The fridge at the Bramble Berry studios is currently filled with lime LaCroix. It’s a crowd-pleasing flavor that’s the perfect pick-me-up during the afternoon. With so much LaCroix in the office, we had to make soap with it.

This Lime LaCroix Soap is a more abstract interpretation than the Grapefruit LaCroix Soap. Rather than trying to recreate the can, the Lime LaCroix inspired the colors for an In-The-Pot Swirl. Scented with Lime Fragrance Oil, these bars smell bright and fruity.

LaCroix doesn’t contain any alcohol so it doesn’t need to be boiled prior to using it in soap. It also doesn’t contain sugar, so you don’t need to worry about the lye scorching or the soap overheating. Does the LaCroix add any real skin benefits to the soap? No, not really. But it’s fun from a label standpoint, and it’s the perfect gift for any LaCroix lover.

Interestingly, the lime LaCroix behaved better in soap than the grapefruit LaCroix. We found that the grapefruit LaCroix became a little grainy, while this soap stayed nice and smooth during the entire process. Just a heads up that the performance of LaCroix in soap may vary flavor to flavor.

What You Need:
9 Cube Soap Silicone Mold
33 oz. Swirl Quick Mix
4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
10.9 oz. Flat Lime LaCroix
2.4 oz. Lime Fragrance Oil
Blue Slushy Mica
Kermit Green Mica
Hydrated Chrome Green Colorant
Aqua Pearl Mica
Titanium Dioxide

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

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

LA CROIX PREP (1-2 days before): Open one can of Lime LaCroix and allow it to sit out for 1-2 days to get rid of carbonation. The best way to test if the LaCroix is flat is to taste it. Once it no longer contains carbonation and you’re ready to soap, pour 10.9 ounces into a lye safe container.

COLOR PREP: In separate containers, disperse 1/2 teaspoon of titanium dioxide, Aqua Pearl Mica, Hydrated Chrome Green Pigment, and Slushy Blue Mica into 1/2 tablespoon sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). In a separate container, disperse 1 teaspoon Kermit Green Mica into 1 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get rid of clumps.
OPTIONAL: To ensure that the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. To micronize the colorant, simply use a coffee grinder to blend it. That breaks up any clumps of color and prevents 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: Measure 2.4 ounces of Lime Fragrance Oil into a glass fragrance-oil-safe container. 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 the lye to the LaCroix and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that releases faster from the mold, you can add sodium lactate to the cooled lye water. Use 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate per pound of oils in the recipe. For this recipe, you’d add 2 teaspoons of sodium lactate.

TWO: Fully melt the entire bag of Swirl Quick Mix until it’s completely clear and there is no cloudiness. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 33 ounces into your soaping 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: Pour 200 mL of the soap batter into two separate containers. Then pour 400 mL of soap into another container. Add the following amounts of dispersed colorants to each container of soap and use a whisk to fully mix in the colorants.

• Container A (200 mL): 1 tsp. Blue Slushy Mica
• Container B (200 mL): 1 tsp. Aqua Pearl Mica
• Container C (400 mL): 2 tsp. Kermit Green + 1/2 tsp. Hydrated Chrome Green Pigment
• Container D (remaining soap in largest container): 1 tsp. titanium dioxide + 1 tsp. Kermit Green

FIVE: Add the Lime Fragrance Oil proportionally to each container (it’s okay to eyeball it) and use a whisk to mix it in thoroughly. The soap batter should be thin enough to pour but thick enough so the colors don’t muddle when mixed together. If the soap batter is extremely thin, give it a few pulses with the stick blender to slightly thicken.

SIX: Pour all of the light blue soap into the bowl of light green soap, concentrating it on one side. Pour from various heights above the bowl to distribute the blue soap throughout the green soap in the bowl.

SEVEN: Pour all of the aqua soap into the large bowl, concentrating it on the other side of the bowl. Pour from various heights above the bowl to distribute the aqua throughout the green soap in the bowl.

EIGHT: Finally, pour all of the darker green soap into the bowl at various heights. Concentrate it in the center of the bowl.

NINE: Pour the soap directly into each cube cavity. We slightly overfilled our molds, so one was not completely full (see below). Fill them slightly less than we did to avoid a short bar.

TEN: Once all the cavities are full, tap the mold firmly on the counter to help get rid of bubbles. Spritz the top with alcohol to prevent soda ash. Cover the mold with a cutting board or other flat surface for 24 hours.

Allow the soap to stay in the mold for another 2-3 days. Soap needs to stay in this mold a little longer than most. See if you can pull the sides of the mold away from the soap. If the sides do not easily pull away, give it another day or two. Pull the sides away to release the airlock and give the soap one more day to stay in the mold. At this point, gently push the soap from the bottom to see if they release. If the bottom feels soft, you can wait another few days, or place the soap in the freezer for about 3 hours. This helps harden the soap enough to push it out from the bottom. Once the soap is out of the mold, allow them to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.

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Lime LaCroix Soap Tutorial

This soap is made with and inspired by Lime LaCroix.

Course Cold process soap

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 3 pounds of soap

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• 9 Cube Soap Silicone Mold
• 33 oz. Swirl Quick Mix
• 4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 10.9 oz. Flat Lime LaCroix
• 2.4 oz. Lime Fragrance Oil
• Blue Slushy Mica
• Kermit Green Mica
• Hydrated Chrome Green Colorant
• Aqua Pearl Mica
• Titanium Dioxide

Instructions

LA CROIX PREP (1-2 days before): Open one can of Lime LaCroix and allow it to sit out for 1-2 days to get rid of carbonation. The best way to test if the LaCroix is flat is to taste it. Once it no longer contains carbonation and you’re ready to soap, pour 10.9 ounces into a lye safe container.

COLOR PREP: In separate containers, disperse 1/2 teaspoon of titanium dioxide, Aqua Pearl Mica, Hydrated Chrome Green Pigment, and Slushy Blue Mica into 1/2 tablespoon sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). In a separate container, disperse 1 teaspoon Kermit Green Mica into 1 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get rid of clumps. OPTIONAL: To ensure that the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. To micronize the colorant, simply use a coffee grinder to blend it. That breaks up any clumps of color and prevents 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: Measure 2.4 ounces of Lime Fragrance Oil into a glass fragrance-oil-safe container. 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 the lye to the LaCroix and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that releases faster from the mold, you can add sodium lactate to the cooled lye water. Use 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate per pound of oils in the recipe. For this recipe, you’d add 2 teaspoons of sodium lactate.
• Fully melt the entire bag of Swirl Quick Mix until it’s completely clear and there is no cloudiness. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 33 ounces into your soaping 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.
• Pour 200 mL of the soap batter into two separate containers. Then pour 400 mL of soap into another container. Add the following amounts of dispersed colorants to each container of soap and use a whisk to fully mix in the colorants.

  Container A (200 mL): 1 tsp. Blue Slushy Mica

  Container B (200 mL): 1 tsp. Aqua Pearl Mica

  Container C (400 mL): 2 tsp. Kermit Green + 1/2 tsp. Hydrated Chrome Green Pigment

  Container D (remaining soap in largest container): 1 tsp. titanium dioxide + 1 tsp. Kermit Green
• Add the Lime Fragrance Oil proportionally to each container (it’s okay to eyeball it) and use a whisk to mix it in thoroughly. The soap batter should be thin enough to pour but thick enough so the colors don’t muddle when mixed together. If the soap batter is extremely thin, give it a few pulses with the stick blender to slightly thicken.
• Pour all of the light blue soap into the bowl of light green soap, concentrating it on one side. Pour from various heights above the bowl to distribute the blue soap throughout the green soap in the bowl.
• Pour all of the aqua soap into the large bowl, concentrating it on the other side of the bowl. Pour from various heights above the bowl to distribute the aqua throughout the green soap in the bowl.
• Finally, pour all of the darker green soap into the bowl at various heights. Concentrate it in the center of the bowl.
• Pour the soap directly into each cube cavity. We slightly overfilled our molds, so one was not completely full (see below). Fill them slightly less than we did to avoid a short bar.
• Once all the cavities are full, tap the mold firmly on the counter to help get rid of bubbles. Spritz the top with alcohol to prevent soda ash. Cover the mold with a cutting board or other flat surface for 24 hours. Allow the soap to stay in the mold for another 2-3 days. Soap needs to stay in this mold a little longer than most. See if you can pull the sides of the mold away from the soap. If the sides do not easily pull away, give it another day or two. Pull the sides away to release the airlock and give the soap one more day to stay in the mold. At this point, gently push the soap from the bottom to see if they release. If the bottom feels soft, you can wait another few days, or place the soap in the freezer for about 3 hours. This helps harden the soap enough to push it out from the bottom. Once the soap is out of the mold, allow them to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.

The post Lime LaCroix Soap Tutorial appeared first on Soap Queen.

It seems everyone is obsessed with LaCroix right now, and we’re no exception. If you scan the office, you’re bound to see a few cans. The bubbly beverage inspired this Grapefruit LaCroix Soap. It’s made with flat LaCroix instead of distilled water and scented with Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil.

We’ve never made soap with sparkling water before, so this was a fun experiment. Because it doesn’t contain alcohol we didn’t boil it. Instead, we opened a few cans of LaCroix and let them sit for a couple days to get rid of the carbonation. Once we were ready to soap, we added the lye directly to the room temperature LaCroix. Because it doesn’t contain sugar, you don’t need to worry about scalding or overheating.

Overall, the LaCroix behaved fairly well in soap. We did find that the soap thickened more quickly, and at one point it did become grainy. Stick blending smoothed out the texture. Interestingly, when we soaped with lime flavored LaCroix, it behaved better. So, the performance of LaCroix in cold process soap may vary flavor to flavor.

What You Need:
Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold
40 oz. Swirl Quick Mix
13.2 oz. Flat Grapefruit LaCroix
5.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
2.9 oz. Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil
Titanium Dioxide
Magenta Mica
Sunset Orange Mica
Aqua Pearl Mica
Mermaid Blue Mica

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.

LACROIX PREP (1-2 days before): Open two cans of Grapefruit LaCroix and allow the liquid to sit out for 1-2 days to get rid of carbonation. The best way to test if the LaCroix is flat is to taste it. Once it no longer contains carbonation, pour 13.2 ounces of the LaCroix into a lye safe container.

COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of the titanium dioxide into 1 tablespoon of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). In separate containers, mix 1/2 teaspoon of Aqua Pearl Mica, Mermaid Mica, Sunset Orange Mica, and Magenta Mica into 1/2 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps.
OPTIONAL: To ensure that the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. To micronize the colorant, simply use a coffee grinder to blend it. That breaks up any clumps of color and prevents 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: Measure 2.9 ounces of Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil into a glass fragrance oil safe container. Set aside.

MOLD & TOOL PREP: Line the Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold with freezer paper, shiny side up. For tips on how to line the mold, click here.

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

ONE: Slowly and carefully add the lye to the LaCroix 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 of sodium lactate.

TWO: Fully melt the entire bag of Swirl Quick Mix until it’s completely clear with no cloudiness. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 40 ounces into your soaping bowl. Once the lye solution and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye solution to the oils and stick blend until thin trace.

THREE: Once you reach a thin trace, add all the Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil and use a whisk to mix in thoroughly. Split the soap batter into four containers. Two containers should contain 600 mL and the other two containers should contain 150 mL.

FOUR: Add the following amounts of dispersed colorants to each container and use a whisk to completely combine.

• Container A – pink (600 mL): 1 tsp. Magenta Mica + 1 tsp. titanium dioxide
• Container B – orange (600 mL): 1/2 tsp. Sunset Orange Mica
• Container C – green (150 mL): 1/2 tsp. Aqua Pearl Mica
• Container D – blue (150 mL): 1/2 tsp. Mermaid Mica

At this point, the soap batter began to thicken and take on a grainy texture. We found stick blending each container for a few seconds got rid of the graininess and thinned the trace. This graininess is probably caused by the ingredients in the LaCroix. However, because the ingredients are rather mysterious, it’s hard to say what exactly caused the grainy texture. We also soaped with lime flavored LaCroix and didn’t experience the graininess, so how LaCroix behaves in soap may vary flavor to flavor.

FIVE: Pour some of the pink and orange soap into the mold, and use a spoon to smooth it out. Tap the mold on the counter to help settle it into the mold.

SIX: Hold the mold at an angle, and pour the most of the blue soap into one corner of the mold. Tap the mold firmly on the counter to settle the soap.

SEVEN: Pour more of the orange soap into the mold, then pour all of the green soap into the mold, concentrating it in one corner. Pour any leftover blue soap into the other side of the mold. Tap the mold on the counter to get rid of bubbles.

EIGHT: Begin layering the remainder of the pink and orange soap into the mold. Don’t worry what the layers look like, you’re going for an imperfect look. Continue layering until all the soap is in the mold.

NINE: Tap the mold firmly on the counter to help get rid of bubbles. Use a spoon to smooth out the top of the soap. Spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Cover the mold with the lid and allow to sit in the mold for about 2-3 days. Remove from the mold and cut into bars. Allow to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.

NOTE: Our original plan was to drizzle various colorants mixed with oil on top to create a messy splatter look. It looked okay at first, but then the mica paint began to run together and the overall look wasn’t what we planned. Once we cut the soap into bars, we decided to just cut off the top. Not every design idea turns out perfect, but cutting the top of the soap was an easy way to fix the problem. 

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Grapefruit LaCroix Soap Tutorial

This cold process soap is made with grapefruit LaCroix and a skin-loving mix of oils.

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
• 40 oz. Swirl Quick Mix
• 13.2 oz. Flat Grapefruit LaCroix
• 5.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 2.9 oz. Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil
• Titanium Dioxide
• Magenta Mica
• Sunset Orange Mica
• Aqua Pearl Mica
• Mermaid Blue Mica

Instructions

LACROIX PREP (1-2 days before): Open two cans of Grapefruit LaCroix and allow the liquid to sit out for 1-2 days to get rid of carbonation. The best way to test if the LaCroix is flat is to taste it. Once it no longer contains carbonation, pour 13.2 ounces of the LaCroix into a lye safe container.

COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of the titanium dioxide into 1 tablespoon of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). In separate containers, mix 1/2 teaspoon of Aqua Pearl Mica, Mermaid Mica, Sunset Orange Mica, and Magenta Mica into 1/2 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps. OPTIONAL: To ensure that the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. To micronize the colorant, simply use a coffee grinder to blend it. That breaks up any clumps of color and prevents 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: Measure 2.9 ounces of Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil into a glass fragrance oil safe container. Set aside.

MOLD & TOOL PREP: Line the Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold with freezer paper, shiny side up. For tips on how to line the mold, click here.

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

• Slowly and carefully add the lye to the LaCroix 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 of sodium lactate.
• Fully melt the entire bag of Swirl Quick Mix until it’s completely clear with no cloudiness. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 40 ounces into your soaping bowl. Once the lye solution and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye solution to the oils and stick blend until thin trace.
• Once you reach a thin trace, add all the Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil and use a whisk to mix in thoroughly. Split the soap batter into four containers. Two containers should contain 600 mL and the other two containers should contain 150 mL.
• Add the following amounts of dispersed colorants to each container and use a whisk to completely combine.

  Container A – pink (600 mL): 1 tsp. Magenta Mica + 1 tsp. titanium dioxide

  Container B – orange (600 mL): 1/2 tsp. Sunset Orange Mica

  Container C – green (150 mL): 1/2 tsp. Aqua Pearl Mica

  Container D – blue (150 mL): 1/2 tsp. Mermaid Mica
• At this point, the soap batter began to thicken and take on a grainy texture. We found stick blending each container for a few seconds got rid of the graininess and thinned the trace. This graininess is probably caused by the ingredients in the LaCroix. However, because the ingredients are rather mysterious, it’s hard to say what exactly caused the grainy texture. We also soaped with lime flavored LaCroix and didn’t experience the graininess, so how LaCroix behaves in soap may vary flavor to flavor.
• Pour some of the pink and orange soap into the mold, and use a spoon to smooth it out. Tap the mold on the counter to help settle it into the mold.
• Hold the mold at an angle, and pour the most of the blue soap into one corner of the mold. Tap the mold firmly on the counter to settle the soap.
• Pour more of the orange soap into the mold, then pour all of the green soap into the mold, concentrating it in one corner. Pour any leftover blue soap into the other side of the mold. Tap the mold on the counter to get rid of bubbles.
• Begin layering the remainder of the pink and orange soap into the mold. Don’t worry what the layers look like, you’re going for an imperfect look. Continue layering until all the soap is in the mold.
• Tap the mold firmly on the counter to help get rid of bubbles. Use a spoon to smooth out the top of the soap. Spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Cover the mold with the lid and allow to sit in the mold for about 2-3 days. Remove from the mold and cut into bars. Allow to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.

The post Grapefruit LaCroix Soap Tutorial appeared first on Soap Queen.