Here on the western side of Washington state, we don’t get a lot of snow. Luckily, the mountains are nearby when we want to enjoy skiing, snowboarding, sledding, or just building a snowman. Personally, I have my fingers crossed for a little snow below the mountains this year; our yard has a little hill that would be perfect for sledding!

The thought of fresh snow led me to create these super sparkly snowflake melt and pour soaps. They would make a great holiday gift. It’s also a fun project to do with family and friends who are staying during the holidays. If it doesn’t snow, I’ll probably whip up another batch with my mom to make our own white Christmas! =)

These soaps are scented with Fresh Snow Fragrance Oil, which is a clean, ozone-y fragrance. It reminds me a bit of clean laundry. A small amount of soap is colored with Slushy Blue Mica and placed in the snowflake details with an Injector Tool. This does take require a steady hand and a little patience. Having a spray bottle full of rubbing alcohol helps the soap “spread” into the details more easily, and a Clean Up Tool is great for fixing any mistakes.

What You’ll Need:
Two Snowflake 2 Molds
27 oz. Clear Melt and Pour Base
0.4 oz. Fresh Snow Fragrance Oil
Slushy Blue Mica
Super Pearly White Mica
Snowflake Sparkle Mica
Fine Iridescent Glitter
Injector Tool
99% Isopropyl Alcohol in Spray Bottle
Optional: Clean Up Tool & Infrared Thermometer

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

PREP COLORANTS: Dispersing powdered colorants in 99% isopropyl alcohol makes them easier to incorporate into melt and pour. It also helps prevent clumps. In a small container, mix together 1/2 teaspoon Slushy Blue Mica into 1/2 tablespoon alcohol. In a separate container, mix together 1 teaspoon Snowflake Sparkle Mica and 1/4 teaspoon Super Pearly White Mica into 1 tablespoon alcohol. Set colorants aside.

ONE: Chop and melt 3 ounces of Clear Melt and Pour Soap in the microwave using 5-7 second bursts. Because you’re melting such a small amount of soap it can be easy to burn, so use short bursts. Once melted, stir in the Slushy Blue Mica mixture.

TWO: Spray the mold cavities lightly with alcohol. This helps the soap spread into the details. Use scissors to cut a small section off the end of the Injector Tool to make the hole slightly larger. Use the Injector Tool to fill in the snowflake details with blue soap. Work carefully but quickly as the soap will begin to cool and harden in the Injector Tool. Throughout the process, spray the soap with alcohol to get rid of any bubbles. If necessary, reheat the blue soap in the microwave using 3-5 second bursts. If you make any mistakes, allow the soap to harden and use the Clean Up Tool to fix any mistakes.
TIP: Have a cup of hot water nearby to clear out the Injector Tool while filling in the details. This helps prevent the soap from hardening in the tool, which is hard to remove.

THREE: Chop and melt 24 ounces of Clear Melt and Pour Soap base in the microwave using 30-45 second bursts. Add the Snowflake Sparkle Mica and Super Pearly White Mica mixture to the soap and stir in with a spoon. Add 1/2 teaspoon of Fine Iridescent Glitter to the soap and stir in.

FOUR: Add the Fresh Snow Fragrance Oil and use a spoon to fully mix in.

FIVE: Check the temperature of the white soap. If it’s above 130 ° F, allow it to cool until it’s about 120-125 ° F. If it’s too hot, it will melt the blue details below. Once it’s the appropriate temperature, spritz each cavity with alcohol to help the layers stick and pour the white soap into each cavity. Spritz the soap with alcohol to help get rid of any bubbles. Allow the soap to fully cool and harden overnight. Release the soap from the mold, and wrap in plastic wrap to help avoid glycerin dew.

Print

Shimmering Snowflake Melt & Pour Tutorial

These sparkly snowflake soaps are perfect for the holidays!

Course Melt and Pour Soap

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6 soaps

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• Two Snowflake 2 Mold
• 27 oz. Clear Melt and Pour Base
• 0.4 oz. Fresh Snow Fragrance Oil
• Slushy Blue Mica
• Super Pearly White Mica
• Snowflake Sparkle Mica
• Injector Tool
• 99 % Isopropyl Alcohol in Spray Bottle
• Optional: Clean Up Tool

Instructions

PREP COLORANTS: Dispersing powdered colorants in 99% isopropyl alcohol makes them easier to incorporate into melt and pour. It also helps prevent clumps. In a small container, mix together 1/2 teaspoon Slushy Blue Mica into 1/2 tablespoon alcohol. In a separate container, mix together 1 teaspoon Snowflake Sparkle Mica and 1/4 teaspoon Super Pearly White Mica into 1 tablespoon alcohol. Set colorants aside.

• Chop and melt 3 ounces of Clear Melt and Pour Soap in the microwave using 5-7 second bursts. Because you’re melting such a small amount of soap it can be easy to burn, so use short bursts. Once melted, stir in the Slushy Blue Mica mixture.
• Spray the mold cavities lightly with alcohol. This helps the soap spread into the details. Use scissors to cut a small section off the end of the Injector Tool to make the hole slightly larger. Use the Injector Tool to fill in the snowflake details with blue soap. Work carefully but quickly as the soap will begin to cool and harden in the Injector Tool. Throughout the process, spray the soap with alcohol to get rid of any bubbles. If necessary, reheat the blue soap in the microwave using 3-5 second bursts. If you make any mistakes, allow the soap to harden and use the Clean Up Tool to fix any mistakes. TIP: Have a cup of hot water nearby to clear out the Injector Tool while filling in the details. This helps prevent the soap from hardening in the tool, which is hard to remove.
• Chop and melt 24 ounces of Clear Melt and Pour Soap base in the microwave using 30-45 second bursts. Add the Snowflake Sparkle Mica and Super Pearly White Mica mixture to the soap and stir in with a spoon.
• Add the Fresh Snow Fragrance Oil and use a spoon to fully mix in.
• Check the temperature of the white soap. If it’s above 130 ° F, allow it to cool until it’s about 120-125 ° F. If it’s too hot, it will melt the blue details below. Once it’s the appropriate temperature, spritz each cavity with alcohol to help the layers stick and pour the white soap into each cavity. Spritz the soap with alcohol to help get rid of any bubbles. Allow the soap to fully cool and harden overnight. Release the soap from the mold, and wrap in plastic wrap to help avoid glycerin dew.

The post Shimmering Snowflake Melt & Pour Tutorial appeared first on Soap Queen.

This stencil technique lends itself to a wide variety of shapes and ideas. Super Pearly White Mica was used to create a snow-like effect, but you can also use glitter as seen in the Stenciled Glitter Soap Tutorial and Glittered Sparkle Soap Kit.

What You’ll Need:
48 oz. Clear Melt and Pour
12 Cavity Square Silicone Mold
1.2 oz. Fresh Snow Fragrance Oil
Ultramarine Blue Color Block
Super Pearly White Mica
Holiday Label & Stencil PDF
Paint brush
Label stock

FOUR: While the soap cools, use an X-acto knife to cut out the stencil shapes printed onto label stock.

FIVE: Once the soap has fully hardened, remove each bar from the mold. Remove the backing and stick the stencil on the top of the soap, making sure the image is centered. Dip the paint brush into the Super Pearly White mica, and dust off any excess. Carefully brush the mica over the stencil.

SIX: Once the design has been fully covered in mica, carefully remove the stencil. To set the mica, gently spray with aerosol hairspray (although that can make the mica less shimmery looking). Enjoy!

Do you enjoy spending time in the cold weather, or do you prefer to bundle up inside?

The post 12 Days of Christmas: Snowy Stencil Melt and Pour appeared first on Soap Queen.

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

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

If you’ve never made Cold Process soap before, stop here! I highly recommend checking out our FREE four part SoapQueen.tv series on Cold Process Soapmaking, especially the episode on lye safety. And if you’d rather do some reading, Bramble Berry carries a wide range of books on the topic, including my newest book, Soap Crafting. You can also checkout the digital downloads for that instant gratification factor.

SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices! That means goggles, gloves and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, and other distractions and tripping hazards are out of the house or don’t have access to your soaping space. Always soap in a well-ventilated area.

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

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

TWO: Begin by melting down the Palm Kernel Flakes in the microwave on 30 second bursts.  Then, combine the melted Palm Kernel Flakes with the melted Avocado Butter, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Palm Oil, Rice Bran Oil and Sweet Almond Oil in a large glass container. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace.

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

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

FIVE: Add the following colorants to the three containers:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bonus: Check out the cut of this soap below!

Print

Holly Berry Cold Process Soap

This Holly Berry Soap is perfect for the holidays!

Course Cold process

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

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

Instructions

• SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices! That means goggles, gloves and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, and other distractions and tripping hazards are out of the house or don’t have access to your soaping space. Always soap in a well-ventilated area.
• COLOR PREP: To ensure that the Titanium Dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Please note this is an optional tip but it does help with the titanium dioxide clumping in the soap =) To micronize colorant, simply use a coffee grinder to blend the colorant to break up any clumps of color and prevent streaks of white from showing in the final soap. We like to use a coffee grinder that has a removable, stainless steel mixing area for easy cleaning. Disperse 1 teaspoon all colorants except the Super Pearly White into 1 tablespoon of liquid oil (we like Sweet Almond or Sunflower). Make a double batch of the Super Pearly White by mixing two teaspoons of colorant into 2 tablespoons of oil. Prepping your colors in the beginning will allow you to work quickly and give you more time to work with your soap. Use the mini mixer to get all those clumps worked out smoothly.
• Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water, and stir until clear. Set aside to cool. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that lasts longer in the shower, you can add Sodium Lactate to the cooled lye water. Use 1 teaspoon of Sodium Lactate per pound of oils in the recipe.
• Begin by melting down the Palm Kernel Flakes in the microwave on 30 second bursts. Then, combine the melted Palm Kernel Flakes with the melted Avocado Butter, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Palm Oil, Rice Bran Oil and Sweet Almond Oil in a large glass container. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace.
• Pour approximately 2 – 3 oz. of soap batter into a condiment bottle and color with 1 teaspoon of dispersed Hydrated Chrome Green. Plug the tip with your finger and then shake vigorously. Release your finger with the tip pointing away from your face and then set aside.
• In two additional containers, pour off about 2 cups each. You should have about 4 cups left in the original container.
• Add the following colorants to the three containers:<br>2 teaspoons dispersed Super Pearly White in the original container.<br>3 teaspoons dispersed Merlot Sparkle Mica and 1/2 teaspoon Electric Bubblegum in one of the 2-cup containers.<br>3 teaspoons dispersed Super Pearly White and 1/4 teaspoon dispersed Activated Charcoal in the remaining 2-cup container.
• Using a wire whisk or spoon, split the fragrance equally among the 3 containers.
• For the in-the-pot swirl, start by pouring the grey colored soap into the Titanium Dioxide colored soap in 4 places: 12:00 o’clock, 4:00 o’clock, 8:00 o’clock, and center. Repeat with the Merlot Sparkle Mica. Pour from a high point so that the soap penetrates the entire depth of the soap in the pot, which will create a swirl throughout the soap.
• Using a spatula, chopstick or dowel, swirl the soap by running the tool through each of the entry points once. Only once! You want to swirl but not mix the soap.
• After you’ve swirled the soap, slowly pour the batter into the mold. We started pouring in the upper left hand corner and moved diagonally to the bottom right hand corner.
• Now use the condiment bottle to “draw” holly leaf designs on the surface of the soap. We free-handed our designs, so have fun with this part!
• Once you’re satisfied with your leaves, pour the Cranberry Seeds as berries. In order to get little round berries that were relatively the same shape, we poured the seeds through an 8 oz. Funnel.
• We recommend keeping a chopstick or pair of tweezers on hand to clean up any stray seeds. That will help you keep your “berries” looking like berries and not scattered bunches of seeds!

The post Holly Berry Cold Process Soap appeared first on Soap Queen.