Fragrance oils with vanilla turn soap and other products brown. Learn more about discoloration here. The Cinnamon Cocoa Fragrance Oil from the new Hygge Collection has notes of coffee beans, sugar, and chocolate. These delicious-smelling notes come from its high vanilla content, which results in a very dark brown soap.

Instead of fighting the discoloration, this Cinnamon Cocoa Cold Process Soap embraces it with a brown and black color palette.

Cinnamon Cocoa Fragrance Oil is only added to the black and brown soap. The base is left unscented so it won’t discolor. Oat oil gives the base a yellow shade, so plenty of titanium dioxide is used to create a more neutral shade. Because of the titanium dioxide, this recipe contains a 10% water discount to prevent glycerin rivers.

The water discount also aids in unmolding because this recipe is palm free. When a recipe doesn’t contain palm oil, it’s usually a good idea to add other firm oils or butters for balance. The mango butter, cocoa butter, and babassu oil in this recipe ensures the soap becomes firm. Learn more about palm oil substitutes in cold process soap here.

What You Need:
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
Hanger Swirl Tool
5 oz. Babassu Oil (15.1%)
0.7 oz. Castor Oil (2.1%)
3.3 oz. Cocoa Butter (9.9%)
8.3 oz. Coconut Oil (25%)
1 oz. Mango Butter (3%)
3.3 oz. Oat Oil (9.9%)
6.6 oz. Olive Oil (19.9%)
5 oz. Sunflower Oil (15.1%)
4.8 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
9.9 oz. Distilled Water (10% water discount)
1.3 oz. Cinnamon Cocoa Fragrance Oil
Black Oxide
Brown Oxide
Titanium Dioxide
Cinnamon Sticks

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 2 teaspoons of titanium dioxide into 2 tablespoons of a lightweight liquid oil such as sunflower or sweet almond. Disperse 1/2 teaspoon black oxide into 1/2 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Then, disperse 1 teaspoon of brown oxide into 1 tablespoon of lightweight 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 1.3 ounces of Cinnamon Cocoa 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 4.8 ounces of lye to 9.9 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: Melt and combine 5 ounces of babassu oil, 0.7 ounces of castor oil, 3.3 ounces of cocoa butter, 8.3 ounces of coconut oil, 1 ounce of mango butter, 3.3 ounces of oat oil, 6.6 ounces of olive oil, and 5 ounces of sunflower 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 thin trace.

THREE: Split off 200 mL of batter into one container and 300 mL of batter into another container. Add the following colorants to the three containers and whisk in.

• Container A (200 mL): 1/2 teaspoon dispersed black oxide
• Container B (300 mL): 1 teaspoon dispersed brown oxide
• Container C (remaining batter): All dispersed titanium dioxide

FOUR: Add the fragrance oil proportionately to the black and brown soap. Use a whisk to thoroughly 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 black, brown, and white 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.

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. Just keep moving the Hanger Swirl Tool in circular motions. Some loops should be big and some small. Once you’ve swirled the soap about 5-7 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) lines of the black, white, and brown soap down the length of the mold. Placing the white soap in the center will help create contrast.

NINE: Insert a dowel or chopstick to swirl the very top of the soap. We used an “S” curve pattern down the length of the mold. Be careful to not over-swirl the soap, or the colors will become muddled.

TEN: Place cinnamon sticks into one side of the soap at an angle. Place each stick where you’d like the center of the bar to be.

ELEVEN: Spritz the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to help prevent soda ash. Let the soap sit uncovered at room temperature for 2-3 days (depending if you used sodium lactate or not). We found that because this recipe doesn’t contain palm oil, it needed a little bit more time in the mold than usual. Once the mold pulls away from the soap without tearing, unmold it and cut into bars. Allow them to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.

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Cinnamon Cocoa Cold Process Soap

Course Cold process soap

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 3 pounds of soap

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• 10 ″ Silicone Loaf Mold
• Hanger Swirl Tool
• 5 oz. Babassu Oil 15.1%
• 0.7 oz. Castor Oil 2.1%
• 3.3 oz. Cocoa Butter 9.9%
• 8.3 oz. Coconut Oil 25%
• 1 oz. Mango Butter 3%
• 3.3 oz. Oat Oil 9.9%
• 6.6 oz. Olive Oil 19.9%
• 5 oz. Sunflower Oil 15.1%
• 4.8 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 9.9 oz. Distilled Water 10% water discount
• 1.3 oz. Cinnamon Cocoa Fragrance Oil
• Black Oxide
• Brown Oxide
• Titanium Dioxide
• Cinnamon Sticks

Instructions

COLORANT PREP: Disperse 2 teaspoons of titanium dioxide into 2 tablespoons of a lightweight liquid oil such as sunflower or sweet almond. Disperse 1/2 teaspoon black oxide into 1/2 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Then, disperse 1 teaspoon of brown oxide into 1 tablespoon of lightweight 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 1.3 ounces of Cinnamon Cocoa 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 4.8 ounces of lye to 9.9 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.
• Melt and combine 5 ounces of babassu oil, 0.7 ounces of castor oil, 3.3 ounces of cocoa butter, 8.3 ounces of coconut oil, 1 ounce of mango butter, 3.3 ounces of oat oil, 6.6 ounces of olive oil, and 5 ounces of sunflower 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 thin trace.
• Split off 200 mL of batter into one container and 300 mL of batter into another container. Add the following colorants to the three containers and whisk in.

  Container A (200 mL): 1/2 teaspoon dispersed black oxide

  Container B (300 mL): 1 teaspoon dispersed brown oxide

  Container C (remaining batter): All dispersed titanium dioxide
• Add the fragrance oil proportionately to the black and brown soap. Use a whisk to thoroughly 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 black, brown, and white 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.
• 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. Just keep moving the Hanger Swirl Tool in circular motions. Some loops should be big and some small. Once you’ve swirled the soap about 5-7 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) lines of the black, white, and brown soap down the length of the mold. Placing the white soap in the center will help create contrast.
• Insert a dowel or chopstick to swirl the very top of the soap. We used an “S” curve pattern down the length of the mold. Be careful to not over-swirl the soap, or the colors will become muddled
• Place cinnamon sticks into one side of the soap at an angle. Place each stick where you’d like the center of the bar to be.
• Spritz the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to help prevent soda ash. Let the soap sit uncovered at room temperature for 2-3 days (depending if you used sodium lactate or not). We found that because this recipe doesn’t contain palm oil, it needed a little bit more time in the mold than usual. Once the mold pulls away from the soap without tearing, unmold it and cut into bars. Allow them to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.

The post Cinnamon Cocoa Cold Process Soap appeared first on Soap Queen.

The jade stone is known for its beautiful green color and the thought that it has healing properties. The stone inspired our Jade Fragrance Oil, which is a fresh and green floral scent. It has notes of English ivy, jasmine, green apple, and neroli. The wispy swirls in these jade bars are created by pouring the green and white soap into the mold, then swirling them together with the Hanger Swirl Tool.

The great thing about this project is there are no concrete rules on how to create the swirls. You can pour the green and white soap with lots of layers or just a few. You can also experiment with moving the Hanger Swirl Tool in different directions and frequency. Each bar looks completely unique. Jade Fragrance Oil allows for plenty of time to swirl the soap, making it ideal for cold process beginners. This soap has a 10% water discount to help prevent glycerin rivers.

What You Need:
Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold
Hanger Swirl Tool
3.2 oz. Borage Oil (8%)
1.2 oz. Castor Oil (3%)
10 oz. Coconut Oil (25%)
17.6 oz. Olive Oil (44%)
8 oz. Palm Oil (20%)
5.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
11.9 oz. Distilled Water (10% water discount)
2 oz. Jade Fragrance Oil
Titanium Dioxide
Aqua Pearl Mica
Kelly Green Mica

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. 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.

COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon Aqua Pearl Mica into 1 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil (like sunflower or sweet almond oil). In a separate container, disperse 1/2 teaspoon Kelly Green Mica into 1/2 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get out any clumps.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 2 ounces of Jade Fragrance Oil into a small glass container. Set aside.

MOLD & TOOL PREP: Line the Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold with freezer paper with the shiny side up. For tips on how to line the mold, click here. Bend your Hanger Swirl Tool so it fits the mold perfectly by length.

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.

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 2.5 teaspoons sodium lactate.

TWO: Melt and combine the coconut oil, palm oil, olive oil, borage oil, and castor oil (remember to fully melt the entire amount of palm oil before measuring) in a large bowl capable of holding at least 60 ounces. Add 1.5 teaspoons of titanium dioxide powder directly into the oils and use the stick blender to help get rid of clumps. We added the titanium dioxide directly to the oils so we could stick blend out the clumps as much as possible without the trace becoming too thick.

THREE: 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 until thin trace.

FOUR: Add all of the Jade Fragrance Oil to the soap batter and use a whisk to thoroughly mix in.

FIVE: Split off about 500 mL of soap into a smaller container. Then add all of the dispersed Aqua Pearl Mica and 1 teaspoon of the Kelly Green Mica to the larger container of soap. Use a whisk to thoroughly mix in the colorants.

NOTE: The soap batter should be a thin enough texture to pour but thick enough that the colors don’t completely blend together. If the batter is a little thin, pulse both containers quickly with the stick blender to slightly thicken. Just be careful to not over stick blend.

SIX: Pour some of the green soap into the mold. Then, pour the white soap into the green. Pour the white from several inches above the mold to help the white soap break into the green soap.

SEVEN: Continue pouring the green and white soap into the mold. The exact amount and placement of each pour is not extremely important. After every few pours, tap the mold on the counter to help get rid of bubbles. Whisk the soap throughout the process to keep it fluid.

EIGHT: Once the soap is almost all poured into the mold, set aside a very small amount of green and white soap to create a swirl pattern on top.

NINE: Give the mold a firm tap on the counter. Insert the Hanger Swirl Tool into one side of the mold, and begin making loops in the center of the mold. Continue the loop-de-loop motion at varying heights within the mold. This technique is not an exact science. We “looped” the Hanger Swirl Tool about 10 times within the mold. If you like more wispy swirls, feel free to do more loops.

This technique is similar to the Butterfly Swirl created by Zahida of Handmade in Florida. See her video here to get a better idea of what that swirling motion looks like. We were much less precise in our swirl for this soap. Remove the Hanger Swirl Tool by pulling up and out along one side of the mold.

TEN: Pour the leftover white and green soap on top in various lines. Don’t worry about being too precise, just try to make sure an equal amount of each color is showing (that improves the look of the swirl).

ELEVEN: Insert a dowel or chopstick into the very top of the soap, and move it down the length of the mold while creating figure eights. If you like it more swirled, continue this process until you’re happy with the look.

TWELVE: Spritz the top of the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Cover the mold with the lid to help insulate the soap and promote a complete gel phase. If you live in a very hot climate, check on the soap every 30 minutes or so to make sure it does not get too hot and crack.

Allow the soap to stay in the mold for about 2-3 days, and unmold. You’ll notice the Kelly Green Mica will have morphed and will appear much brighter. Cut into bars and allow them to cure for 4-6 weeks. Enjoy.

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Jade Cold Process Soap Tutorial

The wispy green swirls in this bar are inspired by jade stones.

Course Cold process soap

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 3 .5 pounds of soap

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold
• Hanger Swirl Tool
• 3.2 oz. Borage Oil 8%
• 1.2 oz. Castor Oil 3%
• 10 oz. Coconut Oil 25%
• 17.6 oz. Olive Oil 44%
• 8 oz. Palm Oil 20%
• 5.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 11.9 oz. Distilled Water 10% water discount
• 2 oz. Jade Fragrance Oil
• Titanium Dioxide
• Aqua Pearl Mica
• Kelly Green Mica

Instructions

COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon Aqua Pearl Mica into 1 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil (like sunflower or sweet almond oil). In a separate container, disperse 1/2 teaspoon Kelly Green Mica into 1/2 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get out any clumps.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 2 ounces of Jade Fragrance Oil into a small glass container. Set aside.

MOLD & TOOL PREP: Line the Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold with freezer paper with the shiny side up. For tips on how to line the mold, click here. Bend your Hanger Swirl Tool so it fits the mold perfectly by length.

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.

• 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 2.5 teaspoons sodium lactate.
• Melt and combine the coconut oil, palm oil, olive oil, borage oil, and castor oil (remember to fully melt the entire amount of palm oil before measuring) in a large bowl capable of holding at least 60 ounces. Add 1.5 teaspoons of titanium dioxide powder directly into the oils and use the stick blender to help get rid of clumps. We added the titanium dioxide directly to the oils so we could stick blend out the clumps as much as possible without the trace becoming too thick.
• 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 until thin trace.
• Add all of the Jade Fragrance Oil to the soap batter and use a whisk to thoroughly mix in.
• Split off about 500 mL of soap into a smaller container. Then add all of the dispersed Aqua Pearl Mica and 1 teaspoon of the Kelly Green Mica to the larger container of soap. Use a whisk to thoroughly mix in the colorants. NOTE: The soap batter should be a thin enough texture to pour but thick enough that the colors don’t completely blend together. If the batter is a little thin, pulse both containers quickly with the stick blender to slightly thicken. Just be careful to not over stick blend.
• Pour some of the green soap into the mold. Then, pour the white soap into the green. Pour the white from several inches above the mold to help the white soap break into the green soap.
• Continue pouring the green and white soap into the mold. The exact amount and placement of each pour is not extremely important. After every few pours, tap the mold on the counter to help get rid of bubbles. Whisk the soap throughout the process to keep it fluid.
• Once the soap is almost all poured into the mold, set aside a very small amount of green and white soap to create a swirl pattern on top.
• Give the mold a firm tap on the counter. Insert the Hanger Swirl Tool into one side of the mold, and begin making loops in the center of the mold. Continue the loop-de-loop motion at varying heights within the mold. This technique is not an exact science. We “looped” the Hanger Swirl Tool about 10 times within the mold. If you like more wispy swirls, feel free to do more loops. This technique is similar to the Butterfly Swirl created by Zahida of Handmade in Florida. See her video here to get a better idea of what that swirling motion looks like. We were much less precise in our swirl for this soap. Remove the Hanger Swirl Tool by pulling up and out along one side of the mold.
• Pour the leftover white and green soap on top in various lines. Don’t worry about being too precise, just try to make sure an equal amount of each color is showing (that improves the look of the swirl).
• Insert a dowel or chopstick into the very top of the soap, and move it down the length of the mold while creating figure eights. If you like it more swirled, continue this process until you’re happy with the look.
• Spritz the top of the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Cover the mold with the lid to help insulate the soap and promote a complete gel phase. If you live in a very hot climate, check on the soap every 30 minutes or so to make sure it does not get too hot and crack. Allow the soap to stay in the mold for about 2-3 days, and unmold. You’ll notice the Kelly Green Mica will have morphed and will appear much brighter. Cut into bars and allow them to cure for 4-6 weeks. Enjoy.

The post Jade Cold Process Soap Tutorial appeared first on Soap Queen.

Both lemongrass and mint have a refreshing, herbal scent. The new Lemongrass Mojito Natural Fragrance Oil features notes of both plants, along with litsea and a touch of rosemary. It’s a bright, herbaceous fragrance oil that’s perfect for summer.

This Lemongrass Mojito Soap was inspired by the new fragrance oil, along with this Mojito Melt and Pour Tutorial from 2010. The combination of swirls and chunky melt and pour embeds suggest the appearance of a mojito cocktail. The Hanger Swirl Tool swirls the green hues together, creating a unique look in each bar. If you love the look of this soap, you might also like the Shimmering Sea Glass Cold Process Soap.

Wondering what a “natural” fragrance oil is? A natural fragrance oil (a.k.a. nature-identical fragrance oil) is a chemical replica of an essential oil that is created in a lab from the aroma chemicals present in plants, fruits, flowers, and other natural aromatic ingredients. Natural-aroma chemicals are derived directly from the plant, but the specific scent molecule is isolated from the other components of the plant. This single-molecule product differs from an essential oil, which has a more complex profile.

Because it comes from a combination of sources, it can’t be called an essential oil. But, it doesn’t contain the synthetic ingredients that a “regular” fragrance oil contains. Some soapers do not consider nature-identical fragrance oils to be “natural.” As with many ingredients, it comes down to an individual choice to use them or not.

What You’ll Need:
Embeds:
10 oz. Clear LCP Melt & Pour Soap
Kermit Green Mica
Shamrock Green Mica

Base:
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
Hanger Swirl Tool
1 oz. Castor Oil (3%)
7.3 oz. Coconut Oil (22%)
1.7 oz. Moringa Seed Oil (5%)
9.9 oz. Olive Oil (30%)
8.3 oz. Palm Oil (25%)
5 oz. Sweet Almond Oil (15%)
4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
10.9 oz. Distilled Water
1.4 oz. Lemongrass Mojito Natural Fragrance Oil
Titanium Dioxide
Chrome Green Oxide Pigment
Hydrated Chrome Green Pigment
Kermit Green

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

Make the Embeds:

ONE: Chop and melt 10 ounces LCP Clear Melt and Pour Soap in the microwave using 15-second bursts. Split the batch evenly into two containers – it’s okay to eyeball it. To one container, add 1/2 teaspoon of Kermit Green Mica and stir to combine. Add 1/2 teaspoon of Shamrock Green Mica to the other container and stir to combine. Pour both containers of soap at the same time into a mold cavity of your choice. The exact shape is not super important because the soap will be chopped into small pieces. We used the 12 Bar Square Silicone Mold. Wait for the bars to cool and harden.

TWO: Once the melt and pour has fully cooled and hardened, remove from the mold. Use a sharp, non-serrated knife to chop the soap into small square pieces. The exact size of each embed is up to you. Set pieces of soap aside until you’re ready to use.

Make the Base

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 check out 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 soapmaking 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 that this is optional, but it does prevent the titanium dioxide from 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. Then, disperse 1 teaspoon of the colorant into 1 tablespoon of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Then in separate containers, disperse 1/2 teaspoon Chrome Green Oxide, Hydrated Chrome Green Oxide Pigment, and Kermit Green Mica into 1/2 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 1.4 ounces of Lemongrass Mojito Natural Fragrance Oil into a glass, fragrance-oil-safe container. Set aside.

MOLD & TOOL PREP: Bend the Hanger Swirl Tool to fit inside the 10″ Silicone Loaf Mold.

ONE: Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool.

TWO: Fully melt and combine the coconut oil, palm oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil, castor oil, and moringa seed oil (remember to fully melt then mix your entire container of palm oil before portioning). Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that 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, add 2 teaspoons sodium lactate. Stick blend the soap until it’s at a thin trace.

THREE: Once you reach a thin trace, pour 200 mL of soap batter into three separate containers. To the remaining soap, add 1 tablespoon dispersed titanium dioxide. Use a whisk to mix together.

FOUR: Add 1 teaspoon of dispersed Kermit Green Mica, Hydrated Chrome Green Oxide Pigment, and Chrome Green Oxide into each 200 mL container – one color per container. Use a whisk to mix in the colorants completely.

FIVE: Add the Lemongrass Mojito Natural Fragrance Oil into the containers proportionally. It’s okay to eyeball it. Use a whisk to mix in the fragrance oil.

SIX: Pour about 1/3 of the white soap into the mold. Firmly tap the mold on the counter to release any bubbles.

SEVEN: Pour about 1/3 of one of the containers of green soap into the mold. Pour several inches above the mold; this helps the soap to drop to the bottom of the white soap, rather than sitting on top and creating layers.

EIGHT: Continue pouring the soap from above the mold, using all the colors. Pour enough of each color to ensure you can pour all colors at least three times. Continue to pour from various heights to help the colors reach various depths. Don’t worry about being too precise when you are pouring.

NINE: 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! Just keep moving the Hanger Swirl Tool in circular motions. Some “loops” should be big and some small. Once you’ve swirled the soap about 5-7 times, remove the Hanger Swirl Tool by bringing it up and out on one side of the mold.

TEN: Begin dropping in the melt and pour embeds. If you drop the embeds from several inches above the mold, they will fall into the soap. We let the first “layer” of embeds fall into the soap, then placed the remainder on top so they stuck out from the top of the mold.

ELEVEN: Once you’ve placed all the embeds into the soap, spritz with alcohol to avoid soda ash. To prevent the embeds from melting, this soap needs to be kept at cool temperatures. If you live in an extremely hot climate, place the soap into a fridge or freezer for several hours to keep temperatures cool. Allow the soap to sit in the mold for 2-3 days. Unmold, and use a sharp non-serrated knife to cut into bars. Allow the bars to cool for 4-6 weeks. Enjoy!

Print

Lemongrass Mojito Soap Tutorial

This soap features chunky embeds and swirls for plenty of texture.

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• Embeds:
• 10 oz. Clear LCP Melt & Pour Soap
• Kermit Green Mica
• Shamrock Green Mica
• Base:
• 10 ″ Silicone Loaf Mold
• Hanger Swirl Tool
• 1 oz. Castor Oil 3%
• 7.3 oz. Coconut Oil 22%
• 1.7 oz. Moringa Seed Oil 5%
• 9.9 oz. Olive Oil 30%
• 8.3 oz. Palm Oil 25%
• 5 oz. Sweet Almond Oil 15%
• 4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 10.9 oz. Distilled Water
• 1.4 oz. Lemongrass Mojito Natural Fragrance Oil
• Titanium Dioxide
• Chrome Green Oxide Pigment
• Hydrated Chrome Green Pigment
• Kermit Green

Instructions

• Chop and melt 10 ounces LCP Clear Melt and Pour Soap in the microwave using 15-second bursts. Split the batch evenly into two containers —it’s okay to eyeball it. To one container, add 1/2 teaspoon of Kermit Green Mica and stir to combine. Add 1/2 teaspoon of Shamrock Green Mica to the other container and stir to combine. Pour both containers of soap at the same time into a mold cavity of your choice. The exact shape is not super important because the soap will be chopped into small pieces. We used the 12 Bar Square Silicone Mold. Wait for the bars to cool and harden.
• Once the melt and pour has fully cooled and hardened, remove from the mold. Use a sharp, non-serrated knife to chop the soap into small square pieces. The exact size of each embed is up to you. Set pieces of soap aside until you’re ready to use.

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 soapmaking 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 that this is optional, but it does prevent the titanium dioxide from 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. Then, disperse 1 teaspoon of the colorant into 1 tablespoon of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Then in separate containers, disperse 1/2 teaspoon Chrome Green Oxide, Hydrated Chrome Green Oxide Pigment, and Kermit Green Mica into 1/2 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 1.4 ounces of Lemongrass Mojito Natural Fragrance Oil into a glass, fragrance-oil-safe container. Set aside.

MOLD & TOOL PREP: Bend the Hanger Swirl Tool to fit inside the 10″ Silicone Loaf Mold.

• 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.
• Fully melt and combine the coconut oil, palm oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil, castor oil, and moringa oil (remember to fully melt then mix your entire container of palm oil before portioning). Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that 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, add 2 teaspoons sodium lactate. Stick blend the soap until it’s at a thin trace.
• Once you reach a thin trace, pour 200 mL of soap batter into three separate containers. To the remaining soap, add 1 tablespoon dispersed titanium dioxide. Use a whisk to mix together.
• Add 1 teaspoon of dispersed Kermit Green Mica, Hydrated Chrome Green Oxide Pigment, and Chrome Green Oxide into each 200 mL container—one color per container. Use a whisk to mix in the colorants completely.
• Add the Lemongrass Mojito Natural Fragrance Oil into the containers proportionally. It’s okay to eyeball it. Use a whisk to mix in the fragrance oil.
• Pour about 1/3 of the white soap into the mold. Firmly tap the mold on the counter to release any bubbles.
• Pour about 1/3 of one of the containers of green soap into the mold. Pour several inches above the mold; this helps the soap to drop to the bottom of the white soap, rather than sitting on top and creating layers.
• Continue pouring the soap from above the mold, using all the colors. Pour enough of each color to ensure you can pour all colors at least three times. Continue to pour from various heights to help the colors reach various depths. Don’t worry about being too precise when you are pouring.
• 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! Just keep moving the Hanger Swirl Tool in circular motions. Some “loops” should be big and some small. Once you’ve swirled the soap about 5-7 times, remove the Hanger Swirl Tool by bringing it up and out on one side of the mold.
• Begin dropping in the melt and pour embeds. If you drop the embeds from several inches above the mold, they will fall into the soap. We let the first “layer” of embeds fall into the soap, then placed the remainder on top so they stuck out from the top of the mold.
• Once you’ve placed all the embeds into the soap, spritz with alcohol to avoid soda ash. To prevent the embeds from melting, this soap needs to be kept at cool temperatures. If you live in an extremely hot climate, place the soap into a fridge or freezer for several hours to keep temperatures cool. Allow the soap to sit in the mold for 2-3 days. Unmold, and use a sharp non-serrated knife to cut into bars. Allow the bars to cool for 4-6 weeks. Enjoy!

The post Lemongrass Mojito Soap Tutorial appeared first on Soap Queen.

Turmeric powder gives cold process soap a lovely orange hue. The shade of orange depends on how much turmeric powder is added and how it’s incorporated. In this Turmeric Secret Swirl Soap, dispersed powder and an oil infusion are both used. The turmeric-infused oil gives a soft orange color, while the darker orange shade is created by adding the dispersed turmeric directly to the soap batter. To see the different shades you can achieve, check out our turmeric color tests.

The swirl in this soap is a bold version of the “Secret Feather Swirl.” Made famous by Zahida of Handmade in Florida, the Secret Feather Swirl is an advanced soaping technique. It involves layering various colors in the center and then using a Hanger Swirl Tool to create the “feather” effect. See the process in this video by Handmade in Florida.

This soap is scented with the new ginger essential oil – it smells just like freshly grated ginger. The turmeric powder does not scent the soap at all, so the ginger essential oil is the perfect scent to mimic zesty turmeric powder. Keep in mind that ginger essential oil does slightly accelerate the soap. Use the stick blender sparingly for this recipe.

If you take a look at the recipe below, you’ll notice it has a 2% superfat. This is to compensate for the 6 tablespoons turmeric-infused oil added to soap at trace. Learn how to make the turmeric infusion here. We used sweet almond oil for the infusion, but you can use a different lightweight liquid oil if you prefer.

What You’ll Need:
5 Pound Mold with Sliding Bottom
Silicone Liner for 5 Pound Wood Mold
Multi-Pour Sectioning Tool
Hanger Swirl Tool
54 oz. Swirl Recipe Quick Mix
7.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye (2% superfat)
17. 8 oz. Distilled Water
1.8 oz. Ginger Essential Oil
Turmeric Powder
Sweet Almond Oil (for infusing turmeric)
Large Sealable Tea Bag

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 check out the digital downloads for that instant gratification factor.

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

COLOR PREP: Disperse 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder into 1 tablespoon of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). We used a slightly more concentrated oil dispersion to avoid adding too much oil to the batter. Then in a separate container, measure out 5 tablespoons of the turmeric-infused oil. Set aside. Learn how to make the turmeric infusion here.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 1.8 ounces of the ginger essential oil into a glass, essential oil safe container. Set aside.

TOOL PREP: Bend your Hanger Tool so it fits the mold perfectly by length. Insert the Multi-Pour Sectioning Tool into the mold to create three sections. 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.

TWO: Fully melt the entire bag of Swirl Recipe Quick Mix until completely clear and there is no cloudiness. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 54 ounces into your soaping bowl. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that 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 about 3 teaspoons sodium lactate.

THREE: Once you have reached a very thin trace, pour off 16 ounces of batter into a separate container. To aid in pouring later on, a container with a pour spout is recommended, like the Easy Pour Mixing Measuring Container. To the large container of soap, add all the turmeric infused oil and stir with a whisk. The batter will turn a bright orange color.

FOUR: To the small container, add all the dispersed turmeric powder. Use a whisk to fully mix in the colorant. The batter will turn a darker orange than the large container.

FIVE: Add the ginger essential oil to each container proportionally—it’s okay to eyeball it. Use a whisk to fully mix in the fragrance oil.

SIX: At this point, the batter should be a thin to thin-medium trace. The key to the Hidden Feather Swirl Technique is that the batter needs to be thin enough to swirl, but thick enough to layer. If the batter is still extremely thin, give each container of soap a few bursts with the stick blender to slightly thicken trace. Be careful to not over stick blend!

SEVEN: Pour a small amount of the turmeric-infused soap (the large container) into all three sections of the mold evenly. This first layer should be small, but large enough to support the first layer in the “feather.”

EIGHT: Very carefully, pour a thin layer of the turmeric-powder soap (the small container) into the middle section of the mold. You will be creating three layers of turmeric-powder soap in the center of the mold, and using some of this soap on top for the swirl. Keep this in mind when pouring each layer. Be careful to not break through the first layer of soap. Pouring very thin lines of soap until the first layer is covered is a good way to prevent breakthrough.

NINE: Pour more of the turmeric-infused soap into the two outside sections of the mold. Then very carefully, pour a layer of the turmeric-infused soap into the middle section of the mold. Be careful to not break into the layers below.

TEN: Carefully pour a second layer of the turmeric powder soap into the middle section. As the soap becomes thicker, layering the soap will get easier. But be careful to not break through to the layers below. Pour slowly and gently.

ELEVEN: Gently cover the turmeric-powder soap in the middle section of the mold with a layer of turmeric-infused soap. Pour more turmeric-infused soap into the outside sections to keep all the sections filled evenly.

TWELVE: Cover the middle section with a third (and last) layer of turmeric powder soap. Keep in mind that you need a small amount of the turmeric-powder soap leftover to create the swirl on top at the very end. Fill the outside sections of the mold with turmeric-infused soap if necessary to keep the sections even. If the sections are filled unevenly, one section of soap may cover the other sections when the dividers are pulled out. Keep in mind you need more of the lighter, turmeric-infused soap to cover the top.

THIRTEEN: Slowly and carefully, pull the two dividers straight out of the soap. Set them aside. Tap the mold gently on the counter to help settle the soap. This action is what creates the upward design on the outside of the “feather.” Remove the two pieces of the divider set on either end of the mold. You can also leave them in the mold if you’d like. You’ll just need to slice the divider pieces off when the soap is unmolded.

FOURTEEN: Cover the top of the soap with the lighter, turmeric-infused soap. Use a small spoon to evenly distribute the top layer if necessary.

FIFTEEN: Insert the Hanger Swirl Tool into the center of the soap so that the tool goes through the layers in the middle section of the mold. This motion is what creates the downward design in the center of the “feather.” Once the Hanger Tool reaches the bottom of the mold, drag it along the bottom to one edge of the mold. Keep the Hanger Swirl Tool along the side of the mold while you pull it up and out. To get a better idea of what this motion looks like, watch this video of Handmade in Florida (the tool is inserted @2:20).

SIXTEEN: Pour a line of the turmeric powder soap down the center of the mold. Then, use a chopstick or dowel to create loop-de-loops down the length of the mold. Do not insert the chopstick or dowel all the way into the soap—only swirl the very top so you don’t disrupt the swirl inside.

SEVENTEEN: Wood molds insulate very well, causing the soap to become quite warm. Our soap went through gel phase, which makes the color more vibrant. If you live in a very hot area, you may want to keep an eye on the soap for the first hour or two to make sure the top does not crack. If a crack forms, place the soap in the fridge to prevent further cracks. If you don’t live in an extremely hot area, leave the soap at room temperature (do not insulate). Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 2-3 days, remove, and cut into bars. Allow them to cure for 4-6 weeks before use. Enjoy!

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Turmeric Secret Feather Soap Tutorial

This Turmeric Feather Swirl Soap features a bright orange design and smells like freshly-grated ginger.

Course Cold process soap

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• 5 Pound Mold with Sliding Bottom
• Silicone Liner for 5 Pound Wood Mold
• Multi-Pour Sectioning Tool
• Hanger Swirl Tool
• 54 oz. Swirl Recipe Quick Mix
• 7.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye 2% superfat
• 17. 8 oz. Distilled Water
• 1.8 oz. Ginger Essential Oil
• Turmeric Powder
• Sweet Almond Oil for infusing turmeric
• Large Sealable Tea Bag

Instructions

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

COLOR PREP: Disperse 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder into 1 tablespoon of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Then in a separate container, measure out 5 tablespoons of the turmeric-infused oil. Set aside.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 1.8 ounces of the ginger essential oil into a glass, essential oil safe container. Set aside.

TOOL PREP: Bend your Hanger Tool so it fits the mold perfectly by length. Insert the Multi-Pour Sectioning Tool into the mold to create three sections. 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.
• Fully melt the entire bag of Swirl Recipe Quick Mix until completely clear and there is no cloudiness. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 54 ounces into your soaping bowl. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that 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 about 3 teaspoons sodium lactate.
• Once you have reached a very thin trace, pour off 16 ounces of batter into a separate container. To aid in pouring later on, a container with a pour spout is recommended, like the Easy Pour Mixing Measuring Container. To the large container of soap, add all the turmeric infused oil and stir with a whisk. The batter will turn a bright orange color.
• To the small container, add all the dispersed turmeric powder. Use a whisk to fully mix in the colorant. The batter will turn a darker orange than the large container.
• Add the ginger essential oil to each container proportionally—it’s okay to eyeball it. Use a whisk to fully mix in the fragrance oil.
• At this point, the batter should be a thin to thin-medium trace. The key to the Hidden Feather Swirl Technique is that the batter needs to be thin enough to swirl, but thick enough to layer. If the batter is still extremely thin, give each container of soap a few bursts with the stick blender to slightly thicken trace. Be careful to not over stick blend!
• Pour a small amount of the turmeric-infused soap (the large container) into all three sections of the mold evenly. This first layer should be small, but large enough to support the first layer in the “feather.”
• Very carefully, pour a thin layer of the turmeric-powder soap (the small container) into the middle section of the mold. You will be creating three layers of turmeric-powder soap in the center of the mold, and using some of this soap on top for the swirl. Keep this in mind when pouring each layer. Be careful to not break through the first layer of soap. Pouring very thin lines of soap until the first layer is covered is a good way to prevent breakthrough.
• Pour more of the turmeric-infused soap into the two outside sections of the mold. Then very carefully, pour a layer of the turmeric-infused soap into the middle section of the mold. Be careful to not break into the layers below.
• Carefully pour a second layer of the turmeric powder soap into the middle section. As the soap becomes thicker, layering the soap will get easier. But be careful to not break through to the layers below. Pour slowly and gently.
• Gently cover the turmeric-powder soap in the middle section of the mold with a layer of turmeric-infused soap. Pour more turmeric-infused soap into the outside sections to keep all the sections filled evenly.
• Cover the middle section with a third (and last) layer of turmeric powder soap. Keep in mind that you need a small amount of the turmeric-powder soap leftover to create the swirl on top at the very end. Fill the outside sections of the mold with turmeric-infused soap if necessary to keep the sections even. If the sections are filled unevenly, one section of soap may cover the other sections when the dividers are pulled out. Keep in mind you need more of the lighter, turmeric-infused soap to cover the top.Slowly and carefully, pull the two dividers straight out of the soap. Set them aside. Tap the mold gently on the counter to help settle the soap. This action is what creates the upward design on the outside of the “feather.” Remove the two pieces of the divider set on either end of the mold. You can also leave them in the mold if you’d like. You’ll just need to slice the divider pieces off when the soap is unmolded.
• Cover the top of the soap with the lighter, turmeric-infused soap. Use a small spoon to evenly distribute the top layer if necessary.
• Insert the Hanger Swirl Tool into the center of the soap so that the tool goes through the layers in the middle section of the mold. This motion is what creates the downward design in the center of the “feather.” Once the Hanger Tool reaches the bottom of the mold, drag it along the bottom to one edge of the mold. Keep the Hanger Swirl Tool along the side of the mold while you pull it up and out. To get a better idea of what this motion looks like, watch this video of Handmade in Florida (the tool is inserted @2:20).
• Pour a line of the turmeric powder soap down the center of the mold. Then, use a chopstick or dowel to create loop-de-loops down the length of the mold. Do not insert the chopstick or dowel all the way into the soap—only swirl the very top so you don’t disrupt the swirl inside.
• Wood molds insulate very well, causing the soap to become quite warm. Our soap went through gel phase, which makes the color more vibrant. If you live in a very hot area, you may want to keep an eye on the soap for the first hour or two to make sure the top does not crack. If a crack forms, place the soap in the fridge to prevent further cracks. If you don’t live in an extremely hot area, leave the soap at room temperature (do not insulate). Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 2-3 days, remove, and cut into bars. Allow them to cure for 4-6 weeks before use. Enjoy!

The post Turmeric Secret Swirl Soap Tutorial appeared first on Soap Queen.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are known for our love of coffee. It’s not uncommon to have multiple Starbucks just blocks away from each other. There is also an abundant number of locally-owned coffee shops. If you love coffee as much as a Seattleite, making soap is a great way to include the ingredient in your products. In this coffee soap project,  locally roasted coffee is used to really make these bars special. Using a local ingredient highlights the handmade aspect of your products.

Incorporating coffee into cold process soap is easier than you might think. The distilled water in cold process recipes can be swapped for plain coffee. The key is using distilled water to brew the coffee, and allowing the coffee to cool to room temperature before adding sodium hydroxide lye. Using coffee instead of water makes the soap batter quite dark, so keep that in mind when choosing the color palette. If you’re using plain brewed coffee, don’t worry about the soap overheating. Black coffee does not contain sugar.

Using coffee instead of water does not give soap a coffee smell. In fact, when you mix lye with coffee it does not smell very pleasant. This is because the lye “scorches” the coffee, resulting in a noticeable odor. The smell of the coffee and lye solution is usually not noticeable in the final bar. This is especially true if you’re using a fragrance oil in your recipe. For this soap, Espresso Fragrance Oil gives the bars a rich, delicious scent. Espresso Fragrance Oil does discolor in cold process soap due to the vanillin content. Titanium dioxide combats that slightly, but you can notice some discoloration on the top of the soap in the photos above and below. Learn more about vanilla discoloration here.

This soap also contains used coffee grounds. It’s important to add used rather than fresh coffee grounds. Fresh coffee grounds may bleed in the soap. The bleeding doesn’t hurt the bars in any way, but it is a cosmetic issue. It’s also a great way to use up leftover coffee grounds!

What You’ll Need:
5 Pound Mold with Sliding Bottom
Silicone Liner for 5 lb Wood Mold
Hanger Swirl Tool
54 oz. Swirl Recipe Quick Mix
7. 5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
17.8 oz. Plain Coffee
3 oz. Espresso Fragrance Oil
Titanium Dioxide Pigment
Brown Oxide Pigment
Black Oxide Pigment
2 Tbsp. Used Coffee Grounds
Whole Espresso Beans (for the top)

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.

COFFEE LYE PREP: First, we need to prep the lye solution. For this project, we are using coffee instead of distilled water. Brew the coffee using distilled water. Brew enough for the entire amount of liquid in your recipe, or brew less and supplement the coffee with distilled water. The strength of the coffee is up to you. The stronger the coffee, the darker your soap batter will be. In this recipe, we brewed enough coffee for the entire recipe and used a “normal” strength, which resulted in a rich, dark color. Remember to use distilled water for your coffee.

Measure out 17.8 ounces of coffee into the container you use to mix the lye solution. The coffee will be quite hot if freshly brewed and needs to cool to room temperature or below before adding the lye. The colder the coffee is when the lye is added, the colder it will be after the lye is added. If using room temperature coffee, the solution will reach temperatures of about 180 ° F, similar to adding lye to distilled water. If you want to use cold coffee, you can. The lye will take longer to dissolve because it won’t reach as high of a temperature.

Once your coffee is an appropriate temperature (room temperature or below), slowly add the sodium hydroxide lye to the coffee and gently stir until the lye flakes are fully dissolved. The solution will start to darken in color, and smell quite unpleasant. This is normal! Luckily, the fragrance oil covers up any unpleasant odors.

Your lye solution will become quite hot. Allow it to fully cool to about 130 ° F or cooler, depending on the temperature you like to soap at. I recommend allowing the container to cool slowly at room temperature, rather than placing the container in the fridge or freezer. The extreme difference in temperatures can crack a glass container. The lye solution will take about 2 hours to cool, depending on your room temperature. While the lye solution cools, prep your other ingredients and tools.

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 3 teaspoons of titanium dioxide into 2 tablespoons of lightweight liquid oil, like sweet almond oil or sunflower oil. In this recipe, we used a slightly more concentrated colorant-oil ratio to avoid adding too much extra oil. Then in separate containers, disperse 1/2 teaspoon of Black Oxide and Brown Oxide into 1/2 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Use the mini mixer to help break up any clumps. Set aside.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 3 ounces of Espresso Fragrance Oil into a glass, fragrance oil safe container. Set aside.

TOOL PREP: Bend the Hanger Swirl Tool to fit lengthwise into the mold. Set aside.

ONE: Fully melt the entire bag of the Swirl Recipe Quick Mix until there is no cloudiness. Shake to mix and measure out 54 oz. Once the lye coffee solution and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. 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 about 3.5 teaspoons sodium lactate.

TWO: Once you have a thin trace, pour off 300 mL of soap into a separate container and 600 mL into another container.

THREE: To the 300 mL of soap, add 1/4 tsp. dispersed Black Oxide. Then, add 1/2 tsp. dispersed Brown Oxide to the container with 600 mL of soap. Use a spoon or whisk to mix in the colorants.

FOUR: To the large container of soap, add all the dispersed titanium dioxide. Use a whisk to mix in the colorant. Then pulse for a few seconds with the stick blender to help fully mix in the colorant. Add 2 tablespoons of used coffee grounds to the large container, and use a whisk to fully mix in.

FIVE: Add the Espresso Fragrance Oil proportionately to each container of soap (it’s okay to eyeball it) and use a whisk to fully mix in the fragrance oil.

SIX: Pour some of the light soap into the mold – just enough to cover the bottom (about 1 inch).

SEVEN: Holding the black soap several inches above the mold, pour a small and steady stream of black soap into the mold. Holding the container a few inches above the mold helps the black soap fall to the bottom of the mold. Pour the black soap all the way down the length of the mold. Don’t be afraid about pouring a straight line. Pouring an uneven line can make the swirl more interesting! Pour less black soap with each pass than brown and tan. A little bit of black soap goes a long way! You also need some black soap leftover at the end for the swirl.

EIGHT: Pour more tan soap into the mold, followed by an imperfect line of the brown soap. Because you have more brown soap, pour a larger amount. Hold each layer several inches above the mold to help the colors break through. Don’t worry about being too exact during the pouring process.

NINE: After pouring the brown soap, pour another line of tan soap into the mold, followed by more black. Continue this pattern (tan, black, tan, brown) until you have used up all the brown soap and have a small amount of tan and black soap left.

TEN: Give the mold a firm tap on the counter. Insert the Hanger Swirl Tool into one side of the mold, and begin making loops in the center of the mold with the tool. Continue the loop-de-loop motion at varying heights within the mold. This technique is not an exact science. I “looped” the Hanger Swirl Tool about 6-8 times within the mold. If you like more whispy swirls, feel free to do more loops! The swirling motion wasn’t quite a butterfly swirl (made famous by Zahida of Handmade in Florida) but was very similar! See Zahida’s video here to get a better idea of what the swirling motion looks like. Remove the Hanger Swirl Tool by pulling up and out along one side of the mold.

ELEVEN: Tap the mold on the counter to settle the soap and get rid of bubbles. Cover the entire top with the rest of the tan soap. Tap the mold on the counter again to settle the top layer.

TWELVE: Drizzle a small amount of the black soap on top. Don’t worry too much about what this drizzle looks like, just make sure to leave a good amount of tan soap showing. It will give your swirls better definition.

THIRTEEN: Insert a dowel or chopstick into the very top of the soap. The swirl I used for this batch was not very exact and precise, so feel free to have fun with it! First, I made scallop-like motions from side to side, down the length of the mold. Then, create “loop-de-loop” patterns randomly. There really is no right or wrong way to do this, so have fun with it. Just make sure to not over-swirl, or the color differentiation will diminish.

FOURTEEN: Once you’re happy with the top, drop whole coffee beans in the center of the soap all the way down the mold. Gently press the beans into the soap to help them stick better once cut.

Spritz the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Leave the soap uncovered, and allow it to harden for 2-3 days. Remove from the mold gently, and cut into bars. To avoid drag marks from the coffee beans, lay the loaf on its side and cut with a sharp non-serrated knife. I went ahead and used the Multi Bar Cutter to cut my batch, and found that the coffee beans did cause some unevenness and drag marks. I was able to smooth them out with a Soap Shaver. Allow the bars to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!

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How to Make Coffee Soap

This soap uses coffee instead of water, and contains coffee grounds.

Course Cold process soap

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• 5 Pound Mold with Sliding Bottom
• Silicone Liner for 5 lb Wood Mold
• Hanger Swirl Tool
• 54 oz. Swirl Recipe Quick Mix
• 7. 5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 17.8 oz. Plain Coffee
• 3 oz. Espresso Fragrance Oil
• Titanium Dioxide Pigment
• Brown Oxide Pigment
• Black Oxide Pigment
• 2 Tbsp. Used Coffee Grounds
• Whole Espresso Beans for the top

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.

• COFFEE LYE PREP: First, we need to prep the lye solution. For this project, we are using coffee instead of distilled water. Brew the coffee using distilled water. Brew enough for the entire amount of liquid in your recipe, or brew less and supplement the coffee with distilled water. The strength of the coffee is up to you. The stronger the coffee, the darker your soap batter will be. In this recipe, we brewed enough coffee for the entire recipe and used a "normal" strength, which resulted in a rich, dark color. Remember to use distilled water for your coffee. Measure out 17.8 ounces of coffee into the container you use to mix the lye solution. The coffee will be quite hot if freshly brewed and needs to cool to room temperature or below before adding the lye. The colder the coffee is when the lye is added, the colder it will be after the lye is added. If using room temperature coffee, the solution will reach temperatures of about 180 ° F, similar to adding lye to distilled water. If you want to use cold coffee, you can. The lye will take longer to dissolve because it won't reach as high of a temperature. Once your coffee is an appropriate temperature (room temperature or below), slowly add the sodium hydroxide lye to the coffee and gently stir until the lye flakes are fully dissolved. The solution will start to darken in color, and smell quite unpleasant. This is normal! Luckily, the fragrance oil covers up any unpleasant odors. Your lye solution will become quite hot. Allow it to fully cool to about 130 ° F or cooler, depending on the temperature you like to soap at. I recommend allowing the container to cool slowly at room temperature, rather than placing the container in the fridge or freezer. The extreme difference in temperatures can crack a glass container. The lye solution will take about 2 hours to cool, depending on your room temperature. While the lye solution cools, prep your other ingredients and tools.

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 3 teaspoon of titanium dioxide into 2 tablespoons of lightweight liquid oil, like sweet almond oil or sunflower oil. In this recipe, we used a slightly more concentrated colorant-oil ratio to avoid adding too much extra oil. Then in separate containers, disperse 1/2 teaspoons of Black Oxide and Brown Oxide into 1/2 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Use the mini mixer to help break up any clumps. Set aside.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 3 ounces of Espresso Fragrance Oil into a glass, fragrance oil safe container. Set aside.

TOOL PREP: Bend the Hanger Swirl Tool to fit lengthwise into the mold. Set aside.

• Fully melt the entire bag of the Swirl Recipe Quick Mix until there is no cloudiness. Shake to mix and measure out 54 oz. Once the lye coffee solution and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. 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 about 3.5 teaspoons sodium lactate.
• Once you have a thin trace, pour off 300 mL of soap into a separate container and 600 mL into another container.
• To the 300 mL of soap, add 1/4 tsp. dispersed Black Oxide. Then, add 1/2 tsp. dispersed Brown oxide to the container with 600 mL of soap. Use a spoon or whisk to mix in the colorants.
• To the large container of soap, add all the dispersed titanium dioxide. Use a whisk to mix in the colorant. Then pulse for a few seconds with the stick blender to help fully mix in the colorant. Add 2 tablespoons of used coffee grounds to the large container, and use a whisk to fully mix in.
• Add the Espresso Fragrance Oil proportionately to each container of soap (it’s okay to eyeball it) and use a whisk to fully mix in the fragrance oil.
• Pour some of the light soap into the mold – just enough to cover the bottom (about 1 inch).
• Holding the black soap several inches above the mold, pour a small and steady stream of black soap into the mold. Holding the container a few inches above the mold helps the black soap fall to the bottom of the mold. Pour the black soap all the way down the length of the mold. Don’t be afraid about pouring a straight line. Pouring an uneven line can make the swirl more interesting! Pour less black soap with each pass than brown and tan. A little bit of black soap goes a long way! You also need some black soap leftover at the end for the swirl.
• Pour more tan soap into the mold, followed by an imperfect line of the brown soap. Because you have more brown soap, pour a larger amount. Hold each layer several inches above to help the colors break through. Don’t worry about being to exact during the pouring process.
• After pouring the brown soap, pour another line of tan soap into the mold, followed by more black. Continue this pattern (tan, black, tan, brown) until you have used up all the brown soap and have a small amount of tan and black soap left.
• Give the mold a firm tap on the counter. Insert the Hanger Swirl Tool into one side of the mold, and begin making loops in the center of the mold with the tool. Continue the loop-de-loop motion at varying heights within the mold. This technique is not an exact science. I “looped” the Hanger Swirl Tool about 6-8 times within the mold. If you like more whispy swirls, feel free to do more loops! The swirling motion wasn’t quite a butterfly swirl (made famous by Zahida of Handmade in Florida) but was very similar! See Zahida’s video here to get a better idea of what the swirling motion looks like. Remove the Hanger Swirl Tool by pulling up and out along one side of the mold.
• Tap the mold on the counter to settle the soap and get rid of bubbles. Cover the entire top with the rest of the tan soap. Tap the mold on the counter again to settle the top layer.
• Drizzle a small amount of the black soap on top. Don’t worry too much about what this drizzle looks like, just make sure to leave a good amount of tan soap showing. It will give your swirls better definition.
• Insert a dowel or chopstick into the very top of the soap. The swirl I used for this batch was not very exact and precise, so feel free to have fun with it! First, I made scallop-like motions from side to side, down the length of the mold. Then, create “loop-de-loop” patterns randomly. There really is no right or wrong way to do this, so have fun with it. Just make sure to not over-swirl, or the color differentiation will diminish.
• Once you’re happy with the top, drop whole coffee beans in the center of the soap, all the way down the mold. Gently press the beans into the soap to help them stick better once cut.
• Spritz the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Leave the soap uncovered, and allow it to harden for 2-3 days. Remove from the mold gently, and cut into bars. To avoid drag marks from the coffee beans, lay the loaf on its side and cut with a sharp unserrated knife. I went ahead and used the Multi Bar Cutter to cut my batch, and found that the coffee beans did cause some unevenness. I was able to smooth this out with a Soap Shaver. Allow the bars to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!

The post How to Make Coffee Soap appeared first on Soap Queen.

Is there a treat that screams “fun!” more than cotton candy? I can’t think of any! Fluffy, colorful and sweet, it brings back memories of summers at the fair or circus. This soap is made with Cotton Candy Fragrance Oil, which smells just like the real thing – sweet, sticky and fluffy. I made this soap at the tail end of summer, and the bars smell as good as when they were freshly cut. Of course I had to use light blue and pink to replicate classic cotton candy colors, along with plenty of sparkle and a melt and pour embed.

One of the best things about the Cotton Candy Fragrance Oil (other than the smell, of course) is the minimal discoloration. It gives the soap a yellow tint, but that can be overcome with some titanium dioxide. It does accelerate, so be ready to move fast when working with it. With fast-moving fragrance oils, sometimes it can be nice to have a “soap-helper” nearby. This is a great project to get help from friends and family who might be visiting for the holidays, or if you’re teaching a friend to soap!

For this project I did a combination of a spoon plop and hanger swirl using the Hanger Swirl Tool. As you can see, the Hanger Swirl tool didn’t swirl the soap as much as it usually does, because the soap was on the thicker side. But, it still gave the swirls some nice movement. Because this soap uses a good amount of titanium dioxide, I used a small water discount to reduce glycerin rivers. A few still popped up, but nothing too noticeable. =)

What You’ll Need:
Embeds:
Medium 9 Ball Silicone Mold
10 oz. LCP Clear Melt and Pour Base
Fired Up Fuchsia Color Block
Fine Iridescent Glitter

Base:
5 Pound Mold with Sliding Bottom 
Silicone Liner for 5 lb Wood Mold
Hanger Swirl Tool
54 oz. Lots of Lather Quick Mix
7.8 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
16.5 oz. Distilled Water
4 oz. Cotton Candy Fragrance Oil
Zippy Blue Pigment
Fired Up Fuchsia
Titanium Dioxide
Fine Iridescent Glitter


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

Make the Embeds:

ONE: Chop and melt 10 ounces of LCP Clear Melt and Pour Soap in the microwave using 15 second bursts. Add shavings of the Fired Up Fuchsia Color Block to achieve a bright pink color. Add a sprinkle of Fine Iridescent Glitter and stir to combine. Pour the soap into the cavities of the Medium 9 Ball Silicone Mold, and wait for them to cool and harden.

TWO: Once the melt and pour has fully cooled and hardened, remove from the mold. Remelt the remaining soap using 5-10 second bursts and fill up the cavities again. Allow to fully harden, and remove from the mold. Set aside until you’re ready to use.

Make the Base:

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: 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. Then, disperse 1 teaspoons of the colorant into 1 tablespoons of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Then in separate containers, disperse 1/2 teaspoon Zippy Blue Pigment and 1/2 teaspoon Fired Up Fuchsia Colorant into 1/2 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 4 ounces of Cotton Candy Fragrance Oil into a glass, fragrance oil safe container. Set aside.

MOLD & TOOL PREP: Insert the silicone liner into the wood mold. Bend the hanger tool so it fits inside the mold by length with silicone liner.

ONE: Slowly and carefully add the lye to the water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool.

TWO: Fully melt the entire bag of Lots of Lather Quick Mix until completely clear and there is no cloudiness. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 54 oz. into your soaping bowl. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that 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 about 3.5 tsp. sodium lactate.

THREE: Once you have a thin trace, add all the dispersed titanium dioxide. Use a whisk to mix in the colorant, and give it a short burst or two with the stick blender to help break up any chunks of colorant.

FOUR: Split off about 400 mL of soap into two separate containers. To one container, add 1 tsp. dispersed Fired Up Fuchsia. To the other, add 1 tsp. dispersed Zippy Blue Pigment. Mix the colorants in with a whisk or spoon.

FIVE: Add the fragrance oil to each container proportionally, it’s okay to eyeball it. Use a whisk to mix in the fragrance oil. The fragrance does accelerate the soap, so be ready to move quickly.

SIX: Time for the spoon plop technique! Grab a large spoon for each color. Spoon the soap into the mold, one color at a time, layering them in three different spots. Don’t worry about being too precise with your “plops.”

Continue plopping the colors into the mold, using slightly larger plops for the white soap since there is more of it. Work quickly, as the soap will start to thicken up. Once all the soap is plopped into the mold, give it firm taps on the counter to help get rid of bubbles.

SEVEN: Now it’s time to make the hanger swirl! Insert the hanger into the soap against the long side of the mold furthest away from you. Drag the hanger against the bottom of the mold toward you. Once you drag the hanger about 1/6th of the way, pull the hanger up until it almost breaks through the top of the soap, but not quite. Move the hanger towards you about 1/6th of the way. Push the hanger back down into the soap, and drag the hanger against the bottom of the mold and move it towards you again, moving about 1/6th of the way. Bring the hanger up until it almost breaks the top, then move it over and push it back down. This wasn’t my most precise hanger swirl, so don’t worry about making it perfect! You can see the swirl in action here.

EIGHT: Tap the mold firmly on the counter to help get rid of air bubbles. Use a dowel, chopstick (or the back of a spoon!) to swirl the top of the soap. I used basic “loop-de-loop” motions. Don’t worry too much about the swirl, a lot of it will get covered up with the embeds.

NINE: Place the melt and pour embeds in the center of the soap, pressing down lightly to help them stick. Place them so there is a small amount of room between each to allow for a clean cut.

TEN: Once there is no more room for embeds, sprinkle the top of the soap with Fine Iridescent Glitter. Spritz with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Do not cover. If the soap gets too hot, it could slightly melt the embeds. Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 2-3 days. Unmold and cut into bars, and allow to cure for 4-6 weeks. Enjoy!

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Cotton Candy Swirl Cold Process Soap Tutorial

This cotton candy soap smells just like the real thing!

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

Embeds

• Medium 9 Ball Silicone Mold
• 10 oz. LCP Clear Melt and Pour Base
• Fired Up Fuchsia Color Block
• Fine Iridescent Glitter

Base:

• 5 Pound Mold with Sliding Bottom
• Silicone Liner for 5 lb Wood Mold
• Hanger Swirl Tool
• 54 oz. Lots of Lather Quick Mix
• 7.8 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 16.5 oz. Distilled Water
• 4 oz. Cotton Candy Fragrance Oil
• Zippy Blue Pigment
• Fired Up Fuchsia
• Titanium Dioxide

Instructions

Make the Embeds

• Chop and melt 10 ounces of LCP Clear Melt and Pour Soap in the microwave using 15 second bursts. Add shavings of the Fired Up Fuchsia Color Block to achieve a bright pink color. Add a sprinkle of Fine Iridescent Glitter and stir to combine. Pour the soap into the cavities of the Medium 9 Ball Silicone Mold, and wait for them to cool and harden.
• Once the melt and pour has fully cooled and hardened, remove from the mold. Remelt the remaining soap using 5-10 second bursts and fill up the cavities again. Allow to fully harden, and remove from the mold. Set aside until you’re ready to use.

Make the Base:

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. Then, disperse 1 teaspoons of the colorant into 1 tablespoons of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Then in separate containers, disperse 1/2 teaspoon Zippy Blue Pigment and 1/2 tsp. Fired Up Fuchsia Colorant into 1/2 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 4 ounces of Cotton Candy Fragrance Oil into a glass, fragrance oil safe container. Set aside.

MOLD & TOOL PREP: Insert the silicone liner into the wood mold. Bend the hanger tool so it fits inside the mold by length with silicone liner.

• 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.
• Fully melt the entire bag of Lots of Lather Quick Mix until completely clear and there is no cloudiness. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 54 oz. into your soaping bowl. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that 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 about 3.5 tsp. sodium lactate.
• Once you have a thin trace, add all the dispersed titanium dioxide. Use a whisk to mix in the colorant, and give it a short burst or two with the stick blender to help break up any chunks of colorant.
• Split off about 400 mL of soap into two separate containers. To one container, add 1 tsp. dispersed Fired Up Fuchsia. To the other, add 1 tsp. dispersed Zippy Blue Pigment. Mix the colorants in with a whisk.
• Add the fragrance oil to each container proportionally, it’s okay to eyeball it. Use a whisk to mix in the fragrance oil. The fragrance does accelerate the soap, so be ready to move quickly.
• Time for the spoon plop technique! Grab a large spoon for each color. Spoon the soap into the mold, one color at a time, layering them in three different spots. Don’t worry about being too precise with your “plops.”Continue plopping the colors into the mold, using slightly larger plops for the white soap since we have more of it. Work quickly, as the soap will start to thicken up as we go. Once all the soap is plopped into the mold, give it firm taps on the counter to help get rid of bubbles.
• Now it’s time to make the hanger swirl! Insert the hanger into the soap against the long side of the mold furthest away from you. Drag the hanger against the bottom of the mold toward you. Once you drag the hanger about 1/6th of the way, pull the hanger up until it almost breaks through the top of the soap, but not quite. Move the hanger towards you about 1/6th of the way. Push the hanger back down into the soap, and drag the hanger against the bottom of the mold and move it towards you again, moving about 1/6th of the way. Bring the hanger up until it almost breaks the top, then move it over and push it back down. This wasn’t my most precise hanger swirl, so don’t worry about making it perfect! You can see the swirl in action here.
• Tap the mold firmly on the counter to help get rid of air bubbles. Use a dowel, chopstick (or the back of a spoon!) to swirl the top of the soap. I used basic “loop-de-loop” motions. Don’t worry too much about the swirl, a lot of it will get covered up with the embeds.
• Place the melt and pour embeds in the center of the soap, pressing down lightly to help them stick. Place them so there is a small amount of room between each, to allow for a clean cut.
• Once there is no more room for embeds, sprinkle the top of the soap with Fine Iridescent Glitter. Spritz with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Do not cover. If the soap gets too hot, it could slightly melt the embeds. Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 2-3 days. Unmold and cut into bars, and allow to cure for 4-6 weeks. Enjoy!

The post Cotton Candy Swirl Cold Process Soap Tutorial appeared first on Soap Queen.

In this Soap Queen TV episode, I’m demonstrating one of my favorite techniques…the Hanger Swirl! The Hanger Swirl refers to a technique that involves inserting a Hanger Swirl Tool into the soap and moving it in various directions. A “classic” Hanger Swirl design involves layering various colors and moving the Hanger Tool in an “down, over, up, over” pattern, as shown in this video. Hanger Swirl Tools can also create more specific swirls like the Butterfly Swirl made popular by Zahida of Handmade in Florida (see our tutorial here). The Hanger Swirl Tool can also be used to create less precise swirls, as shown in this tutorial.

For this tutorial, I wanted to demonstrate the “classic” Hanger Swirl. Crisp Cotton Fragrance Oil gives these bars a clean and fresh scent. It also gives plenty of time to layer and swirl the soap, as it does not accelerate. The Swirl Recipe Quick Mix also plays a huge role in this project because the combination of slow-moving oils keeps the soap fluid and workable. If you’re new to soaping, this is a more advanced tutorial because it requires a good understanding of trace. If you’re just starting out, I would recommend using the Hanger Swirl Tool along with a spoon plop design, as shown in this video. It’s a little bit easier because it does not require precise layers, but still makes gorgeous bars.

What You’ll Need:
10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
Hanger Swirl Tool
33 oz. Swirl Recipe Quick Mix
4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
10 oz. Distilled Water
2 oz. Crisp Cotton Fragrance Oil
Ultramarine Blue Pigment
Yellow Lip Safe Mica
Titanium Dioxide
Neon Blue Raspberry Colorant
Optional: Sodium Lactate

Get everything you need to make this project on the Bramble Berry website!

The post How to Create Hanger Swirl Soap on Soap Queen TV appeared first on Soap Queen.