Craft a Heartfelt Gesture with Our DIY Love Letter Soap

In the spirit of creativity and heartfelt gestures, embark on a DIY journey that combines the art of soap making with the timeless appeal of love letters. Our Love Letter Soap project is more than just a crafting endeavor; it’s an opportunity to pour your affection into a tangible form. This detailed guide will walk you through creating your batch of love-infused soap, featuring a captivating heart embed and layers of meaning in every bar.

Materials You’ll Need:
Heart Embed
Mini Heart Column Mold
4 oz. LCP Clear Soap Base
Magenta Color Block
1/4 tsp. Fine Red EcoGlitter
Lots of Lather Quick Mix
5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide
10 oz. Distilled Water (10% water discount)
1.75 oz. Love Letter Fragrance Oil
1 Tbsp. Titanium Dioxide
Activated Charcoal
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold

Creating Your Heart Embeds:
Start by cutting the LCP Clear Soap Base into small pieces and placing them in a heat-safe container alongside a chunk of Magenta Color Block. Melt in the microwave in 15-second bursts until smooth.
Stir in the Fine Red EcoGlitter, allowing the soap to cool to 125-130° F before pouring into your Mini Heart Silicone Column Mold. After about 2 hours of cooling, your embed is ready to be unmolded and set aside.

Preparing the Soap Base:
Gear up for safety with goggles, gloves, and long sleeves, ensuring a distraction-free environment.
Dissolve 5 oz. of lye into 10 oz. of distilled Water, cooling to about 110° F before combining with 35 oz. of melted Lots of Lather Quick Mix and Titanium Dioxide.
Blend to a light-medium trace, then whisk in the Love Letter Fragrance Oil, pouring into your loaf mold until it’s just full enough to fit your heart embed later on.

Sculpting Your Love Letter:
Use a custom-cut piece of cardboard to sculpt a triangular space within your soap mold, simulating the envelope flap of a love letter.
Strategically dust activated charcoal in the negative space before carefully refilling with soap, inserting the heart embed halfway through.

Finishing Touches:
After allowing your soap to set for 2-3 days, release it from the mold, cut into bars, and cure for 4-6 weeks. Whether it’s a gift for someone special or a treat for yourself, this Love Letter Soap is a testament to the beauty of handmade, heartfelt expressions.
Dive into this project enthusiastically, knowing that each bar you create is a message of love, care, and creativity.

Happy soap making!

The post Make Perfect Lines + Learn to Embed: Love Letter Soap appeared first on Soap Queen.

Waiting is one of the hardest parts of soapmaking. Cutting it into bars and seeing the design for the first time is such an amazing feeling. However, cutting too early can lead to dents and drag marks.

Patience is best when it comes to unmolding soap. But if you want to speed the process up a few days, we’ve got you covered.

Choosing the right mold
Wood molds tend to be the fastest option. That’s because they have good airflow and they insulate soap well, which causes it to heat up. Higher temperatures can help you unmold your batch more quickly.

Silicone molds are another good option – they’re sturdy, flexible, and easy to use. They don’t have as much airflow as wood, so unmolding can take longer. You can speed the process up with single cavity silicone molds.

Plastic molds take the longest. You can unmold the bars cleanly with a few tricks, but if you’re in a hurry we recommend wood or silicone. Learn more about choosing molds in this blog.

Formulating a hard recipe
When it comes to unmolding, hard oils are your friend. Oils like coconut and palm are solid at room temperature and help firm the recipe. Learn more about common oils and how to work with them here.

A good place to start is around 70% hard oils. That creates a firm bar that unmolds quickly. The rest of the recipe can be moisturizing options like olive and sweet almond oil. Learn more about formulating cold process recipes in this post.

We unmolded the Pink Salt and Gold Soap after just a few days. It has 71% hard oils, as well as soft oils like rice bran that feel silky on the skin.

Another option is decreasing the superfat level. We typically use around 5%, but you can drop that to 2-4%. The less free-floating oil in the recipe, the faster it will unmold.

Using a water discount
This technique is simple – adding less water to your recipe means it won’t take as long to evaporate. The soap will unmold and cure more quickly. Water discounts also help prevent soda ash and glycerin rivers.

We usually discount around 5-10%. Higher amounts can accelerate trace and make the soap a bit trickier to work with. Learn how to get started in this post.

Using sodium lactate
You’ve probably heard us mention sodium lactate a time or two. It’s a liquid salt that helps harden cold process soap. Simply adding 1 teaspoon per pound of oils to your cooled lye water helps the soap release 1-2 days earlier.

Sodium lactate can also be used in hot process soap to make it smooth and in lotion to draw moisture to the skin. We definitely recommend having it on hand.

Using higher temperatures and forcing gel phase
Gel phase is a part of the saponification process where the batch gets hot and gelatinous. It doesn’t affect the quality of the bars, but it does help the colors pop. Gel phase also helps the soap harden more quickly.

To force gel phase, we recommend having your lye and oils around 120-130°F. Then, cover the mold with a piece of cardboard and a blanket. You can also place it on a heating pad. Learn more about how to insulate soap here.

How to unmold soap
You can typically unmold soap in 2-3 days using the tips above. Once it’s firm to the touch, gently pull on one side of the mold or liner. If it releases without sticking, pull on the other sides of the mold to release the airlock. Flip the mold over and gently push the soap out.

If you still end up with drag marks, don’t worry – it happens to the best of us. We have tools that can help. The Soap Shaver removes dents, drag marks, and soda ash. If the bars are dented on the corner, try the Soap Beveller. It removes imperfections and gives the soap a polished look.

If the dents are pretty deep, you can shred or cut the soap up and use it in a variety of ways. It may not be what you originally planned, but it will still feel amazing on the skin.

The post 5 Tips for Unmolding Cold Process Soap appeared first on Soap Queen.

When people look into how to make soap, they’re often intimidated by how many ingredients they need. Even if a recipe only has 3 oils, they also need lye, molds, containers, etc. That’s why we created Quick Mixes. They’re bags of premixed oils designed to make it easier for you. All you have to do is melt and measure them – no need to worry about buying individual oils or formulating a recipe. Shop Quick Mixes here.

We offer Lots of Lather Quick Mix, Basic Quick Mix, and Swirl Quick Mix. Each one is formulated and made by Bramble Berry experts for specific recipes. For instance, Swirl Quick Mix is made with slow-moving oils that work best for intricate designs. Learn more about what’s in each mix in this Sunday Night Spotlight.

To use, place the bag of Quick Mix in the microwave with the lid on. Heat until the oils are completely clear and give the bag a good shake to mix. Weigh out what you need into a heat-resistant container. If you prefer, you can heat the bag of oils in a pot of hot water on the stove. Just make sure it doesn’t touch the bottom of the pot – the bag is heat resistant, but it can melt in extremely high temperatures.

The Quick Mixes aren’t just for beginners. We love using them to make things a little easier and faster. Find a few of our favorite tutorials using Quick Mixes below.

• Orange Spice Hot Process Soap – Beginner
• Menthol Crystal Cold Process Soap – Beginner
• Chopped Embed Cold Process Soap – Intermediate
• Coastal Rain Cold Process Soap – Intermediate
• Rose Clay & Charcoal Cold Process Soap – Intermediate
• Grapefruit LaCroix Cold Process Soap – Advanced
• Cactus Flower Cold Process Soap – Advanced

The post All About Quick Mixes appeared first on Soap Queen.

Lemon and poppy seeds are a classic combination. This hot process recipe is scented with a bright and bubbly combination of Lemon Verbena and Champagne Fragrance Oil. It’s also made with poppy seeds for exfoliation. The end result is a cheerful bar that smells great and leaves skin feeling smooth.

Love the look of these bars, but prefer cold process soap? This project is based off our popular Lemon Poppy Seed Cold Process Soap. Cold process soap is smoother than hot process, which means you can create a straight mica line. Click here to watch this recipe in action.

One of the great things about this process is the extra heat speeds up saponification. That means the soap is ready to use after 24 hours and it doesn’t need a 4-6 week cure time like cold process soap. We still like to let our hot process soap cure for 1-2 weeks, just to make sure any excess water has evaporated.

Lemon Poppy Seed Hot Process Soap

What You Need:
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
33 oz. Lots of Lather Quick Mix
4.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide
10.9 oz. Distilled Water
1 oz. Sodium Lactate
0.5 oz. Lemon Verbena Yankee Type Fragrance Oil
1 oz. Champagne Fragrance Oil
Poppy Seeds
Yellow Mica
Activated Charcoal

If you’ve never made hot process soap before, stop here. Check out our FREE four-part SoapQueen.tv series on cold process soapmaking, especially the episode on lye safety. Bramble Berry also carries a wide range of books on the topic, including Pure Soapmaking.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 0.5 ounces of Lemon Verbena Yankee Type Fragrance Oil and 1 ounce of Champagne Fragrance Oil into a small glass container and set aside.

COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of Yellow Mica into 1 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Sunflower, sweet almond, or canola are great options. Stir or use a mini mixer to help get rid of clumps. Set aside. Have activated charcoal nearby, along with a powder duster or fine mesh sifter.

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, 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.

ONE: Slowly and carefully add the 4.7 ounces lye to 10.9 ounces distilled water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. Once cooled to about 130° F, add the 1 ounce sodium lactate to the lye water. Sodium lactate is used in hot process at 3% of the oil weight to help produce a smoother bar.

TWO: Fully melt the entire bag of Lots of Lather Quick Mix until it’s completely clear and there’s no cloudiness. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 33 oz. into your Crock-Pot and turn it on.
NOTE: The heat setting you use may vary depending on your cooking vessel. We have cooked hot process soap on low and high heat with equally good results. For this recipe, we used the high heat setting for a faster cook time. If you’re making hot process soap in your cooking vessel for the first time, start with the low setting. Next time try the high setting and see which you prefer.

THREE: Slowly add the lye water to the oils. Make sure the mixture does not fill up more than half of the pot. Tap the stick blender on the bottom of the pot to release air bubbles and begin to blend.

FOUR: Mix with a stick blender until thick trace. Put the lid on the Crock-Pot and allow the soap to start cooking.

FIVE: After about 10-15 minutes, check the soap. Starting from the outside, the texture and color of the soap will start to change into a glossy, slightly Vaseline-like texture.
NOTE: Don’t be surprised if the soap starts to grow in volume. Do not leave your soap unattended in the first 10 minutes of cook time for this reason. If the soap gets too high in the pot, make sure you’re wearing gloves, take the pot off heat, and stir like crazy.

SIX: Stir the batch to ensure even cooking. Place the lid back on the pot and allow it to cook for about another 10-20 minutes. The time may vary depending on the temperature of your Crock-Pot. Keep an eye on it, checking it every 5-10 minutes or so.

SEVEN: The batch is ready when it’s the texture of glossy mashed potatoes. To be sure, use a pH strip. Place a small amount of the soap into a cup of distilled water and stir. Dip the pH strip into the water – it should be below 10. Be sure not to overcook the soap, you don’t want it too dry for the next steps.

EIGHT: Add 2 teaspoons of poppy seeds directly to the soap and stir.

NINE: Add all of the fragrance blend and use a large spatula to stir in thoroughly.

TEN: Use a large spatula to transfer half of the soap to the mold. Tap firmly on the counter to even the soap out and get rid of bubbles. Place about 1 teaspoon of activated charcoal into the powder duster and quickly apply a thin layer onto the soap. Be careful to not add too much, or the top layer may not stick.

ELEVEN: Add all of the dispersed Yellow Mica to the remaining soap and stir. Plop the soap into the mold and use your gloved hands to press it in. Tap firmly on the counter to help the soap evenly distribute.

TWELVE: Allow the soap to stay in the mold for at least 24 hours. Unmold and cut into bars. This soap is ready to use right away, but will last longer in the shower after at least a 2 week cure time. Enjoy!

Print

Lemon Poppy Seed Hot Process Soap

Course Hot Process Soap

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 3 pounds of soap

Author Bramble Berry

Ingredients

• 10 ″ Silicone Loaf Mold
• 33 oz. Lots of Lather Quick Mix
• 4.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide
• 10.9 oz. Distilled Water
• 1 oz. Sodium Lactate
• 0.5 oz. Lemon Verbena Yankee Type Fragrance Oil
• 1 oz. Champagne Fragrance Oil
• Poppy Seeds
• Yellow Mica
• Activated Charcoal

Instructions

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 0.5 ounces of Lemon Verbena Yankee Type Fragrance Oil and 1 ounce of Champagne Fragrance Oil into a small glass container and set aside.

COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of Yellow Mica into 1 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Sunflower, sweet almond, or canola are great options. Stir or use a mini mixer to help get rid of clumps. Set aside. Have activated charcoal nearby, along with a powder duster or fine mesh sifter.

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, 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.

• Slowly and carefully add the 4.7 ounces lye to 10.9 ounces distilled water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. Once cooled to about 130° F, add the 1 ounce sodium lactate to the lye water. Sodium lactate is used in hot process at 3% of the oil weight to help produce a smoother bar.
• Fully melt the entire bag of Lots of Lather Quick Mix until it’s completely clear and there’s no cloudiness. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 33 oz. into your Crock-Pot and turn it on. NOTE: The heat setting you use may vary depending on your cooking vessel. We have cooked hot process soap on low and high heat with equally good results. For this recipe, we used the high heat setting for a faster cook time. If you’re making hot process soap in your cooking vessel for the first time, start with the low setting. Next time try the high setting and see which you prefer.
• Slowly add the lye water to the oils. Make sure the mixture does not fill up more than half of the pot. Tap the stick blender on the bottom of the pot to release air bubbles and begin to blend.
• Mix with a stick blender until thick trace. Put the lid on the Crock-Pot and allow the soap to start cooking.
• After about 10-15 minutes, check the soap. Starting from the outside, the texture and color of the soap will start to change into a glossy, slightly Vaseline-like texture. NOTE: Don’t be surprised if the soap starts to grow in volume. Do not leave your soap unattended in the first 10 minutes of cook time for this reason. If the soap gets too high in the pot, make sure you’re wearing gloves, take the pot off heat, and stir like crazy.
• Stir the batch to ensure even cooking. Place the lid back on the pot and allow it to cook for about another 10-20 minutes. The time may vary depending on the temperature of your Crock-Pot. Keep an eye on it, checking it every 5-10 minutes or so.
• The batch is ready when it’s the texture of glossy mashed potatoes. To be sure, use a pH strip. Place a small amount of the soap into a cup of distilled water and stir. Dip the pH strip into the water – it should be below 10. Be sure not to overcook the soap, you don’t want it too dry for the next steps.
• Add 2 teaspoons of poppy seeds directly to the soap and stir.
• Add all of the fragrance blend and use a large spatula to stir in thoroughly.
• Use a large spatula to transfer half of the soap to the mold. Tap firmly on the counter to even the soap out and get rid of bubbles. Place about 1 teaspoon of activated charcoal into the powder duster and quickly apply a thin layer onto the soap. Be careful to not add too much, or the top layer may not stick.
• Add all of the dispersed Yellow Mica to the remaining soap and stir. Plop the soap into the mold and use your gloved hands to press it in. Tap firmly on the counter to help the soap evenly distribute.
• Allow the soap to stay in the mold for at least 24 hours. Unmold and cut into bars. This soap is ready to use right away, but will last longer in the shower after at least a 2 week cure time. Enjoy!

The post Lemon Poppy Seed Hot Process Soap appeared first on Soap Queen.

Patchouli essential oil has an earthy, smoky scent. It can elicit strong opinions because it’s an assertive fragrance, but what many people don’t know is how versatile patchouli essential oil is. It adds depth and complexity to a variety of scents. It blends wonderfully with floral, citrus, vanilla, and minty notes.

In this Patchouli & Bentonite Clay Soap, it’s blended with a touch of lime essential oil. Together they create a bright and earthy scent that’s sure to please. Patchouli is the defining scent of the blend, so if you prefer you can add more lime and less patchouli.

In addition to essential oils, the bars are made with natural activated charcoal, indigo powder, and bentonite clay. Bentonite clay is created from volcanic ash. It gives bath and beauty products a nice slip. This texture is great for shaving soaps, as it helps the razor glide over the skin. Bentonite clay also has strong oil absorbing properties, making it a great choice for oily skin.

Indigo powder creates the lovely gray-blue shade. Promoting gel phase helps the color pop a bit. If you’re looking for a natural blue color, jagua extract is a great option. You can also add a touch of Ultramarine Blue Oxide.

Patchouli & Bentonite Clay Soap

What You Need:
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
33 oz. Swirl Quick Mix
4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
10.9 oz. Distilled Water
1.5 oz. Patchouli Essential Oil
0.5 oz. Lime Essential Oil
Bentonite Clay
Activated Charcoal
Indigo Powder
Titanium Dioxide

Click below 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. We 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 Pure Soapmaking.

COLORANT PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of titanium dioxide into 1 tablespoon of a lightweight liquid oil such as sunflower or sweet almond. In a separate container, disperse 2 teaspoons of indigo powder into 2 tablespoons of lightweight liquid oil. Disperse 1 teaspoon of bentonite clay into 3 tablespoons of distilled water – this mixture will be quite thick. Finally, disperse 1/2 teaspoon of activated charcoal into 1/2 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get rid of clumps.
Optional: To ensure the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Use a coffee grinder 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. 

FRAGRANCE PREP: In a glass fragrance oil-safe container, measure out 1.5 ounces of patchouli essential oil and 0.5 ounces of lime essential oil. Set aside.

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, 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.

ONE: Slowly and carefully add 4.6 ounces of lye to 10.9 ounces of distilled water. Gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved. Set it 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 the entire bag of Swirl Quick Mix until it’s completely clear. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 33 ounces into a heat-safe bowl. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend the mixture to a very thin trace.

THREE: Add all of the bentonite clay mixture. Pulse and stir with the stick blender to fully incorporate. Clay tends to speed up trace, so be careful to not over blend during this stage.

FOUR: Add all of the essential oil blend and use a whisk to fully mix in.

FIVE: Split the soap into 3 separate containers. One container should hold 350 mL, and the remaining 2 should hold 600 mL. Add the following amounts of dispersed powders and whisk thoroughly.

• Container A (350 mL): 1 teaspoon dispersed activated charcoal
• Container B (600 mL): 1 tablespoon dispersed indigo powder + 1/2 teaspoon dispersed titanium dioxide
• Container C (600 mL): remaining dispersed titanium dioxide

SIX: At this point you want the soap to be a medium trace – thin enough to pour, but thick enough that it slightly holds its shape. If it’s still thin, quickly pulse each container with the stick blender starting from lightest to darkest. Once you reach a good texture, begin pouring small dollops of the blue soap into the mold in different areas. Don’t worry too much about the placement of the plops or making them the same size.

SEVEN: Pour plops of the white soap on top of the blue, followed by dollops of the black soap. Because you have less black soap, make these plops slightly smaller.

EIGHT: Continue to layer the various colors into the mold. The more dollops the more layers your soap will have. Alternating the spots you pour and the amounts will also create more variety in your bars. There’s really no right or wrong way to layer the colors, so have fun with it.
TIP: If your soap gets grainy, whisk until it’s smooth. If it gets too thick to pour, use a spoon to layer the soap. 

NINE: Once all the soap is in the mold, use a spoon to create texture on top. We created a side wave pattern by moving the spoon in one direction vertically down the mold.

TEN: Once you’re happy with the top, spritz it with 99% isopropyl alcohol. To help the indigo powder pop, we placed this soap on a heating pad set to medium high for about 2 hours to promote gel phase. Learn more about gel phase here.

Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 2-3 days. Unmold and cut into bars. Allow them to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!

Print

Patchouli & Bentonite Clay Soap

Course Cold process soap

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 3 pounds of soap

Author Bramble Berry

Ingredients

• 10 ″ Silicone Loaf Mold
• 33 oz. Swirl Quick Mix
• 4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 10.9 oz. Distilled Water
• 1.5 oz. Patchouli Essential Oil
• 0.5 oz. Lime Essential Oil
• Bentonite Clay
• Activated Charcoal
• Indigo Powder
• Titanium Dioxide

Instructions

COLORANT PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of titanium dioxide into 1 tablespoon of a lightweight liquid oil such as sunflower or sweet almond. In a separate container, disperse 2 teaspoons of indigo powder into 2 tablespoons of lightweight liquid oil. Disperse 1 teaspoon of bentonite clay into 3 tablespoons of distilled water – this mixture will be quite thick. Finally, disperse 1/2 teaspoon of activated charcoal into 1/2 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get rid of clumps. Optional: To ensure the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Use a coffee grinder 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.

FRAGRANCE PREP: In a glass fragrance oil-safe container, measure out 1.5 ounces of patchouli essential oil and 0.5 ounces of lime essential oil. Set aside.

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, 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.

• Slowly and carefully add 4.6 ounces of lye to 10.9 ounces of distilled water. Gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved. Set it 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 the entire bag of Swirl Quick Mix until it’s completely clear. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 33 ounces into a heat-safe bowl. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend the mixture to a very thin trace.
• Add all of the bentonite clay mixture. Pulse and stir with the stick blender to fully incorporate. Clay tends to speed up trace, so be careful to not over blend during this stage.
• Add all of the essential oil blend and use a whisk to fully mix in.
• Split the soap into 3 separate containers. One container should hold 350 mL, and the remaining 2 should hold 600 mL. Add the following amounts of dispersed powders and whisk thoroughly.<br>Container A (350 mL): 1 teaspoon dispersed activated charcoal<br>Container B (600 mL): 1 tablespoon dispersed indigo powder + 1/2 teaspoon dispersed titanium dioxide<br>Container C (600 mL): remaining dispersed titanium dioxide
• At this point you want the soap to be a medium trace – thin enough to pour, but thick enough that it slightly holds its shape. If it’s still thin, quickly pulse each container with the stick blender starting from lightest to darkest. Once you reach a good texture, begin pouring small dollops of the blue soap into the mold in different areas. Don’t worry too much about the placement of the plops or making them the same size.
• Pour plops of the white soap on top of the blue, followed by dollops of the black soap. Because you have less black soap, make these plops slightly smaller.
• Continue to layer the various colors into the mold. The more dollops the more layers your soap will have. Alternating the spots you pour and the amounts will also create more variety in your bars. There’s really no right or wrong way to layer the colors, so have fun with it. TIP: If your soap gets grainy, whisk until it’s smooth. If it gets too thick to pour, use a spoon to layer the soap.
• Once all the soap is in the mold, use a spoon to create texture on top. We created a side wave pattern by moving the spoon in one direction vertically down the mold.
• Once you’re happy with the top, spritz it with 99% isopropyl alcohol. To help the indigo powder pop, we placed this soap on a heating pad set to medium high for about 2 hours to promote gel phase. Learn more about gel phase here. Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 2-3 days. Unmold and cut into bars. Allow them to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!

The post Patchouli & Bentonite Clay Soap appeared first on Soap Queen.

If you want to customize soap down to the last ingredient, cold process is a great option. You get to choose the oils, colorants, scents, and more. Once you find your perfect recipe you can start getting creative with the designs.

Cold process soap is made by combining oils and sodium hydroxide lye. That causes a chemical reaction called saponification. Melt and pour soap has already gone through that process – learn more about working with it here.

Below you’ll find cold process terms, safety tips, and a list of the equipment you need to get started.

COMMONLY-USED TERMS

Trace: This is the point when the oils and lye water are emulsified. At thin trace, there will be no streaks of oil and the soap will be the consistency of thin cake batter. As the soap sits, it will continue to thicken to medium and thick trace. This video has more information and examples of each stage.

Gel phase: During gel phase, soap gets as hot as 180°F and develops a gelatinous appearance. Learn more in the Jazzed About Gel Phase post. Gelled soap has a brighter color and a slightly shiny appearance. It can also be unmolded more quickly. Some makers force their soap through gel phase with blankets and heating pads. However, gel phase isn’t required – it’s personal preference. It only affects the look of the bars, not the quality. Ungelled soap has a more matte appearance. You can prevent gel phase by putting soap in the freezer for 24 hours. Learn how to force it or prevent it in the When to Insulate Handmade Soap post.

Curing: Technically, cold process soap is safe to use after a few days. However, we recommend letting the soap cure for 4-6 weeks in a cool, dry place with good airflow. Excess water will evaporate, which creates harder and milder bars that last longer in the shower. It’s definitely worth the wait.  

Lye Calculator: This tool makes formulating cold process recipes easy. All you have to do is enter the oil weight or percentage and the Lye Calculator will give you the lye and liquid amount you need for your recipe. It also calculates the superfat level. Learn how to use the Lye Calculator here.

Soda ash: This creates an uneven, white, ashy film on soap. It forms when unsaponified lye reacts with naturally-occurring carbon dioxide in the air. It doesn’t affect the quality and the soap is safe to use. However, it can obscure more intricate designs or make the bars feel crumbly. You can prevent it with a few tricks, including a 10% water discount and gel phase. Learn more in the Explaining and Preventing Soda Ash post.

LYE SAFETY

Lye is a highly corrosive product. It’s safe to use as long as it’s handled properly. Before getting started, make sure to watch this video or read this post about lye safety. Make sure there are no kids, pets, or other distractions in the room when you’re making soap and always do so in a well-ventilated area. You’ll need the following items to work with lye.

Gloves: Rubber dish gloves that go almost to the elbow work great, but they can be bulky. Thinner nitrile or latex gloves provide protection without the bulk. Whatever you choose, they should be paired with long sleeves.

Goggles: Alkali burns are extremely dangerous for your eyes. Your safety goggles should protect them from all sides, so regular glasses aren’t sufficient protection. If you wear glasses, make sure to get goggles that fit over them.

Long sleeves, pants, and close-toed shoes: Protect yourself from unexpected splashes by covering any exposed skin.

Face mask: This is an optional step. If you’re sensitive to lye fumes or if you’re making large batches, you can wear a dust mask.

EQUIPMENT

Any equipment used for soapmaking should be exclusive – don’t use it for food. Lye and fragrance can get stuck in cracks, even with thorough washing. We also recommend hand washing instead of using the dishwasher. Learn more about how to clean soapmaking tools in this post.

Containers: We recommend heat-safe glass, plastic, or stainless steel bowls. Don’t use aluminum – it can react with the lye and create toxic fumes.

Stick/immersion blender: Using a whisk or stand mixer can take hours. Stick blenders emulsify the soap in just a minute or two, so it’s worth the investment.

Silicone spatulas and spoons: Use these to scrape every last bit of soap out of your container and into the mold. They’re also great for smoothing the top or creating texture.

Scale: For accuracy, all of our soap recipes are measured by weight instead of volume. This is a good $20 starter scale.

Soap molds: There are plenty of options to choose from. This post can help you decide which one is right for you.

• Silicone molds: These molds are easy to use, unmold, and clean. They’re a great option for beginner and advanced crafters.
• Wood molds: These are great for large batches and they make it easy to force gel phase. They need to be lined with freezer paper or a silicone liner.
• Plastic molds: You can use these for cold process, but they do require a few extra steps. We recommend a recipe with lots of hard oils and sodium lactate to help the bars come out cleanly and quickly. Get more tips here.

Beginner Recipes
Simple and Gentle Soap
Simple Castile Soap
Menthol Crystal Soap
Simple Coffee Soap
Swirled Rose Soap

Intermediate Recipes
Chopped Embed Soap
Crescent Moon Soap
Swirled Orchid Soap
Pink Salt and Gold Soap
Moonstone Soap

Advanced Recipes
Safflower and Ginger Soap
Siren Soap
Birchwood Oud Soap
Cactus Flower Soap
Chocolate Peppermint Soap Cupcakes

More Cold Process Resources
Common Soapmaking Oils
Formulating Cold Process Recipes
How to Color Handmade Soap
Back to Basics Series Roundup
Using the Bramble Berry Fragrance Calculator

This post was updated in January 2019.

The post Free Beginner’s Guide to Soapmaking: Cold Process appeared first on Soap Queen.

This Turmeric Ombre Soap is all about simplicity. It has skin-loving ingredients like cocoa butter, turmeric shea butter, and sunflower oil. The ombre design is made by layering various shades of turmeric powder. For a pop of color, the soap is topped with cornflower petals on one half and safflower petals on the other.

The bars are unscented, which makes this recipe perfect for those with sensitive skin. Feel free to add a fragrance or essential oil if you’d like – find out how much to use with our Fragrance Calculator. To help the turmeric pop, we recommend forcing gel phase. Soaping a little bit warmer (120-130°F) and placing the soap on a heating pad should do the trick. 

Turmeric Ombre Cold Process Soap

What You Need: 
5 Pound Wood Mold with Sliding Bottom
Silicone Liner for 5 Pound Wood Mold
1.6 oz. Castor Oil (3%)
2.2 oz. Cocoa Butter (4%)
16.2 oz. Coconut Oil (30%)
7 oz. Olive Oil (13%)
13.5 oz. Palm Oil (25%)
10.8 oz. Sunflower Oil (20%)
2.7 oz. Turmeric Shea Butter (5%)
7.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
16 oz. Distilled Water (10% water discount)
Turmeric Powder
Cornflower Petals and/or Safflower Petals

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

Print

Turmeric Ombre Cold Process Soap

Course Cold process soap

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours

Author Bramble Berry

Ingredients

• 5 Pound Wood Mold with Sliding Bottom
• Silicone Liner for 5 Pound Wood Mold
• 1.6 oz. Castor Oil 3%
• 2.2 oz. Cocoa Butter 4%
• 16.2 oz. Coconut Oil 30%
• 7 oz. Olive Oil 13%
• 13.5 oz. Palm Oil 25%
• 10.8 oz. Sunflower Oil 20%
• 2.7 oz. Turmeric Shea Butter 5%
• 7.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 16 oz. Distilled Water 10% water discount
• Turmeric Powder
• Cornflower Petals
• Safflower Petals

Instructions

COLORANT PREP: Disperse 3 teaspoons of turmeric powder into 3 tablespoons of a lightweight liquid oil such as sunflower or sweet almond. Use a mini mixer to get rid of clumps.

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, 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.

• Slowly and carefully add 7.7 ounces of lye to 16 ounces of distilled water. Gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved. Set it 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 3.5 teaspoons sodium lactate.
• Melt and combine 1.6 ounces of castor oil, 2.2 ounces of cocoa butter, 16.2 ounces of coconut oil, 7 ounces of olive oil, 13.5 ounces of palm oil (remember to fully melt the entire container of palm oil before portioning), 10.8 ounces of sunflower oil, and 2.7 ounces of turmeric shea butter into a large mixing bowl. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend the mixture to a thin trace.
• Split the batch of soap into four equal containers - each will hold about 600 mL. Add the following amounts of dispersed turmeric powder and whisk the colorants in. Adjust with more color if necessary.
  Container A: 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon dispersed turmeric
  Container B: 1.5 teaspoons dispersed turmeric
  Container C: 1/4 teaspoon dispersed turmeric
  Container D: none
• Stick blend the darkest color for a few seconds to thicken to a medium trace. The soap should be the texture of pudding. It needs to be thick enough to support the layers above it. Pour all of this soap into the mold and tap on the counter to get rid of bubbles. Smooth with a spoon if necessary.
• Stick blend container B for a few seconds to thicken to medium trace - it needs to be thick enough to support the layers above it. Pour or spoon all of this soap into the mold. Be careful to not break through the layer below. Smooth with a spoon and tap on the counter to get rid of bubbles. Whisk the other containers of soap to ensure they are not getting too thick.
• If necessary, stick blend container C for a few seconds to thicken to medium trace. Pour or spoon all of this soap into the mold. Be careful to not break through the layer below. Smooth with a spoon and tap on the counter to get rid of bubbles.
• If necessary, stick blend container D for a few seconds to thicken to medium trace. Pour or spoon all of the soap into the mold. Be careful to not break through the layer below. Smooth with a spoon and tap on the counter to get rid of bubbles.
• Use a small spoon to create a side wave texture on the top of the soap. There is no right or wrong way to do this, so have fun with it.
• Once you're happy with the top, sprinkle cornflower petals or safflower petals onto the soap. Or, sprinkle both on either side of the mold. Lightly press the petals into the soap with gloved hands to help them stick once cut.
• This soap benefits from gel phase because it helps natural color of the turmeric powder pop. To increase the temperature of the soap, place the mold on a heating pad set to medium for 1-2 hours.
  NOTE: The amount of time on the heating pad will vary depending on your climate and how hot the lye and oils were when mixed. Keep your eyes on the soap for the first hour to help gauge the temperature. Gel phase will first begin in the center of the soap and spread out to the sides. If gel phase is not occurring in the first 15 minutes or so, increase the temperature of the heating pad and insulate with a blanket. Just be careful that it doesn't get too hot and crack.
• Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 1-3 days (depending if you used sodium lactate or not). Carefully remove from the silicone liner and cut the soap into bars. Cutting these bars from the side can help prevent drag marks from the petals on top. Allow them to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!

The post Turmeric Ombre Cold Process Soap appeared first on Soap Queen.

There are a few factors to consider before formulating cold process soap recipes. From the Common Soapmaking Oils post to the Back to Basics Series, we’ve got plenty of resources to help you get started.

You can never go wrong with a 34/33/33 ratio. That’s 34% olive oil, 33% coconut oil, and 33% palm oil. They’re commonly used because they complement each other well. Palm oil acts as a secondary lathering agent and hardens the soap, coconut oil is cleansing and produces big bubbles, and olive oil is moisturizing and gives bars a silky feeling. If you don’t want to use palm oil, learn more about alternatives here.

Another standard recipe is the 30/30/30/10. That’s 30% olive oil, 30% coconut oil, 30% palm oil, and 10% of something special – rice bran oil, sweet almond oil, shea butter, or mango butter are all good options. The additional oils and butters each add a unique feeling to the recipe. 

To create your own recipe, start by choosing your base oils. You can use each one around 20-30%. For the remaining portion, consider what you’d like the bar to feel like. Do you want it to be super moisturizing, have a nice thick lather, or to be hard and long lasting? Then, check out Common Soapmaking Oils. It lists the properties and usage rates of the oils so you can choose the right one for your recipe.

There are a few general rules that make formulating recipes easier.

• Oils that are liquid at room temperature tend to trace more slowly. A high percentage in your recipe is great for intricate designs. The soap will take longer to harden in the mold and it will feel softer than a recipe with a high percentage of hard oils.
• Hard oils – the ones that are solid at room temperature – trace more quickly. The soap will unmold faster and the bars will feel firmer than a recipe with a lot of liquid oil.
• Any soap can be made with just one oil, but the only ones we recommend using up to 100% are olive oil or coconut oil. The others can feel too sticky, too hard, etc. Learn more in the Single Oil Cold Process Soap Lather Tests. Most recipes are a combination of hard and soft oils.
• If you want to create hard bars without palm oil, check out Palm Oil Alternatives in Cold Process Soap.
• You can substitute oils in your cold process recipe. For instance, canola or rice bran can be used in place of olive oil. Learn more in the Substituting Oils post.

While we do our best to formulate a recipe so we can predict exactly how it will behave, there are an unlimited number of variables that can lead to unexpected results. The best way to find out what works for you is to experiment. Start with these rules and then adjust based on your personal preferences.

Here are a few tried-and-true recipes we love. They’re superfatted at 5%.

Old Faithful
This one is simple and reliable, so it’s great for beginners. The castor oil gives it a luscious lather. The recipe is similar to our Lots of Lather Quick Mix.

Old Faithful with a Twist
This is a fairly standard recipe with a few moisturizing extras like sweet almond oil and mango butter. Shea butter in place of mango feels lovely as well.

25% Coconut Oil
25% Palm Oil
30% Olive Oil
15% Sweet Almond Oil
5% Mango Butter

Perfectly Palm Free
This is a wonderfully slow-moving recipe that’s great for intricate designs.

15% Coconut Oil
30% Canola Oil
25% Rice Bran Oil
15% Shea Butter
10% Avocado Oil
5% Chia Seed Oil

Beautiful Swirls
This option is great for more than just swirls – you can use it for other intricate designs like layers and embeds. It’s similar to the Swirl Quick Mix.

20% Coconut Oil
30% Palm Oil
20% Canola Oil
4% Castor Oil
6% Hazelnut Oil
10% Rice Bran Oil
10% Sunflower Oil

This post was updated in November 2018.

The post Formulating Cold Process Soap Recipes appeared first on Soap Queen.

If you make cold process soap, there’s a good chance you’ve gotten soda ash. It creates an uneven, white, ashy film on the bars. Soda ash is harmless, but it can be frustrating. Learn how to prevent it in this post.

Soda ash forms when unsaponified lye reacts with naturally-occurring carbon dioxide in the air. It doesn’t affect the final bars and the soap is safe to use. However, it can obscure more intricate designs. It typically shows up on top of soap, but in some cases it can run all the way through. Soda ash can also make the soap feel crumbly. It usually forms within 1-3 days.

This is an example of deep soda ash – notice the crumbly texture. 

How to prevent it
Soda ash most often forms with lower temperatures and when the soap is poured at thin trace. You may notice it more with swirl designs that require thin soap.

To help prevent it, make sure your lye and oils are 100°F or higher. We like to soap around 115-120°F. Then, pour the soap when it’s closer to medium trace. Spray the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol right away, then again in 10-15 minutes. That helps create a protective barrier.

Finally, cover the soap with a piece of cardboard and a then towel or blanket. That keeps the soap warm and forces gel phase. If your house is cold, you may also want to place the mold on a heating pad set to medium for 30-60 minutes. Then, turn the heating pad off and leave the soap on it for 24 hours. Learn more about how to insulate soap here.

If your design requires a thin trace or if the steps above aren’t working, there are other options. A water discount really helps. Not only does it prevent soda ash and glycerin rivers, but it helps the soap unmold and cure more quickly. A 5-10% water discount is a good place to start. You can also try reducing the superfat to 2-4%.

Adding 0.5% melted beeswax at thin trace is another option. It creates a barrier between the unsaponified lye and the air. It also helps harden the bars and gives them a slightly shiny appearance. Keep in mind, working with beeswax is an advanced technique. The lye and oils need to be around 160°F to keep the beeswax melted, and it will speed up trace.

How to clean it
Even with preventative measures, soda ash can still form. You can clean it off with the following methods.

If you make a lot of soap, we recommend investing in a handheld steamer. It gets rid of the soda ash quickly. Hold the steamer about 1-5 inches above each bar of soap for 20-30 seconds. Once the bars are dry, they will be clean and shiny. This method works best for a light layer of soda ash on top of bars.

You can also give the bars a cold water wash. Make sure you’re wearing gloves so you don’t leave fingerprints on the bars. Run the soap under cold water and scrub the areas that have soda ash with a paper towel. Once it’s gone, rinse off any lather and let the bar dry.

Another method is scrubbing the bars with old nylons. Once you can’t wear them anymore, cut the foot off and use it the same way as the paper towel. You can reuse the nylon – just rinse it off and hang to dry in between uses.

You can also use a Soap Shaver to remove the top layer of soda ash. In the photo below, the bars on the left have been run over the shaver. Not only did it remove soda ash, but it created a nice even top as well.

This post was updated in November 2018.

The post Explaining and Preventing Soda Ash appeared first on Soap Queen.

New Alpine Frost Fragrance Oil will be your go-to winter scent. The notes of eucalyptus, sparkling icicle, amber, and musk inspired this cold process soap.

The blue and white color palette complements the fragrance perfectly. Soap colored with Ultramarine Blue Pigment, Neon Blue Raspberry Colorant, and titanium dioxide are poured into the mold with a drop swirl technique. A Hanger Swirl Tool is used to create a more intricate design. The best part is you don’t have to be too careful with the design and each bar will look unique.

[bb_recipeKit link=”https://www.brambleberry.com/BRAMcustom/kitrecipehandler.ashx?recipe=alpinefrostcpsoap”]

What You Need:
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
Hanger Swirl Tool
3.5 oz. Avocado Oil (10%)
1 oz. Castor Oil (2.8%)
8.8 oz. Coconut Oil (25.1%)
8.8 oz. Olive Oil (25.1%)
8.8 oz. Palm Oil (25.1%)
4.2 oz. Rice Bran Oil (12%)
4.9 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
10.4 oz. Distilled Water (10% water discount)
1.75 oz. Alpine Frost Fragrance Oil
Titanium Dioxide
Ultramarine Blue Pigment
Neon Blue Raspberry Colorant

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

[/bb_recipeKit]

[sq_products]

If you’ve never made cold process soap before, stop here. We 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 Pure Soapmaking.

COLORANT PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of titanium dioxide into 1 tablespoon of a lightweight liquid oil such as sunflower or sweet almond. Then in separate containers, disperse 1 teaspoon of Ultramarine Blue Pigment and 1 teaspoon of Neon Blue Raspberry Colorant into 1 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get rid of clumps.
Optional: To ensure the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Use a coffee grinder 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. 

FRAGRANCE PREP: In a glass fragrance oil-safe container, measure out 1.75 ounces of Alpine Frost Fragrance Oil and set aside.

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, 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.

ONE: Slowly and carefully add 4.9 ounces of lye to 10.4 ounces of distilled water. Gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved. Set it 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: Melt and combine 3.5 ounces of avocado oil, 1 ounce of castor oil, 8.8 ounces of coconut oil, 8.8 ounces of olive oil, 8.8 ounces of palm oil (remember to fully melt the entire container of palm oil before portioning), and 4.2 ounces of rice bran oil into a large mixing bowl. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend the mixture to a very thin trace.

THREE: Split the soap into three separate containers and add the following colors. Use a whisk to mix them in.

• Container A (300 mL ): 1.5 teaspoons dispersed Neon Blue Raspberry Colorant
• Container B (300 mL): 2 teaspoons dispersed Ultramarine Blue Pigment
• Container C (remaining soap): All dispersed titanium dioxide

FOUR: Add the 1.75 ounces of Alpine Frost Fragrance Oil to each container proportionally – it’s okay to eyeball it. Use a whisk to mix in the fragrance.

FIVE: Pour a small amount of the white soap into the mold – just enough to cover the bottom. Then alternate pouring small amounts of the dark blue, white, and light blue soap into the mold at varying heights. That helps the soap drop to different areas of the mold rather than sitting on top and creating layers. Don’t worry about being too precise when you’re pouring.
Tip: Pouring white soap between the two shades of blue helps define the swirls. 

SIX: Continue pouring the soap into the mold. Save a very small amount of each color for the top.

SEVEN: Insert the Hanger Swirl Tool into one side of the mold. Then, use loop-de-loop motions to swirl the soap. There is no right or wrong way to do this necessarily, but different motions and patterns will result in slightly different looking swirl. Some loops should be big and some small. Varying the direction (horizontal versus vertical) also creates a more complex swirl. Once you’ve swirled the soap about 7-10 times, remove the Hanger Swirl Tool by bringing it up and out on one side of the mold.

EIGHT: Pour or plop (depending on your trace – ours was quite thick at this point) dollops of the remaining soap on top. Don’t worry too much about the placement of each color.

NINE: Use the back of a spoon to create peaks and divots into the soap. Have fun with the texture – there is no right or wrong way to do it. Watch this video for cold process soap texture inspiration.

TEN: Once you’re happy with the top, spritz with 99% isopropyl alcohol. We placed this soap on a heating pad for about 1 hour to help promote gel phase. Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 1-3 days (depending if you used sodium lactate or not). Unmold and cut into bars. Allow the bars to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!

Print

Alpine Swirl Cold Process Soap

New Alpine Frost Fragrance Oil will be your go-to winter scent. The notes of eucalyptus, sparkling icicle, amber, and musk inspired this cold process soap.

Course Cold process soap

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 3 pounds of soap

Author Bramble Berry

Ingredients

• 10 ″ Silicone Loaf Mold
• Hanger Swirl Tool
• 3.5 oz. Avocado Oil 10%
• 1 oz. Castor Oil 2.8%
• 8.8 oz. Coconut Oil 25.1%
• 8.8 oz. Olive Oil 25.1%
• 8.8 oz. Palm Oil 25.1%
• 4.2 oz. Rice Bran Oil 12%
• 4.9 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 10.4 oz. Distilled Water 10% water discount
• 1.75 oz. Alpine Frost Fragrance Oil
• Titanium Dioxide
• Ultramarine Blue Pigment
• Neon Blue Raspberry Colorant

Instructions

COLORANT PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of titanium dioxide into 1 tablespoon of a lightweight liquid oil such as sunflower or sweet almond. Then in separate containers, disperse 1 teaspoon of Ultramarine Blue Pigment and 1 teaspoon of Neon Blue Raspberry Colorant into 1 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get rid of clumps. Optional: To ensure the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Use a coffee grinder 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.

FRAGRANCE PREP: In a glass fragrance oil-safe container, measure out 1.75 ounces of Alpine Frost Fragrance Oil and set aside.

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, 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.

• Slowly and carefully add 4.9 ounces of lye to 10.4 ounces of distilled water. Gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved. Set it 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.
• Melt and combine 3.5 ounces of avocado oil, 1 ounce of castor oil, 8.8 ounces of coconut oil, 8.8 ounces of olive oil, 8.8 ounces of palm oil (remember to fully melt the entire container of palm oil before portioning), and 4.2 ounces of rice bran oil into a large mixing bowl. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend the mixture to a very thin trace.
• Split the soap into three separate containers and add the following colors. Use a whisk to mix them in.<br>Container A (300 mL ): 1.5 teaspoons dispersed Neon Blue Raspberry Colorant<br>Container B (300 mL): 2 teaspoons dispersed Ultramarine Blue Pigment<br>Container C (remaining soap): All dispersed titanium dioxide
• Add the 1.75 ounces of Alpine Frost Fragrance Oil to each container proportionally – it’s okay to eyeball it. Use a whisk to mix in the fragrance.
• Pour a small amount of the white soap into the mold – just enough to cover the bottom. Then alternate pouring small amounts of the dark blue, white, and light blue soap into the mold at varying heights. That helps the soap drop to different areas of the mold rather than sitting on top and creating layers. Don’t worry about being too precise when you’re pouring. Tip: Pouring white soap between the two shades of blue helps define the swirls.
• Continue pouring the soap into the mold. Save a very small amount of each color for the top.
• Insert the Hanger Swirl Tool into one side of the mold. Then, use loop-de-loop motions to swirl the soap. There is no right or wrong way to do this necessarily, but different motions and patterns will result in slightly different looking swirl. Some loops should be big and some small. Varying the direction (horizontal versus vertical) also creates a more complex swirl. Once you’ve swirled the soap about 7-10 times, remove the Hanger Swirl Tool by bringing it up and out on one side of the mold.
• Pour or plop (depending on your trace – ours was quite thick at this point) dollops of the remaining soap on top. Don’t worry too much about the placement of each color.
• Use the back of a spoon to create peaks and divots into the soap. Have fun with the texture – there is no right or wrong way to do it.
• Once you’re happy with the top, spritz with 99% isopropyl alcohol. We placed this soap on a heating pad for about 1 hour to help promote gel phase. Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 1-3 days (depending if you used sodium lactate or not). Unmold and cut into bars. Allow the bars to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!

The post Alpine Swirl Cold Process Soap appeared first on Soap Queen.