These cold process soaps are scented with menthol crystals. They’re a natural product that can be used in a variety of projects including soap, scrubs, balms, and more. You only need a few crystals to add a minty scent and a cooling sensation on the skin.

Bramble Berry menthol crystals are created with a cold extraction method. Essentially, oil is extracted from mint leaves and then frozen. The resulting crystals can be melted with oil or alcohol and added to recipes at 0.5-2%.

This recipe uses 1% menthol crystals. It’s enough to give the bars a very light scent and a cooling sensation on sensitive areas of skin. You can increase or decrease the amount depending on your personal preference.

We left these bars uncolored and added poppy seeds for exfoliation. The 10% water discount helps the soap release from the mold faster. A discount does cause acceleration, but that works well for this simple design.

What You Need:
6 Cavity Silicone Circle Mold
16 oz. Lots of Lather Quick Mix
0.2 oz. Menthol Crystals
2.3 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
4.8 oz. Distilled Water (10% water discount)
1 tsp. Poppy Seeds

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.

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 2.3 ounces of lye to 4.8 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 1 teaspoon sodium lactate.

TWO: Fully melt the entire bag of Lots of Lather until it’s completely clear. Shake the bag to mix all the oils. Measure 16 ounces of the Quick Mix into a heat-safe bowl. Add 0.2 ounces of menthol crystals. Stir the oils to help the menthol crystals melt – this may take a few minutes. Continue stirring until you no longer see any crystals.
NOTE: If the crystals aren’t dissolving, the oil may not be hot enough. They melt around 120° F and hotter. Place the bowl in the microwave and heat using 20 second bursts and continue to stir. 

THREE: Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130° 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 to medium trace.

FOUR: Add 1 teaspoon of poppy seeds and use a whisk or spatula to fully mix them in.

FIVE: Place the mold on a cutting board for easy pickup. Pour the soap into each cavity. If the soap starts to get thick, use a whisk to stir and loosen up the batter. Tap the mold on the counter to get rid of bubbles. If you’d like, use a large spoon to smooth the top.

SIX: Allow the soap to harden in the mold for 1-3 days (depending on if you used sodium lactate or not). Unmold each soap and allow the soaps to cure for 4-6 weeks before use. Enjoy.

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Menthol Crystal Cold Process Soap

Course Cold process soap

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 1 1/2 pounds of soap

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

• 6 Cavity Silicone Circle Mold
• 16 oz. Lots of Lather Quick Mix
• 0.2 oz. Menthol Crystals
• 2.3 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 4.8 oz. Distilled Water 10% water discount
• 1 tsp. Poppy Seeds

Instructions

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 2.3 ounces of lye to 4.8 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 1 teaspoon sodium lactate.
• Fully melt the entire bag of Lots of Lather until it’s completely clear. Shake the bag to mix all the oils. Measure 16 ounces of the Quick Mix into a heat-safe bowl. Add 0.2 ounces of menthol crystals. Stir the oils to help the menthol crystals melt – this may take a few minutes. Continue stirring until you no longer see any crystals. NOTE: If the crystals aren’t dissolving, the oil may not be hot enough. They melt around 120° F and hotter. Place the bowl in the microwave and heat using 20 second bursts and continue to stir.
• Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130° 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 to medium trace.
• Add 1 teaspoon of poppy seeds and use a whisk or spatula to fully mix them in.
• Place the mold on a cutting board for easy pickup. Pour the soap into each cavity. If the soap starts to get thick, use a whisk to stir and loosen up the batter. Tap the mold on the counter to get rid of bubbles. If you’d like, use a large spoon to smooth the top.
• Allow the soap to harden in the mold for 1-3 days (depending on if you used sodium lactate or not). Unmold each soap and allow the soaps to cure for 4-6 weeks before use. Enjoy.

The post Menthol Crystal Cold Process Soap appeared first on Soap Queen.

This hot process soap is inspired by new Blueberry Thyme Fragrance Oil. With notes of ripe blueberries, rosemary, vanilla, and musk, it’s a modern take on a classic fruity fragrance. The scent is the perfect complement to these rustic hot process bars.

Embeds created with LCP Clear Melt and Pour Soap Base and the Small 9 Ball Silicone Mold top each bar. Once the soap is removed from the mold, we used the Clean Up Tool to carve blueberry details in each embed. Poppy seeds are also sprinkled on top of the soap for interest.

The embed on top melted, creating an accidental blueberry drizzle. We liked it so much we left the bars just the way they are. If you’re not a fan of that look, you can make the embeds out of cold process soap.

What You Need:
Embeds:
Small 9 Ball Silicone Mold
2 oz. LCP Clear Melt and Pour Soap Base
Ultramarine Blue Color Block
Black Oxide Color Block

Base:
2  lb. Wood Loaf Mold
Silicone Liner for 2 lb Wood Loaf Mold
22 oz. Lots of Lather Quick Mix
3.2 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
7.3 oz. Distilled Water
1.3 oz. Blueberry Thyme Fragrance Oil
Ultramarine Blue Pigment
Poppy Seeds

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

Make the Embeds

ONE: Chop 2 ounces of LCP Clear Melt and Pour Soap Base into small uniform pieces. Place the soap and a shaving of Ultramarine Blue Color Block into a heat-safe container and melt using 5-10 second bursts. Because it’s such a small amount of soap, be careful to not burn it. Once melted, add more Ultramarine Blue Color Block if necessary. Then, add very small shavings of the Black Oxide Color Block to achieve a dark and saturated blue.

TWO: Carefully pour the soap into each cavity of the Small 9 Ball Silicone Mold. Each cavity should be filled to the very top. Allow the soap to fully cool and harden.

THREE: Once the soap is hard, remove each embed from the mold. Carve five points into the flat side of the embed to resemble a blueberry. We found the Clean Up Tool worked well for this step.
NOTE: We placed 6 blueberry embeds into the top of the soap, which created large bars. You can make more or fewer embeds depending on how large you want the bars to be. 

Make the Base

If you’ve never made hot process soap before, stop here. This post talks about how to handle lye safely, and this Soap Queen TV video goes over how to get started.

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 1.3 ounces of Blueberry Thyme Fragrance Oil into a small glass container and set aside.

COLOR PREP: Disperse 1/2 teaspoon of Ultramarine Blue Pigment into 1/2 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get rid of clumps and set aside. Have poppy seeds and embeds nearby.

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 3.2 ounces of lye to the 7.3 ounces of distilled water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. Once cooled to about 130° F , add 0.7 ounces of sodium lactate to the lye water. Sodium lactate is used in hot process at 3% of the oil weight to help produce a smoother bar.

TWO: Fully melt the entire bag of Lots of Lather Quick Mix until it’s completely clear and there’s no cloudiness. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 22 ounces into your Crock-Pot and turn it on.
NOTE: The heat setting you use may vary depending on your cooking vessel. We’ve cooked hot process soap on low and high heat with equally good results. For this recipe, we used the high heat setting for a faster cook time. If you’re making hot process soap in your cooking vessel for the first time, start with the low setting. Next time try the high setting and see which you prefer. 

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

FOUR: Mix with the stick blender until a thick trace is achieved.

FIVE: Put the lid on the Crock-Pot and allow the soap to start cooking. After about 10 minutes, check the soap. Starting from the outside, the texture and color of the soap will start to change into a glossy, slightly Vaseline-like texture. Stir the soap to ensure even cooking. Place the lid back on and allow it to cook for another 5-7  minutes.
NOTE: Don’t be surprised if the soap starts to grow in volume. Don’t leave your soap unattended in the first 10 minutes of cook time for this reason. If the soap gets too high in the pot, wearing gloves, take the pot off heat and stir like crazy.

SIX: The batch is ready when it’s the texture of glossy mashed potatoes. This may take up to three more 5-10 minute sessions, depending on how hot your Crock-Pot is. When you think it’s ready, use a pH strip to test the levels. Place a small amount of the soap into a cup of distilled water and stir. Dip the pH strip into the water – it should be below 10. Be sure not to overcook the soap, you don’t want it too dry for the next steps.

SEVEN: Add 1/2 teaspoon of dispersed Ultramarine Blue Pigment directly to the soap and stir until it’s fully combined.

EIGHT: Add all of the 1.3 ounces of Blueberry Thyme Fragrance Oil and stir to fully combine.

NINE: Working quickly, spoon the soap into the mold. Tap the mold on the counter firmly to help it settle. Once all the soap is in the mold, use a spoon or gloved hands to smooth the top.

TEN: Insert the blueberry embeds into the soap. We used 6 embeds, which created nice thick bars. Depending on how many embeds you make, you can place them closer together to create smaller bars.

ELEVEN: Working very quickly, sprinkle poppy seeds on top and use your hands to press them into the soap. Sprinkle on more than you want, because some will fall off when the bars are cut.

In the photo below, you’ll notice that the melt and pour embeds started to melt. Melt and pour soap begins melting at about 120-125 degrees F, and this soap is quite hot. We predicted this may happen, but decided to give it a shot anyway. Our embeds continued to melt enough to actually run down the mold. In the end, it looked like a blueberry drizzle.

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

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Blueberry Hot Process Soap Tutorial

This hot process soap is inspired by new Blueberry Thyme Fragrance Oil.

Course Hot Process Soap

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 2 pounds of soap

Author Soap Queen

Ingredients

Embeds:

• Small 9 Ball Silicone Mold
• 2 oz. LCP Clear Melt and Pour Soap Base
• Ultramarine Blue Color Block
• Black Oxide Color Block

Base:

• 2 lb. Wood Loaf Mold
• Silicone Liner for 2 lb Wood Loaf Mold
• 22 oz. Lots of Lather Quick Mix
• 3.2 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 7.3 oz. Distilled Water
• 1.3 oz. Blueberry Thyme Fragrance Oil
• Ultramarine Blue Pigment
• Poppy Seeds

Instructions

Make the Embeds

• Chop 2 ounces of LCP Clear Melt and Pour Soap Base into small uniform pieces. Place the soap and a shaving of Ultramarine Blue Color Block into a heat-safe container and melt using 5-10 second bursts. Because it’s such a small amount of soap, be careful to not burn it. Once melted, add more Ultramarine Blue Color Block if necessary. Then, add very small shavings of the Black Oxide Color Block to achieve a dark and saturated blue.
• Carefully pour the soap into each cavity of the Small 9 Ball Silicone Mold. Each cavity should be filled to the very top. Allow the soap to fully cool and harden.
• Once the soap is hard, remove each embed from the mold. Carve five points into the flat side of the embed to resemble a blueberry. We found the Clean Up Tool worked well for this step. NOTE: We placed 6 blueberry embeds into the top of the soap, which created large bars. You can make more or fewer embeds depending on how large you want the bars to be.

Make the Base

FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 1.3 ounces of Blueberry Thyme Fragrance Oil into a small glass container and set aside.

COLOR PREP: Disperse 1/2 teaspoon of Ultramarine Blue Pigment into 1/2 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get rid of clumps and set aside. Have poppy seeds and embeds nearby.

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 3.2 ounces of lye to the 7.3 ounces of distilled water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. Once cooled to about 130° F , add 0.7 ounces of sodium lactate to the lye water. Sodium lactate is used in hot process at 3% of the oil weight to help produce a smoother bar.
• Fully melt the entire bag of Lots of Lather Quick Mix until it’s completely clear and there’s no cloudiness. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 22 ounces into your Crock-Pot and turn it on. NOTE: The heat setting you use may vary depending on your cooking vessel. We’ve cooked hot process soap on low and high heat with equally good results. For this recipe, we used the high heat setting for a faster cook time. If you’re making hot process soap in your cooking vessel for the first time, start with the low setting. Next time try the high setting and see which you prefer.
• Slowly add the lye water to the oils. Make sure the mixture does not fill up more than half of the pot or cooking vessel. Tap the stick blender on the bottom of the pot to release air bubbles and begin to blend.
• Mix with the stick blender until a thick trace is achieved.
• Put the lid on the Crock-Pot and allow the soap to start cooking. After about 10 minutes, check the soap. Starting from the outside, the texture and color of the soap will start to change into a glossy, slightly Vaseline-like texture. Stir the soap to ensure even cooking. Place the lid back on and allow it to cook for another 5-7 minutes. NOTE: Don’t be surprised if the soap starts to grow in volume. Don’t leave your soap unattended in the first 10 minutes of cook time for this reason. If the soap gets too high in the pot, wearing gloves, take the pot off heat and stir like crazy.
• The batch is ready when it’s the texture of glossy mashed potatoes. This may take up to three more 5-10 minute sessions, depending on how hot your Crock-Pot is. When you think it’s ready, use a pH strip to test the levels. Place a small amount of the soap into a cup of distilled water and stir. Dip the pH strip into the water – it should be below 10. Be sure not to overcook the soap, you don’t want it too dry for the next steps.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon of dispersed Ultramarine Blue Pigment directly to the soap and stir until it’s fully combined.
• Add all of the 1.3 ounces of Blueberry Thyme Fragrance Oil and stir to fully combine.
• Working quickly, spoon the soap into the mold. Tap the mold on the counter firmly to help it settle. Once all the soap is in the mold, use a spoon or gloved hands to smooth the top.
• Insert the blueberry embeds into the soap. We used 6 embeds, which created nice thick bars. Depending on how many embeds you make, you can place them closer together to create smaller bars.
• Working very quickly, sprinkle poppy seeds on top and use your hands to press them into the soap. Sprinkle on more than you want, because some will fall off when the bars are cut.
• Allow the soap to stay in the mold for at least 24 hours. Unmold and cut into bars. This soap is ready to use right away, but will last longer in the shower after at least a 2 week cure time.

The post Blueberry Hot Process Soap Tutorial 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.

These go-to recipes were the inspiration for Bramble Berry’s Quick Mixes. The Quick Mixes are pre-measured cold process oils that you can heat up, measure and use! They save time because you don’t have to weigh and blend oils, and they work great for both cold and hot process recipes. There are three different varieties of Quick Mixes, each designed to produce a slightly different bar of soap. Read more about each kind of Quick Mix below.

Basic Quick Mix: Produces a fantastic “basic” bar of soap. Produces stable, medium sized bubbles and rinses away cleanly in the shower. This recipe does best at 10% superfat or below.
Botanical Name: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Elaeis guineensis (Palm) Oil, Canola Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Tocepherol (Vitamin E)

Basic Quick Mix Recipe:
30% Coconut Oil
30% Palm Oil
20% Canola Oil
19.9% Olive Oil
.1% Vitamin E Oil

Swirl Recipe Quick Mix: Produces soap batter that reaches trace slowly, making it a great option for complicated swirl designs. This recipe makes a bar with a creamy and stable lather. This recipe does best at 7% superfat or below.
Botanical Name: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Elaeis guineensis (Palm) Oil, Brassica Napus (Canola) Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Sweet almond oil (Prunus amygdalus dulcis), Ricinus communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Tocepherol (Vitamin E) 

Swirl Quick Mix Recipe:
25% Coconut Oil
25% Palm Oil
25% Canola Oil
15% Olive Oil
6.9% Sweet Almond Oil
3% Castor Oil
0.1% Vitamin E Oil

Lots of Lather Quick Mix: Produces an extremely hard bar of soap with large, stable bubbles.  The bar of soap rinses away cleanly in the shower.
Botanical Name: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Elaeis guineensis (Palm) Oil, Brassica Napus (Canola) Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Ricinus communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E) Oil

Lots of Lather Quick Mix Recipe:
33% Coconut Oil
33% Palm Oil
16% Canola Oil
14.9% Olive Oil
3% Castor Oil
0.1 % Vitamin E Oil

Each Quick Mix recipe comes in a heat resistant plastic pouch to make it easy to completely melt down the oils in order to pour and measure. The bags can be melted in the microwave, or placed in a pot of boiling water. Click here to learn how to boil the heat resistant pouches. Because all the recipes contain palm oil, it’s important to melt down the entire container of Quick Mix. Palm oil contains stearic acid, which can sink and solidify if the mixture is too cool. Then, give it a good shake to mix all the oils together. If the entire mixture is not melted and thoroughly combined, you may end up with an incorrect proportion of oils. This could cause the soap to not set up properly or behave quite right.

To easily calculate how much lye and water you need, you can use the Bramble Lye Calculator and enter how many ounces of each mix in the corresponding box, select the superfat you prefer and press “Calculate.” If necessary, resize the batch according to how much soap you need. You can also find a Quick Mix Calculator on each Quick Mix product page, along with lye and water amounts for popular Bramble Berry molds.

If you’d like to further customize a Quick Mix with additional oils or butters, you certainly can! Just keep in mind that by doing so, you may lose some of the properties of the original recipe. Additional oils and butters may result in reduced lather or a shorter shelf life. One option is to select a 0% superfat in the Lye Calculator, and add your extra oils and butters as a superfat. Click here to learn more about superfatting your soap recipe. You can also enter the amount of oils of Quick Mix into the calculator, and then enter additional oils in ounces or percentages. Once you purchase a mix, you will also receive the exact recipe for each mix in your Bramble Berry account so you can tweak it on the Lye Calculator.

Looking for some Quick Mix projects? The Leopard Spots Cold Process Tutorial is made with the Basic Quick Mix to create layers which resemble a leopard print once cut into bars. This mix is also used in the Red Apple Cold Process Soap, and the Waves of the Seas Cold Process Soap. As you can see, this mix is great for a wide variety of techniques.

Top to bottom, clockwise: Red Apple Cold Process Soap, Leopard Spots Tutorial, Waves of the Sea Cold Process Soap

The Blue Rain Drop Swirl Cold Process tutorial uses the Swirl Quick Mix to give you plenty of time to swirl. This mix is also great for other swirl techniques, like the butterfly swirl! Check out the Monarch Butterfly Swirl Cold Process tutorial to learn more.

The Blue Rain Drop Swirl Cold Process Soap uses the Swirl Quick Mix to give you plenty of time to create a beautiful drop swirl. 

If you’re not concerned with creating swirls, the Lots of Lather Quick Mix is a great option. In the Spiced Copper Cold Process Soap Tutorial, the Lots of Lather Quick Mix gives the bars a rich and stable lather. This mix also works great for the design, which requires a slightly thicker trace to create five layers accented by mica lines. The Cherry Blossom Glitter Cold Process is also created using this mix along with leftover soap shavings for a colorful confetti appearance.

The Spiced Copper Cold Process Soap is made with the Lots of Lather Quick Mix to create a stable lather. 

Have you used a Quick Mix before? I would love to hear what your thoughts are! If you prefer to create your own recipe, check out the Formulating Cold Process Soap Recipes blog post for tips and tricks.

The post Sunday Night Spotlight: Quick Mixes appeared first on Soap Queen.

Sometimes the most stunning soap projects come from a simple design idea. This Spiced Copper Cold Process features layers of uncolored soap separated by lines of Copper Sparkle Mica. The top is then covered in the mica, creating a sparkly and slightly rustic look. This soap is scented with Spiced Amber Ale Fragrance Oil, which does not discolor in cold process soap. Read more about discoloration here. Having a non-discoloring fragrance oil is crucial for the mica lines to pop. If you choose a different fragrance oil for this project, keep that in mind!

The technique of creating lines in cold process soap using powder colorants is known as a mica line, or mica vein. The key to this technique is creating thin and even lines of colorant. If the lines are too thick, the layers of soap can separate. A small powder duster really comes in handy. While other colorants like oxides and pigments can be used for this technique, micas work best as they are extremely fine. The fine powdery texture of micas makes it easy to create a thin and even line. If you are thinking about trying this technique, now is a great time!

What You’ll Need:
Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold
40 oz. Lots of Lather Quick Mix
5.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
13.2 oz. Distilled Water
Copper Sparkle Mica
2.5 oz. Spiced Amber Ale Fragrance Oil
Optional: Powder Duster

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

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

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

COLOR PREP: Have the Copper Sparkle Mica nearby. There is no need to disperse it with any oil, you will add the colorant to the soap dry. To help evenly sprinkle the mica onto the soap, a powder duster comes in handy!

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.

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 there is no cloudiness. Shake to mix and measure out 40 oz. 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 2.5 sodium lactate.

THREE: Once you have reached a thin trace, add the all of the Spiced Amber Ale Fragrance Oil and use a whisk to thoroughly mix in the fragrance.

FOUR: Portion off the batter into five even containers. 
FIVE: Stick blend one of the containers until you reach a medium to thick trace. This will be the very bottom layer, so having a thick base will help support all the layers on top.

SIX: Pour the thick soap into the mold, and firmly tap the mold onto the counter to help release any bubbles and disperse the soap throughout the mold. Use a spoon to spread the mixture, and create soft waves.

SEVEN: Add a small amount of the Copper Sparkle Mica to the powder duster, and lightly cover the soap with a layer of Copper Sparkle Mica. Close your eyes and blow gently on the color to help disperse it evenly on top of the layer. Watch out, this part can get a bit messy!

EIGHT: Use a spoon to add another container of soap on top of the first layer. If it’s extremely thin, stick blend for several seconds until it reaches a medium trace. Using a spoon helps gently add the soap; if you were to pour, it may break through the mica layer and into the layer below. Once all the soap has been added, use the spoon to gently smooth the soap and create soft texture.

NINE: Add another layer of Copper Sparkle Mica and blow gently. The entire layer of soap should be covered, but be careful not to add too much! Excess mica can cause the soap layers to separate once cut.

TEN: Spoon another container of soap onto the layer below. Use the spoon to spread out the soap, creating an even layer. Use the spoon to create soft waves. 

ELEVEN: Cover this layer of soap with a thin and even layer of Copper Sparkle Mica and blow gently. Tap the mold on the counter to help eliminate air bubbles.

TWELVE: Spoon another container of soap into the mold, on top of the Copper Sparkle Mica layer. Spread out the soap evenly throughout the mold, and create soft texture with the spoon.

THIRTEEN: You guessed it…cover with more Copper Sparkle Mica and blow gently!

FOURTEEN: Add the last of the soap on top of the Copper Sparkle Mica line. Use a spoon to create a textured top. There is no right or wrong way to do this, just have fun with it! Once you’re happy with the top, cover the top with plenty of Copper Sparkle Mica. Then, close your eyes and gently blow off the excess powder.

Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 3-4 days. Remove from the mold, and peel away freezer paper. To cut, lay the soap on its side and cut in the direction of the mica lines. This helps prevent dragging the mica down the bar and into the cream layers. Allow to cure for 4-6 weeks, enjoy!

Have you tried the mica line technique before? If you’d like to see it in action, check out the Lemon Poppy Seed Cold Process Soap on Soap Queen TV. 

Print

Spiced Copper Cold Process Soap Tutorial

This Spiced Copper Cold Process Soap uses mica to create eye-catching layers.

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. Lots of Lather Quick Mix
• 5.7 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
• 13.2 oz. Distilled Water
• Copper Sparkle Mica
• 2.5 oz. Spiced Amber Ale Fragrance Oil
• Optional: Powder Duster

Instructions

COLOR PREP: Have the Copper Sparkle Mica nearby. There is no need to disperse it with any oil, you will add the colorant to the soap dry. To help evenly sprinkle the mica onto the soap, a powder duster comes in handy!

MOLD & TOOL PREP: Line the Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold with freezer paper with the shiny side up.

• 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 there is no cloudiness. Shake to mix and measure out 40 oz. 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 2.5 sodium lactate.
• Once you have reached a thin trace, add the all of the Spiced Amber Ale Fragrance Oil and use a whisk to thoroughly mix in the fragrance.
• Portion off the batter into five even containers.
• Stick blend one of he containers until you reach a medium to thick trace. This will be the very bottom layer, so having a thick base will help support all the layers on top.
• Pour the thick soap into the mold, and firmly tap the mold onto the counter to help release any bubbles and disperse the soap throughout the mold. Use a spoon to spread the mixture, and create soft waves.
• Add a small amount of the Copper Sparkle Mica to the powder duster, and lightly cover the soap with a layer of Copper Sparkle Mica. Close your eyes and blow gently on the color to help disperse it evenly on top of the layer. Watch out, this part can get a bit messy!
• Use a spoon to add another container of soap on top of the first layer. Using a spoon helps gently add the soap; if you were to pour, it may break through the mica layer and into the layer below. Once all the soap has been added, use the spoon to gently smooth the soap and create soft texture.
• Add another layer of Copper Sparkle Mica and blow gently. The entire layer of soap should be covered, but be careful not to add too much! Excess mica can cause the soap layers to separate once cut.
• Spoon another container of soap onto the layer below. Use the spoon to spread out the soap, creating an even layer. Use the spoon to create soft waves.
• Cover this layer of soap with a thin and even layer of Copper Sparkle Mica and blow gently. Tap the mold on the counter to help eliminate air bubbles
• Spoon another container of soap into the mold, on top of the Copper Sparkle Mica layer. Spread out the soap evenly throughout the mold, and create soft texture with the spoon.
• You guessed it…cover with more Copper Sparkle Mica and blow gently!
• Add the last of the soap on top of the Copper Sparkle Mica line. Use a spoon to create a textured top. There is no right or wrong way to do this, just have fun with it! Once you’re happy with the top, sprinkle the top with plenty of Copper Sparkle Mica. Then, close your eyes and gently blow off the excess powder.
• Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 3-4 days. Remove from the mold, and peel away freezer paper. To cut, lay the soap on its side and cut in the direction of the mica lines. This helps to avoid dragging the mica down the bar and into the cream layers. Allow to cure for 4-6 weeks, enjoy!

The post Spiced Copper Cold Process Soap Tutorial appeared first on Soap Queen.