going bad in the soap. It goes through the saponification process along with the oils and lye. The high pH of the soap batter contributes to this process (which is why adding purees to melt and pour is not recommended). To account for the extra water in the applesauce, this recipe contains a 10% water discount. I also recommend soaping at slightly cooler temperatures to compensate for the sugar in the applesauce. If you live in a hot climate, you may want to place the soap in the fridge after pouring into the mold to keep temperatures cool. The extra natural sugar will contribute to a fluffy lather in the final bars of soap. When selecting the applesauce, make sure it does not have any extra ingredients like preservatives. These could cause unpredictable results in your soap.

What You’ll Need:
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
Hanger Swirl Tool
9.5 oz. Olive Oil (27%)
10.5 oz. Coconut Oil (30%)
8.8 oz. Palm Oil (25%)
1.8 oz. Shea Butter (5%)
3.5 oz. Avocado Oil (10%)
1 oz. Castor Oil (3%)
5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
10.4 oz. Distilled Water (10% water discount)
2 oz. Applesauce
1.7 oz. Apple Macintosh Candle & Soap Fragrance Oil 
Buttercup Mica
Kermit Green Mica
Sunset Orange Mica
Raspberry Mica

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, Pure Soapmaking. 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: In separate containers, disperse 1 tsp. Buttercup Mica and 1 tsp. Sunset Orange Mica into 1 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Then in separate containers, disperse 1/2 tsp. Kermit Green Mica and 1/2 tsp. Raspberry Mica into 1/2 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil (like sweet almond or sunflower oil). Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 1.7 ounces of Apple Macintosh Fragrance Oil into a glass, fragrance oil safe container. Set aside.

APPLE PREP: Measure out 2 ounces of applesauce. 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 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 2 teaspoons sodium lactate.

TWO: Fully melt and combine the coconut oil, palm oil, olive oil, castor oil, shea butter and avocado oil (remember to fully melt then mix your entire container of palm oil before portioning). Add the applesauce to the melted oils and stick blend for about a minute. Stick blending the applesauce before adding lye helps blend the applesauce into a smoother consistency without accelerating trace.

THREE: Add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. After about 10-20 seconds of blending, you’ll notice the batter start to darken into a honey color. This is due to the sugar content in the applesauce.

FOUR: Once you’ve reached a thin trace, split the soap into four equal containers. Each container will have about 400 mL. Check out that color change!

FIVE: Add the following amounts of dispersed mica into each container. Use a whisk to fully mix in the color.

• Container A (pink): 1 tsp. dispersed Raspberry Mica + 1 tsp. Sunset Orange Mica
• Container B (green): 1 tsp. dispersed Kermit Green Mica
• Container C (orange): 1 tsp. dispersed Sunset Orange Mica
• Container D (yellow): All dispersed Buttercup Mica

SIX: Add the Apple Macintosh Candle & Soap Fragrance Oil evenly into each container (it’s okay to eyeball it). Use a whisk to fully mix in the fragrance oil into each container.

SEVEN: Begin pouring stripes of each color down the length of the mold. It doesn’t really matter what color you start with, or in what order you pour the colors. I started with orange, then poured in the pink, green and yellow. Pour the colors from various heights so they break through to the layer below. Don’t worry about being too precise with each pour.

EIGHT: Continue pouring the colors into the mold. Expect to have enough soap for about four pours of each color. Continue pouring until you have a small amount of each color for the top.

NINE: Insert the Hanger Swirl Tool into one side of the mold, all the way to the bottom. Drag the hanger against the bottom of the mold toward you. Once you drag the hanger about 1/8th of the way, pull the hanger up until it almost breaks through the top of the soap, but not quite. Move the hanger toward you about 1/8th of the way. Push the hanger back down into the soap, and drag the hanger against the bottom of the mold and move it toward you again, moving about 1/8th of the way. Bring the hanger up until it almost breaks the top, then move it over and push it back down. Repeat this process again, moving in the opposite direction. Only move the Hanger Swirl Tool vertically in the mold. This wasn’t my most precise hanger swirl, so don’t worry about making it perfect!

TEN: Tap the mold on the counter to help get rid of any bubbles. Drizzle each color on top down the length of the mold.

ELEVEN: Insert a chopstick or dowel into the very top of the soap (you only want to swirl the very top). Drag the tool down the length of the mold opposite of the direction you poured the soap on top to create the most interesting swirl. Don’t over swirl or the colors will muddle. Once you’re happy with the look, spritz the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to avoid soda ash.

Due to the extra sugar in the applesauce, this soap may have a tendency to get hot. If your room temperature is on the cooler side, you can leave it out on the counter without insulation for the first 24 hours. If you live in a hot climate, you may want to place the soap into the fridge for at least 2 hours up to overnight. Allow the soap to stay in the mold for about 3 days. Remove from the mold and cut into bars. Allow the bars to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!

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Honeycrisp Apple Cold Process Soap Tutorial

This soap was inspired by Honeycrisp apples, and contains real applesauce!

Author Cold Process Soap

Ingredients

• 10 ″ Silicone Loaf Mold
• Hanger Swirl Tool
• 9.5 oz. Olive Oil 27%
• 10.5 oz. Coconut Oil 30%
• 8.8 oz. Palm Oil 25%
• 1.8 oz. Shea Butter 5%
• 3.5 oz. Avocado Oil 10%
• 1 oz. Castor Oil 3%
• 5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 10.4 oz. Distilled Water 10% water discount
• 2 oz. Applesauce
• 1.7 oz. Apple Macintosh Candle & Soap Fragrance Oil
• Buttercup Mica
• Kermit Green Mica
• Sunset Orange Mica
• Raspberry Mica

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: In separate containers, disperse 1 tsp. Buttercup Mica and 1 tsp. Sunset Orange Mica into 1 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Then in separate containers, disperse 1/2 tsp. Kermit Green Mica and 1/2 tsp. Raspberry Mica into 1/2 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil (like sweet almond or sunflower oil). Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 1.7 ounces of Apple Macintosh Fragrance Oil into a glass, fragrance oil safe container. Set aside.

APPLE PREP: Measure out 2 ounces of applesauce. Set aside.

• 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 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 2 teaspoons sodium lactate.
• Fully melt and combine the coconut oil, palm oil, olive oil, castor oil, shea butter and avocado oil (remember to fully melt then mix your entire container of palm oil before portioning). Add the applesauce to the melted oils and stick blend for about a minute. Stick blending the applesauce before adding lye helps blend the applesauce into a smoother consistency without accelerating trace.
• Add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. After about 10-20 seconds of blending, you’ll notice the batter start to darken into a honey color. This is due to the sugar content in the applesauce.
• Once you’ve reached a thin trace, split the soap into four equal containers. Each container will have about 400 mL. Check out that color change!
• Add the following amounts of dispersed mica into each container. Use a whisk to fully mix in the color.

  Container A (pink): 1 tsp. dispersed Raspberry Mica + 1 tsp. Sunset Orange Mica

  Container B (green): 1 tsp. dispersed Kermit Green Mica

  Container C (orange): 1 tsp. dispersed Sunset Orange Mica

  Container D (yellow): All dispersed Buttercup Mica
• Add the Apple Macintosh Candle & Soap Fragrance Oil evenly into each container (it’s okay to eyeball it). Use a whisk to fully mix in the fragrance oil into each container.
• Begin pouring stripes of each color down the length of the mold. It doesn't really matter what color you start with, or in what order you pour the colors. I started with orange, then poured in the pink, green and yellow. Pour the colors from various heights so they break through to the layer below. Don't worry about being too precise with each pour.
• Continue pouring the colors into the mold. Expect to have enough soap for about four pours of each color. Continue pouring until you have a small amount of each color for the top.
• Insert the Hanger Swirl Tool into one side of the mold, all the way to the bottom. Drag the hanger against the bottom of the mold toward you. Once you drag the hanger about 1/8th of the way, pull the hanger up until it almost breaks through the top of the soap, but not quite. Move the hanger toward you about 1/8th of the way. Push the hanger back down into the soap, and drag the hanger against the bottom of the mold and move it toward you again, moving about 1/8th of the way. Bring the hanger up until it almost breaks the top, then move it over and push it back down. Repeat this process again, moving in the opposite direction. Only move the Hanger Swirl Tool vertically in the mold. This wasn’t my most precise hanger swirl, so don’t worry about making it perfect!
• Tap the mold on the counter to help get rid of any bubbles. Drizzle each color on top, down the length of the mold.
• Insert a chopstick or dowel into the very top of the soap (you only want to swirl the very top). Drag the tool down the length of the mold, opposite of the direction you poured the soap on top to create the most interesting swirl. Don’t over swirl or the colors will muddle. Once you’re happy with the look, spritz the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to avoid soda ash.
• Due to the extra sugar in the applesauce, this soap may have a tendency to get hot. If your room temperature is on the cooler side, you can leave it out on the counter without insulation for the first 24 hours. If you live in a hot climate, you may want to place the soap into the fridge for at least 2 hours, up to overnight. Allow the soap to stay in the mold for about 3 days. Remove from the mold and cut into bars. Allow the bars to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!

The post Honeycrisp Apple Cold Process Soap Tutorial appeared first on Soap Queen.

I’m constantly blown away by the talent and innovation in the soapmaking community. There are so many amazing ways to manipulate soap to create various effects. One of the most impressive techniques that I’ve seen in the past few years is the Sculpted Layers technique made popular by Claudia Carpenter of Om Nom Soap. When I first stumbled on Claudia’s Winter Wonderland Soap made with this technique, my first reaction was “HOW!?” I had never seen any soap quite like it before.

Claudia graciously shared her technique, which involves creating sturdy shapes that slide across the length of the mold to “sculpt” firm soap, leaving behind various shapes. The next layer is then poured on top, allowed to harden, and sculpted with the accompanying piece. Amy Warden of Great Cakes Soapworks hosted a Sculpted Layers challenge in June. The entries were amazing. It’s a bit of a tricky technique to describe, so I recommend watching this video by Love Is Sweet Shop, this video by Kapia Mera Soap Co, or this video by Earth’s Raw Beauty to see it in action.

If you watched the videos above, you already know this technique is quite advanced. Between making the sculpting pieces, prepping the ingredients, and waiting the correct amount of time to sculpt each layer, it’s a long process. My team and I (thanks Caitlin!) came up with a fairly simple horse design which only required two sculpting pieces and three layers. The horse head template is already sized to fit inside the Silicone Liner for 5 lb Wood Mold; just download and print! To help the horse silhouette really pop, I chose a deep black color against swirls of white, pink, blue and yellow soap. Apple Sage Fragrance Oil gives the bars a sweet scent, and works great for this project because it gives you plenty of time to swirl.

The only downside to this technique (in my opinion) is it does result in a lot of “extra” soap. The technique requires you to scrape away soap to leave behind a shape. This requires you to make a lot of soap that you ultimately remove from the mold. If you want to save the soap that is scraped away, I recommend having an extra mold nearby to plop the soap into. My bars made with the leftover soap weren’t the prettiest (rainbow swirls and black soap mushed together is an interesting look) but they were still wonderful bars of soap!

What You’ll Need:
5 Pound Mold with Sliding Bottom
Silicone Liner for 5 lb Wood Mold
Horse Silhouette Template 

First Layer:
40 oz. Basic Quick Mix
5.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
13.2 oz. Distilled Water
2 oz. Apple Sage Fragrance Oil
Titanium Dioxide
Buttercup Mica
Magenta Mica
Blue Slushy Mica

Second Layer:
40 oz.  Basic Quick Mix
5.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
13.2 oz. Distilled Water
2 oz. Apple Sage Fragrance Oil
Black Oxide

Third Layer:
20 oz. Basic Quick Mix
2.8 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
 6.6 oz. Distilled Water
1 oz. Apple Sage Fragrance Oil
Titanium Dioxide
Buttercup Mica
Magenta Mica
Blue Slushy Mica


Click here (or the button above) to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

SCULPTING “TOOL” PREP: First, you need to prep the tools to “sculpt” the soap. Arguably, this might be the trickiest part of the whole process. Some designs require multiple sculpting pieces that are incredibly intricate and complicated; check out all the pieces Claudia made for her soap! So awesome. I tried to keep mine rather simple and created three pieces. To make the pieces you need cardboard, clear plastic packing tape and three printed horse images.

The first piece I made was the entire horse image, which was placed on one end of the mold. I used this as a guide for pouring the soap into the mold to the appropriate heights (shown below). To make this piece, I cut the horse image and taped it to cardboard. Then, I cut the cardboard to include a lip on top to keep it in place.

The other two pieces were made in a similar way. Print the horse image on a piece of paper, cut the cardboard to fit inside the width of the inside of the mold, and cut. Then, wrap the whole thing in clear plastic tape. This prevents it from becoming soggy when it comes in contact with the soap batter. On the top lip, I included a small piece that hangs over the side of the mold (shown on the right in the image below). The way, when you slide the piece down the length of the mold, it will stay in the same place with each pass. This is an important part of this technique; each pass needs to go in the exact same place, or it will muddle the shape.

For the first piece, cut around the top of the horse head, ending where the nose begins to curve. This will be used to create the first layer.

The second piece needs to “complete” the first. Cut out the entire horse head, including the nose, leaving behind the spot under the nose. You can see what the two pieces should look like below. Set your pieces aside to prep the remaining ingredients.

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, Pure Soapmaking. 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.

*NOTE: This recipe involves three different batches of soap. You can either prep all three batches at the same time, or one after the other after making the step before. Personally, I recommend prepping all three steps at the same time. This means prepping three bowls of oil and three containers of lye. All the colorants can be prepped before, and the fragrance oil can be weighed in the same glass container before pouring to save on dishes. Prepping everything at once ensures you don’t let the layer of soap below set too long and become too thick, which makes it impossible to smoothly drag your shape through the mold. This means the lye for the second and third layer will be on the cooler side, but I found that to work fine. If you prefer prepping your ingredients in a different order, feel free.

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 2 teaspoon of the colorant into 2 tablespoons of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Then in a separate containers, disperse 1 teaspoon Buttercup Mica, 1 teaspoon Magenta Mica and 1 teaspoon Slushy Blue Mica into 1 tablespoon of oil. Finally, disperse 1/2 teaspoon Black Oxide into 1/2 tablespoon oil. Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps.

FRAGRANCE OIL PREP: In a glass, fragrance oil safe container, measure 2 ounces of Apple Sage Fragrance Oil. Set aside. This is the fragrance for the first layer. Once you pour the fragrance into the soap, keep the cup around to measure the fragrance oil for the following batches.

ONE: Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water for all three batches, and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. You will have three containers of lye, with the amounts below. Once cooled, add sodium lactate to the lye water for a bar of soap that releases faster from the mold.

• Batch One Lye Solution: 13.2 oz. Distilled Water + 5.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye + 2.5 tsp. Sodium Lactate (optional)
• Batch Two Lye Solution: 13.2 oz. Distilled Water + 5.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye +  2.5 tsp. Sodium Lactate (optional)
• Batch Three Lye Solution: 6.6 oz. Distilled Water + 2.8 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye + 1 tsp. Sodium Lactate (optional)

TWO: Fully melt the entire bag of Basic Quick Mix until there is no cloudiness. Give it a good shake to mix all the oils, and measure out 40 ounces into one soaping bowl, 40 ounces into a second and 20 ounces into a third. Set aside the bowls of oil for batch two and three. Once the lye water and the oils for batch one have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the batch one lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace.

THREE: Once you have a thin trace, add 1 Tbs. dispersed titanium dioxide into the entire batch. Split off three containers of 200 mL. Add the dispersed colorants in the following amounts below, and use a whisk to fully incorporate the colorants.

• Container A (200 mL): 1 tsp. dispersed Buttercup Mica
• Container B (200 mL): 1/2 tsp. dispersed Slushy Blue Mica
• Container C (200 mL): 1/2 tsp. Magenta Mica

FOUR: Add the measured Apple Sage Fragrance Oil into each container proportionally, it’s okay to eyeball it. Use a whisk to mix in the fragrance oil. If the batter is still extremely thin, give the white soap a short burst or two with the stick blender to thicken slightly. The soap should be a thin-medium trace.

FIVE: Create an In-The-Pot Swirl by pouring the pink, yellow and blue soap into various areas of the white bowl of soap. Pour from various heights above the mold. This helps the colors break through the white, and reach the bottom of the bowl as well as the top. Once the colors have all been poured, use a chopstick or dowel to swirl the soap in a circular motion three to four times.

SIX: Pour the soap into the mold. The soap will not fill up the mold all the way; fill up to the middle-ish of the horse nose. Give the mold a tap on the counter to help release air bubbles.

SEVEN: Now, it’s time to wait for the soap to firm and harden. The soap should be firm enough to hold its shape, but thin enough for the soap to be scraped out smoothly. It’s a little hard to know when that “perfect” texture has been achieved. I tested every 3-5 minutes or so by scraping a small amount of the very top of the soap with a spoon. It is better to start scraping out the extra soap sooner rather than later. If the soap is not thick enough to hold any shape, let it harden for a few more minutes. But, if the soap is too thick, there is no going back. For this recipe, I found waiting about 8 minutes was the perfect amount of time for the first layer. Your soap may require more or less time, so keep an eye on it.

Once the soap is an appropriate texture, insert the cardboard shape with the horse nose into one edge of the soap, and begin pulling it through the mold. Place the extra soap into a separate mold if you’d like to save it. The first few passes with the cardboard shaper will be a little awkward and messy, but that’s okay! This process will begin to form the top of the horse’s outline including the mane, ears, and top of the nose.

Continue sliding the shaper through the mold. I recommend sliding it in both directions; it will help pull away every little bit of soap for the cleanest image. As you can see below, the shape of the horse is starting to come together! Once you pull the scraper away and it’s no longer pulling soap out, you know it’s done. Allow this layer to sit and harden for 10-15 minutes. The bottom layer should be firm enough to support a thin layer of soap on top without it squishing the small details of the mane, and general shape of the nose.

BATCH #2

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 2 ounces of the Apple Sage Fragrance Oil into a glass, fragrance oil safe container, set aside.

EIGHT: Once the first layer is firm, it’s time to make the second layer. Heat up the bowl of oils for batch two if necessary to 120-130 ° F. Most likely, the lye water will be a little on the cool side, but that’s okay. Add the batch two lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace.

NINE: Add 1 teaspoon dispersed Black Oxide, and the measured Apple Sage Fragrance Oil. Use a whisk to fully mix in the colorant and fragrance oil.

TEN: While the soap is still thin, very gently and carefully pour the soap into the mold. Don’t pour from too high above the mold, or this can cause the soap to “crush” the bottom layer which could ruin the shape. Continue to pour the soap into the mold until completely full. Pour any extra soap into a separate container.

ELEVEN: Allow the black layer of soap to sit and harden for about 7-10 minutes. The exact time of your batch might vary, as the temperature of your soap will most likely be different, causing it to set up at a slightly different rate. Once the soap is firm enough to hold a shape, insert the small cardboard shape at one end, and slide it down the length of the mold. Place the “extra” soap into a separate mold. I had about 16 ounces of “discard” soap. Be careful to not let the cardboard shape “wiggle” too much as you drag it across, which will affect the shape of the horse image. Once all the “extra” black soap has been removed and the shape is nice and clean, it’s time for the third and final layer!

NOTE: As you can see below, I waited a teensy-tiny bit too long to pull the shaper through the mold. You can see how the top corner of the black soap didn’t pull away smoothly, but instead “tore” a bit. I used a spoon to smooth this out, and it ended up being okay. But this is actually what you want to avoid. 

BATCH #3

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 1 ounce of the Apple Sage Fragrance Oil into a glass, fragrance oil safe container, set aside.

TWELVE: Heat up the bowl of oils for batch three if necessary, to about 130 ° F. Most likely, the lye water will be a little on the cool side, but that’s okay. Add the batch three lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace.

THIRTEEN: Once the soap is at a thin trace, add 1/2 Tbs. dispersed titanium dioxide into the entire batch. Split off three containers of soap at 100 mL each and add the following dispersed colorants below. Use a whisk to blend them in completely. Then, add the measured Apple Sage Fragrance Oil into the containers of soap proportionally, it’s okay to eyeball it. Use a whisk to mix in.

• Container A (100 mL): 1/2 tsp. dispersed Buttercup Mica
• Container B (100 mL): 1/4 tsp. dispersed Slushy Blue Mica
• Container C (100 mL): 1/4 tsp. Magenta Mica

FOURTEEN: Just like the first batch, pour the pink, blue, and yellow (it will look orange!) soap into the bowl of white soap. Pour from varying heights to allow the soap to break into various spots of the bowl. Once all the colors have been poured, use the dowel or chopstick to fully swirl the soap in a circular motion several times.

FIFTEEN: Carefully pour the soap into the mold, starting by filling “empty” area of the mold where the black soap was scraped out. Continue to fill the mold completely, covering the top of the black soap. Use the back of a small spoon to even out the top of the soap if necessary. Spritz the mold with 99% isopropyl alcohol, and allow to sit in the mold for about 2-3 days. I did not cover the soap, as it would have disrupted the top. If your soaping area is very cold, create a “cardboard tent” over the top to help insulate the soap for 24 hours.

After about 2-3 days, carefully remove from the mold, and cut into bars. I found that some bars turned out a little bit better than others, and you can very faintly see the difference between the first multi-colored layer, and the last because the swirl is slightly different.

[expand title=”Click to View the Recipe”]

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Horse Sculpted Layers Cold Process Soap

This soap uses the Sculpted Layers technique made popular by Claudia of Om Nom Soap to create a horse silhouette in the center of the bar.

Course Cold process

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours

Servings 9 pounds of soap

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• 5 Pound Mold with Sliding Bottom
• Silicone Liner for 5 lb Wood Mold
• Horse Silhouette Template

First Layer:

• 40 oz. Basic Quick Mix
• 13.2 oz. Distilled Water
• 5.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 2 oz. Apple Sage Fragrance Oil
• Titanium Dioxide
• Buttercup Mica
• Magenta Mica
• Blue Slushy Mica

Second Layer:

• 40 oz. Basic Quick Mix
• 13.2 oz. Distilled Water
• 5.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 2 oz. Apple Sage Fragrance Oil
• Black Oxide

Third Layer:

• 20 oz. Basic Quick Mix
• 6.6 oz. Distilled Water
• 2.8 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 1 oz. Apple Sage Fragrance Oil
• Titanium Dioxide
• Buttercup Mica
• Magenta Mica
• Blue Slushy Mica

Instructions

SCULPTING “TOOL” PREP: First, you need to prep the tools to “sculpt” the soap. Arguably, this might be the trickiest part of the whole process. Some designs require multiple sculpting pieces that are incredibly intricate and complicated; check out all the pieces Claudia made for her soap! So awesome. I tried to keep mine rather simple and created three pieces. To make the pieces you need cardboard, clear plastic packing tape and three printed horse images.<br>The first piece I made was the entire horse image, which was placed on one end of the mold. I used this as a guide for pouring the soap into the mold to the appropriate heights (shown below). To make this piece, I cut the horse image and taped it to cardboard. Then, I cut the cardboard to include a lip on top to keep it in place.<br>The other two pieces were made in a similar way. Print the horse image on a piece of paper, cut the cardboard to fit inside the width of the inside of the mold, and cut. Then, wrap the whole thing in clear plastic tape. This prevents it from becoming soggy when it comes in contact with the soap batter. On the top lip, I included a small piece that hangs over the side of the mold (shown on the right in the image below). The way, when you slide the piece down the length of the mold, it will stay in the same place with each pass. This is an important part of this technique; each pass needs to go in the exact same place, or it will muddle the shape. For the first piece, cut around the top of the horse head, ending where the nose begins to curve. This will be used to create the first layer. The second piece needs to “complete” the first. Cut out the entire horse head, including the nose, leaving behind the spot under the nose. You can see what the two pieces should look like below. Set your pieces aside to prep the remaining ingredients.

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.

*NOTE: This recipe involves three different batches of soap. You can either prep all three batches at the same time, or one after the other after making the step before. Personally, I recommend prepping all three steps at the same time. This means prepping three bowls of oil and three containers of lye. All the colorants can be prepped before, and the fragrance oil can be weighed in the same glass container before pouring to save on dishes. Prepping everything at once ensures you don’t let the layer of soap below set too long and become too thick, which makes it impossible to smoothly drag your shape through the mold. This means the lye for the second and third layer will be on the cooler side, but I found that to work fine. If you prefer prepping your ingredients in a different order, feel free.

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 2 teaspoon of the colorant into 2 tablespoons of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Then in a separate containers, disperse 1 teaspoon Buttercup Mica, 1 teaspoon Magenta Mica and 1 teaspoon Slushy Blue Mica into 1 tablespoon of oil. Finally, disperse 1/2 teaspoon Black Oxide into 1/2 tablespoon oil. Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps.

FRAGRANCE OIL PREP: In a glass, fragrance oil safe container, measure 2 ounces of Apple Sage Fragrance Oil. Set aside. This is the fragrance for the first layer. Once you pour the fragrance into the soap, keep the cup around to measure the fragrance oil for the following batches.

• Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water for all three batches, and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. You will have three containers of lye, with the amounts below. Once cooled, add sodium lactate to the lye water for a bar of soap that releases faster from the mold.
  -Batch One Lye Solution: 13.2 oz. Distilled Water + 5.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye + 2.5 tsp. Sodium Lactate (optional)
  -Batch Two Lye Solution: 13.2 oz. Distilled Water + 5.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye + 2.5 tsp. Sodium Lactate (optional)
  -Batch Three Lye Solution: 6.6 oz. Distilled Water + 2.8 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye + 1 tsp. Sodium Lactate (optional)
• Fully melt the entire bag of Basic Quick Mix until there is no cloudiness. Give it a good shake to mix all the oils, and measure out 40 ounces into one soaping bowl, 40 ounces into a second and 20 ounces into a third. Set aside the bowls of oil for batch two and three. Once the lye water and the oils for batch one have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the batch one lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace.
• Once you have a thin trace, add 1 Tbs. dispersed titanium dioxide into the entire batch. Split off three containers of 200 mL. Add the dispersed colorants in the following amounts below, and use a whisk to fully incorporate the colorants.
  -Container A (200 mL): 1 tsp. dispersed Buttercup Mica
  -Container B (200 mL): 1/2 tsp. dispersed Slushy Blue Mica
  -Container C (200 mL): 1/2 tsp. Magenta Mica
• Add the measured Apple Sage Fragrance Oil into each container proportionally, it’s okay to eyeball it. Use a whisk to mix in the fragrance oil. If the batter is still extremely thin, give the white soap a short burst or two with the stick blender to thicken slightly. The soap should be a thin-medium trace.
• Create an In-The-Pot Swirl by pouring the pink, yellow and blue soap into various areas of the white bowl of soap. Pour from various heights above the mold. This helps the colors break through the white, and reach the bottom of the bowl as well as the top. Once the colors have all been poured, use a chopstick or dowel to swirl the soap in a circular motion three to four times.
• Pour the soap into the mold. The soap will not fill up the mold all the way; fill up to the middle-ish of the horse nose. Give the mold a tap on the counter to help release air bubbles.
• Now, it’s time to wait for the soap to firm and harden. The soap should be firm enough to hold its shape, but thin enough for the soap to be scraped out smoothly. It’s a little hard to know when that “perfect” texture has been achieved. I tested every 3-5 minutes or so by scraping a small amount of the very top of the soap with a spoon. It is better to start scraping out the extra soap sooner rather than later. If the soap is not thick enough to hold any shape, let it harden for a few more minutes. But, if the soap is too thick, there is no going back. For this recipe, I found waiting about 8 minutes was the perfect amount of time for the first layer. Your soap may require more or less time, so keep an eye on it.
  Once the soap is an appropriate texture, insert the cardboard shape with the horse nose into one edge of the soap, and begin pulling it through the mold. Place the extra soap into a separate mold if you’d like to save it. The first few passes with the cardboard shaper will be a little awkward and messy, but that’s okay! This process will begin to form the top of the horse’s outline including the mane, ears, and top of the nose.
  Continue sliding the shaper through the mold. I recommend sliding it in both directions; it will help pull away every little bit of soap for the cleanest image. As you can see below, the shape of the horse is starting to come together! Once you pull the scraper away and it’s no longer pulling soap out, you know it’s done. Allow this layer to sit and harden for 10-15 minutes. The bottom layer should be firm enough to support a thin layer of soap on top without it squishing the small details of the mane, and general shape of the nose.

BATCH #2

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 2 ounces of the Apple Sage Fragrance Oil into a glass, fragrance oil safe container, set aside.

• Once the first layer is firm, it’s time to make the second layer. Heat up the bowl of oils for batch two if necessary to 120-130 ° F. Most likely, the lye water will be a little on the cool side, but that’s okay. Add the batch two lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace.
• Add 1 teaspoon dispersed Black Oxide, and the measured Apple Sage Fragrance Oil. Use a whisk to fully mix in the colorant and fragrance oil.
• While the soap is still thin, very gently and carefully pour the soap into the mold. Don’t pour from too high above the mold, or this can cause the soap to “crush” the bottom layer which could ruin the shape. Continue to pour the soap into the mold until completely full. Pour any extra soap into a separate container.
• Allow the black layer of soap to sit and harden for about 7-10 minutes. The exact time of your batch might vary, as the temperature of your soap will most likely be different, causing it to set up at a slightly different rate. Once the soap is firm enough to hold a shape, insert the small cardboard shape at one end, and slide it down the length of the mold. Place the “extra” soap into a separate mold. I had about 16 ounces of “discard” soap. Be careful to not let the cardboard shape “wiggle” too much as you drag it across, which will affect the shape of the horse image. Once all the “extra” black soap has been removed and the shape is nice and clean, it’s time for the third and final layer!

BATCH #3

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 1 ounce of the Apple Sage Fragrance Oil into a glass, fragrance oil safe container, set aside.

• Heat up the bowl of oils for batch three if necessary, to about 130 ° F. Most likely, the lye water will be a little on the cool side, but that’s okay. Add the batch three lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace.
• Once the soap is at a thin trace, add 1/2 Tbs. dispersed titanium dioxide into the entire batch. Split off three containers of soap at 100 mL each and add the following dispersed colorants below. Use a whisk to blend them in completely. Then, add the measured Apple Sage Fragrance Oil into the containers of soap proportionally, it’s okay to eyeball it. Use a whisk to mix in.
  -Container A (100 mL): 1/2 tsp. dispersed Buttercup Mica
  -Container B (100 mL): 1/4 tsp. dispersed Slushy Blue Mica
  -Container C (100 mL): 1/4 tsp. Magenta Mica
• Just like the first batch, pour the pink, blue, and yellow (it will look orange!) soap into the bowl of white soap. Pour from varying heights to allow the soap to break into various spots of the bowl. Once all the colors have been poured, use the dowel or chopstick to fully swirl the soap in a circular motion several times.
• Carefully pour the soap into the mold, starting by filling “empty” area of the mold where the black soap was scraped out. Continue to fill the mold completely, covering the top of the black soap. Use the back of a small spoon to even out the top of the soap if necessary. Spritz the mold with 99% isopropyl alcohol, and allow to sit in the mold for about 2-3 days. I did not cover the soap, as it would have disrupted the top. If your soaping area is very cold, create a “cardboard tent” over the top to help insulate the soap for 24 hours.
• After about 2-3 days, carefully remove from the mold, and cut into bars. I found that some bars turned out a little bit better than others, and you can very faintly see the difference between the first multi-colored layer, and the last because the swirl is slightly different.

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Yesterday was the first official day of summer. Thanks to the sun, my garden and flowers have been growing like crazy. The fresh blooms inspired me to create this Buttercup Melt & Pour Soap. The Mini Daisy Silicone Column Molds create flowers within the bars, and a thin strip of green soap creates a stem. The top is decorated with more yellow flowers and a touch of glitter.

This project is scented with a combination of Sunflower Fragrance Oil and Flower Child Fragrance Oil. The scent combination is a sophisticated floral blend, with notes of jasmine, bergamot and musk. Both fragrances discolor slightly to an ivory/tan. Over time, I found the blue color changed to a slightly more teal hue.

This is an advanced melt and pour project. It involves several layers that require an understanding of melt and pour temperatures. A spray bottle of 99% isopropyl alcohol is crucial for this project. Click here to get more tips for layering melt and pour soap. If you haven’t made melt and pour soap before, I would recommend getting a few simpler projects under your belt first.

What You’ll Need:
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
3 Mini Daisy Silicone Column Molds
48 oz. Clear Melt and Pour Base
25 oz. White Melt and Pour Base
.4 oz. Sunflower Fragrance Oil
.7 oz. Flower Child Fragrance Oil
Buttercup Mica
Caribbean Blue Mica
Kermit Green Mica
Fine Iridescent Glitter
99% Isopropyl Alcohol in Spray Bottle

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ONE: Chop and melt 15 ounces of White Melt and Pour Soap Base in the microwave using 15-20 second bursts until completely melted. In a small container, mix 1 tsp. Buttercup Mica with 1 Tbs. 99% isopropyl alcohol, stir to fully incorporate. Split off 10 ounces of the melted base into a separate container. Add all of the mica mixture to the 10 ounces of melted soap and stir to combine.

TWO: Place the Mini Daisy Silicone Column Molds into a container to position the molds upright. Pour the yellow soap in two of the three Mini Daisy Silicone Column Molds. Then, pour the remaining 5 ounces of white soap into the third Mini Daisy Silicone Column Mold. Spritz the top of the molds with alcohol to help disperse any bubbles. Allow the soap to fully cool and harden. Watch this video for more information on using the 2-part silicone molds.

THREE: To make the stem, chop and melt 10 ounces of White Melt and Pour Soap Base in the microwave using 15 second bursts. In a small container, mix 1 tsp. Kermit Green Mica with 1 Tbs. 99% isopropyl alcohol and add the mica mixture to the melted soap. Stir to combine. Pour the green soap into the bottom of the 10″ Silicone Loaf Mold, and spritz the top with alcohol to help get rid of any bubbles. Allow the soap to fully cool and harden.

FOUR: Once fully cool, remove the green soap from the mold. Cut the thin layer in half vertically so you have two long strips. I found that my layer was a little bit thicker than I wanted, so I used a peeler to make the layer a little thinner. This step is optional, and will depend on how thick you’d like the stem of the flower to be.

FIVE: Remove the flower embeds from the mold and trim them if necessary. I love using the Clean Up Tool for this step! Cut all three embeds to be the same length as the 10″ Silicone Column Mold. With the leftover embeds, cut them into small, thin flowers. These will go on the top of the soap at the very end.

SIX: Chop and melt 40 ounces of the Clear Melt and Pour Soap in the microwave using 30-45 second bursts. Mix together 1/2 tsp. of the Carribean Blue Mica with 1/2 Tbs. of 99% isopropyl alcohol until smooth. Add the mica mixture to the melted clear soap. Stir to combine.

SEVEN: Mix together the Sunflower and Flower Child Fragrance Oils in a glass, fragrance safe container. Add the fragrance blend to the melted blue soap and stir to fully combine.

EIGHT: Place one of the yellow embeds into the far left corner of the mold, leaving a small amount of space between the side of the mold and the embed. Check the temperature of the blue soap. If it’s hotter than 130° F, allow it to cool to 125° F or below to prevent it from melting the yellow embed. Spritz the mold and embed with alcohol to help the embed adhere, then pour a thin layer of the blue soap into the mold until it almost covers the yellow embed. Spritz with alcohol to get rid of any bubbles.

NINE: Allow the blue soap to cool slightly until it forms a skin. Then, insert one piece of green soap upright in the opposite side of the mold. You may need to hold the green soap in place for a few minutes to allow the blue soap to harden enough to stabilize the green embed.

TEN: Once the green layer is stable, spritz the soap with the 99% isopropyl alcohol to help the layers stick and pour more blue soap into the mold. Continue to pour until you have covered the first yellow flower embed, and pour a little extra create a layer in between the second flower embed. Allow this soap to cool and form a skin. Once cooled slightly, spritz with alcohol and pour a small amount of blue on top, then lay the white flower embed near the center of the mold.

Allowing the blue soap to harden slightly will keep the soap from falling down into the mold. Pouring a little bit of melted soap before placing the white embed helps the white soap stay in place.

ELEVEN: Remelt the remaining blue soap in the microwave using short bursts. When it’s 130° F or below, thoroughly spritz the top with alcohol and pour the remaining blue soap over the entire mold, making sure to fill in the various areas evenly. Place the yellow flower embed directly on top of the green stem embed. Spritz the top with alcohol to disperse bubbles.

TWELVE: Once the top has cooled and formed a skin, spritz with alcohol and place the small yellow flower pieces on top. Chop and melt 8 ounces of Clear Melt and Pour Base in the microwave using 15 second bursts. Once melted, add a pinch of iridescent glitter until you’re happy with the amount of sparkle.

THIRTEEN: Spritz the soap again with alcohol, and when the clear and sparkly soap is 130° F or below, pour it on top of the entire mold. Spritz with alcohol to remove bubbles, and allow the entire loaf to fully cool and harden. This can take about 4-6 hours.

Once cooled, cut into bars. Wrap the bars in plastic wrap to help prevent glycerin dew. Learn more about storing handmade products here.

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Buttercup Melt & Pour Soap DIY

This Buttercup Melt and Pour uses daisy shaped embeds to create a floral bar of soap.

Course Melt and Pour Soap

Cook Time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours

Servings 3 -4 pounds of soap

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• 10 ″ Silicone Loaf Mold
• 3 Mini Daisy Silicone Column Molds
• 48 oz. Clear Melt and Pour Base
• 25 oz. White Melt and Pour Base
• .4 oz. Sunflower Fragrance Oil
• .7 oz. Flower Child Fragrance Oil
• Buttercup Mica
• Caribbean Blue Mica
• Kermit Green Mica
• Fine Iridescent Glitter
• 99 % Isopropyl Alcohol in Spray Bottle

Instructions

• Chop and melt 15 ounces of White Melt and Pour Soap Base in the microwave using 15-20 second bursts until completely melted. In a small container, mix 1 tsp. Buttercup Mica with 1 Tbs. 99% isopropyl alcohol, stir to fully incorporate. Split off 10 ounces of the melted base into a separate container. Add all of the mica mixture to the 10 ounces of melted soap and stir to combine.
• Place the Mini Daisy Silicone Column Molds into a container to position the molds upright. Pour the yellow soap in two of the three Mini Daisy Silicone Column Molds. Then, pour the remaining 5 ounces of white soap into the third Mini Daisy Silicone Column Mold. Spritz the top of the molds with alcohol to help disperse any bubbles. Allow the soap to fully cool and harden.
• To make the stem, chop and melt 10 ounces of White Melt and Pour Soap Base in the microwave using 15 second bursts. In a small container, mix 1 tsp. Kermit Green Mica with 1 Tbs. 99% isopropyl alcohol and add the mica mixture to the melted soap. Stir to combine. Pour the green soap into the bottom of the 10″ Silicone Loaf Mold, and spritz the top with alcohol to help get rid of any bubbles. Allow the soap to fully cool and harden.
• Once fully cool, remove the green soap from the mold. Cut the thin layer in half vertically so you have two long strips. I found that my layer was a little bit thicker than I wanted, so I used a peeler to make the layer a little thinner. This step is optional, and will depend on how thick you'd like the stem of the flower to be.
• Remove the flower embeds from the mold and trim them if necessary. I love using the Clean Up Tool for this step! Cut all three embeds to be the same length as the 10" Silicone Column Mold. With the leftover embeds, cut them into small, thin flowers. These will go on the top of the soap at the very end.
• Chop and melt 40 ounces of the Clear Melt and Pour Soap in the microwave using 30-45 second bursts. Mix together 1/2 tsp. of the Carribean Blue Mica with 1/2 Tbs. of 99% isopropyl alcohol until smooth. Add the mica mixture to the melted clear soap. Stir to combine.
• Mix together the Sunflower and Flower Child Fragrance Oils in a glass, fragrance safe container. Add the fragrance blend to the melted blue soap and stir to fully combine.
• Place one of the yellow embeds into the far left corner of the mold, leaving a small amount of space between the side of the mold and the embed. Check the temperature of the blue soap. If it's hotter than 130° F, allow it to cool to 125° F or below to prevent it from melting the yellow embed. Spritz the mold and embed with alcohol to help the embed adhere, then pour a thin layer of the blue soap into the mold until it almost covers the yellow embed. Spritz with alcohol to get rid of any bubbles.
• Allow the blue soap to cool slightly and form a skin. Then insert one piece of green soap upright in the opposite side of the mold. You may need to hold the green soap in place for a few minutes to allow the blue soap to harden enough to stabilize the green embed.
• Once the green layer is stable, spritz the soap with the 99% isopropyl alcohol to help the layers stick and pour more blue soap into the mold. Continue to pour until you have covered the first yellow flower embed, and pour a little extra create a layer in between the second flower embed. Allow this soap to cool and form a skin. Once cooled slightly, spritz with alcohol and pour a small amount of blue on top, then lay the white flower embed near the center of the mold. Allowing the blue soap to harden slightly will keep the soap from falling down into the mold. Pouring a little bit of melted soap before placing the white embed will help the white soap “stick."
• Remelt the remaining blue soap in the microwave using short bursts. When it's 130° F or below, thoroughly spritz the top with alcohol and pour the remaining blue soap over the entire mold, making sure to fill in the various areas evenly. Place the yellow flower embed directly on top of the green stem embed. Spritz the top with alcohol to disperse bubbles.
• Once the top has cooled and formed a skin, spritz with alcohol and place the small yellow flower pieces on top. Chop and melt 8 ounces of Clear Melt and Pour Base in the microwave using 15 second bursts. Once melted, add a pinch of iridescent glitter until you’re happy with the amount of sparkle.
• Spritz the soap again with alcohol, and when the clear and sparkly soap is 130° F or below, pour it on top of the entire mold. Spritz with alcohol to remove bubbles, and allow the entire loaf to fully cool and harden. This can take about 4-6 hours. Once cooled, cut into bars. Wrap the bars in plastic wrap to help prevent glycerin dew.

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I scented these bath bombs with a combination of Flower Child Fragrance Oil and Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil. Flower Child is a unique and sophisticated floral scent with notes of bergamot, amber and jasmine. To lighten it up a bit for summer, I paired it with the bubbly and citrusy Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil. It smells amazing!

When you use micas to color your bath fizzies, they may leave some color on the tub. This will depend on how big your tub is, and can vary depending on the color. For example, if you use Luster Black Mica, you may notice more color on the tub than with a lighter color. I recommend giving your bath a light wipe down before taking a bath so the oil around the tub won’t attract color. This always helps avoid a ring around the tub later on. Also, I like to have a wet rag to wipe off any color right off the tub. It comes off easily that way but don’t use a white wash rag for this. =) You can see how these fizzies looked in a veryyyyyy teeeeeeeeennnnnsy bit water in the video below!

A video posted by Anne-Marie (@brambleberry) on Jun 2, 2016 at 10:57am PDT

What You’ll Need:
5-6 Bath Bomb Mold & Packages
1 1/2 cups Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)
3/4 cups Citric Acid
4 mL Flower Child Fragrance Oil
1 mL Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil
9 mL Avocado Oil
Buttercup Mica
Magenta Mica
Cellini Blue Mica
99% Isopropyl Alcohol 
Witch Hazel in 8 oz. Spray Bottle
Droppers

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

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ONE: In a bowl, measure out 1 1/2 cups of sodium bicarbonate and 3/4 cup of citric acid. If there are any clumps in the mixture, you can push the powder through a sifter or break up the clumps with your fingers. Citric acid has a tendency to take off nail polish, so wear gloves to protect your manicure. =)

TWO: Add the Grapefruit Bellini and Flower Child Fragrance Oils. Add the avocado oil and use your hands to mix the oils into the powder.

THREE: Once the oils and dry ingredients are fully incorporated, check the moisture of your fizzies. When squeezed with your hand, the mixture should hold its shape. Add spritzes of witch hazel into each container, mixing between every couple sprays, until each container has a texture similar to wet sand.

FOUR: Fill two halves of the bath bomb molds, gently pressing the mixture in each to make sure they hold their shape. Mound a little extra powder in the center of one half of the mold. Match the eyelets of each side up, and press together. To avoid any imperfections on your bath bomb, make sure to direct pressure to the edges of the mold rather than the center. Continue until all the mixture is used up. Allow the fizzies to stay in the mold to dry and harden overnight.

FIVE: Once the fizzies have hardened, remove the top half of the mold. In small separate containers, mix 1 tablespoon 99% isopropyl alcohol with 1 teaspoon of Cellini Blue Mica, Buttercup Mica and Magenta Mica to create a “mica paint” of the three colors. Using a fine-pointed paint brush, draw a small circle with the yellow paint directly in the center. Then paint large stripes of the yellow, blue and red down the sides of the bath bomb.

I chose to only paint one half of the bath bomb to make them easier to handle. But if you’d like, you could certainly paint the whole thing! Just keep in mind that doing so also adds more mica to the tub, so you may want to test one to make sure it doesn’t color your water too much. =)

SIX: Once you’re done painting, allow the bath bombs to dry with the top half of the mold off for about 15-20 minutes. Then place the mold and package back on bath fizzies until you’re ready to use. Because these bath bombs contain some oil, they may make your bath tub a little slippery, so be careful when exiting the tub. Enjoy!

What kind of summer projects are you making?

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Beach Ball Bath Bomb DIY

These bath bombs are painted to look just like bath bombs!

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 5 -6 Bath Bombs

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• 5-6 Bath Bomb Mold & Packages
• 1 1/2 cups Sodium Bicarbonate Baking Soda
• 3/4 cups Citric Acid
• 4 mL Flower Child Fragrance Oil
• 1 mL Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil
• 9 mL Avocado Oil
• Buttercup Mica
• Magenta Mica
• Cellini Blue Mica
• 99 % Isopropyl Alcohol
• Witch Hazel in 8 oz. Spray Bottle
• Droppers

Instructions

• In a bowl, measure out 1 1/2 cups of sodium bicarbonate and 3/4 cup of citric acid. If there are any clumps in the mixture, you can push the powder through a sifter or break up the clumps with your fingers. Citric acid has a tendency to take off nail polish, so wear gloves to protect your manicure. =)
• Add the Grapefruit Bellini and Flower Child Fragrance Oils. Add the avocado oil and use your hands to mix the oils into the powder.
• Once the oils and dry ingredients are fully incorporated, check the moisture of your fizzies. When squeezed with your hand, the mixture should hold its shape. Add spritzes of witch hazel into each container, mixing between every couple sprays, until each container has a texture similar to wet sand.
• Fill two halves of the bath bomb molds, gently pressing the mixture in each to make sure they hold their shape. Mound a little extra powder in the center of one half of the mold. Match the eyelets of each side up, and press together. To avoid any imperfections on your bath bomb, make sure to direct pressure to the edges of the mold rather than the center. Continue until all the mixture is used up. Allow the fizzies to stay in the mold to dry and harden overnight.
• Once the fizzies have hardened, remove the top half of the mold. In small separate containers, mix 1 tablespoon 99% isopropyl alcohol with 1 teaspoon of Cellini Blue Mica, Buttercup Mica and Magenta Mica to create a “mica paint” of the three colors. Using a fine pointed paint brush, draw a small circle with the yellow paint directly in the center. Then paint large stripes of the yellow, blue and red down the sides of the bath bomb.
• I chose to only paint one half of the bath bomb to make them easier to handle. But if you’d like, you could certainly paint the whole thing! Just keep in mind that doing so also adds more mica to the tub, so you may want to test one to make sure it doesn’t color your water too much. =)
• Once you’re done painting, allow the bath bombs to dry with the top half of the mold off for about 15-20 minutes. Then place the mold and package back on bath fizzies until you’re ready to use. Because these bath bombs contain some oil, they may make your bath tub a little slippery, so be careful when exiting the tub. Enjoy!

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