I’ve been making soap for quite a long time – Between 14 or 15 years. Soap has been such a large part of my life. I know it may sound weird, but I really love soap. Not only do I like using it, I love making it and I love the excitement of it. I’ve never experienced anything else quite like it. Each soap is a tiny creation and sometimes I still stand back and say “Wow, I made that.” It never gets old, it never stops being challenging and it’s one of the most fulfilling hobbies (and sometimes business) on earth.
After all these years, I have learned to do one thing very well. I call it the KISS rule of soap making. That’s right…Keep it simple, sweetie! To often I see recipes that look something like this:
As an experienced soap maker, this makes me want to pull my hair out! Why? Because you simply do not need these more expensive butters and oils (avocado, apricot, and cocoa butter) to make a fantastic bar of soap. Soap is a wash off product and these butters and oils are being wasted. They are much more well-suited for leave on products such as body butters and lotions. In reality, you just need a few basic oils to get a great bar of soap!
This is especially helpful for new soap makers. Soap challenges me to this day, and it is certainly a challenge while learning. If a batch goes south, you’ve just wasted these beautiful oils! Here’s two great recipes that I created that will make amazing soap. One recipe is vegan with no palm and the other is vegan with palm.
This is the recipe I use all the time. I like it because it is simple and inexpensive. I have not used palm for a long time, and had to formulate a bar that was nice without palm. To add to the hardness of the bar without using palm, I use some shea butter. This adds creaminess and hardness to the soap.
In this recipe we do need to use a bit of shea butter to make up for the loss of hardness from lack of palm. It’s still not a lot and keeps the soap within a decent price bracket. Believe me, this will become important if you start making a lot of soap and selling it! A simple and inexpensive keeps your price down and your margins up!
Let’s say we’re using 2 pounds of oils with this recipe and we’re going to use full water. The recipe would be:
% | Pounds | Ounces | Grams | |
Olive Oil | 56 | 1.12 | 17.92 | 508.02 |
Coconut Oil | 26 | 0.52 | 8.32 | 235.87 |
Shea Butter | 11 | 0.22 | 3.52 | 99.79 |
Castor Oil | 7 | 0.14 | 2.24 | 63.5 |
Water | N/A | 0.76 | 12.16 | 344.73 |
Lye | N/A | 0.278 | 4.45 | 126.28 |
This recipe makes an amazing bar of soap! Here is a picture of soap made with this recipe:
As you can see, there is plenty of time for swirls, colors, and other designs. It also cures to make a hard long lasting bar. With this, we check off many of the best soap ever attributes:
For those that like to use palm, making a great bar of soap is even less expensive. Palm is a great oil that adds hardness to a bar and is also very inexpensive. Palm really is a great soap making oil!
And the Recipe for 2 pounds:
Oil/Fat | % | Pounds | Ounces | Grams |
Olive Oil | 35 | 0.7 | 11.2 | 317.51 |
Palm Oil | 35 | 0.7 | 11.2 | 317.51 |
Coconut Oil | 20 | 0.4 | 6.4 | 181.44 |
Castor Oil | 10 | 0.2 | 3.2 | 90.72 |
Water | 0.76 | 12.16 | 344.73 | |
Lye | 0.278 | 4.46 | 126.31 |
Basically this is the best recipe I have personally made. The olive oil is moisturizing, the palm oil adds hardness, and coconut and castor add lots and lots of bubbles.
I would encourage you to test soaps made with different oils. Use a recipe like the first one and then compare it to either of the two recipes I gave you. You will be surprised that while all are great soaps, the last two recipes are much less expensive, are easier to weigh out and measure, and are equally as great! I also like to use sodium lactate when making soaps to help them harden more quickly. This is great for unmolding if you use a silicone mold.
There it is. The KISS method of soaping. The KISS method will never fail you, and when you’re ready to start selling or already are, it’s more money in your pocket!
]]>“SUGARCANE LANE” COLD PROCESS SOAP RECIPE:
*Pre-Prepared Sugar Solution (Use as Recipe’s Full Liquid Amount): 1/2TBS Raw Cane Sugar Per Every 8oz (1 Cup) Liquid. *Warm the liquid on stovetop. Stir in raw cane sugar until completely dissolved. Transfer liquid to a container and place in fridge or freezer until chilled or slushy.
SOAP FROSTING RECIPE:
This week’s blog post was going to be all about sugar! While it still very much is, I had an extra surprise in store for this particular batch of soap (That even I didn’t know about!), and if I left that part out, I wouldn’t be telling the whole story of how this batch of “Sugarcane Lane” handmade soap came to be! I guess I should just tell it from the very beginning, as it unfolded, and take you all on the ride with me! While I’m absolutely honored to share this recipe and sugary soap making tips with you, I truly hope that the experience I had while making it never happens to you.
My biggest hope in sharing where I went wrong (And things I did right when things went wrong.), is that maybe I’ll be able to spare another crafter from a similar experience. If my epic screw-up helps to prevent this from ever happening to another soap maker, well, then in a very weird and twisted way, it was worth it! If, fate forbidding, you do ever find yourself in the same, or similar, situation though, I hope my experience at least helps you to remember what to do, and what actions to take right away.
I truly believe that lye safety is the number one, most important thing every soap maker should know before ever making their first batch of soap. It’s the only reason why I immediately knew what to do when I found myself in my very own “lye predicament”. But I’m getting a little ahead of myself here... I think the best way to share this week’s soapy shenanigans is to just write the blog, like I normally would, and allow the story to tell itself! So, without further ado, lets grab our safety glasses, gloves, aprons and long-sleeved shirts and get to making some soap!
Sugar is a very popular soap making additive, and for good reason... Sugar makes for one heck of a lather-booster in cold process soap! If you’ve ever wanted to bump up the bubbles in your own soapy formulations, adding sugar to your soap recipe is a great way to do just that! Many soap makers find it frustrating when, in boosting the lathering capabilities of their soap formulations, a sacrifice in conditioning properties is often made (and vice versa). By incorporating sugar as an additive into your cold process recipes, you can keep the recipe’s awesome conditioning/moisturizing properties and increase those big, copious bubbles too!
I positively love adding sugar to my cold process soap recipes, and I do so by dissolving it directly into the liquid I’ll be using, which is usually aloe juice. There are a few things to keep in mind when incorporating sugar into your soap recipes though. First, lye loves scorching any kind of sugar it comes into contact with. This means that a lye solution with added sugar is going to get very hot, and may also cause your soap batches to heat up more during saponification as well. You’ll want to make sure your sugar-added liquid is very cold (or even slushy, if you’d like) before adding the lye to it. I insulate almost all of my soap batches under a towel-draped cardboard box, and have never experienced any problems with my batches overheating. If overheating is a concern for you though, you can certainly skip insulating your soap batches, or even pop them in the fridge if you prefer.
Going hand-in-hand with heat, incorporating sugar into your soap recipes can also cause your soap batter to thicken or move faster than normal. This is just something to be aware of, especially when working with a faster-moving fragrance oil or recipe, or creating a more intricate soap design. You’ll want to allow yourself a little more time, either by working at cooler temperatures (I like to begin when both my lye solution and oils are between 76°F to 83°F), increasing the amount of liquid in your recipe, working when your soap batter is just past emulsion (or at a very light trace), or all of the above.
I’ve personally found it to be so totally worth it to incorporate sugar into my soap recipes, but I’m also a lazy soap maker too! When I first began adding sugar to my recipes, I did so, batch by batch, adding the appropriate amount of sugar to my liquid after it was already weighed out for the particular batch I was making. Have you ever noticed how long it takes for sugar crystals to completely dissolve in chilled liquid though? It takes a while, and I began growing impatient with all the stirring I was having to do before I could even get my lye added. Once, I made the mistake of adding the sugar after I added the lye to my liquid, thinking the heat of the solution would dissolve the sugar super-fast. I was wrong! I’m no chemist, so unfortunately, I can’t explain why this happened, but when added to the lye solution, those sugar crystals only became harder! I stirred and I stirred and I stirred, and that darn sugar took twice as long to fully dissolve had I not tried to cheat, and just stirred the sugar into my chilled aloe juice before adding the lye!
Knowing there had to be a faster, easier way, I decided that instead of incorporating my sugar, batch by batch, into my soap recipes, I’d just take my entire jug of aloe juice and prepare the whole thing ahead of time by making a simple sugar solution with it! Now when I go to make a batch of soap, I just grab my jug of aloe juice from out of the fridge and it’s ready to go! The sugar has already been added and fully dissolved; all I need to do is just weigh it out and get the lye stirred in! Here’s how I go about getting my recipe’s liquid prepared ahead of time, with the sugar already added. As previously mentioned, I use aloe juice, but you can do this with distilled water as well...
Emptying my entire jug of aloe juice into a large pot on my stovetop, I make sure to take note of how many fluid ounces I have in total. For every 8 fluid ounces (1 cup) of liquid, I’ll incorporate 1/2TBS of raw cane sugar into it. You can use up to 1TBS of sugar per every cup of liquid if you’d like- it’s completely personal preference. Over medium heat, I warm my aloe until it’s just barely warm enough to dissolve the sugar. I worry about destroying any volatile properties within the aloe, so I’m careful not to allow it to get hot. Slightly warmed is warm enough. Once warm, I remove the pot from the heat, and stir the raw cane sugar in (It dissolves very quickly!). Why raw cane sugar though? Well, I’m glad you asked!
If interested in adding sugar to your cold process soap recipes, but keeping your recipes vegan-friendly is important to you as well, you’ll want to make sure to use raw sugarcane, or cane sugar, as it doesn’t contain any bone char. White sugar is made that color because of bone char, which as its name implies, comes from animal bones. I don’t mind one little bit if my sugar isn’t pristinely white, so Zulka brand Pure Cane Sugar is my favorite to use. Once you’ve completely dissolved the sugar into your liquid, all that’s left to do is transfer the liquid to a lidded container, then place it in the fridge or freezer to get it chilled. You’ve now got yourself a simple sugar solution, ready and waiting for the next time you feel like making a batch of soap!
My inspiration for this soapy project came from a fragrance oil I’ve already featured in a guest blog post before, but it’s such an incredible fragrance, there’s just no such thing as making too many batches of soap with it, in my opinion! It’s Nurture Soap’s “8th & Ocean” fragrance oil, and without a shred of hesitancy, it’s one of my personal top 10 favorite fragrance oils of ALL TIME! There just isn’t anyone who doesn’t love this scent (That I’ve met at least!). The funny thing is that for the longest time, I actually avoided this fragrance oil, as I don’t particularly care for “tropical-type” aromas, and I mistook it as being such. I was indeed sorely mistaken, as the very same day a wonderful friend of mine sent me a cotton ball soaked in this fragrance oil in the mail, I immediately went to Nurture Soap’s website and ordered a bottle myself!
This scent is anything but typical! “8th & Ocean” fragrance oil is an aromatic masterpiece! A pure aromatherapeutic delight of the senses that makes my heart giddy, my nose happy, and my eyes involuntarily roll back in my head! It’s fresh, it’s clean, it’s breezy and botanical! It’s fruity, fun and alluringly sweet, with kisses of lush greenery, whimsical florals, clean ocean air, and (Drumroll please!) REFRESHINGLY SWEET SUGARCANE!! I actually didn’t recognize the note until my husband and I drove down to Key West one weekend. Practically any mixed drink you order in Key West is going to come with a stick of fresh sugarcane in it as well. In its pure state, sugarcane is a little chewy and woody in texture, so the best way to enjoy it is to chew on it as you sip your beachside beverage, sucking the refreshing, natural, sugary-sweet juices it produces with each bite. The exact botanically-sweet taste of freshly peeled, chopped sugarcane is the very same sweet note that “8th & Ocean” fragrance oil has! It’s FANTASTIC!! Equally fantastic is this fragrance's marvelous potency and longevity in cold process soap too!
Because “8th & Ocean” is such a versatile scent, it works amazing in a myriad of different soap designs and themes! I’ve made a “gemstone” batch of soap with it before, as well as a classic beach landscape design, and both turned out aptly awesome! Because of those gorgeous notes of naturally sweet sugarcane, I felt that embracing a green, sugarcane theme for this soap batch would also go great with the scent, along with our pure, raw cane sugar additive! To get started on what would end up being a “high-top” design, complete with soap frosting, I started by making some decorative melt & pour embeds.
Sugarcane has a round stalk (the look of it reminds me of bamboo), and when peeled and chopped, ranges in color from white to pale-yellow, or a pale-yellow/light-green color. Using a 1” diameter round column mold, I wanted to create the look of cut sugarcane stalks (two in total), embedded within the soap itself. Without question, the absolute perfect mica color for that task was none other than Nurture Soap’s “New Leaf” mica! For the melt & pour embeds which would adorn the top of this batch, 7/8” spheres, made with Nurture’s Small 9 Ball Silicone Mold and “Hello Spring!” mica looked so sprightly and fresh; while “sugarcane leaf” embeds, made with “Jade Green” mica, looked lush and botanical! For the final embellishment, pineapple embeds in “Yellow Vibrance” and “Jade Green” micas made for some fabulously fun and fruity accents!
The design for this sudsy, sugary creation is actually quite simple, but oh so fresh, clean, green and breezy! If you’re a soap artist who sells your handmade creations, “8th & Ocean” fragrance oil is one of those aromas which truly sells itself! Customers need only pick up a bar to smell it before you’re surrounded by exclamations of “Ooh!” and “Ahh!”. It certainly doesn’t' hurt to incorporate some stunning mica colors though, so that’s exactly what I did with this project! In a classic, but always beautiful drop-swirl design, Nurture Soap’s “Hello Spring!”, “Jade Green”, “Synergy”, “Sea Green” and “Winter White” micas were chosen to compliment the sensational aromatic bouquet of this fragrance oil!
All was going great and according to plan with this soapy project... My aloe/sugar lye solution had cooled down to room temperature; my batch oils had cooled to around 80°F as well; my beautiful mica colors had been dispersed in a bit of olive oil; my soap frosting recipe was ready and waiting; and my melt & pour embeds were looking adorably cheerful... It was time to get to soap making!
Splitting my soap batter into smaller accent portions; as well as a larger portion, colored in “Winter White” mica; I got busy incorporating those vibrant and fresh accent colors into each designated portion of soap. Common for many of my cold process recipes, both “Hello Spring!” and “Jade Green” micas did turn a little murky when first incorporated into the soap batter, but this is completely normal for green micas, and absolutely nothing to worry about! If you’re a new soap maker and notice that your green micas have turned a bit olive-toned when first added to your soap batter, DON’T PANIC! I promise those gorgeous greens will return to their original green glory once saponification is complete!
As I incorporated “8th & Ocean” fragrance oil into each portion of soap, and began pouring my drop-swirl design, my whole world smelled fabulous! I did notice I had some ever-so-slight acceleration with this particular recipe, but that’s not uncommon for recipes containing added sugars, and it wasn’t anything that had me rushing to get the batch poured. After filling my mold about 1/4th of the way, I went ahead and gently placed the first column of “sugarcane” down into the soap batter, then continued pouring my drop swirl design. Once my mold was about 3/4th of the way filled, I gently laid the second “sugarcane” column-embed down into the soap, only this time, on the opposite side of the mold from where I had placed the first one.
Everything was going smoothly and smelling heavenly, as I finished up my drop-swirl by filling the mold up the rest of the way with the soap batter. When I got to the very, very top, I smoothed the soap batter with a swipe of my spatula. I was all done pouring my soap, and would need to wait a few minutes for the top of the batch to firm up a little more before continuing on to the soap frosting. I took my safety glasses off, and set them to the side.
About two years ago, a previous brush with what could have been a soaping disaster (if I hadn’t been lucky) resulted in me never taking the risk again, and always wearing my safety glasses. Before that, I had been way too lax about wearing them (Which most of the time, I didn’t.). After making soap for a while, it can be easy to let your guard down, and allow a few safety precautions to slide. Making soap starts to feel like second nature, and in becoming comfortable with old habits, you almost forget just how dangerous lye can be when not handled properly, or dressed for the part. While I don’t condone it, I’ve definitely been guilty of letting my guard down. In the last two years though, wearing my safety glasses hasn’t been a safety measure I skip anymore. Murphey’s Law, however, was definitely in effect with what happened next.
It hadn’t even been 30 seconds from when I removed my safety glasses when I looked over and noticed a bit of extra soap batter remaining. Instead of letting it go to waste, I decided I wanted to pour the leftover batter on top of the batch, then take a bamboo skewer and practice my swirls. Keep in mind, this was all within seconds of me deciding I was “done” with this part of the project, and removing my safety glasses! I picked up a cup of leftover soap batter, grabbed a small spatula to give it a quick stir before adding it to the top of my soap, and BAM!...
The action of stirring the soap batter caused a glob of soap to literally sling-shot off the spatula and make a direct hit to my open eye. My first reaction was 100% instinct. A sharp, stinging pain was immediate, and as a result, my eye shut faster and harder than a group of clams hiding from a hungry lobster! An instant of panic shot through me until rational thought creeped into my mind. “I’ve read about what to do if this happens.”, I thought. “I need to stay calm and get my contact lens out.”. That wasn’t possible though. My eye was filled with caustic soap batter, and it had closed over it tight.
“Calming down will get my eye to relax and open.”, I thought; so that’s exactly what I did. I just took a deep breath, pushed the pain aside for a moment and calmed down. It worked! I was able to get my eye open just enough to tilt my head sideways over the sink, and allow cool water to flow into it. This washed the glob of soap batter out that had been trapped under my eyelid, and allowed me to quickly remove the contact lens from my eye. Next step was to continue flushing and irrigating the eye under cool, running water. I once read this needed to be done for at least 15 minutes.
After 15 minuets, the more severe pain had subsided, and I was left with a feeling I can only describe as having a toothpick, or some other sharp object stuck in my eye. My vision was blurry, and it was painful to open the eye all the way, but I knew I’d taken the right steps so far. Now what though? I really didn’t know. I so badly wanted to finish my batch of soap, but couldn’t remember what to do next... If I needed to do anything at all.
When in doubt, call Poison Control! And I mean this, not just for myself and this situation, but for anyone reading this blog. Poison Control is available to answer your questions and give instruction 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. While on the phone with a Poison Control representative, the woman I spoke with confirmed that removing the contact lens and irrigating/flushing the eye with cool water was the correct action to take. Next step was to go to my nearest emergency room. When I asked why I needed to go to the emergency room, I was told that lye is corrosive, and can continue to cause damage to the eye many hours after the eye has been flushed. Damage to the cornea is the biggest concern, so instead of finishing this batch of soap, I ended up in the emergency room- BOO!
While at the emergency room, the PH level of my eye was tested with a PH strip, after which, a special dye that reacts to UV light was put into my eye so that the doctor could see the extent of the damage. The area that glows is where the eye received injury. In my situation, the doctor expressed pleasant surprise when she explained that it appeared as if my contact lens had actually shielded my cornea from receiving any damage (That’s a WIN for us contact lens wearers!). The cornea of the eye is what medical professionals are most concerned about when it comes to chemical burns. The area where my eye received the most severe chemical burns (where it pooled above and under my contact lens), is not at risk for any permanent damage (WOOHOO!). My eye was irrigated with sterile eyewash solution, and I was sent home with instructions to not wear a contact lens in that eye for 72 hours. I was also instructed to make a follow up appointment with my Ophthalmologist.
I got really lucky. It could’ve been a lot worse had I not treated it properly and immediately, and had my contact lens not shielded chemical exposure to my cornea. Regardless of luck though, this is still pretty painful, and I wouldn’t wish this experience or pain on anyone. My eye has responded by becoming swollen, puffy and red, and tearing-up constantly. It still stings, my vision in that eye is completely blurry, and the whole eye area is very tender. That initial sharp pain has been traded for a deep, throbbing headache, that Advil only takes the edge off of... And this was a non-serious burn! I can’t even imagine how painful a serious burn would be, which is why I felt it was so very important that I share this experience with my fellow crafters. I took my safety glasses off because I was finished pouring the batch, and thought it would be perfectly safe to add a little leftover soap batter to the top of my soap. It was within seconds of removing the glasses when this happened. Please, please, please learn from my mistake and keep those safety glasses on at ALL times! If you don’t own a pair of safety glasses (reading glasses or large sunglasses DO NOT count!), I plead with you to purchase a pair, so that a situation like this never happens to you.
I truly hope you never have to count on this information, but if you ever do find yourself in the same, or similar, situation, here are some things I learned from personal experience, as well as information I was given by Poison Control and medical staff at my local emergency room (I have an appointment with my Ophthalmologist on Monday)...
EYE HEALTH AND LYE EXPOSURE:
#1 ALWAYS wear safety glasses specifically made and designed for eye protection. DO NOT remove safety eyewear until you are completely finished with your soap making project.
#2 If soap batter/lye does get into your eye, DO NOT PANIC! Remaining calm will help you to be able to think clearly, as well as help you relax if you are having a difficulty opening the eye.
#3 If wearing contact lenses, remove the lens with clean hands as soon as you are able to. Immediately flush the eye with cool water for at least 15 minutes.
#4 Go to your local emergency room. Have a friend, family member or neighbor drive you there. Contact your Ophthalmologist for a follow up appointment. Follow all medical advice and/or ongoing treatment (if applicable) given to you by Emergency Room staff and/or your Ophthalmologist.
#5 If applicable, avoid wearing a contact lens in the affected eye for as long as instructed by a medical professional. A warm (Not hot!) compress, applied over the eye for a few minutes, really helps to reduce pain while the eye is healing. Get your doctor’s approval before applying any home remedy to your eye.
#6 If applicable, discard the contact lens or lenses you were wearing during the time of the incident. Do not put the same contact lens/lenses back into your eye(s). When your doctor has told you it’s safe to resume contact lens wear, use a new pair.
#7 Remember that this is information I was given per my own personal experience. Information you may be given might differ per your unique situation, and I am not a medical professional. Please contact your local Emergency Room or Poison Control Center for further information, guidance and/or instruction. Poison Control can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling: 1 (800) 222 – 1222.
Well, I know this blog post is getting crazy-long, and as soap makers, I also know all too well how busy the days can be, so I’ll quickly explain how I finished this DIVINE-smelling batch of soap, since there was no way I wasn’t going to finish it! I love this fragrance oil too much to let a pesky lye-in-the-eye situation stop me from completing this batch... Regardless of if I could see or not!
As soon as my husband and I returned home from the Emergency Room, I jumped right back into my sugarcane soap project! Using “Winter White” mica to color the batch, I put my safety glasses back on and whipped up some soap frosting. Using a round piping tip, I blindly frosted the top of my soap, then thoroughly coated it in one of my absolute favorite Enviroglitters- “Shamrock Gold”! To be honest, I actually didn’t mean to dust the top of my soap frosting with quite that much Enviroglitter, but I couldn’t really see if I had left any bare spots, so I decided I’d just go all out and create a metallic-colored blanket of golden shamrock brilliance to the top of the soap frosting!
Once I felt the top of my soap had an adequate dusting of “Shamrock Gold” Enviroglitter, I carefully placed the remaining decorative embeds on top (cutting the batch proved I was a little off in their placement, but that’s okay!) and called it a day- both for myself and this batch of soap... My eyeball felt like it was trying to rip itself out from my head, so putting myself to bed didn’t seem like such a bad idea. I insulated the batch under a cardboard box and light blanket, then hoped I’d be able to actually see what it looked like the next day, once cut!
Even typing up this blog has been a series of squinting and going back to fix a ridiculous number of typos and errors, but from what I can tell, I think the soaps came out very pretty! One thing I do know for certain is that this batch smells positively AMAZING!!! If you walked though my front door right now, the first smell to greet your nose would be “8th & Ocean”! I know this because as soon as my husband and I returned from my Emergency Room visit, it was all we could smell, and it instantly made me happy, despite the day’s events!
It’s funny because I know I’ve mentioned before how this wonderful craft throws us all curveballs from time to time; and how we grow and learn from those challenges is what strengthens and defines us as artists and crafters. I never expected I’d be thrown a curveball quite like this, but in a strange way, I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity to learn and grow from this experience too! While there’s absolutely nothing pleasant about it, I learned a valuable lesson that I’m able to share with you, my crafty comrades, too! I learned that it’s just not worth it to take risks with safety and personal protection; even if I am just adding a little extra soap batter to the top of a “finished” batch of soap! I’ll be keeping my safety glasses ON, from the beginning of the soap making process to the very end of it! In sharing this huge “What was I thinking?” moment, I truly hope others will take something away from my absentminded mistake... I want you to always stay safe when making those incredible soap batches of yours! As I blindly typed-away on my computer, it’s very possible this blog post will be riddled with mistakes, typos and grammatical errors, but these words came from the heart regardless; with an abundance of love, and the sincerest hope that all your crafty endeavors are safe and happy ones! HAPPY SAFE SOAP MAKING EVERYONE!
]]>My favorite fragrances in the whole, wide world are the ones that take me places the moment I smell them. It can be an associated feeling with an image the aroma brings to mind, such as walking through a field of wildflowers on a warm, spring day (An “aromatic journey”, as I like to call it!), or a specific memory where I’m taken back in time; re-living the past via an “aromatic catalyst”. It’s no wonder why I’m absolutely infatuated with Nurture Soap’s “Winter Wonderland” fragrance oil! With green top notes enhanced by sparkling pineapple; middle notes of pine and warm spice, and woody base notes intertwined with revitalizing ozone and a kiss of sugary cotton candy, “Winter Wonderland” isn’t just a fabulous fragrance oil (Which can be enjoyed any time of year, by the way!), it’s also an aroma that takes me back to one of my most favorite childhood memories!
One sniff of this fragrance oil and I’m immediately taken back to a camping trip, circa 1992. The place: Big Bear, California. It’s the cold that’s woken me, and even though I’m wearing long johns and buried deep within my sleeping bag, I’m still shivering. I reach out and feel the side of the tent. It’s ice-cold to the touch and frozen with condensation. I can tell the sun hasn’t risen yet; the tent I’m sharing with my fast-asleep, big sister is shrouded in pre-dawn's silvery-blue light. The forest is uncharacteristically quiet, save for one, lone crow intermittently cawing off in the distance. In the early-morning stillness, I hear a welcoming sound coming from outside my tent. It’s the familiar popping and crackling of fire. To take advantage of the fire’s enticing warmth, I’ll have to leave the bundled cocoon of my sleeping bag and reluctantly brave the frigid morning air. The inviting sounds of the fire, and the prospect of warmth, beckon to me.
Slipping my feet into boots and velcroing my coat up to my chin, I unzip the tent and am instantly introduced to the frosty-cold bite of morning air. It’s bitterly cold, but invigorating at the same time. I’m instantly awake! The ground is covered in glistening dew, which has frosted-over during the night and won’t melt until touched by the sun’s first warm, golden rays. It blankets the ground in shimmering crystals, while all around, the air smells crisp, clean and new. Softly whistling through the tall pines in a rush of white noise, the brisk morning air nips at my cheek bones and the tip of my nose, carrying the scent of the trees with it. My dad is standing by the fire, tending something he’s made in a heavy cast-iron pot. The aroma of melting, caramelized sugar wafts this way and that, as the indecisive flames of the fire change direction. I approach and stand as close to the crackling fire as I possibly can; cozy and content to be enveloped within its generous heat while listening to my dad hum Rolling Stones songs. As the revitalizing aromas of the forest mingle with the sweet scent of upside-down cake, I eagerly wait to savor a piece!
This is the precise memory Nurture Soap’s “Winter Wonderland” fragrance oil brings to the forefront of my mind every time I smell it! I’ll never get sick of re-living this memory OR smelling this fragrance oil! For this week’s project, I wanted to incorporate “Winter Wonderland” fragrance oil into a batch of “hybrid” soap. I’ve never actually attempted making hybrid soap before, but it’s something that piqued my interest and seemed worth a try! Hybrid soap is the term for incorporating melt and pour soap into a batch of cold process soap to create a really neat effect! I’ve seen pictures of hybrid soaps made by crafters much more talented than myself, and the results were fascinating!
By swirling clear melt & pour soap base into a batch of cold process soap, I’ve seen gorgeously unique pieces of soapy art where the melt and pour soap base made it appear as if you could peer below the surface of the cold process soap... Sort of like a thin layer of ice or glass embedded into the topmost layer of the bar. In some instances, when held to the light, you could even see clear-through the soap itself in some areas! This technique seemed perfect for the frosty-sweet, forest-goodness of “Winter Wonderland” fragrance oil, and it brought to mind mental images of tree-lined coastlines jutting out beyond frigid ocean waters. I also figured a soap named “My Memory of Camping in Big Bear” was much too long, and wouldn’t make much sense to anyone but me... A soap named “Pacific Northwest” though; now that was perfect!
This technique is easy, fun, and really does produce quite a neat effect in soap, so please feel free to join me in making a batch of “Pacific Northwest” hybrid soap! As a first attempt, I was very happy with how the soaps turned out, but also learned how I’d do things differently in future batches too. Hopefully, by sharing my experience, anyone interested in giving this technique a try will benefit from the things I’d do differently and produce a batch of soap they positively love! Let’s grab some “Winter Wonderland” fragrance oil and get started!
I’ve personally got a “thing” for soap frosting and piping the tops of my soap batches, but keep in mind that adding soap frosting to the top of your own batch of hybrid soap is completely optional. Soap is art, so there are literally no rules to follow when it comes to the design of this, or any, project! If you’d like to design your own batch differently, that is absolutely A-Okay! If you’d like to include the piped-top of this project, you’ll want to grab some of Nurture Soap’s Low Sweat, Clear Soap Base and some leaf embed molds. Any shape or type of leaf embed will work great since this is the Pacific Northwest we’re paying tribute to! For the specific design that I made, I grabbed three different types of leaf embed molds and went green! For my first set of soapy leaves, I used Nurture Soap’s positively regal “Savage Garden” mica. This is an exquisite shade of deep, dark, verdant green!
The second set of leaves were made with Nurture’s “Alpine Green” mica, and just as its name implies, it’s a spot-on shade of pine! This mica color is a must when it comes to all things pine-themed since it’s a stunning shade of spruce, complete with the perfect touch of dusky-blue undertones! For the third set of leaf embeds, I chose the organic, almost “Creme de Menthe”, mint-like shade of “Celadon Green” mica. These three green micas would prove to look amazing, both on top and incorporated into the soap batch itself!
For this project, I chose colors I felt would best convey the “vibe” of the great Pacific Northwest. From its vast, dense, green forests, to its rocky coastline, when I think: “Pacific Northwest”, green certainly comes to mind, but dark shades and silvery-blue hues do too! I used five colors in total for this batch, with four of them being incorporated into the cold process part of the project, and one being reserved for the melt and pour soap base. The four chosen, Pacific-inspired, cold process colors included the regal “Dark Navy Blue” mica, followed by “Baby Blue” mica, mixed 50/50 with “Winter White” mica. Next was “Celadon Green” mica, also mixed 50/50 with “Winter White” mica, and last but not least: “Savage Garden” mica, mixed equal parts with “Alpine Green” mica to produce a gorgeous shade of hunter green!
The pour of this technique is super simple, super fun and super cool to look at too! To begin, I simply divided my cold process soap batter into four equal portions, then incorporated my lovely mica colors into them. “Winter Wonderland” fragrance oil behaves so well in cold process soap, you can choose to add it to your soap batter prior to splitting it into four equal portions, or afterward; whichever you prefer! Just make sure to reserve some of the fragrance oil for your fifth portion of soap too. The fifth portion of soap is the clear melt & pour soap base, and for this project, I weighed and melted down a total of 8oz of melt & pour soap base (4oz per pound of cold process soap making oils, or “PPO”.) to be swirled into the batch. Fragrance is typically added to melt & pour soap base at a rate of 1-3%, so I reserved .25oz of “Winter Wonderland” fragrance oil (approximately 3%), and added it to my 8oz of melt & pour soap base.
As for the color of my melt & pour soap portion, I chose a mica that’s extra special to me, and one I rarely use because it was discontinued by the manufacturer. When it’s gone, it gone, and I will literally cry! That mica color is Nurture Soap’s “Belize Blue” mica, and it’s the most sensational shade of light frosted-blue with highlights of silver and undertones of gold! It’s positively magical, and if you have any “Belize Blue” mica left and feel like sharing, I make a good sharing buddy... Just saying! If you don’t have this discontinued mica on-hand though, no need to worry! You can substitute it with Nurture Soap’s exclusive “Celestial Silver” mica! “Celestial Silver” carries more periwinkle tones in comparison, but in application, both micas accomplish similar results in that you can achieve a magnificent frosty, silvery-blue-type shade in soap with either one!
Pouring a batch of hybrid soap is as easy as pouring a drop swirl... Really, that’s all there is to it! Begin by pouring your cold process soap portions in a drop swirl, going up and down the length of your mold. When it comes time to pour the portion of melt & pour soap into the mold, just continue by pouring about a third of it in the same length-wise drop swirl design, up and down the mold. While pouring this batch, I made three drop swirl passes with the melt and pour soap base until the entire 8oz was poured into the batch.
As you pour your soap portions, you’ll notice that the melt & pour soap base will set up quickly within the cold process soap batter. This is nothing to worry about, as the cold process soap you pour over it will settle around the hardened melt & pour soap base, creating a beautiful design within the soap. If you pour your cold process soap batter from up high, it’ll help to break up and disperse the melt & pour soap throughout the batch. Pouring your cold process soap batter gently and lower will help keep the melt & pour soap intact, creating bigger sections of melt & pour soap that will enable you to see all the way through the bars when light passes through them.
This is actually one of the things I would’ve done differently with this batch. When I first started pouring the batch in a standard drop swirl, I dropped the cold process soap batter in from up high, which broke up and dispersed the melt & pour soap below it. As a result, I got some pretty neat-looking swirls of melt & pour soap throughout the bars, but it prevented the melt & pour soap from being seen all the way through the cut bars when light passed through them.
As I neared the end of pour, I began pouring my cold process soap batter more gently, and from a much lower height, which kept the melt & pour soap intact. This is why only the very top areas of my soap bars have sections of melt & pour soap which can be seen all the way through the bar when held up to the light. Don’t get me wrong, the bottom areas of the bars have a really neat effect too, appearing transparent and glass-like on the surface of my soaps, but if you’re wishing to create melt & pour sections within your soap batch, where light is able to pass through both sides of the bars, pouring your cold process soap batter over the melt & pour soap gently, and from down low (so as to not disrupt or disperse the melt & pour soap throughout the batch) is the best way to achieve that. In any case, no matter how you prefer to drop swirl your cold process soap batter over the melt & pour soap, you’ll be wowed by just how pretty your batch looks!
As I finished up the very last of my pour, I made sure to include the entirety of my 8oz portion of melt & pour soap, then topped it off with as much cold process soap batter as I could possibly fit in the mold. Pouring the batch itself was a beautiful experience from start to finish! “Winter Wonderland” fragrance oil behaved as wondrously as its name, and my whole kitchen smelled like the heavenly, great outdoors! With the main batch finished up, it was time to blend up some soap frosting and get the top of the loaf piped!
Only one last thing remained before moving on to the soap frosting part of this project. Without really thinking this one completely through, I had made my standard cold process batch-size to fill Nurture Soap’s 2.5LB Basic Loaf Mold, but didn’t take into account the fact that 8oz of my cold process soap batter was to be substituted with melt & pour soap base. This left me with a good amount of remaining cold process soap batter, and I’ve always been of the mindset to leave no drop of soap behind! The solution: I grabbed one of my 1LB test-batch molds and added my leftover soap to it. The mini-sized bars of soap this produces when cut really come in handy! If you find yourself with an excess amount of leftover soap batter, put it to good use! Mini-sized soaps make for excellent travel-sized bars, hand soaps for your kitchen and/or bathroom sinks, free samples to gift to customers, donations to shelters, gifts for friends and/or family who run their own Air BnB, soap cubes or shavings for future projects, guest soaps, gift basket decorations, and much more!
With the pour complete, it’s time to finish up this batch of hybrid soap by adding soap frosting and decorative leaf embeds to the very top of the loaf! Keep in mind though that in NO WAY is omitting the piped-top portion of this project going to make or break how amazing your batch of hybrid soap is going to turn out! Feel free to skip this section entirely if you prefer a batch of soap sans piped-top! There’s no right or wrong way to express your artistic talent!
For those who would like to include the soap frosting and decorative embeds, now’s the time to whip up a batch of creamy soap frosting, and if you’d like, you can do so using my favorite soap frosting recipe I’ve included below! For the soap frosting color, once again I chose the serene color combination of Nurture Soap’s stormy-blue “Baby Blue” mica, mixed with “Winter White” mica at 1-part “Baby Blue” to 2 parts “Winter White”, and used an ATECO Open-Star piping tip. Once finished, a healthy dusting of Nurture’s jaw dropping “Snowflake Sparkle” mica made the soap shimmer like freshly-fallen snow, and the lush, green leaf embeds completed the project’s outdoorsy theme beautifully!
All-in-all, I was very pleased with how my first batch of hybrid soap turned out, and having this experience under my belt was a great learning opportunity too! For starters, I learned exactly what the differences are between pouring my cold process soap batter from up high, and pouring it gently from down low. As already mentioned, both ways produce an entirely different look, with each unique look creating a different effect in the finished soap. Perhaps it would be even more helpful to wait a little longer between pouring the melt and pour soap and pouring the next portion of cold process soap over it. Since the melt and pour soap hardens rather quickly once poured, giving it a few extra seconds to harden up a little more might make a big difference! There’s definitely no “right” or “wrong” way to make a batch of hybrid soap, and no matter how you go about pouring your drop swirl, I think you’re really going to love the results either way! Try pouring a batch of hybrid soap from up high, and another from down low to see which look you like best!
Another learning opportunity (That I can only make speculations about at this point!) happened when I cut the batch and discovered that my “Belize Blue” melt and pour soap changed into a very pretty (And luckily, very apt!) shade of dark, olive-toned green! I really don’t have a definitive answer as to how or why this happened, but I rather like it! It’s possible that the other mica colors used in this project were just a bit too dark for the lightness of “Belize Blue” mica to stand out against them, or that it really DID change in color. In any case, it gets the wheels turning in my head, and makes me wonder if it’s better to use dark mica colors in the melt & pour soap base for this project. It also makes me curious to try other batches of hybrid soap, using an all-white “background”, as well as an all-black one, to see how those might affect the colors and appearance of the micas used to color the melt & pour soap base. With all this motivation to experiment and improve, I might just have to revisit this technique & topic in a future blog. For the time being though, I’m thoroughly enjoying the “artistic ride”, and in sharing this with you, my fellow crafty companions, I truly hope you do too!
MAIN BATCH RECIPE:
SOAP FROSTING RECIPE:
I’m a little bit of a junkie when it comes to a certain freshly-handmade retailer that starts with an “L” and rhymes with “gush”! It’s one of the MANY reasons why I love Nurture Soap’s fragrances so much... I’m able to find so many of my favorite scents, and have the creative freedom to make anything I want with them! I’ve found Nurture Soap’s duplication fragrances to be so accurate in their scent depictions, it’s literally made me squeal like a child before (hello “Earth Meets Sky”)! Even fragrances I thought I didn’t particularly care for from the “original guys” have really had me rethinking them when I’ve smelled their Nurture Soap versions (on a personal level, I really think some of Nurture Soap’s duplication scents are even BETTER than the originals!). Now, here’s where Nurture Soap’s new “Foxy Lady” fragrance oil comes in! As any self-proclaimed “Gushie” can tell you (a term folks who have a certain obsession with said place that starts with an “L” and rhymes with “gush” call themselves!), the scent which Nurture Soap’s “Foxy Lady” fragrance oil duplicates (“Flying Fox”) is the same scent known as “Lust” at this retailer too, as they have many products which share the same scent (referred to as “scent families”), but carry different names for different products.
With this being said, as a self-proclaimed “Gushie” myself (just change that “G” to an “L”!), on a strictly personal level, I have never particularly cared for the “Flying Fox/Lust” scent family. Why on earth would I so adamantly want to make soap with a fragrance I know I already dislike you ask? Well, the answer is simple (to me at least!): Nurture Soap’s fragrances have surprised me, in the best of ways, so many times before, I really wanted to keep an open mind and see if it were possible to reevaluate my feelings about this scent! Also, just because I don’t particularly care for a fragrance in the form of a shower gel, bath bomb or solid perfume, doesn’t necessarily mean I won’t enjoy it in cold process soap! And so, the moment of truth arrived (AKA: My package from Nurture Soap!). When I first smelled this fragrance out of the bottle, I immediately recognized it. This fragrance doesn’t just say “I’m jasmine”, it loudly and proudly proclaims it from the rooftops!
Where I live, Jasmine thrives and grows plentifully! It’s not uncommon to be walking by, just minding your own business, and suddenly catch the scent of it seducing your olfactory senses. This is the jasmine that I love... That newly blossomed aroma of sweet jasmine flowers floating on a warm, gentle breeze, beckoning you to come over and admire those dainty, white flowers; maybe even pick one or two and rub them between your hands (Mother Nature’s perfume!). “Foxy Lady” fragrance oil, on the other hand, is just like its “Flying Fox” doppelganger, and isn’t quite as subtle. While it’s undoubtedly jasmine, the scent itself carries a more mature, ladylike vibe, and is more on the heavy/heady side to my nose than the fresh variety. With all this being laid out on the table though, I have to truthfully admit that I was pleasantly surprised to find that just from my first out of the bottle impressions alone, I didn’t hate it! In fact, the more and more I smelled it, the more and more I became intrigued by it (I’d smelled another “Flying Fox” duplication fragrance once from a different supplier that made me involuntarily gag- true story!). This was the original “Flying Fox” scent I remembered, but somehow better! When my husband first smelled it from the bottle, his face immediately lit up as he excitedly exclaimed that his jasmine-adoring mother would love it! That’s the precise moment when this fragrance went from intriguing to special to me! My jasmine-adoring Mother-in-Law is a stone-cold fox herself, and as much as she adores jasmine, I adore HER even more! I knew this batch needed to be special, so I immediately went online and ordered myself a bag of whole jasmine buds, grown and dried right here, in the very same state I live in!
I knew I wanted this batch of cold process soap to feature jasmine, jasmine and more jasmine! Afterall, we’re talking about a very “jasminey” fragrance here! I wanted to infuse jasmine into anything that I could! I even contemplated garnishing the top with some dried jasmine buds as well (they smelled SO GOOD!), but ultimately decided that I couldn’t be trusted not to completely crush them to smithereens once they were on there! An infusion with jasmine though would be perfect! I decided I’d incorporate my dried jasmine buds in as many ways as I possibly could in this batch. The first order of business was to make an oil infusion with these delicate and dainty buds, and infusing them into the olive oil I’d be using in my recipe was the ideal choice! I’ve made many an infusion in my day; lemongrass, ginger root, lavender, roses, blackberry leaf, hibiscus... The list goes on and on, but I'd never actually infused jasmine before. When it comes to making oil infusions with various botanicals though, there’s generally two ways in which you can go about doing it. First is to crush or grind up the botanical, then place it in a jar (Mason jars work great for this). Cover the botanical with a carrier oil, then screw the lid on, allowing it to sit for three or four weeks (some even prefer to place the jar in a sunny spot in their home to take advantage of the sun’s warm rays). The second, and faster, way is to place the botanical in the bottom of a pot or crockpot, cover with carrier oil, and on VERY low heat (so as not to destroy the more volatile properties of the botanical), allow it to “do its thing” over the course of about three hours, give or take. In either scenario, you’ll know your infusion is ready when the botanical itself has imparted its beautiful hue and aroma to the carrier oil (depending on what you’re infusing, oftentimes the botanical itself will appear saturated and plump, as it has soaked up the carrier oil too. This is the best part of the infusion, so when you go to strain it, make sure to squeeze out as much of the oil as you possibly can from this as well.
Because I’m an impatient crafter through and through, naturally, I chose the fast method, and decided to use the stovetop method to infuse my jasmine. When doing it this way, make sure to keep an eye on the temperature. Temperatures must be kept low, and get no hotter than if one were steeping a bag of tea in water. If you can dip a clean fingertip in your infusion and find you need to quickly remove it because the oil is too hot to withstand, the temperature is too high. Temperatures should be low enough to where you can dip a fingertip in it, and can keep it there because the oil is warm, but not intolerable. As for how much botanical to add, this is completely personal preference, but many people find that a ratio of 2:1 is a good amount. This should be done by volume, not weight. If you want to infuse four cups of oil, you’d use two cups of the herb or botanical to infuse into it.
I began preparations for my oil infusion by crushing my jasmine buds. The dried buds themselves were so delicate, I was able to easily do this just with my hands. That’s when something awesome occurred to me... After crushing my jasmine buds and starting my infusion on super low heat, I kept getting the most beautiful and addicting whiffs of something teasing my nose. Turns out, it was my own hands from crushing the dried jasmine buds! This scent hit me like a ton of bricks because I recognized it immediately! I grabbed the bottle of “Foxy Lady” fragrance oil and about fell over when I realized that the exact scent I was smelling on my hands was the exact scent of this fragrance oil from the bottle! My appreciation for this fragrance grew ten-fold the moment I discovered this! “Foxy Lady” smells just like dried, crushed jasmine flowers! I went from appreciating this fragrance oil to being downright amazed by it!
While my jasmine/oil infusion was doing its thing, I decided I wanted to incorporate even more jasmine in my soap by making a “tea” of sorts, with which I’d use as an alternative liquid in the main portion of my recipe. Making your own “tea” to use as an alternative liquid isn’t just fun, it’s really easy too! To do this, simply take your water (or liquid of choice), warm it up on your stovetop to a good steeping temperature, then add whatever crushed or ground botanical or herb that you’d like!! For this project, I used aloe juice, warmed it up to where it was just hot enough to steep tea (don’t allow this to get too hot or begin to boil), and then added crushed jasmine flowers to it (how much you add is personal preference, but two tablespoons per cup of liquid is a good place to start). At this point, I removed the “tea” from the heat, and allowed it to steep for 10mins in the ambient warmth of the aloe juice.
After 10 minuets, you should be able to clearly smell the scent of the herb or botanical you’ve steeped in your liquid, so the next steps are to get it strained and then placed in the refrigerator to chill. Once chilled, you can use your homemade tea in your cold process recipe in the exact same way as you’d incorporate any liquid into your recipe! Easy and fun with a touch of luxury; what more could be better?
After three “low and slow” hours, my oil/jasmine infusion was looking great! My olive oil was tantalizing my nose with the gorgeously rich scent of dried jasmine buds, the color of the oil itself had transformed into a light, golden, amber-type shade, and my crushed buds were looking a little swollen from their time in the warm oil. It was time to get the oil strained and ready to be turned into soap! Squeezing the excess oil from the jasmine is ideal, so the best way that I’ve personally found to strain my infusions is to use one of those “old school” cloth coffee filters. It doesn’t allow any little bits of organic material to pass though, and makes it easy to squeeze every last drop of infused oil from the remaining herb or botanical too. If you don’t have a cloth coffee filter handy, using a pair of (clean!) nylons or stockings that you’ve cut will work just as well!
Now that all the pre-preparations for my recipe were complete and ready to go, it was time to move on to the designing part of the project! I’d had it planned from the moment I smelled “Foxy Lady” fragrance oil that I was going to do a straight layer design, with four layers in total (two main layers, and two smaller accent layers). I’d received two micas in a recent order that I was particularly dying to get into a batch of cold process soap, and when I closed my eyes and smelled “Foxy Lady” fragrance oil from the bottle, these colors just seemed to go perfectly with the scent in my mind’s eye. These were none other than Nurture Soap’s fabulously fairy-like “Amaranth Pink” mica, and the newly reformulated, “Baby Blue” mica, with its starlight-silvery undertones accentuating the tranquility of this soothing blue! These two colors conveyed the sophisticated, ladylike qualities of the fragrance well to me, but as with anything called “Foxy Lady”, I knew I needed to incorporate a little “sass” with the sweet as well! An accent layer in “Nocturnal” mica just seemed right, and to add a nice contrast to the bold, pitch-blackness of this mica, for my last color and accent layer, I chose one of my most favorite colors (one I go through quickly because it’s such a fabulous shade in both melt & pour AND cold process soap!), “Rapunzel” mica! I positively love this shade of gold! In melt & pour embeds, it’s the most stunning, shimmery-metallic shade of platinum gold, and in cold process, it’s a positively scrumptious shade that reminds me of creamy buttermilk!
Before getting too far ahead of myself though, I started by making some melt & pour embeds with Nurture Soap’s Clear, Low-Sweat Soap Base, as this would be a high-top batch, complete with soap frosting and decorative embellishments. As a tribute to foxy, yet sophisticated ladies everywhere, cameo embeds made with “Gold Enigma” mica and a backing of “shimmer Gold” mica, seemed a great homage to these classy vixens! Leaf embeds in “Baby Blue” and “Amaranth Pink” micas seemed a good choice to tie the whole design together, as well as represent the botanical qualities of the jasmine infusions I’d be incorporating. As I finished unmolding my embeds and getting my mica colorants dispersed in a bit of carrier oil, I was really loving the overall simplicity of this design, as understated elegance was the precise look I was aiming for!
After reading helpful reviews from fellow crafters about “Foxy Lady” fragrance oil on Nurture Soap’s website, I began my soapmaking process with the awareness that I might experience some acceleration, and I silently thanked myself for ultimately deciding on making a layered design! Accelerating fragrances can actually be advantageous in some soapmaking designs, and layers is one of them! I was being extra cautious however, as the recipe I used contained 10% castor (higher usage rates of castor may cause one’s recipe to move faster), and my usual liquid discount of 2:1 (a 33.33% lye concentration). Keeping this in mind and playing it safe, I blended my soap batter to just past emulsion, then split the batch into two equal parts. From each of those two equal portions, I then poured off about six ounces from each one to make my accent layers of “Nocturnal” and “Rapunzel” micas. To the two larger portions, I incorporated “Amaranth Pink” and “Baby Blue” micas.
Working layer by layer, I decided I’d only add the fragrance oil to each layer, one at a time, right as I was just about to pour it, and I’d stir the fragrance oil in by hand as well. Playing it cautious like this really paid off, as I don’t think I would have been able to successfully execute my intended design if not for doing so. In my specific recipe, I experienced very heavy acceleration... I wouldn’t quite call it seizing, as I had about 15 seconds or so before it became crucial to get the layer poured, but as soon as my soap batter was in the mold, it set up, almost immediately. Achieving perfectly straight layers wasn’t quite in the stars for this batch (close though!), since after pouring each layer I had to smooth the tops as best as I could with my spatula. On the bright side though, there was no ricing, and this heavy acceleration made it very easy to pour each layer over the other! Because my soap set up so quickly, I didn’t need to use my spatula to break the fall of the next layer. In a situation like this, saving time by being able to just dump the next layer right overtop the previous one can really help to get that batch poured!
Don’t let my experience scare you though! How a fragrance oil behaves is EXTREMELY recipe-dependent (among many other factors), and despite how this fragrance oil performed in my recipe, I was STILL able to successfully make my batch, as intended, by staying focused and moving quickly! If accelerating fragrances still intimidate you though, employing tips and methods in your soapmaking process can really help to lessen the severity or likelihood of acceleration! Tips like working when your lye solution and batch oils are at cool temperatures (I recommend no hotter than 80°F); working with a recipe which uses sparingly, or omits, additives and/or ingredients known to speed up trace (such as natural sugars, castor oil, activated charcoal, etc.); increasing the soft oils in your recipe while decreasing the amount of hard oils or butters used; and either using the full recommended amount of liquid in your recipe, or only employing a slight liquid discount. All of these things can really help to make an accelerating fragrance oil much more manageable!
Because the fragrance oil moved so quickly in my main batch, I knew it wasn’t going to be possible to use it in my soap frosting recipe, but leaving my soap frosting batch unscented didn’t have me worried in the least! This fragrance is so richly potent, I knew that the scent in the main batch alone would be more than enough to make for a wonderfully scented bar of soap! For the soap frosting itself, I incorporated more of the gorgeously fabulous “Rapunzel” mica, and got started on getting this jasmine-celebration of soap finished up!
From here, things moved along beautifully and smoothly! I added big, fluffy dollops of buttermilk-colored soap frosting to the top of my soap loaf, “bedazzled” it with a generous dusting of the ALWAYS breathtaking “Gold Dust” Enviroglitter, and lovingly placed each melt & pour embed on top for the final finishing touches! Despite having to work at a lightening quick pace while pouring my main batch, I was actually really pleased with this fragrance! Already something wonderful was beginning to happen within my batch of soap, with the jasmine notes in the fragrance developing into something MORE than what I could initially smell from the bottle. In application, something about it was blossoming (pun intended!). No longer was I detecting a heavy/heady, mature-type floral. Notes of fresher, greener, even sweeter jasmine were beginning to come through, and my interest was definitely piqued! I STILL wasn’t sure if this fragrance would make a complete convert out of me, but I couldn’t deny that even if this fragrance ultimately turned out not being for me, there was no way someone out there wasn’t going to love this!
As I sit here typing away on my computer, imagining the “you” whom I’m writing to (hey there, you foxy thing you!), worrying my blog posts are too long, and hoping with all hope I can share something you might be able to gain insight from, or at least find a little value in, I can’t help but think how important it is to write to you with full sincerity in my words, and an open and honest heart. For inspiration, I’ve also got a bar of my 5-day old “Foxy Jane- Jasmine-infused Cold Process Soap” sitting right here on the desk next to me. I decided to name this batch “Foxy Jane”, since an unidentified or unspecified woman is commonly referred to as being a “Jane Doe”. But in thinking about said “Miss Doe”, I can’t help but think that even the Jane Does of the world must’ve been anything BUT unspecified! Just like anyone else with a beating heart, they were complex human beings... They had hopes and dreams, fears and regrets, strengths and weaknesses, laughter, love and tears. Most importantly, they HAD to have been complete foxes themselves!
To return to my original thought of it being extremely important to me to always write to you, my fellow crafters, with full honesty and integrity (I truly don’t take the honor of being a guest blog writer lightly), it is my sincerest and honest opinion in mentioning that I POSITIVELY LOVE THIS FRAGRANCE! Did it behave like a total bugger in my cold process recipe? You bet it did! But as I sit here, catching beautiful whiffs of its aromatic bouquet within my soap, I am in complete aromatherapy heaven! In application, I truly believe this is a scent for all ages, but it still carries such a gorgeous, feminine sophistication! Fresh, green notes have emerged to dance around sweet nuances of authentic jasmine and an unmistakable honeysuckle note! This former “Flying Fox” disliker (“hate” is way too strong a word!) is absolutely smitten with this Foxy Lady! Was this fragrance worth it to me? In every aspect, YES!
It’s amazing how our perceptions and minds can change if we’re just willing to leave them OPEN! I truly believe this applies to all things though, not just soapmaking. As we navigate through this crazy-beautiful world of ours and lean on each other for support, guidance and inspiration (because soapmaking truly CAN be your very own “Zen moment”; a wonderful and creative escape from the stresses of life), I hope each and every one of us can do so with an open mind and an open heart; sharing our knowledge, talents and gifts with each other as we proudly applaud and encourage that stone-cold, soapmaking fox within us all! HAPPY SOAPMAKING MY FELLOW FOXES!
MAKE THIS RECIPE:
*Please note! This is the recipe that I used for this blog post. However, it’s recommended you use full liquid if wishing to avoid heavy acceleration. Remember to soap at cool temperatures as well!
MAIN BATCH:
OPTIONAL SOAP FROSTING:
OPTIONAL MELT & POUR EMBEDS:
Making soap in Florida comes with its own challenges, as does making soap anywhere really! There’s so many different factors that can affect the final outcome of one’s soap batches, with where you live playing a role too! For example, in hot, humid Florida, lye absorbs the moisture in the air, sometimes faster than you can get it weighed out and incorporated into your liquid; your coconut oil is only solid maybe two months out of the whole year; and getting your soaps cured can be the biggest challenge of them all! If I didn’t have a dehumidifier running in my curing room, I truly don’t know how long it would take for my soaps to fully cure (too long for this impatient soap maker!), and during the summer, its 3 gallon bucket needs to be emptied twice a day- that’s how wet the air is! All this being said though, to my southwestern fellow soap makers- I tip my hat to you!
I did not realize just how challenging it would be to make soap here in the mountains of northern Arizona until my last two batches turned out being complete disasters! I’m used to making soap around sea level, and I’ve gotten into a good “groove” doing so. I wasn’t prepared for just how much elevation plays a role until I actively began making soap at 5,400 feet! Static electricity fills the dry air here, causing my lye beads to become jumping lye beads (unfortunately not nearly as fun as jumping beans!), and the elevation… Well, let’s just say that my first batches of 2020 did not get off to a good start at all! I’ve now officially seen things in cold process soap that I’ve never seen happen in all my years of soapmaking, and can’t even fully explain!
As I experienced one soapy disappointment after another, I was really starting to feel the frustration and readiness to catch a break! There’s a quote wrongly attributed to Albert Einstein (it was revealed he never actually said it, but I like it anyway and think he would’ve agreed!) which states that “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”, so with this in mind, I decided I needed to make some adjustments, but also stop expecting the same results I get back home in Florida too. Instead, I would fully embrace the results I got right here, in the nosebleed section of beautiful, northern Arizona!
As a tribute to the warm, Sandy beaches back home, I decided a beachy, seaside theme would be perfect for this specific project, and when it comes to beaches, no other fragrance oil felt more fitting than Nurture Soap’s 8th and Ocean fragrance oil! I really needed to redeem myself from my recent soapmaking flops, and with sensationally juicy notes of fruits, a sugarcane-type sweetness and breezily blended essences of fresh florals, 8th and Ocean just makes my soul happy! It’s exactly what this soap maker needed to get out of her soapmaking rut and get her groove back! It was time to catch a break, and catch some soapy waves!
Of course this batch needed to include some soap frosting too, so I decided I’d make a sandy bottom layer, ocean waves in the middle, and plenty of “seafoam” on top. To embellish this, beautiful shell embeds were a must! Using Nurture Soap’s Low Sweat, Clear Soap Base, I made my shell-bellishments (sorry, I couldn’t resist a pun!) using the aptly perfect Velvet Pearl mica, and the ever-incredible Honey Blush mica. So far, so great, as this color combination turned out looking positively perfect for my melt & pour seashells!
I had a vision in mind of exactly what I wanted my seaside soap design to look like, so it was time to start executing it! I really wanted my bottom “sand” layer to be nice and firmly set-up before pouring my “waves”, but this posed a small concern… I wanted my “beach” to be firm, but my “ocean waves” to be nice and fluid. If I made these portions all in one go, as my beach set-up, time would become of the essence for my “ocean waves” to remain super fluid. The solution? Simple… Just spilt my soap batch into 2 soap batches! This would allow me plenty of time to work with both my sand and sea portions at two completely different consistencies.
I decided I wanted my beach portion of the project to consist of 1/3rd of my total soap recipe, and my ocean to consist of the remaining 2/3rds. I split my total recipe of 30oz of batch oils into two separate batches, with 10oz of my batch oils now being my beach, and 20oz being my ocean. This meant that I needed to make three lye solutions in total: One for my 10oz batch, one for my 20oz batch and one for my 15oz soap frosting batch.
Using a trick I learned from Carrie Thornsbury herself (thank you Carrie!), I used a dryer sheet to wipe out the containers with which I used to weigh out my lye (to eliminate static electricity), and it REALLY works! No longer were my lye beads jumping all over the place, and I was able to make my three lye solutions with ease! I really love using aloe juice as an alternative liquid in my recipes, so I made two of my lye solutions with aloe juice, and the lye solution used for my soap frosting recipe was made with distilled water.
As I waited for my lye solutions to cool to room temp, my next step was to get my colorants prepared and dispersed. For my 10oz soap batch, no other mica color was more perfect to represent a warm, sandy beach than Honey Blush mica! For my 20oz batch, which would represent beautiful ocean waves, Nurture Soap’s Titanium Dioxide, paired with Blue Vibrance, Caribbean Blue and Synergy micas, looked stunningly seaworthy!
With my three lye solutions and batch oils cooled down to room temperature and ready to go, it was time to start making my beachy design! But what’s a beach without sand? I decided that for the 10oz portion of my batch, I’d add some walnut shell powder to it and make a proper beach out of it! The walnut shell powder would give this portion of my project a lovely sandy look, while also providing wonderful exfoliating properties too! It doesn’t take much walnut shell powder to give a nice, “scrubby” feel to one’s soaps, so for this portion of my batch, a little less than a half teaspoon was perfect! As I incorporated Honey Blush mica and the walnut shell powder into my soap batter, I began to see the beach come to life!
After adding the divine 8th and Ocean fragrance oil and blending my sandy soap batch to a good, medium trace, I poured the whole thing into the bottom of my 2.5lb Basic Soap Mold and allowed it to set-up a little more… Just enough to take my spatula and add a bit of fun texture to the top of it!
As I allowed this layer to firm up, I moved on to my remaining 20oz soap batch, blending it to a beautifully fluid, light trace, incorporating more 8th and Ocean fragrance oil, splitting it off into four equal-ish portions, then adding my fabulous ocean-like mica colors!
Already, a carefree ocean scene was taking shape within my soapy project, and with the exquisite aroma of 8th and Ocean fragrance oil behaving perfectly, I began pouring my ocean-like colors over top my layer of “sand” in a tiger swirl design, alternating each eye-catching color as I went. I wanted to create the look of rolling waves in motion, so once I completed pouring my tiger swirl, I grabbed my hanger-swirl tool and did a few swirly passes with it through my soap, being careful not to go too far down and disrupt my “sand” layer below.
Naturally, my remaining soap batter was added to the very top of my soap loaf (must get every last drop of soap on there!), and a pretty swirl design was made with a bamboo skewer, just for fun! With my soap already looking beautifully beachy, and smelling positively lively and refreshing, it was time to get some “seafoam” added to the top with some fluffy soap frosting!
This soap design would look just as awesome with or without a piped-top, so adding soap frosting to the top is completely optional. If you’d like to add soap frosting to the top of your own 8th and Ocean, seaside-inspired soap batch though, that’s perfectly great too! For this batch of soap frosting, I used a total of 15oz of batch oils, and used the very same recipe as I did my main batch of soap. I just allowed it to set up to a nice, thick, piping consistency and allowed my inner soap artist to take the lead in creating a wonderfully “foamy” piped-top, colored with Nurture Soap’s Titanium Dioxide. When I was finished, I simply couldn’t resist adding some mesmerizing shimmer as well, so a hearty sprinkling of the phenomenally captivating Mystic Blue EnviroGlitter added the perfect sparkling touch!
To complete this fun, ocean-inspired creation, the seashell embeds I’d made earlier made for the cutest embellishments, bringing the whole project together, and creating a fantastic seaside escape… An escape you can take right into the shower with you, wherever it is that you call “home”! Everything went beautifully, smoothly and according to plan with this batch (so far!), so it was time to get it insulated for the night, and then wait to see the results that morning would bring!
With such befallen bad luck with my previous two soap batches, I’ve got to admit, I was apprehensive and completely nervous to unmold and cut this batch… Who knows what horrors might’ve been waiting for me on the inside! As I cautiously made my first slice and took a look at that first end-piece, I let out a huge sigh of relief! Finally a batch with no unexplainable anomalies I’d never had happen before… Just a pretty representation of a beachy landscape, and precisely what I had in mind for this project- whew! For a moment there, I was contemplating adding a little shell embellishment to the face of the bars as well, but ultimately decided not to push my luck!
This cold process project taught me a valuable lesson… It taught me that bad luck and soap ruts don’t last forever… eventually the soap gods do ease up on you and cut you some slack! Is it my most perfect soap project to date? Nope, but it most certainly makes me smile, and has me realizing that soapy ruts do come to an end! Will I get caught in another soap rut again? You better believe it (that’s just part of soapmaking)! Will I eventually find my way out though? ABSOLUTELY! So, my amazing, wonderful fellow soap makers… If you find yourselves on the unfavorable side of soapmaking, where things just aren’t going your way, you’re not getting the results you worked so hard for, and you feel you’ve fallen into that rut as well, I hope you’re able to use my experience as inspiration! Challenges and undesired outcomes come to us all on occasion, whether you’ve been making soap for 20 days or 20 years. The curveballs of soapmaking will always find a way to keep you on your toes and confuse the ever-living daylights out of you! Try to look at these moments as opportunities for continued growth, because no matter how frustrating they are, those moments WILL pass. The storm clouds will always eventually part, and perhaps they’ll even part to reveal a beautiful, sunny beach! You just never know with this incredible, awesome craft we all know and love as soapmaking!
SAND/BEACH PORTION (1/3RD OF YOUR TOTAL RECIPE):
OCEAN PORTION (2/3RDS OF YOUR TOTAL RECIPE):
SOAP FROSTING RECIPE:
Before moving to Florida, I remember speaking on the phone with a friend, a born-and-raised Floridian, inquiring about pertinent tidbits of information one might want to know before moving to The Sunshine State. I remember her telling me one thing in particular rather clearly, and mostly because I just didn’t believe her! She said, “Amber, once you’ve lived in Florida for a while, you’ll get to a point where you will literally crave, and fully relish, cold weather!” Now, mind you, when she told me this, I was a born-and-raised Arizonan, currently living in Phoenix.
You know that saying: “It’s so hot, you could fry an egg on the pavement!”? I’m almost certain that phrase was invented by someone from Phoenix! I mean, with summer heat easily hitting triple digits in the teens and twenties, in “The Valley of the Sun”, as it’s called by locals, you literally CAN fry eggs on the pavement! Even still, when my friend told me I’d actually crave cold weather, I laughed in disbelief! This was ME she was talking to... A self-proclaimed “desert rat”; I LOVED summer and the heat it brought with it! I thought to myself, “There is no way I will ever yearn for chilly days!”, but little did I know, she was 100% RIGHT!
I think it drives every Arizonan a little bonkers when out-of-towners classify the heat in terms of being any less miserable by saying, “Well, at least it’s a dry heat.”; as if somehow that makes it better! Hot is HOT, and when you get off that plane, or out of your air-conditioned car, and that 120-degree weather hits you like a ton of bricks, the fact that “it’s a dry heat” isn’t the first thought that comes to mind! It feels as if the chasms of the earth have opened up, exposing the gates of Hades themselves, and those who are native to Southern Arizona wouldn’t have it any other way! That’s precisely why I laughed when I was told I’d crave cold weather; I simply found the statement to be impossible! However, after living in Florida for almost 4 years now, I realize I’ve got a giant piece of humble pie to eat!
As much as the Arizonan in me hates to admit it, there really IS some truth to the whole, “dry heat/humid heat” thing (I can hear the lynching party heading my way from Arizona now!). Humid heat is just so... THICK! It just hangs there, completely stagnant in the air, making 95 degrees feel like 195! It’s so heavy and suffocating, things like shade become nothing more than dirty tricks; there’s just no escaping it. It would be more tolerable if it were just a little less relentless, but I learned very quickly upon moving to Florida that the “inside joke” of, “Hey everyone! Winter will be on these 3 days this year.”, is actually far more accurate than it is a joke! And so, I must eat crow and concur... After you’ve lived in Florida for a while, you really do crave the chill of autumn, or a frosty bite from Old Man Winter. This is only temporary though... I’ve also learned that being a Floridian means you grow intolerant to cold weather too. While visitors from Pennsylvania are frolicking the beaches here in mid-January, loving every sun-drenched minute of it, Floridians are shivering under a thick blanket on the sand, watching in bewildered amazement and worry for a friend who’s apparently lost her mind (This is a true story!).
But what exactly does this “tale of two states” have to do with soap making? Oh, that’s easy... It’s the theme of this week’s blog! You see, I believe every soap maker has this “internal clock” when it comes to soap making. You’ll be loading up your online shopping cart with fruity, beachy, or tropical-type fragrances, and designing soap batches with bright, summery colors one week, then the following week... BAM! It hits you like lightening! Seemingly out of nowhere, you suddenly find yourself craving soaps scented in spicy-sweet cinnamon, cozy honey, brisk pine forests, or pumpkin desserts! I don’t know how it happens or what subliminal event triggers it, but for me at least, there’s this total inspirational “switch” that takes place. Without fail, it begins at the very first hint of each season’s changing, and I know it’s begun when I suddenly crave one specific thing: BEER... Soap, that is!
My friend was right... There’s a certain point during the Florida summer when I’ve had enough of the thick humidity and I’m ready for cooler temperatures. I’ve totally reached that point! While it’s still oppressively muggy during the day, the late night and early morning hours are just barely beginning to carry a whisper of chilly air, and all I long to do is wear a sweater... Heck, I’ll even settle for a long-sleeved shirt at this point! My inner craving to make a batch of beer soap tells me fall is on its way (eventually!), and who knows, maybe I can even summon its arrival faster if I delve into fall projects now; sort of like my own version of a soapy rain dance!
While beer soaps themselves aren’t a seasonal thing, they’ve become somewhat seasonal for me. I’m not sure why, but beer soaps have always sold better for me in the fall, so that’s mostly when I make them. They’re also a personal “special treat” on a creative level too, since I definitely have to be in the beer-soap making mood. I have to mentally prepare myself before starting a batch because, well, beer and lye can get a little stinky when first combined to make a lye solution. It’s not a treacherous odor by any means (And not nearly as pungent as boiling the carbonation and alcohol out of the beer!), but it’s not very pleasant either. It’s the result of lye scorching the natural sugars, yeast, hops and barley in the beer, but the scent this creates always cures out by the end of 4 weeks. The finished soaps are so worth the initial and temporary wet-dog-type odor, but admittedly, I am a little sensitive to it. No matter how well-ventilated my workspace is, it always seems to give me quite the headache, but I love beer soaps so much, it’s a nuisance I willingly put up with!
This time, however, I decided I wasn’t going to let anything get to me! I intended for this batch of beer soap to be my official “fall welcome”, and if there’s one thing I know about overcoming obstacles, it’s that if there’s a problem to be faced, there’s usually a solution to it staring right back at you! Please join me in making a fabulous batch of “Honey Barrel Beer Soap”, and in the process, I’ll show you how to make the world’s most UN-stinky-est batch of beer soap ever! That’s a pretty tall statement, I know, but if you’re like me and are prone to getting “beer soap headaches” too (or just aren’t keen on the scent), keep reading! I’m delighted to share with you how to say “goodbye” to stinky beer soap for good!
I usually always have prepared beer, ready and waiting in the freezer for my next batch of beer soap. By “prepared”, I mean that I’ve already removed the carbonation and alcohol from the beer, it’s frozen (or slushy) and ready to go! All I need to do is remove the specific amount I need for my recipe, then return the remaining beer to the freezer. I prepare my soap making beer in big batches so I don’t have to do it often... It’s a pretty stinky process too! I enjoy using lagers in my beer soaps, but any beer of your choosing will do just as great, especially pilsners and ales.
To remove both the carbonation and alcohol from beer in preparation for soap making, you can choose to either leave the beer opened and exposed to air for several days, until it goes flat and the alcohol naturally evaporates out (A much less stinky process!), or you can choose to boil the alcohol and carbonation out. For this method, simply bring the beer to a steady, rolling boil for about 20 minutes. To help reduce the odor beer and lye give off when first combined, it’s recommended to add the lye to the beer while it’s in a frozen or slushy state. The colder the beer, the less severely its natural sugars and ingredients are scorched by the lye, helping to reduce that unmistakable beer soap odor. When incorporating beer into a cold process soap recipe, you can choose to substitute all of the water in your recipe for beer, or part of it. For this specific recipe I substituted half of my recipe’s total water weight for beer, but how much you’d like to incorporate into your recipe is entirely up to you!
Normally, I enjoy adding beer as my full liquid weight in my recipes, meaning I’ll substitute my recipe’s entire water amount for beer, then dissolve my lye directly into the prepared, frozen (or slushy) beer to make my recipe’s lye solution. This time however, I had a goal and a bright idea, so I decided to do things a little different. Lye needs at least its own weight in water, or liquid, to fully and safely dissolve, so I decided I’d substitute half of my total water amount for beer. The other half would remain as distilled water, and this is what I’d dissolve the lye into.
There was a method to my madness, and my thought process was this: I thought to myself, “Self, why is it that sodium lactate is added to cooled lye solution?”. The answer to that question was an easy one. Sodium Lactate is added to lye water that has cooled to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, or less, so that the lye doesn’t scorch the sodium lactate (Sodium lactate being a salt solution derived from the fermentation of natural sugars within beets and/or corn.). This got the wheels turning in my head. If sodium lactate is added to cooled lye solutions to prevent scorching, why couldn’t I just incorporate the beer to cooled lye solution as well? Surely this would prevent the lye from scorching the natural sugars, yeast, hops and barley in the beer, and as a result, prevent that unmistakable beer soap stench too. It was worth a shot!
The plan was to divide my recipe’s total water weight in half, then incorporate and dissolve the lye into the distilled water portion only. Instead of dissolving lye into frozen beer, I would allow my prepared beer to come to room temperature, then incorporate it into my lye solution once that came to room temperature as well. But then I got to thinking a little more... Certainly as soon as I incorporated the beer into the room-temp lye solution, those natural sugars within the beer would still undergo a thermal reaction from the lye, causing the solution to heat up, and put me right back at square one with stinky beer soap, right? I eventually came to a solution for this too!
I specifically wanted to incorporate the beer into my cooled lye solution while the beer was at room temperature so I could prove to myself that the use of frozen or slushy beer wasn’t necessary (Just think of all the time this would save me by not having to freeze, refreeze, and partially defrost beer every time I wanted to make a batch of beer soap!), and I always pop my lye solution into the freezer anyway to get it to cool down faster. Why not just chill my lye solution a little longer? Instead of pulling my lye solution from the freezer when it’s at, or around, room temperature, like I normally do, why not just keep it in there a little while longer, until the container becomes cool to the touch of a gloved hand? It was settled... That’s precisely what I’d do, all the while, hoping for the best!
The design of this soap is simple, beautiful, and supremely fun, with soap frosting and/or melt & pour embeds being completely optional. Of course, a great honey-based soap design begins with an amazing honey-based fragrance oil, and I had just the one in mind for this particular project! Nurture Soap’s “Bergamot and Honey” fragrance oil is an absolute winner through and through, in both scent and performance, as well as in application! No joke, I have one remaining bar of soap that I saved from a batch made a year and half ago that still smells as fragrant, potent and deliciously fresh as the day it was cut! Its notes of juicy bergamot are crisp and vibrant, with a refreshing quality that makes my taste buds tingle, and its complimenting tones of authentic, golden honey are positively sensational! Sweetening and smoothing bergamot’s tartness, the honey note in this aromatic sensation makes this fragrance a year-round hit, as well as an excellent scent for all kinds of soapy themes- including beer soap!
For the optional “high-top” design of this project, I chose warm colors to accentuate the cozy goodness of “Bergamot and Honey” fragrance oil’s wholesome honey accords, and made melt & pour embeds using Nurture Soap’s Low Sweat, Clear Soap Base. These would embellish the top of the soap, and included happy honey bees in “Mimosa Yellow” mica, and beer-filled barrels in “Lustrous Brown” mica, which were dry-painted with a little “Fire Cider” mica to accentuate their detail. In impatient anticipation of the arrival of fall, autumnal leaves, colored in the equally autumnal “Fire Cider” mica, made for perfect accompaniments to celebrate the gradual changing of the seasons!
I wanted the soap frosting portion of this soapy project to be white, but not quite as stark-white as titanium dioxide or “Winter White” mica. I was thinking more in line with the frothy-white top of a big, foamy glass of beer, and Nurture Soap’s “Velvet Pearl” mica was the perfect shade of white for exactly that! The design of the main batch itself would mainly feature the sweet, wholesome, buttermilk-like shade that “Rapunzel” mica imparts to cold process soap, with gorgeously cozy-warm accents of “Lustrous Brown”, “Maya Gold” (The perfect shade of golden honey!), and “Fire Cider” micas, swirled throughout the batch with a hanger tool.
With my sudsy design all planned out, it was time to determine if my not-so-stinky beer soap scheme would work as I hoped it would. Just in case it didn’t though, I did have my trusty bottle of Ibuprofen nearby! My prepared beer (the recipe’s remaining half of liquid), was sitting pretty at room temperature, and when I pulled my cooled lye solution from the freezer, its temperature read just a hair shy of 61 degrees Fahrenheit. I went ahead and stirred in the sodium lactate first, which I use in every batch of soap I make at 3% per pound of oils, then carefully incorporated the room temperature beer next. What happened afterward had me squealing like a pre-teen at a Taylor Swift concert!
The moment I added the beer to the chilled lye solution, its temperature quickly rose from 61 degrees to just a hair under 97 degrees Fahrenheit, thanks to the sugar content in the beer. I had a quick moment of worry, as I wondered just how much hotter the lye solution would get. But then, just as quickly as it rose, the temperature stopped right there, then began to gradually and steadily decrease! For obvious reasons, I wasn’t about to stick my face over the container and take a big whiff to see if I could catch that telltale odor of a beer-based lye solution, but I really didn’t need to!
Usually, with a beer-based lye solution, that undeniable “wet dog” odor is so all-consuming, I’ve already had to pop 600mgs of Ibuprofen to stave off the pounding headache its induced, and I can easily detect it in my soap batter (as well as in the soap bars themselves for up to 3 to 4 weeks into cure). In this case however, I smelled absolutely NOTHING!! No “Eau de Wet Fido”, no splitting headache, and no odor within the soap batter either! As I poured the batter into portions for my accent colors, the ONLY thing I could smell was the citrusy-refreshing, honey-sweet awesomeness of “Bergamot and Honey” fragrance oil, completely unhindered, and in zero competition with what’s normally a pretty stinky lye solution! Somehow, I’d done it... I had found a way to make beer soap, WITHOUT the beer soap stink!
As if I couldn’t have been any more pleased with this soap making experience, “Bergamot and Honey” fragrance oil performed like an absolute dream in this cold process beer soap recipe, and smelled sensational! I was able to execute a hanger-swirl design within the soap with ease, the mica colors looked stunning in application, and “Rapunzel” mica brought the whole comfy-cozy theme together perfectly! The soap gods had indeed played nice... This time!
As I finished piping the top of the batch with my favorite soap frosting recipe, I couldn’t help but add just the slightest touch of shimmer! I didn’t want to overload the batch with too much sparkle, but a light dusting of “Nurture Soap’s “Gold Enigma” mica was just the thing this project needed to add an elegant effervescent-like sheen to the top of the soap! It reminded me of the subtle, golden effervescence of a big, foamy head of beer, tickling your nose as you enjoy an icy-cold brew! Once each decorative soap embed was placed on top, it was time to get the batch insulated overnight. Beer soaps in particular can get pretty dang warm during saponification (This batch got downright hot!), so I was careful not to over-insulate. Simply placing the batch in my un-warmed oven, with the door cracked a little, was all the insulation this batch needed.
When I first hatched this crazy idea for a “no-stink” beer soap, I had no idea if it was even going to work. One thing’s for sure though, I would’ve never known if I hadn’t at least given it a try. I would’ve still been repeatedly freezing, defrosting and refreezing my supply of soap making beer, trying to rush through beer soap projects as quickly as possible in an effort to escape the inescapable odor, and continuing to spend a small fortune on over-the-counter headache medicine! If you love the idea of beer soaps, but simply dislike the odor that beer and lye emit when combined, or positively loathe that wet dog smell your cut soaps produce for weeks before finally being able to smell their true fragrance, please feel free to give this method a try in your own beer soap batches! Another upside to my no-stink beer soap method: If you love making beer soaps, but have avoided using many of your favorite fragrances because they just wouldn’t go well with a beer base, this method could very well be the solution, since it prevents any noticeable odor in raw soap batter, as well as in the finished soaps themselves. Alternatively, if you’ve ever felt limited in the fragrances you can use in a beer soap recipe, the possibilities become limitless... ANY fragrance will go beautifully in a beer-based soap recipe with this method!
Currently, as I write this blog, I’m sitting outside, laptop in tow, in the fabulously cool night breeze! Perhaps channeling some autumnal vibes through this soap making project really did work as sort of a “soapy rain dance”, bringing this wonderfully refreshing weather my way! On the other hand, there also seems to be a hurricane currently skirting up the coastline of Florida, so I might’ve gone a little too far with this whole “weather wishing” thing!! It’s exactly as the saying goes: Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it!! As for you, my fellow, amazing crafters... May all your wishes for fabulous soap batches always become a reality, and may they always be creations that make you feel exceptionally proud of your incredible talent! When a problem gets in your way, or makes you feel enlightened to discover a new and better way of doing things, may you always feel inspired to put your ideas into practice, never feeling hesitant to take risks or face challenges; rather, embracing them head-on and wholeheartedly!
AMBER’S “NO-STINK BEER SOAP METHOD”, SIMPLIFIED:
Calculate your recipe’s total liquid weight to be half distilled water (or another alternative liquid of choice) and half beer (carbonation and alcohol removed via preferred method). Make sure the distilled water portion is equal to, or greater than, the weight of lye your recipe calls for. Lye needs at least its own weight in liquid to properly and safely dissolve.
It’s preferred to use room temperature, or only lightly chilled beer (not frozen). Dissolve lye in distilled water portion only. Reserve beer for later. Place lye solution in an ice bath or freezer until lye solution becomes chilled, and outside of container feels cold to the touch. Carefully add room temperature (or lightly chilled) beer directly to chilled/cold lye solution and stir well to incorporate. Temperature of lye solution will rise once beer has been added, but will not become hot enough to scorch ingredients within the beer.
Allow lye solution to cool to usual desired soap making temperature, if applicable (lye solution should be under 100 degrees Fahrenheit after beer has been added). Proceed as you normally would when making cold process soap. Enjoy a stink-free soap making experience, as well as freshly-made soap batches which do not have that unmistakable beer soap odor!
SOAP RECIPE:
SOAP FROSTING RECIPE:
Laissez les bon temps rouler is a famous French motto in New Orleans which means “let the good times roll”! On a personal level, when it comes to soapmaking, one of the best ways to get those good times doing summersaults is by making a batch of beer soap! Beer soaps have always been year-round popular sellers for me, but I’ve noticed there’s something about the changing of the seasons to colder weather that amplifies their appeal even more so! As the days slowly grow cooler (I live in Florida, so emphasis on the word “slowly”!), I begin to feel the inspirational “pull” to make more beer soaps myself, so for this blog post, I decided I’d go ahead, let those good times roll, and give in to creativity’s call! After all, an incredible woman and amazing crafter recently told me, “Creativity knows no sense of time. It appears when it wants to.” -Carrie Thornsbury, CEO - Nurture Soap Inc. I couldn’t have said it more perfectly myself!
Beer soaps in general are a touch more particular than the more standard cold process soap recipe is in that there are some fragrance oils which just translate better than others in application when paired with a beer base. In respect for the creative process itself though, there’s no actual “rules” which apply (you’re free to use any fragrance you wish with any soap recipe), but just as a general guideline (and well-meaning advice), fragrances which pair best with a beer base include those which are rich, warm, cozy, spicy, herbal, woodsy, earthy, masculine or gourmand. Fragrances with rich, deep complexity usually pair wonderfully with a beer base, so I decided that out of all the fragrances I had on-hand, nothing other than Nurture Soap’s “Bourbon Street” fragrance oil would be more perfect for this project!
I don’t want to spoil the surprise about what this incredible aroma blossoms into in cold process soap just yet, but seeing as it was my very first time making soap with this mysteriously complex fragrance oil, I figured I’d share my initial “out of the bottle” impressions as well. This is a fragrance which holds a secret, and I could definitely sense there was a story just waiting to be told here from the very first sniff! I’ve never smelled anything quite like it! If I didn’t know better, and hadn’t had many previous experiences with fragrance oils revealing their aromatic “hidden treasures” within cold process soap before, I might’ve taken one sniff of this fragrance oil from the bottle and decided it wasn’t for me. I would have been utterly and completely WRONG! Thankfully, a true “blossoming beauty” usually has some pretty telltale signs that layers exist within it just waiting to emerge, and this fragrance oil had all of those signs! First was its complexity… Notes which “spoke to me” upon first sniff, only to be replaced by another note, and then another with each subsequent sniff. Each time I smelled it, I caught little hints of something else. The second telltale sign was its predominately smokey top note, which when applied to a cotton swab and allowed to dry, revealed a base of something alluringly sweet! Without a doubt, this was a fragrance with a wonderful secret to tell, and my beer soap and I intended to hear all the juicy details!
If you’ve never made beer soap before, there’s one important thing you should know…Beer contains both alcohol and carbonation, and unfortunately, lye doesn’t get along with either of these things. In my experiences of both using and enjoying beer soaps over the years though, I can personally confirm that beer soaps have incredible lather, and feel absolutely amazing on the skin, so the process in which one must remove said alcohol and carbonation from the beer is totally worth it! There’s two ways to do this: the slow way (leaving open containers of beer left out for the carbonation to eventually go flat and the alcohol to slowly evaporate over the course of a few days) or the fast way. I’m an impatient soap maker, so I’m going to do this the fast way!
For this project, I used an American lager, but any beer you have on-hand will do. Lagers, pilsners and ales are especially great for making beer soap. Before we begin though, a little forewarning: This process will make your home smell like you threw a raging party, where someone accidentally tipped over a keg and never cleaned it up… seven days ago! So before I begin this process, I always throw a couple wax melts in each of my wax warmers throughout my home and have those going good and strong before I start! That’s the first step. The next step is to take your beer of choice and empty it out into a big pot, then place the pot on your stovetop over high heat.
When I’m getting beer prepped for soapmaking, I always make quite a bit more than what I need for the current project because I like to have extra on-hand and ready for the next time inspiration moves me to make beer soap. Even if you’re only prepping enough beer for one batch, make sure to prepare more than what your recipe calls for, as quite a bit of the beer will evaporate during this process. As the beer begins to heat up, you’re going to notice that the carbonation will be the first thing to put up a fight! Your beer will start bubbling and foaming up very quickly.
Don’t let this bubbling and foaming up of the carbonation confuse you with the rolling boil that you want to achieve. As the beer foams up and gets frothy, this is just the carbonation beginning to evaporate off, but the main goal is to bring your beer to a nice and steady rolling boil. Using a spoon, continuously stir the beer as the carbonation increasingly foams up, to prevent it from frothing over. As the beer nears its boiling point, the carbonation will reach its foamy, frothy “peak”, so reduce the heat to medium-high at this point, and continue to stir constantly to ensure the beer stays in your pot- where it belongs!
Once the carbonation has fought its frothy battle (and lost!), the foam and froth will eventually retreat to reveal a beautiful and steady rolling boil… This is precisely what you want to see! It’s now time to boil off the alcohol within the beer, so as soon as you see that rolling boil, you can now set a timer for 15 to 20 minutes, and allow the beer to continue boiling.
Once your beer has maintained a steady, rolling boil for 15 to 20 minutes, you can remove the beer from the heat and allow it to cool down a bit. You’ll notice that the beer looks completely flat at this point, which is perfect! You now have beer you can make soap with… Well, almost!
When it comes to working with beer as an alternative liquid in soapmaking, it’s important to work with it when it’s at a frozen or slushy state. There are a couple reasons for this. First, beer contains sugar, and anything which contains sugar is going to get considerably hotter than liquids which don’t contain sugar once the lye is incorporated. Adding the lye to frozen or slushy beer will help to keep those temps down. Another reason why it’s helpful to work with ice-cold beer is because beer contains, not only sugar, but ingredients like yeast, hops and barley too. Lye doesn’t just love scorching sugars; it loves scorching that yeast too! If you’ve never experienced what that smells like, you’re in for a treat! The beer/lye combination is a profoundly stinky one! Adding your lye to the beer when it’s icy-cold will reduce that stinky-ness factor considerably. For those reasons, once your prepared beer has cooled down a little, it’s ready to be placed in the freezer. I like to transfer my beer from the pot to a freezer bag so that when it comes time to make my soap, I can break off exactly how much I need (or put it in a warm sink-bath for a couple minuets to make it slushy), then put the remaining beer back in the freezer for the next time I want to make soap with it.
While I waited for my beer to get ice-cold in the freezer, I got prepped for the rest of the soapmaking process. I absolutely love making high-top soaps, and I’d never actually piped the top of a beer soap before, so I decided now was as good a time as any to do just that! Keep in mind though that if you prefer not to pipe the top of your beer soap, it’s still going to be an incredibly awesome batch of soap! First thing for this high-top design was to get some embeds made!
The vast majority of embed molds I own are actually plastic chocolate or candy molds that I got for a couple dollars at a cake and candy decorating supplies shop. With Nurture Soap’s Low Sweat Clear Soap Base, these molds work great, and make adorable embeds! If you’re looking for an affordable way to make melt & pour embeds, cake decorating shops are a great place to look. If you’re looking to make the best quality embeds to accompany your beautiful, soapy creations, Nurture Soap’s Low Sweat Soap Bases are the bee’s knees! I use no other melt & pour soap bases to make my embeds.
For this project, I chose little bottle and barrel embeds to adorn the top of my soap batch, so I grabbed my trusty .15CC Mini Scoops and two mica colors which would make these embeds perfect for my envisioned design. I’m talking about Nurture Soap’s “Mocha Brown” and “Copper Penny” micas… Ooh la la, are these micas rich and stunning! For the bottle embeds, the warm, deep, cozy hue of “Mocha Brown” mica looked absolutely regal, and the barrel embeds in “Copper Penny” mica positively glowed with this shimmery and opulent shade!
My embeds were complete and looking awesome, so as I continued to wait for my beer to get slushy, I got busy getting my batch colors ready. I had originally planned a 4-color drop swirl design for my “Bourbon Street Beer Soap”, but after looking at those four original colors, I felt like something was missing. I dispersed Nurture Soap’s fabulous “Mocha Brown”, “Copper Penny”, “Maya Gold” and “Winter White” micas in a bit of olive oil, then stood back for a moment to contemplate. It hit me like a ton of bricks! This beautiful combination of colors was missing “Nocturnal” mica! “Nocturnal” mica is the absolute best black mica I’ve ever seen or worked with! I’ve used quite a few different black micas in my day which have turned into more of a charcoal gray-type color in my soaps (forcing me to add more and more to try to achieve a true black shade), but “Nocturnal” mica is as pitch-black as the night is dark, and it doesn’t take much at all to achieve a deep, dark, pitch-black shade in your soaps! I quickly dispersed some “Nocturnal” mica in oil as well, and set it alongside the other colors… Perfection! This was precisely the color scheme I envisioned when I closed my eyes and smelled the elusively complex, rich, smokey aroma of “Bourbon Street” fragrance oil!
My prepared beer had finally come to a frozen, slushy state, so it was time to make beer soap! When it comes to using alternative liquids in one’s soap recipes, not only are there so many different and fun choices to choose from, but so many different ways in which you can choose to incorporate them too! For example, if you want to make a beer and goat’s milk soap, you can certainly do so! One can choose to substitute their entire liquid amount for a particular alternative liquid, or only part of it. For me, I really love adding aloe juice to my soap recipes, and wanted to incorporate a bit of it in this recipe as well, so I decided to do a beer and aloe juice blend!
After doing a bit of simple math, I calculated my total liquid weight to consist of 75% beer and 25% aloe juice. I did have to round up and down respectively, since my scale doesn’t measure little in-between numbers, so my beer/aloe blend was an approximation of these percentages, but pretty darn close! I also chose to add a pinch of tussah silk as well, and for a batch of this size (32 ounces of oils), half the amount of a regular-size (not jumbo!) cotton ball’s worth is plenty. I absolutely love the silky feel and lather tussah silk imparts to my soaps, and it’s important to me to purchase cruelty-free, humanely harvested tussah silk (the world needs its moths too!), but keep in mind that tussah silk is not vegan, so if you prefer your soap recipes be vegan-friendly, you’ll want to omit the tussah silk.
With my slushy beer/aloe blend weighed out and ready, it was time to get the lye added and make my lye solution. I carefully incorporated the lye and stirred well. Thankfully, incorporating the lye to frozen/slushy beer prevented the solution from getting excessively hot. At its hottest, it reached 141°F, but can you imagine how much hotter it would have gotten had the beer not been frozen? I was also thankful for the fact that my home didn’t smell like a divey bar either! I mean, it didn’t smell awesome, but that classic beer “stank” didn’t permeate my whole workspace either! It definitely pays to make sure the beer is ice cold before incorporating the lye.
Another word of forewarning to first-time makers of beer soap: The very first batch of beer soap I ever made, I was completely disheartened and royally bummed when I excitedly cut my batch only to discover that my soaps didn’t smell very pleasant at all! I didn’t know what I had done to screw things up, or where I had gone wrong, but without a doubt, my soaps smelled exactly like a wet dog! I was mortified, and didn’t know how I was going to offer soaps scented in “Eau de Wet Fido” to my friends and family. Then something magical happened… About 5 or 6 weeks later, that wet dog stench had cured completely out, and I could clearly smell the fragrance oil I had used in my recipe! So, keep in mind that it is completely not uncommon for freshly-made batches of beer soap to smell like Rover just came in from the rain! I’ve found that darker, “danker” beers are usually bigger culprits of this, but no matter which type of beer you use, I promise that wet dog odor WILL cure out of your soaps! If this happens in your batch of beer soap, just keep calm and let cure!
As I finished making my beer-based lye solution, and ensured both my lye and tussah silk fibers were completely dissolved, I set it aside to allow the solution to cool down to around room temperature (carefully placing your lye solution in an ice bath is another option that will help speed this along nicely), then continued by getting my batch oils weighed out and ready to be made into wonderful beer soap!
Once both my lye solution and batch oils reached about 80°F it was time to get to soapmaking, or as they say in New Orleans, “pass a good time”! After carefully incorporating my beer/aloe lye solution into my batch oils and stick-blending to a nice, fluidly-workable light trace, I divided off my soap batter into four smaller portions for my fancy-looking, warm-toned color scheme, then colored the remaining larger portion with “Winter White” mica. To my smaller portions, the exquisite “Mocha Brown”, “Copper Penny”, “Maya Gold” and “Nocturnal” micas were incorporated, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with how well these colors complimented one another, as well as the overall theme and feel of a beer soap made with “Bourbon Street” fragrance oil!
I proceeded by adding “Bourbon Street” fragrance oil to each portion of soap batter, which by this time, was continuously fascinating me! Just getting it out of the bottle and incorporating it into my soap batter, it was already working its voodoo on me! Something about the way in which this complex and alluring fragrance lingered around my workspace had me fully intrigued, as already, it was revealing aromatic notes that had previously remained hidden from me. An enticing organic sweetness emerged to seduce and entrance my olfactory receptors! As I began pouring my drop swirl design, I was already falling victim to its charm! There’s just something about a deeply complex and mysteriously multifaceted fragrance which catches me, hook, line and sinker every time! Adding even more creative joy to this curiously blissful aromatic experience was the fact that this fragrance oil was also playing so nicely with my beer soap recipe… No ricing, no acceleration; just easy-going, peaceful soapmaking!
As I finished my pour, I was surprised to discover that from the very first moment I incorporated “Bourbon Street” fragrance oil into my soap batter, I could no longer detect even the slightest hint of that classic beer-lye “stink”! I discovered that this multifarious fragrance was the perfect accompaniment to my beer soap recipe! My workspace smelled intoxicating (pun intended!), and the fragrance oil itself had performed beautifully from the beginning of pour to the end of it!
When it came to piping the top of my soap, I knew exactly how I wanted to complete this Big Easy-inspired beer soap design. Now, keep in mind that this step is completely optional, and will in no way take away from, or hinder your own soapy beer creation from being absolutely marvelous if you choose to skip piping the top of your soap batch. When it came to the vision that I had in my mind’s eye though, a big, bubbly, white top to represent the foamy head of a freshly-poured glass of ice-cold beer seemed a fun added touch. Using “Winter White” mica to color my soap frosting, I added big, round dollops of “foam” to the top of my soap loaf. When I was finished however, it seemed to be missing something. The foamy head of an actual glass of freshly-poured beer has a delightful effervescent look to it. As it bubbles up, then slowly fizzes down, it almost seems to glisten-away into oblivion, revealing the golden, hazel-brown beer below it. An EnviroGlitter seemed too large a micron size to convey this aesthetic subtlety, but a mica I always keep on-hand for situations just like this seemed perfect for the job! I grabbed my Glitter Spray Pump filled with the dazzling “Gold Enigma” mica and began spraying away! I can’t NOT take a moment to mention just how much I adore the new design of Nurture Soap’s Glitter Spray Pumps! The shimmery mess I usually leave behind when embellishing the tops of my soaps is greatly reduced with this spray pump. The quality itself is excellent, and it disperses my “bling” with an even precision. As I finished adorning my piped top with an elegantly fine dusting of “Gold Enigma” mica, my soap had metamorphosed into a handsomely eye-catching creation, with a striking, almost metallic-like, golden sheen!
By way of my bottle and barrel embeds, I lovingly placed the last finishing touches atop my shimmery, “foamy beer” of a piped top, and decided it was “last call” for this soapy creation! I insulated the batch, wished it bon voyage, then sent it off to a peaceful night’s rest of saponification slumber!
The next morning my beer soap practically unmolded itself! I mean, I literally had to catch it from tumbling, face-down, from my 2.5lb Basic Soap Mold! This was in thanks to two things. First, every impatient soap maker’s best friend… Sodium lactate! Sodium lactate is a salt solution derived from the natural fermentation of sugars found in beets and/or corn. It aids in the unmolding of soap in that it reduces the amount of time one must wait for soap batches to set up and be ready to unmold. I use it in every single batch of soap I make at 3% of my total oil weight, and add it directly to my cooled lye solution, immediately prior to incorporating my lye solution into my batch oils. Sodium lactate is awesome for this impatient soap maker in that most of my batches (with some exceptions) are ready to be unmolded and cut 8 to 12 hours after I’ve poured them.
Another factor which greatly helped to speed up unmolding time was the beer itself! Because beer contains natural sugars, my batch warmed up during saponification and gelled. As a personal preference, I love me a batch of gelled soap! Gelled soap will be firmer/harder from the get-go, and in many instances, also enables colorants to appear brighter, bolder and more vivid within the soap itself!
As I began to cut each charming slice of “Bourbon Street Beer Soap”, I was immediately impressed! I know, I know, you’re probably thinking, “Oh great! Here goes Amber, tooting her own horn!”, but that’s totally not what I mean! What impressed me was the fact that as I cut my batch, I couldn’t detect even the slightest hint of that “wet dog beer soap” odor I mentioned earlier, and usually ALL of my beer soap batches have at least some slight detection of it that eventually cures out. With this batch though, all I could smell was the fascinating “Bourbon Street” fragrance oil, and at this point, I was full-on in love with it! The transformation this fragrance oil undergoes in application is absolutely AMAZING, and in every way, this truly was a fragrance oil with a magnificent story to tell!
Out of the bottle, wood smoke, or a smoky whiskey-type note reigned supreme, but in application… HOLY WOW! I swear I could smell opulent Oudh and warm, woodsy notes! Possibly a whisper of rich suede too! Those dominant smoky notes parted just enough to create a path for notes of malty tonka bean and spicy-sweet tobacco leaf to emerge as well! A gorgeously smooth and dapper scent which I found to be downright sexy! As I smell the bars, now five days old at the time of this writing, even more handsome secrets have been revealed, which I’m sure will be completely unveiled by cure’s end! I am enamored by this scent!
For those who may have never made beer soap before, I hope in some small way I’ve inspired you to give it a try. To go forth as the incredible and uniquely talented crafters you are, and make beautiful batches of bubbly beer soap! Any soap recipe can be converted into a beer soap recipe (just substitute your water for beer!), and will make for a fabulous slice of beer soap! To all my amazing fellow crafters: Santé! Salud! Salute! Proost! Saúde! Or as they say in my little corner of the world: Cheers! May all your soap batches bring you joy, and may the inspiration to try new and exciting soapy creations always find you! Laissez les bon temps rouler my crafty friends!
]]>Micas used in cosmetics can be naturally mined or they can be lab-made synthetics. Most of the micas we use in cosmetics and soaps are naturally mined micas, but synthetics are available. Naturally mined micas are less expensive, while synthetic mica – also called fluorphlogopite – is more expensive.
Here is a picture of natural vs. synthetic mica:
Synthetic mica is superior to natural mica in several ways. They are more pure, much more bright, and have superior clarity of color. We love synthetic mica!
Another question often asked is if naturally mined mica colors are natural. They are natural in their raw uncolored state. Natural mica is usually an off-white mineral and can have brownish tones. To achieve a bright color pigment is applied to the mica substrate using heat. Micas can be colored using various dyes and pigments to achieve the desired color. These colors are lab-made and are not natural. They are often made to be nature-identical.
The reason the colors used to pigment the mica are lab-made is primarily to achieve a certain level of purity. This is a good thing! The FDA has certain standards that color additives must meet:
Specifications. [Cosmetic] Mica shall conform to the following specifications and shall be free from impurities other than those named to the extent that such other impurities may be avoided by good manufacturing practice:
Basically, lab-created pigments are used to color cosmetic micas because they meet purity standards set forth by the FDA.
The FDA defines natural mica as:
The color additive mica is a white powder obtained from the naturally occurring mineral, muscovite mica, consisting predominantly of a potassium aluminum silicate, K2Al4(Al2Si6O20)(OH)4 or, alternatively, H2KAl3(SiO4)3. Mica may be identified and semiquantitatively determined by its characteristic X-ray diffraction pattern and by its optical properties. 21CFR73.1496
However, there is no definition or regulation for synthetic mica at this time! This does not mean that we can have a free-for-all with it. Synthetic mica must still contain FDA approved color additives to be considered cosmetic grade. There are some benefits to this, however. Because synthetic mica is not regulated by itself as a color additive, we can have more variance in micron size and mica use in cosmetics.
Naturally mined mica is not approved for use in cosmetics at a micron size higher than 150. Synthetic micas may be used in cosmetics at any micron size, since there are no regulations as of yet set forth by the FDA. YAY!
Hopefully this helps clear up some confusion about what kind of mica we use in soap and cosmetics, as well as the different types available.
]]>Seems like everywhere you turn these days, there’s one thing taking precedence on everyone’s mind. When news of a new, or “novel”, virus was first making headlines, I remember turning to my concerned husband and saying these exact words: “You’re not going to catch it! No one you know is going to catch it, so just relax!”. Now that a beloved family member is struggling to get well again, and I’m powerless to take it all away, I wish I could eat every one of those words with a slice of humble pie. No matter how directly or indirectly you’ve been affected by this global outbreak, the truth of the matter is that we have all been affected in one way or another; we’re in this together!
Wouldn’t it be so nice if we could all find a bit of reprieve from the stresses of life? If only for a little while, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could find a moment of peace; a moment where the first thing on everyone else’s mind is the last thing on yours? Wouldn’t it be great if we could get some therapy; some soul-healing, inspiration-inducing AROMA therapy? We absolutely CAN! Soap making isn’t just one of the best crafts on this planet, it’s also one of the most therapeutic too! Through the magic of your creativity and the science of saponification, a whole world of proverbial blank canvases become available to you for which to “paint” upon! The only difference between you and Bob Ross is that Bob couldn’t take his art into the shower with him- YOU CAN! If soap making isn’t one of the best mediums for which to unwind, de-stress and tap into your inner creativity, I don’t know what is!
For many soap makers (Including myself!), thinking about the most stress-free, enjoyable soap making experiences usually conjures up thoughts of perfect-preforming fragrance oils. You know the kind I’m talking about! It’s those fragrances which remain on their best behavior, from the beginning of pour to the end of it. Those fragrances which allow you all the time in the world to execute your chosen design; the ones which don’t accelerate, rice, discolor, or do anything mischievous in cold process soap. It’s those fragrances which behave just as amazing as they smell! While I’ll always be a fan of those types of fragrance oils, what if I told you that you could take a fragrance oil that’s been put on the “naughty list” and STILL have just as awesome and stress-free of an experience with it?
Enter: Nurture Soap’s “Aroma Therapy” fragrance oil! While this gem of a fragrance oil may have received its share of dissatisfaction due to its not-so-perfect behavior in soap, I know of no other scent better suited for a purely aromatherapeutic soap making experience! Think of me as the defender of fantastic fragrances that have gotten a bad rap! Fragrances are like people... I personally feel that many fragrances which have been deemed “naughty” are just misunderstood. Similar to people, once you learn a fragrance oil’s unique “temperament”, then channel it in ways where it excels most, it positively shines! So, let’s make “Aroma Therapy” fragrance oil shine in a batch of cold process soap together, and in the process, have ourselves a well-deserved, soap making therapy session!
When I smelled “Aroma Therapy” fragrance oil for the first time, I knew our love was meant to be! Mention the words “green”, “fresh”, “lush” or “botanical”, and you’ll have me at “green”! This fragrance oil has all of that, and instantly transports me to a spa-retreat in some secret, tranquil garden! A refreshing aromatic note, which reminded me of real cucumber water, caught my attention from the very first sniff, and the sheer “green-ness” of this scent had me instantly enamored! I knew I wanted to do something extra special and skin-pampering with the soap batch I’d be incorporating this fragrance oil into!
Now, keep in mind that “Aroma Therapy” fragrance oil does accelerate moderately in cold process soap, with some crafters experiencing very heavy acceleration with it in their recipes. That’s absolutely no problem though, and in fact, it’s actually perfect for the design we’ll be making with it! There are some soap designs which mild to moderate acceleration is actually an advantage, and in the case of moderate to heavy acceleration, layers are an excellent design-choice! In fact, layers love heavier acceleration because there’s usually little to no wait-time between pouring them, and one doesn’t usually need to be as careful to break the fall of subsequent layers with a spatula, since heavy acceleration causes previous layers to set up quickly once poured. This makes for a quick, fun and easy soap making experience, where you’re able to make as many layers as you’d like, in equally as many colors!
Since “Aroma Therapy” fragrance oil is so pristinely green, for this particular project, we’ll make three layers in three different shades of green (My favorite color EVER!). Each green mica was chosen for its soothing and tranquil hue, to match our aromatherapeutic theme, with a bold, black mica line between each one to create eye-catching contrast. To bump up the awesomeness-factor of this soapy project, each layer will feature a different natural exfoliant, with the bottom layer being deeply exfoliating; the middle layer containing a softer exfoliant, and the top layer containing the softest one.
For the bottom layer, I decided I’d incorporate finely-ground chia seeds. This will bring deeper exfoliation in the finished soap. If you don’t have chia seeds on-hand (or a way to grind them), they can be substituted for post-brewed coffee grounds or walnut shell powder. Since rougher exfoliants, like these, can be a bit scratchy or irritating to sensitive skin, it’s important to use less in one’s recipes (Less is more when it comes to these types of exfoliants!). For natural exfoliants like coffee grounds, ground chia seeds, walnut shell powder, etc., I’ve found that a usage rate of 1/2TBS/PPO (Per Pound of Oils) is plenty! This provides an effective amount of “scrubbiness” to one’s soaps, without being harsh, scratchy or irritating.
For the middle layer, I decided I’d incorporate colloidal oatmeal. Colloidal oatmeal is wonderfully skin-loving, and is a gentler exfoliant. However, added in excess, even colloidal oatmeal can be a bit irritating to some skin-types, so a great usage rate I recommend is 1TBS/PPO. For the top layer, I decided to go even gentler, and incorporate calendula petals. Calendula makes for an excellent additive in cold process soap! The petals are super mild on the skin, so even the most sensitive of skin-types can enjoy them. Not only do they add skin-loving goodness to one’s soapy creations, but they bring such lovely visual appeal too! Where other botanicals, such as rose petals or lavender buds, turn brown when incorporated in cold process soap, calendula petals don’t! They maintain their pretty golden-yellow color through saponification and cure, and look beautiful in soap! A great usage rate for calendula in cold process soap is 2 to 3TBS/PPO.
With my soap’s design all planned and ready to go, the first order of business was to make some melt & pour embeds. I wanted to add green soap frosting to the top of this soapy project (sans exfoliation), so naturally, I decided I’d adorn the top with some decorative embellishments too! As always, this part of the project is 100% optional, but if you’d like to add soap frosting and embeds to the top of your own soap batch at home, feel free to use any of the ideas shared here!
Using Life of The Party brand molds, I made what would be cucumber slices, as well as some fresh-looking leaves. The “cucumber slices” I made were actually citrus slices, but with a little imagination and some “Winter White” mica, they became cucumber slices! I used equal parts “Celadon Green” and “Winter White” micas to color the embeds themselves, then dry-painted them with a little “Winter White” mica. For the leaf embeds, “Sea Green” mica was used, followed by dry-painting a light accent of “High Society” mica on each one, to create a beautiful golden-green sheen. For the ball embeds, I used Nurture Soap’s Small 9-Ball Silicone Mold, and colored them in “Laurel Green” and “Nocturnal” micas. If you’d like to create these embeds at home, all you need to do is pour a small amount of Nurture Soap’s Low Sweat Soap Base, colored in “Laurel Green” mica, into each cavity. Allow this to set up, then pour a little more soap base over top of that, colored in “Nocturnal” mica. Once this layer has set, fill up each cavity the rest of the way, using more soap base colored in “Laurel Green” mica.
For the soap’s three-layer design, I chose “Laurel Green” and “Sea Green” micas, as well as a blend of “Celadon Green” and “Winter White” micas, at equal parts. “Nocturnal” mica would be used to create those bold, black mica lines between each layer. The bottom layer of this soap design would be colored in “Laurel Green” mica, and would be the layer containing ground chia seeds. The middle layer would be colored in “Sea Green” mica, and have colloidal oatmeal incorporated into it; and the top layer would be colored in equal parts “Celadon Green” and “Winter White” micas, with calendula petals added. As I waited for my batch oils and lye solutions to cool down to room temperature, I dispersed my lovely greens in a bit of batch oils.
Once my batch oils and lye solution had cooled to room temperature, it was time to get this project underway! As a personal preference, I enjoy soaping cool anyway (Between 76 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit), but when working with fragrances which accelerate, either moderately or heavily, soaping cool will allow you more time to work, as it’s heat which can cause your soap batter to thicken faster. Since “Aroma Therapy” fragrance oil is a fast-mover in cold process soap, the best way to have a stress-free soap making experience with it is to get your whole batch prepared and ready to go first, then stir the fragrance oil in by hand last, one layer at a time, and immediately before pouring each one.
With this in mind, the first step to creating this project’s layered design is to use your immersion blender to bring your soap batter to just past emulsion, or a very light trace. Next, divide your total batter into three equal portions. To the first portion, add the ground chia seeds, then pulse this a few times with your immersion blender to get it nice and incorporated. Repeat this with the other two soap portions, mixing the colloidal oatmeal into one, and the calendula petals into the other.
Once you’ve added all that naturally-exfoliating goodness to each portion of your soap, you can now add the mica colorants! If you’ve dispersed your micas in a bit of carrier or batch oils, you can choose to stir the micas into each portion by hand, or use your immersion blender. When using your immersion blender to incorporate the colors, just be careful not to over-blend your soap batter. You’ll want to keep the soap batter at a light trace when you hand-stir the fragrance oil in. A few, short pulses with your immersion blender is all that’s needed.
Now, I know what you might be thinking, because I’ve totally thought it too! Just the very thought of making a batch of soap with a heavily accelerating fragrance oil is enough to give any soap maker the chills! Every horror story we’ve ever heard or read becomes a vivid picture in our mind’s eye... Situations like “soap on a stick”, smashing and mashing that lumpy brick of soap batter into your mold, pulling out your crockpot in a frantic attempt to save what will inevitably turn out being a not-so-pretty batch of soap (No such thing as “ugly” soap in my world!), banging the ever-living daylights out of your mold on the countertop, hosting a funeral for your trusty immersion blender because it didn’t make it, or having an entire batch of perfectly good oils and butters go to waste. It’s an absolute shame and a nightmare all at the same time, and it’s thoughts like these that are anything but peaceful! In fact, working with a fragrance oil which causes considerable mischief can be downright stressful!
For this project, however, I promise that you can take every single one of those stressful scenarios and throw them right out the window! Why’s that, you ask? Well, it’s because none of those things are going to happen with this batch of soap! We’re going to make a gorgeously green, multi-colored batch of scrubby soap, and from beginning to end, layer-by-layer, it’s going to be a stress-free, pleasant experience! Let’s begin with that first layer!
At this point, we’ve separated our soap batter into three equal portions, and have incorporated those lovely exfoliants and mica colors into each one. From here, we’ll separate “Aroma Therapy” fragrance oil into three equal portions as well. Taking one portion of fragrance oil, go ahead and add it to the “Laurel Green”/chia seed portion of soap batter, then quickly give it a good stir (by hand) until it’s fully combined. As soon as the fragrance oil is incorporated into the soap batter, take the entire portion and pour it directly into your mold. Beautiful!
The next step will be to create that bold mica line! Using one of Nurture Soap’s incredibly handy Glitter Spray Pumps, or a fine-mesh tea strainer, go ahead and give the top of that first layer a good dusting of “Nocturnal” mica. I know I’ve mentioned this in a previous blog post, but here are some of my best tips for creating the best mica lines in your soap designs: First, always use a mica with a smaller micron size. Smaller micron sizes produce the best mica lines, with less chance of the layers separating. The larger the micron size, the higher the risk of separation. Second, make sure to create a nice, even dusting of mica across the surface of the soap. Don’t dust the outer edges of the soap as thickly as the center, as this could also cause your layers to separate. Third, when finished with your mica line, spray it ever-so-generously with rubbing alcohol. This causes the mica to become a coating over the top of the soap. Why is a good thing? Well, for one, it will greatly reduce any chances of the layers separating. The next layer of soap poured over top of it will literally bond to it, rather than just sit on top of dry powder. Generously spraying each mica line with rubbing alcohol will also eliminate any smearing when the soap is cut (I don’t have to turn the loaf on its side.). It will make the mica lines in your soap bars appear thicker and bolder, and will also prevent the lines from becoming smudged or transferred to fingers when touched. There is literally no way you can go wrong with spraying your mica lines with rubbing alcohol!
From here on out, this exceptionally relaxing soap project becomes a harmonious cycle of “wash, rinse, repeat”! Taking your second, “Sea Green”/colloidal oatmeal portion of soap, quickly stir the next portion of “Aroma Therapy” fragrance oil into it, then gently pour it over the first layer. While making this soap design, I was delighted to find that the first layer had set up so nicely, and quickly, I didn’t need to be as careful when pouring the next layer. I still used a spatula to break the soap batter’s fall, and keep it from disrupting the mica line beneath it, but there was absolutely no worry of subsequent layers breaking through previous ones, which is a definite bonus in my book! Once you’ve poured that second layer, follow it up with another mica line, and another generous spritzing of rubbing alcohol.
The last, and final layer will be the one colored with equal parts “Celadon Green” and “Winter White” micas, which also contains those pretty calendula petals! If you’d prefer to skip piping the top of your soap with soap frosting, I would suggest omitting the final mica line. Instead, using the back of a spoon to create a textured top would look positively charming! As a suggestion, you could even add an attractive mica drizzle on top, using a bit of “Nocturnal” mica in oil. If you would like to add soap frosting to the top of your soap batch though, go ahead and make that last mica line after you’ve poured the last layer.
Continuing on with the project, I whipped up a batch of soap frosting and piped the top of the loaf in another sensational green mica... “High Society” mica’s amazing versatility in cold process soap makes it one of my absolute most favorite micas in the whole world! Depending on usage rate, one can create the softest shade of elegant turquoise, all the way to a stunning and intense shade of emerald! It’s a FABULOUS mica! This is what “High Society” looks like in cold process soap at just 1/2tsp/PPO... Isn’t it gorgeous?
To add to the fantastic freshness of this classy color, as well as the soap’s toe-curling aroma, an ethereal dusting of “Shamrock Gold” Enviroglitter added that perfect loving touch! Once finished with the soap frosting portion of the project, I gently placed the melt & pour embeds on top, insulated the batch under a towel-draped cardboard box, and chalked the day up to a soapy success! With everything going on lately, I really needed a “mini mental vacay”, and so far, this crafty creation had been exactly what the doctor ordered!
I honestly didn’t think “Aroma Therapy” fragrance oil could smell any GREENER until I cut the batch the next morning! Out of the bottle, this fragrance oil smells fantastically fresh, clean, botanical and spa-like. It’s the perfect scent to take all your cares away! In cold process soap though, HOLY GREEN GOODNESS! Let’s just say that if you positively hate the smell of all things living and green, you might want to steer clear of “Aroma Therapy” fragrance oil, as it’s the epitome of all things lush, dewy and ALIVE! If the scent of the great, green outdoors speaks to your very soul though, then by all means, allow me to introduce you to my new love!
“Aroma Therapy” fragrance oil behaved beautifully for this soap design, and truly was a therapeutic soap making experience! There was no rushing, no beating to submission, no cursing, no ruined soap batches; just an easy-going, harmonious crafting encounter, which made for a beautiful batch of soap! I felt like “Aroma Therapy” and I understood each other; and in understanding how to best utilize this fragrance oil in an artistic way, I was able to take advantage of its “shortcomings” and rename them “advantages”! This is true for almost any fragrance oil which has been labeled a “bad performer”. Admittedly, for the longest time, I actually dismissed the thought of ever purchasing this fragrance oil because of the bad rap it had received. Its reputation preceded itself, and as a result, I missed out on a really great scent. As time went on though, it was precisely this fragrance oil’s reputation which prompted me to buy it. Falling in love with it was just an added bonus!
I have never known Nurture Soap to carry a fragrance oil that didn’t set the bar for the highest quality, so I needed to know for myself what made this particular fragrance oil different. What I found surprised me in the best of ways! I didn’t find a new fragrance to add to my “naughty list”, I found one that was perfect for this project! Is this a fragrance oil I’d recommend for a Taiwan-swirl, butterfly-swirl or 10-color drop-swirl? Most certainly not. BUT... Is this a fragrance oil I’d recommend for straight layers, tilted layers, uneven layers, layers with mica lines, single-color designs, natural exfoliants, or even a simple landscape design? YOU BET’CHA!
So, in the spirit of this soapy theme, and finding your own source of inner peace amongst the mayhem, I offer to you, my amazing fellow crafters, a challenge! This coming week, as you go about your soapy business, I would like to extend to you an opportunity for growth! Seek out one thing you would normally avoid, and run wild with it! In other words, find your personal “mayhem” and make peace with it! Whether that be a misbehaving fragrance oil (or a discoloring one), a fragrance oil you always just assumed you wouldn’t care for, different soap making colorants, or even a technique or design you’ve avoided because it seemed difficult. When you’ve completed that one thing, come back and leave a comment below... I’d love to read about your experiences! HAPPY “NOTHING VENTURED NOTHING GAINED” SOAP MAKING, MY INCREDIBLE CRAFTY COLLEAGUES!
MAKE THIS RECIPE!
SOAP FROSTING RECIPE:
No doubt about it, wherever you look, it’s become abundantly apparent that spring has sprung! There’s nothing quite like the days growing a little longer, the sun burning a tad brighter, or the breeze blowing a bit warmer that gets me thinking about flowers, botanicals and botanical infusions more! When it comes to incredible fragrances which sing of all things “spring”, Nurture Soap has a phenomenal selection! Some of my personal favorites include “Cottongrass”, “New Beginnings”, “Fairy Garden” and “Sambucus” fragrance oils, just to name a very few (And restrain myself from going on a huge “gush-fest” about fantastic fragrances!), but most recently, I’ve been itching to get Nurture’s “Lilac Blossoms” fragrance oil into a batch of soap!
If you love the pure, unadulterated scent of real lilac blossoms in full bloom, you will love Nurture Soap’s “Lilac Blossoms” fragrance oil! I cannot even count how many times I’ve given up on lilac fragrances in the past. I’ve smelled a few which had a beautiful scent bouquet out of the bottle, but developed an odd, plastic-like undertone in soap. Most lilac-inspired fragrances I’ve smelled though, have carried aromatic notes which I personally refer to as being “romanticized” versions of lilac. It’s my nice way of saying they smell more like a stale, heady, heavy perfume than actual lilacs. I had sort of written off lilac fragrances altogether... Until I took a chance on “Lilac Blossoms”.
Nurture Soap’s “lilac Blossoms” fragrance oil is SENSATIONAL! It isn’t just lilacs; it’s that exact lilac bush growing in your yard, or the one you remember from childhood days. To me, it’s the whole plant in full bloom. It’s the aroma of green, budding leaves and delicate blossoms; that unmistakable scent which remains on your hands after picking the flowers! Without question, I had to get this fragrance oil into a batch of cold process soap, and compliment all that lovely lilac goodness by making a botanical infusion with real lilac flowers too! I knew I wanted this project to be all things spring-like and purple (Lots and lots of purple!), but as I went through my collection of purple micas, I couldn’t make up my mind. It was settled then... I would just have to make a batch of lilac soap using every single purple mica I own! So, come along with me as we transform “Lilac Blossoms” fragrance oil into the most purple of purple handmade soaps, using all the pretty purple micas Nurture Soap offers!
The very first thing we’ll need to do when making our lavish lilac soap is to get that beautiful botanical infusion going! For this soapy project, I chose to infuse dried lilac flowers (Purple and white blossoms!) into the olive oil portion of my soap recipe. Any light carrier oil you prefer to use will work just as great though. There are generally two ways in which one can infuse natural botanicals in oil, and both are very easy! One option is to place the infusion in a jar, and allow it to sit in a sunny spot in your home for 2-3 weeks. Another option is to place the infusion on very low heat for about 3 hours. Since I’m an impatient soap maker, I chose the latter. After separating the stems from the blossoms, I placed my infusion in a pot on my stovetop.
How much of a certain botanical you add to your oil is a matter of personal preference, but I personally like to use a ratio of approximately 3:1/oil: botanical. You’ll want to be extra careful not to overheat the infusion, so paying close attention to temperature is important. The infusion should get warm, not hot, and maintain that same level of warmth throughout the entire process. That’s why when it comes to making infusions which involve botanicals (Either fresh or dried.), I enjoy making them on my stovetop. I feel I’m better able to control and maintain lower temperatures on my stovetop than I am with my crockpot. How you feel most comfortable making botanical infusions is absolutely fine though! Just remember to keep temperatures very low when making botanical infusions the “fast way”. I like to think of it as a tea... If my infusion gets hotter than what I’d steep a cup of tea at, it’s too hot, and I need to reduce the heat.
After about 3 hours on super-low heat, you’ll notice that the botanical itself will have imparted its lovely, natural aroma to the oil. Depending on the botanical being infused, it can also impart a beautiful color to the oil as well! That’s when you’ll know your infusion is ready to be strained. For this specific project, I strained my lilac infusion well, then gave it time to cool down. A cloth coffee filter works great for this, as it allows me to squeeze every last drop of infused oil out of the lilac blossoms. That’s all there is to it! Within a few hours, we’ve made ourselves a wonderful lilac infusion which can be incorporated into our soap recipe!
As I set my lilac-infused olive oil aside to cool, I used the time to create melt & pour embeds, which would adorn the top of the soap batch. As always, the soap frosting portion of this project, as well as decorative embeds, are completely optional, but I felt they added such a sweet touch of springtime whimsy! Using Life of The Party brand molds, I made pretty flower embeds in “Silver Mist” mica, and vibrant leaf embeds in “Cheshire Cat” mica. For my dragonfly embeds, I chose to use the exquisite “Blackberry” mica, as it was important to me that this mica was given a chance to shine in this springtime soapy project too! “Blackberry” mica can be a touch on the unstable side in cold process soap, and can possibly take on more of a charcoal-like shade in application, but in melt & pour soap base, it looks positively royal! I definitely wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to include this magnificent purple mica in this soap’s design as well!
As previously mentioned, my indecisiveness in color selection led me to the decision that I was going to incorporate every single purple mica that Nurture Soap carries into one single batch of pure purple awesomeness! As I got busy getting my lye solutions made, and batch oils combined (Including the heavenly lilac-infused olive oil!), I reserved a small portion of the infusion, and used it to disperse all those blissful purple micas; twelve colors in total. For this magical lilac creation, those colors include: “Northern Lights”, “Cheshire Cat”, “Purple Haze”, “Iris Purple”, “Cyber Grape”, “Orchid Purple”, “Queen for A Day”, “Purple Vibrance”, “Fantasia”, “Berry Twist”, “Silver Mist” and “Jam Session” micas (Whew!). Needless to say, I was living in my own purple dream world!
Admittedly, being a touch more time-consuming, the pour or design of this sudsy creation is actually very simple (And so much fun!), and will produce such a unique and beautiful effect in the finished soaps! Making a 12-color soap design might seem like a daunting task, but I promise, if you divide your soap batter and fragrance oil into 12 equal portions, and concentrate on working with one portion at a time, it becomes super manageable and easy-peasy! After bringing my soap batter to just past emulsion, I split the entire batch up into portions, then incorporated all those perfectly purple micas into each one. Dividing “Lilac Blossoms” fragrance oil into 12 equal portions was helpful in that I was able to stir the fragrance oil into my soap batter, one portion at a time, just before pouring it into the mold.
For the pour itself, I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised by how simple it truly is! I wanted to create layers with my purple portions, but not in the traditional way... I wanted each subsequent layer that I poured in my mold to break through the layer it was poured over, but only that layer. To do this, I simply poured each layer over a spatula (In the same manner as when one would create even layers in soap.), so that I could control exactly where I was pouring the portion, but I poured it over the spatula from up high. This ensured that each subsequent portion of soap batter broke through the layer immediately under it. Once poured, I then took my spatula, and in a back-and-forth motion, used it to smooth the layer over. This was done so that the two different purple portions would mix together a little and produce sort of a “wispy” effect in the soap.
If making this soapy project at home, you’ll just want to repeat the pouring process I described above until every portion of soap has been poured into your mold. Be sure to use your spatula to smooth over the last portion of soap you poured too, so that the top of the loaf is evenly flat and ready to have soap frosting piped on top of it. If you’d like to omit the soap frosting portion of this project though, that’s no problem! A bamboo skewer, or any other swirling tool you prefer, can be used to create some pretty swirls on top of your soap loaf... Either way, it’s going to look awesome!
For this lusciously lilac handmade creation, I chose to color my batch of soap frosting in “Winter White” mica, but of course, more eye-catching purple was to come! After I’d completed piping the top of the loaf with an open-star piping tip (To create a lovely ruffled effect.), I grabbed one of the most magnificent purple Enviroglitters known to humankind, and gave the top of my soap frosting a good dusting of it. I’m referring to Nurture Soap’s glamorous “Imperial Purple” Enviroglitter, and even though pictures will never be able to do Nurture’s fabulous Enviroglitters enough justice, in person, it simply sings with glints and glimmers of radiant purple and soft pink shimmer!
For the final finishing touches, I happily placed my flower, leaf and dragonfly decorative embeds on top of the soap frosting and called it another soap-tastic day! Nurture Soap’s “Lilac Blossoms” fragrance oil preformed beautifully for this project, allowing me plenty of time to pour and smooth over each purple portion of soap batter with my spatula. The scent itself was superb! At one point, my husband had even come over while I was pouring the batch to plant a kiss on my cheek, and exclaimed that I smelled “really nice” (His exact words, and he’s a man of few words, but they’re always important!). I had to admit to him that it actually wasn’t me who smelled so nice, it was the soap, but hey, I’ll take the compliment either way! In any case, what I wasn’t getting from this scent was a stuffy, headache-inducing perfume-like lilac aroma, rather one of true lilac authenticity, and its sweet bouquet lingered in my home all day!
At the time of this writing, it’s been exactly one week and a day since I made this batch of lilac-infused cold process soap, and the fragrance oil in application has only developed truer and more genuine! It’s undisputedly lilac, with none of the odd plastic-like undertones I’ve smelled in other lilac fragrances elsewhere. In full sincerity, I had given up on ever finding that honest-to-goodness, bona fide lilac scent, but my faith has been restored! I couldn’t have been more thrilled with the cut as well... Each purple mica brings an absolutely stunning look to the soaps, and all are so gorgeously pigmented and vibrant! This batch encompasses the spirit of spring for me, and after staring long and hard at the bars themselves, it was actually my husband who gave them their name. He said he could see breezes, hilltops and lazy-flowing streams in their design, so “Lazy Lilacs” is what he suggested... I loved it!
If you’ve made soap making your profession or another source of income for you and your family, then I’m sure you know all too well just how busy life can get, and how it often feels as if they just don’t make enough hours in the day anymore (I am right there with you!). One of the best things about soap making though, is that when you do what you love, those busy days, and those disappearing hours don’t really feel like work or nuisances; they feel like pure joy!
With ideas for wonderful botanical infusions (Which pretty much make themselves!), color-packed designs (That only look complicated!), and FABULOUS fragrances (Which set the bar for outstanding quality!), my highest hope in sharing this soapy creation with you, my dear fellow soap artists, is that even if the days feel busy, or seem to fly by in the blink of an eye, perhaps you’ll be able to find more of those joyous moments, where you’re able to stop and smell the lilacs! HAPPY SPRINGTIME SOAP MAKING, MY INCREDIBLE CRAFTY COMPANIONS!
MAKE THIS RECIPE!
SOAP FROSTING RECIPE:
Thanksgiving has come and gone, and as we officially kick off another glorious holiday season (and attempt to come up with different and clever ways to finish off the leftover turkey), nothing says “holiday spirit” quite like home-crafting! Whether it’s making a beautiful wreath to adorn your door, hand-painting ceramic ornaments with the kiddos, decorating the tree with family, or making a holiday-themed batch of soap, the joy of the season is given life through these creative and oh-so nostalgic projects!
For me, the true meaning of the holidays is rummaging through that old, dusty box of decorations, coming across that one, special ornament, and allowing it to take you on a trip down memory lane; reliving the happy moments associated with it from so very long ago. It’s making grandma’s famous gingerbread cookie recipe and finding they still tickle your taste buds the very same way they did when you were a kid (even though you can’t quite seem to make them nearly as pretty as grandma did). It’s the long overdue embrace from a loved-one who’s returned home for the holidays, or the joyous sounds of family members gathered around the table, lightheartedly squabbling over past stories each one remembers slightly different (was it Josh who went streaking through the snow or Bobby?). Most notably, it’s the smells associated with the season. There isn’t anything that can instantly induce a feeling, or take you back to a moment in time, quite like a scent can! And that’s precisely why the very first time I smelled Nurture Soap’s “Comfort & Joy” fragrance oil, I knew a holiday-themed cold process soap project was in order!
This particular project had a few different inspirations, actually. The first came when, as previously mentioned, I smelled “Comfort & Joy” fragrance oil for the first time, and fell head-over-heels in love with it! This is the most deliciously cozy, spiced apple cider scent to have ever graced my nose (well, next to real apple cider, which is precisely what it smells like)! It immediately brought me back to my days of living in Connecticut, when the apple orchards would open their proverbial doors to the public, and one could grab a basket and pick apples right from the tree.
Many of these orchards had their own, little country stores where you could purchase all types of homemade goodies, from apple butter to pickled garlic, various jams and jellies, pies, apple cider and so much more! My absolute favorite experience was always the hot, homemade apple cider they’d often offer patrons as they entered the shop. The moment I smelled “Comfort & Joy” fragrance oil, that specific memory came flooding back to me so clearly, it’s like I could almost taste it again! Freshly-made, hot apple cider with a positively perfect dash of cozy cinnamon and spice… That’s what you’ll find in “Comfort & Joy” fragrance oil. It’s a scent that would be especially loved throughout the entirety of Fall and Winter (not strictly for the holidays alone), as it’s a heavenly aroma perfect for warming the soul anytime the weather outside turns a little crisp (or downright frightful)!
My other inspirations for this project included my brand-new 2.5lb. Basic Tall Skinny Mold, and Nurture Soap’s newest red sensation, “Trial by Fire” Mica/Pigment. I thoroughly adore my new Tall Skinny mold (a birthday gift from my husband, whom I mercilessly hounded for, despite the fact he simply couldn’t understand why I’d choose a soap mold over clothing, a new handbag, or jewelry- silly man!). I love how beautifully the bars from this mold fit so perfectly in the palm of my hand, and being the proud owner of several Nurture Soap molds, I can definitively proclaim that these are the absolute best molds I’ve ever worked with!
“Trial by Fire” mica/pigment was another inspiration for this project, as the moment I received it, I was itching to get it into a batch of soap! Admittedly, from the jar, it does look a bit on the dark fuchsia side, but years of using Nurture Soap’s mica colorants in my soapy projects has taught me to trust their expertise impeccably. If Nurture Soap says this is a true red’s red in application, I believe it without hesitation. I just had to see it for myself though, and getting this exciting, new color into a batch of soap was a must!
Oh Holy Embeds
With my inspirations guiding me, I planned my design and chose other festively cozy mica colors. First thing was to get started on the melt & pour embeds which would adorn the top of my soap. Naturally, I went with apple embeds to go with the apple-cidery theme of the project, and decided that nothing other than “Trial by Fire” mica/pigment would be more perfect for them.
Using Nurture Soap’s Low Sweat Clear Soap Base (the only base to use for melt & pour embeds in this soap maker’s most sincere opinion), I weighed out what I’d need to make my first two embeds (my mold only has two cavities) and melted it down. Using one of my super convenient .15CC Mini Scoops, I added “Trial by Fire” to the base and stirred. HOLY WOW! The transformation this mica/pigment underwent the moment I combined it with the melt & pour soap base was simply jaw-dropping! Not only was incorporating this colorant completely effortless, but I witnessed the truest, most stunning red appear right before my very eyes! I hadn’t even gotten it into cold process soap yet, and it was already settled: I LOVED THIS RED!
I made ten gorgeously red apple embeds in total, and decided these beauties needed one more festive touch. I grabbed my beloved jar of “Shimmer Gold” mica and decided a little mica-painting was in order. Highlighting small details on the embeds themselves is quick and easy, and can really add eye-catching appeal!
To dry-paint melt & pour embeds, simply take a soft-bristle paintbrush, dip it into a jar of mica, tap the excess mica off the brush, then paint it directly onto your melt & pour embed. It’s simple, but looks so pretty! The mica will stick to the melt & pour soap, but will wash away the first time the soap gets wet. It’s purely for aesthetics, but oh what lovely aesthetics they are! With my apple embeds complete and looking wonderfully festive, it was time to turn my soapy-holiday vision into a soapy-holiday reality!
For this project of pure comfort and unabashed joy, I chose a combination of mica colors which I felt best depicted how this deliciously heartwarming fragrance oil, “Comfort and Joy”, made me feel. Of course, “Trial by Fire” mica/pigment was a definite “in”, and I decided to pair it with Nurture Soap’s beautiful “Alpine Green”, “Fire Cider”, “Brick Dust” and “Maya Gold” micas as well. This color theme perfectly conveyed the pictures in my mind’s eye of walking through apple orchards so long ago, sipping hot cider as I leisurely strolled through quaint country shops and perused all the wonderful handmade goods. Admiring each oil-dispersed color, I could feel those very same feelings I did way back then. With the colors and fragrance oil capturing a wonderful moment in time, I was happy to be reliving it through the creativity of soapmaking!
I’d never worked with this scrumptious fragrance oil before, but being that it’s listed as a perfect performer in cold process soap, I decided on a colorful tiger swirl design, complete with a pretty piped-top. Because I wanted to gift the soaps to family and friends for the holiday, I also opted for a steep liquid discount to hopefully help speed along curing time. As I weighed out the fragrance oil for both my main batch and soap frosting, I also incorporated one of my favorite additives, white kaolin clay.
Not only is kaolin clay generally well received by all skin types, it’s also skin-loving, and I simply adore the way my soaps feel when I use it. Another added bonus is that it’s a wonderfully inexpensive way to help one’s fragrances be as long-lasting and potent in soap batches as they possibly can be! It’s a great scent fixative, and whether or not a fragrance actually needs it (which I’ve found most Nurture Soap fragrances don’t!), I add it to each and every fragrance oil I work with.
I make what’s referred to as a “kaolin clay slurry”, and you can do this 24 hours prior to making your soap batch if you’d like (the more time the clay has to soak up the fragrance oil, the better). I generally add anywhere from one generous teaspoon, up to one generous tablespoon of clay per every ounce of fragrance oil I’ll be using in my recipe… There’s really no right or wrong amount, It’s all personal preference. I add the clay directly to the fragrance oil, then mix it well with my mini-mixer. That’s all there is to it, and you’d incorporate your kaolin clay slurry in the very same way you’d incorporate any fragrance into your soap. Kaolin clay is heavier than fragrance oils, so when making slurries in advance, you’ll notice that the clay will eventually settle back down to the bottom, Periodically returning to give the slurry a quick mix with your mini-mixer (just whenever it crosses your mind), will redistribute the clay within the fragrance oil.
One of my favorite little tools for incorporating any additive to my cold process soap recipes is Nurture Soap’s 4 Way Measuring Spoon. I own two and love them! Less dishes to wash means more time making soap, and with the 4 Way Measuring spoon, you get four spoons in one! On one side, you’ve got your tablespoon and teaspoon measurements. Flip it over and you’ve got your half and quarter teaspoon measurements! It’s worth its weight in gold in my opinion!
It was time to delve into the heart of this holiday project, so I got busy making soap! I divided my batter into 5 equal portions and incorporated my colors.
They looked every bit as vibrant and beautiful in the actual soap as they did when dispersed in a bit of carrier oil. The absolute star of the show was “Trial by Fire” mica/pigment! The moment I stirred it into my cold process soap batter, I was happily seeing red! As with my melt & pour soap base, it blended in with incredible ease, and the pure integrity of this red was unwavering, bold, and true! As red as the day is long, the results were positively stunning! I’d like to take a moment to give a standing ovation to this magnificent color! If ever there were a game-changer for micas, “Trial by Fire” mica/pigment is absolutely IT! Needless to say, Carrie Thornsbury ROCKED IT with this red, and it lived up to everything I hoped it would be!
As I began my tiger swirl pour, my workspace smelled incredible. I was lost in nostalgic bliss, and the fragrance oil behaved beautifully! Near the end of pouring, my batter did thicken a bit, but I blame this entirely on my steep liquid discount, and by no means was the thickening unmanageable. I just picked up my pace a little, but at no time did I feel rushed. As I finished pouring, I took a bamboo skewer to the top and did a quick swirl, for no other reason than for the pure joy of it! The colors in application looked delightfully comforting together, and I was feeling that holiday spirit, loud and strong!
My holiday soap project was moving along beautifully, so it was time to whip up some soap frosting and get the top piped! I used my favorite white colorant, “Winter White” mica, and cheerfully went to work designing a billowy, snow-white piped top for my merry creation. Nothing could’ve made this project look more jovial and brighter than a healthy dusting of “Gold Dust” EnviroGlitter. By the time I was finished, the whole loaf glistened and gleamed with the radiance of a thousand twinkling lights!
It was time for the finishing touches, and as I carefully adorned the top of my soap frosting with each ravishing-red apple embed, I added one final sprinkling of “Gold Dust” EnviroGlitter to the embeds themselves. As it fell like snow atop each one, the joy and spirit of the season came to soapy life! A quick spritz of rubbing alcohol, and this holiday beauty was ready to be insulated and put to bed for the night!
The next morning couldn’t have come sooner! All the previous night, it wasn’t visions of sugar plums dancing in my head, it was dreams of cozy, spiced cider and barrels of juicy, red apples! My soap unmolded with ease from my Tall Skinny mold, and it was time to get this batch cut!
I had one final embellishment I wanted to incorporate with this project… One last finishing touch that would take this holiday creation from cheerful to full-on festive! I lovingly cut my batch of soap, trimmed up the edges a bit, then grabbed some more melt & pour soap base. I wanted to adorn the face of each bar with an acorn embed, so using “Alpine Green” mica, I quickly made ten charming, little acorns, and once again, added a pop of detail by mica-painting their cupules with more “Shimmer Gold” mica.
The best way I’ve personally found to attach melt and pour soap pieces to the face of cold process soap is by using good ol’ fashioned distilled water. Melt & pour soap, even when melted down and used as “glue”, just doesn’t want to stick to cold process soap for the long haul. By attaching the pieces with distilled water, as the soaps cure, the two soap pieces form an inseparable bond.
It’s important to attach freshly-made melt and pour embeds to freshly-cut cold process soap though, as it’s the excess liquid within the soap that forms that super-strong bond between the two different types of soap. As the soaps dry and cure, the bond becomes ever stronger, so that the melt & pour embeds stay firmly attached, and won’t pop off the cold process soap bar.
To do this, first ensure that each melt & pour embed will sit completely flush against the face of the cold process soap bar. If it doesn’t sit flush, simply take a small trimming tool or non-serrated knife, and carefully shave down the back and/or sides of the melt & pour soap piece until it does. Take a small cup filled with a bit of distilled water, and a soft-bristle paintbrush, then generously apply the water to the backside of the melt & pour embed. Don’t be afraid to get it completely and thoroughly wet. Next, take your brush and also apply a small amount of water to the face of the cold process soap bar, but only to the area where you’ll be affixing the embed. Position the embed onto the cold process soap bar. It’ll slip and slide around a little bit, giving you time to position it exactly where you want it. Using your thumbs, press down on the embed firmly for a good 15 to 20 seconds, until it will stay in place on its own.
Lastly, take a cotton swab and gently swipe around the edges of the melt & pour soap piece to remove any excess water that may have gotten pushed out from underneath the embed. At this point, I know it may be tempting to test the adherence of the melt & pour soap piece to the cold process bar to make sure it’s really on there, but at all costs, resist this temptation! You need that bond between the two soap pieces to start forming, so resist touching the embed for at least 24 hours. After that, you can fiddle and futz with it if you’d like!
I lovingly attached each melt & pour acorn embed to the face of each bar, then stood back for a moment to inspect the finished look. I was so pleased with the results! The colors came together beautifully, with “Trial by Fire” mica/pigment being an absolute show-stopper! The tall and skinny shape of the bars looked perfectly adorable for this project, and the scent (Oh that glorious scent!) accentuated and defined this magical creation of holiday-soap goodness!
As we navigate through this busy, and oftentimes hectic, holiday season, remember to take little moments of quiet reflection and nostalgic recollection too! Make time for yourself to do and thoroughly enjoy the activities you love. Revel in moments of rest and relaxation, surround yourself with loved-ones and laughter. Equally as important, get crafty too! We are soapy artists, each with our very own magnificent and unique talents and gifts. By tapping into those wonderful talents and gifts, we also tap into the true meaning of the season! Happy holidays my amazing fellow soap artists, and happy crafting too!
]]>Hello beautiful world of fellow crafters! My name is Amber Beltran, and I live, eat (Not literally, but sometimes I wish I could!), breathe and sleep all things soap-related! If you’re reading this, chances are you do too! We are “comrades in craft”, sisters and brothers in bubbles! When Carrie Thornsbury contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in contributing to this wonderful blog, I didn’t hesitate to answer with an enthusiastic, “YES!”. As I sat down with my little notebook, brainstorming ideas and topics I could write about, one in particular jumped out at me, as it’s a topic I’m passionate about: color blending!
I positively love colors, and my infatuation with micas (and subsequent addiction to them) runs deep within my Klein Blue veins! When I look at a beautiful mica, I see so much more than just a color… I see the possibilities of color schemes. I see blends and different color combinations. I see inspiration for soapy themes, and I contemplate fragrances which would pair perfectly with how a specific color makes me feel.
For a crafter to have a whole menagerie of different color possibilities at their creative disposal, only a few, key colors are actually needed. By having a few, choice, staple colors on-hand, one has the potential to create a plethora of different color blends. But this is where my confession comes in… I am a self-proclaimed “blend-a-holic”! I absolutely love taking one mica color and blending it with others to create something entirely new! At the same time however, my love and obsession for colors makes it impossible for me to stop at just having a few, staple colors on-hand. I enjoy the creativity of blending, but I also love having many other colors readily available to me with which to work with (I am a creature of creativity and ease)!
For this, my very first Nurture Soap blog post, I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to see if I could take just one main “focus color”, and through the magic of blending, use it to create an array of different colors within the same soap batch. But which mica to choose? The answer was easy: “My Red Obsession” mica!
“My Red Obsession” mica is an absolutely stunning shade of rich, deep, sultry red. It’s perfect for this project in that it’s not just as versatile as it is gorgeous, but it’s also a custom mica blend exclusive to Nurture Soap, and made by Carrie Thornsbury herself! To say she created a red masterpiece is an understatement when it comes to this mica!
I’ve worked with this lovely color many times before in cold process soap, and by itself, the results are fabulous! It also just so happens to be the star component of one of my all-time favorite color blends. By taking “My Red Obsession” and mixing it at equal parts with Nurture Soap’s classic and dazzling “Orchid Purple” mica, the result is a positively ravishing shade of plum! I knew right away this was the first blend I wanted to incorporate in this project.
For inspiration, I mixed up a small blend of “My Red Obsession” and “Orchid Purple” micas, then busily went through my coveted collection of Nurture Soap fragrance oils to find the perfect scent to compliment this opulent color concoction… It didn’t take long at all! Nurture Soap’s “Blackberry Bliss” fragrance oil is precisely that! It is a truly blissful aroma of ripe, juicy, sweet, sparkling blackberries in all their delectable, mouthwatering blackberry glory! It’s one of many personal favorites, and is a perfect performer in cold process soap. The scent retention is outstanding, and it smells amazing in application!
Because this blissful fragrance oil behaves so well in cold process soap, I decided to go all out with this one. I planned a fluid drop-swirl design, complete with a piped-top and melt & pour embeds to match the blackberry theme. First thing was to get to work on making the embeds.
When I make melt & pour embeds for piped-top soap designs, I am extremely picky about which melt & pour soap base I use. The reasons for this are plentiful and based on much trial and error. In fact, I could easily devote an entire blog post detailing precisely why Nurture Soap’s Low Sweat Melt & Pour Soap Bases are the superior choice for embed-making! For the sake of time for this blog post though, I’ll just say that when it comes to making embeds, Nurture Soap’s melt & pour soap bases are the only bases I use. For this project, I used their Low Sweat, Clear Soap Base.
Only a small amount of melt & pour soap base is needed for embed-making, so getting my color ratios perfect and consistent is easy-peasy with Nurture Soap’s .15CC Mini Scoops! These handy-dandy little scoops ensure all my embeds come out uniform in color, which was especially helpful for this project, since my blackberry embed mold only has 2 cavities, and I needed to make 16 of them. Melting down a little bit of soap base at a time, I was able to achieve consistent color throughout all my embeds by adding 1 scoop of “My Red Obsession” mica, and 1 scoop of “Orchid Purple” mica to the melted base. This beautiful blend created a delightful shade for my little blackberry embeds, and for an added pop of color contrast, “Hello Spring” mica used for leaf embeds made this color combination sing! With my melt & pour embeds complete, it was time to delve deeper into this wonderful world of other color blends I could create with “My Red Obsession” mica!
I went into this project knowing I wanted 6 colors in total for my drop-swirl design: “Winter White” mica as my “base color”, “My Red Obsession” mica on its own, and of course, my tried and true plum-color blend. This left me with 3 more color blends just begging to be created, using the magnificent “My Red Obsession” mica as the main “focus color”. “My Red Obsession” mica is so versatile in that when it comes to blending other colors with it, one can easily go with either warm tones or cool tones with this shade. Blend yellows, oranges, golds or browns with “My Red Obsession”, and you’ve got a recipe for some pretty awesome warm tones. Blend blues, purples and white with it, and cool tones will abound! This was definitely a cool tones project, so I grabbed the appropriate colors from my mica stash and began blending!
When it comes to creating color schemes within a soapy project, on a personal level, I love incorporating both bold and soft shades. Soft colors, paired with bold colors, just seem to compliment each other so well, with softer shades accentuating and drawing attention to the bolder ones. I began with my bold colors and a bit of olive oil to pre-disperse them in. First was to mix up “My Red Obsession” on its own, followed by my favorite plum-color blend. For the third blend, I grabbed my trusty jar of “Blue Vibrance” mica and hoped for the best. Nothing could’ve prepared me for how insanely pretty this blend ended up being! As I turned on my mini-mixer and saw a richly pigmented amethyst-type purple emerge, I was immediately smitten!
My bold shades were done, and I was completely in love with them, so it was time to create some soft shades with the remaining 2 colors. I adored the intensity of my bold blends next to “My Red Obsession” in its unaltered state, so I decided I’d play off that color theme for my soft shades as well. Taking both my “plum” and “amethyst” blends, I grabbed some “Winter White” mica and continued blending… What I got left me mesmerized! With “Winter White” mica, my “plum” blend transformed into a delicate shade of violet, and my “amethyst” blend bloomed into an elegant shade of lilac!
By using just one mica color as my blending inspiration, I was able to create 4 other colors that were downright dreamy to behold! Whenever I blend up a new color and write it down in my color journal (I can’t be the only one who has one!), it’s easier for me to visualize the color for future projects if I give it a name. I blame this entirely on being an 80’s child, watching “The NeverEnding Story” way too many times, and desperately imploring, alongside the Childlike Empress, for the story’s hero, Bastian, to give her name! What can I say, I’m nostalgic through and through, so in this case, I gave each new color blend its very own name… Although with not quite as much gusto as Bastian did, when he jumped to the window, threw open the shutters and yelled, “Moon Child!”, out into the stormy night! Here’s what they are:
“My Plum Obsession” = Equal parts “My Red Obsession” and “Orchid Purple” micas.
“My Amethyst Obsession” = Equal parts “My Red Obsession” and “Blue Vibrance” micas.
“My Violet Obsession” = 1 part “My Red Obsession” mica, 1 part “Orchid Purple” mica, 2 parts “Winter White” mica.
“My Lilac Obsession” = 1 part “My Red Obsession” mica, 1 part “Blue Vibrance” mica, 2 parts “Winter White” mica.
My Zen-like moment of creativity continued as I carefully divided my soap batter into 5 equal(ish) portions, which would become the 4 accent colors I blended using “My Red Obsession” mica, as well as “My Red Obsession” itself. I incorporated “Winter White” mica into the remaining soap batter. Colors can be tricky sometimes though, especially in cold process soap. Before I began coloring my soap portions, I said a little prayer to the soap gods! I knew “My Red Obsession” mica would remain just as true and luxurious-looking in application as it appears in the jar, but what about the other color blends? I wondered about any possible color morphing, but the soap gods had my back! Each color blend stayed as true and vibrant in my soap as they had looked in carrier oil. I was thrilled with how “berry delicious” the colors complimented each other (Sorry, I couldn’t resist throwing in a pun!) and the fragrance oil too! In the picture, you can see each color blend in cold process soap batter. From closest to furthest: “My Violet Obsession”, “My Amethyst Obsession”, “My Red Obsession”, “My Lilac Obsession” and “My Plum Obsession."
By this time, my whole workspace was filled with the sweet, juicy aroma of “Blackberry Bliss” fragrance oil, and even at the time of this writing, days after the soaps have been cut and placed on the curing rack, I can walk through my front door and still catch delightful whiffs of sweet blackberry goodness… it’s that scrumptious! The fragrance oil behaved so incredibly well for me, from start to finish, executing my intended design of a fluid drop-swirl was a breeze!
Despite the fact that this particular soapy creation would feature a piped top, when I finished pouring, the variations of colors were so pretty, I simply couldn’t resist taking a bamboo skewer through it anyway, and doing a quick swirl across the top. I could’ve stopped right there, and all would’ve been right in my soapy world, but I decided to continue with the original plan and whipped up some soap frosting!
It’s time to get this all out on the table and admit, I’m not just obsessed with color, I’m obsessed with all things sparkly too, and Nurture Soap has the best “bling” to accentuate any crafty project! I’m talking specifically about their glitters! What makes their glitters an absolute must-have for me is the fact that not only are they breathtaking to look upon, but they’re 100% environmentally friendly too! I live in Florida, so it was important to me to make the switch to using only eco-friendly glitters in my handmade projects, so that I could do my small part in helping to keep micro-plastics out of our oceans. For this specific project, a dusting of “Mystic Red” Eco-Friendly EnviroGlitter was the perfect added touch!
“Mystic Red” EnviroGlitter is a white-based glitter which sadly, pictures simply cannot do justice. Its glimmering tones of various shades of red, fuchsia and pink are truly captivating though! When caught in the light, it shimmers and shines with the brilliance of a thousand sparkling, red fairies! For this soapy theme, “Mystic Red” EnviroGlitter wasn’t just the cherry on top, it was the blackberry on top too! Well, other than the actual blackberry embeds themselves! Once I had dusted a healthy amount of “bling” to my soap frosting and placed the blackberry and leaf embeds on top, it was time to get this batch insulated and put to bed for the night.
The next morning arrived, and I hopped out of bed, excited to get this batch cut and see those color blends in action! The unmolding and cutting of soap batches is my most favorite part of soapmaking. It’s that moment when you finally get to see the fruits of your labors. Each and every time I cut into a loaf of soap, I feel like a child on Christmas morning… The excitement and anticipation are palpable, and that feeling of pure joy and satisfaction you get when you see each beautiful bar for the very first time never gets old! I’ve been making soap on my own for nearly 6 years now, and grew up around soap makers, but still, to this very day, when I cut another batch of soap, I am in awe of my abilities and think, “Wow! I did this!”. These are the moments that never feel stagnant, and create addictions out of hobbies! Your soaps are personal manifestations of your amazing ability and creativity… Always feel proud of your “soap babies”! There are billions of bars of soap out there, but not a single one is quite like yours! That’s the magic and beauty of soapmaking!
As I cut each blissfully blackberry-scented bar of soap (each one unique from the next, and the one before it), I carefully inspected each colorful swirl, and felt that pure joy each and every soap maker can certainly relate to. I challenged myself to create a full color theme based upon an incredible crafter’s own red obsession, and the results were a colorful success! This is my love. This is my passion. This is my obsession! If in some small way I can help to inspire and ignite that creative passion in others, then I am truly one honored soap maker! So get out there, grab your aprons, gloves and protective eyewear, and get those creative (blackberry) juices flowing! Embrace your soapy obsessions, run wild with them, and through your own amazing creations, inspire others to do the same!
]]>When it comes to colors for bath bombs, the already confusing color regulations can be even more so. I have researched this topic in-depth and wanted to share my findings with you.
What we hear most about regarding bath bombs and colorants are dyes or lakes. Dyes and lakes are subject to certification, meaning that the reseller must have the colors batch certified before selling to the end user (you) for products for sale. For dyes and lakes to be considered cosmetic grade, the colors need to be sent to the FDA for testing before we can legally sell them to you as batch certified.
However, there is another very important thing to be considered. Are the colorants approved by the FDA for use in bath bombs? Even if a color is batch certified DOES NOT mean it is approved for bath bomb use. Also, just because a color is exempt from certification does not mean it’s not regulated by the FDA or does not have to meet approval requirements per the FDA.
Colors exempt from certification and those subject to certification must have colorants approved for the intended use.
Colors in bath bombs come in contact with mucous membranes. Basically, we’re sitting in the water that we place the bath bomb in. Whether you’re male or female, we all have mucous membranes…ahem…down below.
Many think that bath bomb colors must be approved for external use, which is not accurate. For a color to be approved for bath bomb use, the colors must be approved generally, including lipsticks. Here’s why:
Externally applied cosmetics: This term does not apply to the lips or any body surface covered by mucous membrane. For instance, if a color additive is approved for use in externally applied cosmetics, you may not use it in products such as lipsticks unless the regulation specifically permits this use [21 CFR 70.3 (v)].
In other words, if a color for bath bombs is not approved for general use or lipstick it’s a no-go for bath bombs.
If you are making anything other than what is considered true soap, it is absolutely imperative to learn to read the FDA Color Tables. In the end, the maker is responsible for the product being introduced to the market. Knowing color and cosmetic regulations are, in my opinion, one of the first things you should do before making products for sale.
Let’s look at two common colors used in micas. Most soap stable green micas are colored with chromium oxide green. Most soap stable blue micas are colored with ultramarine blue.
Chromium Oxide Green Approval:
As you can see, chromium oxide green is not approved for general use. IT SHOULD NOT BE USED IN BATH BOMBS.
Ultramarine Blue Approval:
Just like chromium oxide green, ultramarine blue should not be used in bath bombs.
Glitter often contains aluminum, which is also not approved for lip use per the FDA. If you'd like to make your bath bombs sparkle, it is very important to use glitter that does not contain aluminum. See our glitters for bath bombs.
Basically, to know if your color is approved for bath bombs, you need to look for ‘yes’ in the column ‘generally (includes lipsticks)’ column in the FDA Color Tables.
Fortunately, the FDA has stated that they do not see use in this way as a safety issue and will not currently penalize anyone for use of these colors in bath bombs. However, now is the time to start learning and complying with these regulations. As bath bombs become more popular, there is no doubt that these regulations will eventually be enforced much more strongly.
If you are using green or blue micas or any color containing an unapproved color additive, it is best to stop doing so. This way you can be sure you are following regulation, and by doing so you can produce beautiful bath bombs to the market knowing you’re doing it correctly and 100% worry-free.
]]>“Hate”. It’s such a strong word, I rarely use it, but when it comes to fragrances which fit into the “tropical” scent category... Well, let’s just say, they’re not my favorite. Now, please don’t get me wrong, you’ll find absolutely zero judgement here when it comes to other’s scent preferences, and I truly mean no offense or disrespect to anyone who enjoys these types of aromas. I’m really not picky about scents, and my own personal scent preferences are pretty darn vast, but I’ve always had a hard time finding a tropical-type scent that I liked (much less loved). For me (And this is strictly me just being the weirdo that I am!), tropical scents just seem to come off a tad too sweet, with many smelling like a combination of suntan lotion and fake, candy-like, mixed fruits to my nose. I absolutely love the scent of fresh fruits, but I guess you could say I have a harder time with overly sweet, candy-versions of them.
All this being admitted though, when it comes to living and making soap in sunny, tropical Florida, I do get many a request for tropical-smelling soaps. They sell really well here, so I’m always on the lookout for a compromise; a tropical scent that customers will love, but one which doesn’t overwhelm my senses while I’m making soap with it. I finally found “THE ONE”!
For the longest time, I avoided Nurture Soap’s “Island Oasis” fragrance oil like the plague! Every time I’d get to its product listing, I’d scroll on by without a second thought. I started thinking though... Not one single time (and I SERIOUSLY mean this!) have I ever purchased a fragrance from Nurture Soap that I actively disliked. Sure, I have my personal favorites, but with every fragrance oil purchase I’ve made, my nose has been able to find something beautiful about each and every one! I began to ask myself why this particular fragrance oil would be an exception. I finally went for it, and let me just tell you, I’m a changed woman!
Out of the bottle, I was pleasantly surprised (and admittedly, a little shocked) to find that I actually liked it! In cold process soap however, I LOVE IT!! Never in a million years did I think I would ever say that about a tropical-type fragrance! It absolutely “wows” me though, and when I smell it, the first thing I detect is the scent of fresh, juicy, REAL pineapples! Hints of NON-obnoxious mixed fruits settle in behind that luscious pineapple aroma, with a perfectly-placed whisper of coconut... Sometimes I can catch it, other times, it remains flirtatiously elusive! What I love most about “Island Oasis” fragrance oil is that there is this sensationally clean note to it that reminds me of soap bubbles, and it’s so dang good! For a moment, I even contemplated naming the soap “Pineapple Bubbles”! This surprisingly sensational scent needed to be used to make something extra awesome, so indeed, that’s what I set out to do!
There’s a soap recipe I’ve been making for years that both myself and my husband positively love, and without a doubt, I knew I wanted to incorporate “Island Oasis” fragrance oil into it. You may know it as “mechanic’s soap”, as it’s awesome for ridding dirty hands of grime, grease and oil, but in the Beltran casa, we know it as “pre-shave pumice soap”. Why “pre-shave”? Well, it makes for an awesome bar of soap to gently buff away dead skin, so you get the closet shave ever without clogging up your razor. Seriously, my legs love it, and my husband uses it twice a week to gently prep his face for his weekday morning shaves.
With a scent as fun and delightful as “Island Oasis” fragrance oil, I definitely wanted to make this a “high-top” batch, complete with soap frosting and decorative melt & pour embeds, but as always, this part of the project is totally optional. To begin the happy task at hand though, I got started by using Nurture Soap’s Small 9-Ball Silicone Mold and Low Sweat Clear Soap Base to make “pearls”, using “Gold Enigma” mica, and beautiful seashells in “Coral Reef” mica.
For the color theme of this project, I looked no further than a simple online search! Whenever I feel like I need a little help deciding which colors to incorporate into a batch of soap, I turn to Google! Doing a search for “tropical color palettes” yielded many results, and I simply chose the palette I liked best, then matched those colors with Nurture Soap’s micas! Whenever you’re feeling stuck on color choices for a soapy project, this is a great way to find easy inspiration! The tropical color palette that I chose equated to using the ever-stunning “Rose Pink”, “Rapture”, “Rise & Shine” and “Lime Appeal” micas. Since I already had my batch oils melted down and combined, I use a little of that to disperse these bright and cheerful colors!
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of it (pun intended!), let’s talk a little bit about pumice! Pumice comes from volcanic rock- magma to be precise. If we go back to high school geology class, we know that lava is what flows above ground, and magma flows below it, so pumice must be mined. It’s super lightweight and porous, and when ground, makes a wonderfully fine powder. It creates a sandy, gritty texture in soap, which as previously mentioned, is awesome for gently buffing away dull, dead skin, revealing a lovely, healthy glow! Italy is the world’s largest supplier of pumice, but in the spirit of the sensational scent we’ll be using in this project, I decided to call this batch “Mauna Loa”, named after the world’s second largest volcano, and one of five volcanoes that formed the island of Hawaii!
How much pumice powder one wishes to incorporate into their soapy projects just depends on how gritty or “scrubby” you’d like your soap to be. It’s completely personal preference, but a great “starting out” usage rate is 1 tablespoon per pound of oils in your recipe. I personally find this amount to be perfect for the level of scrubbiness I want to achieve in my soaps, but feel free to adjust this amount to fit your needs and preferences!
As for the recipe we’ll be using for this soapy project, I decided to go with a classic, “go-to” recipe, which is very tried, true and loved! We’ll use coconut oil for its wonderful cleansing properties and big, fluffy lather; RSPO palm oil for bar hardness, and abundant, creamy lather; olive oil for its mildness and excellent moisturizing/conditioning properties; and castor oil for its awesome humectant properties and lather sustainability. Some of the recipe’s total amount of olive oil will also be substituted for a little rice bran oil. I LOVE rice bran oil! Not only is it chock full of vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants (making it great for mature and sensitive skin!), its smaller molecule size means it easily penetrates the skin without leaving behind a greasy residue. In soap, it adds a bit of a “sheen” to the bars themselves, and helps offset some of the cost of olive oil, as it’s an inexpensive oil which yields quality results! When purchased from reputable suppliers and stored properly, it has a shelf life of up to two years. There’s really nothing I don’t like about this oil, so we’ll be substituting 5% of this recipe’s olive oil for rice bran oil. You can substitute in more if you’d like, as I personally feel it’s awesome when used anywhere between 5% to 12% in soap recipes.
When it comes to incorporating pumice powder into soap recipes, here’s the part where I personally go a little bit “against the grain”, but remember, very few “rules” in soap making means that if something just works better for you and still produces the results you want, then by all means, go against that grain and do what works for YOU! So, some of you may have been instructed to incorporate pumice powder into your recipes when your soap batter is at a thicker trace. The reason for this being so that the powder suspends itself throughout the soap batter. While there is absolutely nothing wrong about this advice, it doesn’t quite work for me, and what I want.
When first incorporated into soap (and I recommend incorporating it little by little, rather than all in one go), pumice powder is so fine that it will clump. It’ll clump regardless of if your soap batter is at emulsion, thin trace or a thicker one. The only problem I personally have with adding pumice to my recipe after my soap batter has been blended to a thicker trace is that I will then need to blend it even more, to smooth out those clumps. This will take my soap batter to an even thicker trace, and I’m a sucker for lots of colors and pretty swirls. That’s not as easy to accomplish if you’re starting at a thick trace. Pumice is so light, it will actually float in water, so I’ve never found the need to add pumice powder to my recipes at a thicker trace, and I’ve never had any issues with it not being fully dispersed throughout my soap bars.
Always, always, always do what works best for you, but for me, I like to incorporate the pumice powder right after I’ve added my lye solution to my oils, and before I begin blending it to light trace. Adding a little at a time, I stir the larger clumps out by hand, with a spatula, and don’t sweat the smaller clumps; my stick blender will take care of those, no problem!
Once I’ve stirred all the pumice powder in by hand, then I'll go ahead and use my stick blender to break up any smaller clumps left behind, bring my soap batter to a light, workable trace, and get that pumice powder evenly distributed throughout my soap batter. While I do make sure to blend past emulsion, I stop blending when my soap batter is still fluid and workable; looking nice and creamy... and sandy too!
Now that we’ve added the pumice powder into our recipe and have blended our soap batter to a beautifully light, creamy, workable trace, it’s time to get our soap portions poured off and colored! Pouring off four accent portions, I colored the remaining soap batter in “Winter White” mica, then added those vibrant tropical hues to the smaller portions. This was all “eyeballed”, and if you’d like to try this sudsy project at home, there’s truly no right or wrong amount to pour off for your colors! Any way you do it, it’s going to look bright, happy and beachy!
When it came to pouring this batch, naturally, I couldn’t resist doing my all-time favorite design! I’m definitely a “hanger-swirl” girl all the way... It’s just such a fun and super easy way to add a ton of bright, colorful swirls to your soapy creations! Alternating the colors as I went along, and pouring them in a repeated pattern, I began my pour with a classic, down-the-middle tiger-swirl. Once the mold was almost filled to the very top, I completed four large loops with my hanger tool, gradually moving the tool lower and lower as I completed each loop. As soon as my hanger tool touched the bottom of the mold, I brought it back up in a zig-zag motion.
Honestly, though, I really don’t think there’s any way to mess up a hanger swirl! No matter how you swirl it, your soaps are going to come out looking awesome, with each bar being so beautifully unique from the next! “Island Oasis” fragrance oil behaved so well in this recipe, I was able to take my time pouring the batch, then swirling it to my heart’s content! “Rise & Shine” mica did turn a rather gorgeous shade of orange in this recipe, but if this happens in your own recipes, don’t panic! I promise as soon as saponification is complete, that lovely orange will go back to being the sunshiny yellow it originally was!
Once I’d completed my hanger-swirl, I poured every last remining drop of soap batter on top of the loaf, then gave it a quick swirl with a bamboo skewer for no other reason than for the pure joy of it! This fragrance oil already had me at first sniff, but in cold process soap, it’s DIVINE! If you’d like to try this recipe and would prefer to omit the soap frosting portion of the project, that’s absolutely A-Okay! Just get that batch insulted for the night, and be prepared to fall in love with this fantastic fragrance when you unmold your soap the next day!
For the soap frosting part of this project, I had a specific shade of light blue in mind, and was able to get it spot-on by mixing two parts “Winter White” mica with one part “Proud Peacock” mica. With a dash and a dusting of Nurture Soap’s “Mystic Blue” Enviroglitter, this color just sang! “Mystic Blue” Enviroglitter was the perfect shimmery, sparkling accompaniment to this blissfully-blue, fluffy top!
The very last step was to carefully place those decorative “pearl” and seashell melt & pour embeds on top, then call it a day! This batch of “Mauna Loa” pre-shave pumice soap had behaved as wonderfully as it smelled, and was looking perfectly in-theme with what I had envisioned in my mind’s eye. It was time to get the batch lovingly insulated for the night, then impatiently wait to unmold and cut it the next morning!
Dang it! I can’t even read that correctly in my mind! I guess I should be grateful that I sell soap and not seashells- so much easier to pronounce! After making this batch of soap though, I’m really curious to know who this woman who sells seashells is, and if she sells changes of hearts too, because I’ve certainly had one! I must’ve passed by “Island Oasis” fragrance oil about a hundred times (What can I say? Nurture Soap is my favorite supplier in the whole, wide world... I visit the website a lot!), and just assuming I wouldn’t like it, I never even considered giving it a chance. It took having to remind myself that I’ve never smelled a fragrance oil from Nurture Soap that I didn’t like (or LOVE) to finally go for it. I’m SO HAPPY I did though! I found a fantastic tropical-type fragrance that I truly and actually love, and it just so happened to have been perfect for this specific soap project too! Give this recipe a try in your own soapy adventures if you’d like! I guarantee your mouth will water when you smell this juicy-fresh, fruity-clean aroma, and your skin will glow with the help of that pampering pumice powder! HAPPY SOAP MAKING EVERYONE!
SOAP RECIPE:
SOAP FROSTING RECIPE:
It’s funny how life and art can coincide with each other sometimes. When one truly stops and thinks about it, there’s so many little “life lessons” to be learned and metaphors to be made. Sometimes those lessons and metaphors can be applied to what you’re doing at this very moment... Even in the most mundane of acts. Oscar Wilde once said, “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life.” While that might mean something a little different to everyone in the philosophical sense of the phrase, I personally feel it’s true for soap making too!
I started this week’s soap project as sort of a “last hurrah” type of theme; an introduction to something new while saying goodbye to the old. Little did I know that at the very same time, I’d find myself doing that very same thing in my personal life too! I’ll explain... A little while ago, I procured quite a bit of cocoa butter at a smokin’ deal! Now, normally I’m the type of person who prefers to save those pricier butters for leave-on products. You’ll find no judgement here, but I personally feel that anyone can formulate outstanding soap recipes with less costly butters/fats. For me, it’s a win-win: You don’t have to break the bank to create truly fabulous handmade soaps, and if you sell your soaps, you can pass the savings on to your customers, while not compromising on quality! Some of the pricier butters can better benefit the skin in leave-on products anyway, but again, absolutely NO JUDGEMENT as to which oils and/or butters you prefer using in your cold process soap recipes. Each unique recipe is what makes handmade soap so great!
Having so much cocoa butter on-hand though, I decided I’d incorporate it into my own soap recipes, and I really enjoyed the opportunity to do so! But alas, my cocoa butter supply is now nearly depleted, and soon I’ll return to my old “tried and true” recipe- with a twist (And yes! That’ll be featured in a future blog post!). In the spirit of change, I decided my cocoa butter and I would go out with a “bang”! What better way to do just that than to make a batch of soap with one of the newly reformulated fragrance oils Nurture Soap now offers? With many wonderful fragrance oils now reformulated, saying goodbye to the old means saying hello to something new and improved! Come along with me as we take the newly reformulated “Poison Apple” fragrance oil for a test drive and see just how differently it performs in cold process soap! In my personal life, I also said goodbye to the old and welcomed in a new adventure, but we’ll get to that later. For now, let’s make some soap!
With all this “old” and “new” chit chat, I feel like I’m talking more about a wedding than actual soap making! Instead of something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue though, it’ll be red... Definitely red! With aromatic notes of crisp, juicy apples, uplifting bergamot and fragrantly seductive neroli, Nurture Soap’s reformulated “Poison Apple” fragrance oil smells positively enchanting, and is a dead-ringer for a certain company’s “So White” scent! The very first sniff of this fragrance oil from the bottle had my eyes involuntarily rolling to the back of my head- it's THAT good! The scent itself brought images of mystery and playful intrigue to mind, so I quickly went about making some melt & pour embeds, which would adorn the top of this sudsy project!
I’ve been dying to get Nurture Soap’s “Candy Apple Red” mica incorporated into a batch of soap, and with this this luscious fragrance oil, it just felt meant to be! Going by Carrie Thornsbury’s soap testing notes, “Poison Apple” fragrance oil discolors to orange in cold process, so this mica’s deep, flirtatious tone of red seemed a great choice. Even if the soap did turn out a tad “orangey”, it would still look beautiful! To go with the mysterious and coquettish theme of the scent, I decided to make tempting apple embeds in “Candy Apple Red” mica; alluring gemstone embeds in “Shimmer Gold” mica; and mesmerizing “crystal ball” embeds in “Red Enigma” mica, using Nurture Soaps Small 9-Ball Silicone Mold.
In reading old reviews and test notes, it seemed that prior to its reformulation, “Poison Apple” fragrance oil was a bit of a challenge to work with in cold process soap. This project would be the first time I ever used this fragrance oil in any application, and even though it was reformulated to behave better, I still felt a bit cautious. I decided a simple design for this batch would be best. I’d color the majority of the batch in “Candy Apple Red” mica and do a drop swirl with accent colors of “Winter White” and “Shimmer Gold” micas. Because I wasn’t sure how much the fragrance oil would discolor, I decided I’d leave my accent colors unscented, and only add the fragrance oil to the soap portion colored in “Candy Apple Red” mica. I happily went about getting the micas dispersed in a bit of batch oils. Even though this color scheme would be simple, it still looked rich, vibrant and alluring!
The moment of truth had arrived! My batch oils and lye solution had cooled down to around room temperature, and it was time to get to soap making, which meant it was also time to see if this poisonous beauty of a fragrance oil would behave like an angel in my soap recipe. Again, I played it cautious and only blended my soap batter to a very light trace. Whenever you’re feeling unsure about how a fragrance oil will perform, it’s always best to start at a thin trace, as you can always blend your batter to a thicker trace, if needed, but once your batter thickens up on its own, there’s usually no going back. Splitting off two smaller accent portions of soap, I proceeded by coloring my soap portions in their respective colors. “Candy Apple Red” mica looked downright fabulous when incorporated into the soap, and next to “Shimmer Gold” mica, it looked deviously rich- exactly the look I was going for!
I nervously incorporated “Poison Apple” fragrance oil into my beautiful red portion of soap batter, held my breath and... NOTHING HAPPENED! I think a part of me was expecting this fragrance oil to do something mischievous, but it behaved like an absolute dream! Absolutely no acceleration, no ricing, no separation, and with the deep, crimson hue of “Candy Apple Red” mica, no noticeable color change either! I had so much extra time to pour my drop swirl design, I was even able to stop in between pouring to take pictures of all those gorgeously fluid swirls!
In retrospect, I probably should have blended my soap portions to a slightly thicker trace before pouring them, as they might’ve been a tad too fluid, but I didn’t want to risk it. The next time I make a batch of soap with this deliciously magical fragrance oil though, I’ll know not to fear it... No caution need be taken when it comes to making soap with this fantastic fragrance! It remained so fluid and workable, by the time I was finished pouring, I couldn’t pass up the chance to make some fun swirls on top, despite the fact I’d be covering that part with soap frosting later!
There really is something intriguing and magical about “Poison Apple” fragrance oil. It definitely gives off those “forbidden fruit” vibes, and makes me think that this is precisely what an apple would smell like if it were imbued with an entrancing evil curse, and given to some unsuspecting princess by a malicious witch disguised as an old beggar-woman. I mean, how could the princess not know it’s a trap? Since when did little, old beggar-women (Who are literally wearing rags!) just randomly start passing out perfectly-pristine, red, shiny apples to young ladies, who are obviously much better off? Oh yeah, that princess totally knows it’s a set-up, but she takes the bait anyway because it’s so tempting, it’s worth the risk!
That’s exactly how I feel about “Poison Apple” fragrance oil... It’s apple, but not just apple, which makes it positively captivating, enticing and indefinable. A scent as sorcerous as this deserves an extra magical touch! Blending up a batch of soap frosting, colored in “Winter White” mica, I lovingly piped the top of the soap loaf, then gave it a generous dusting of “Gold Dust” Enviroglitter.
“Gold Dust” Enviroglitter is enough to make anything look magical all on its own (Especially when your AC kicks on right as you’re dusting it on top of your soap and covers your kitchen in a soft blanket of golden, sparkling daydreams! My husband just LOVES that!), but the theme of this soap design simply wouldn’t be complete without those apple, gemstone and crystal ball embeds! After carefully placing each enchanted embed atop the soap frosting, it was time to get the batch lightly insulated for the night. I know my fellow soap makers can relate, but there’s nothing quite like that feeling you get when you finish making a batch of soap and everything went right!
Reformulations happen when someone believes in something, but knows it can be better; that it can go from good to great! Whether it’s a favorite soap recipe that, with a few changes, becomes even awesome-er (TOTALLY a real word!), a fragrance oil which smells AMAZING, but behaves like a little bugger in cold process, or even something you’ve been wanting to “reformulate” in your personal life. The trick is to not be afraid to take what’s good, and by a leap of faith, make it better. It can be scary sometimes to go from what you know, and are comfortable with, and make a change... Even if that change is for the best.
As I was getting creative with an incredible reformulated fragrance oil, I was also beginning to reformulate myself, and old thought processes. You see, for the longest time, my long-term goals were the same. I wanted to purchase my own internet domain; I wanted a website where I could share my soapy passion with anyone who wanted it; and I wanted to make my little soap business a legitimate company. All of these things seemed extremely hard and unobtainable to me, so my long-term goals remained exactly that: long-term. My paralyzing fear of failure, and my overwhelming feelings of self-doubt thwarted my attempts of moving forward, so I stayed in my comfort-zone, where I was safe from failure and self-doubt. Then something amazing happened...
I met an INCREDIBLE woman who was an absolute role model to me in every way! She didn’t seem scared of anything! When she put her mind to something, she pursued it, and she did so without hesitation; without second-guessing herself. She made change and growth happen, because she wasn’t afraid to put change and growth into action! Her heart, will and spirit were unwavering. She was so strong, and had walked through fires which had only made her stronger. Fear was afraid of HER! Through it all though, her heart was made of solid gold, and she was filled with purpose, pride and passion for what she did! She was the type of woman I always wanted to be myself. That woman’s name is Carrie Thornsbury, and she is the owner and CEO of THIS outstanding company!
As I’ve had the immense honor of getting to know Carrie, and to be able to call her a dear friend, I found someone with whom I could confide in; someone I could vent to about my paralyzing fear of failure. Turns out, she wasn’t just someone who could sympathize, she could empathize! She knew exactly how I felt... They were feelings she overcame herself! Well, that sealed the deal for me! I was done with allowing my long-term goals to remain long-term. I mustered every ounce of courage and inspiration Carrie instilled in me and went for it!
My humble soap business is now an official LLC., and I created my very own website, with my very own domain! I’m still scared out of my mind, and I’m definitely NOT “tech-savvy” (Building my own website has been a challenge and work in progress, but I’m determined to keep learning as I go!), but the feelings of excitement and self-accomplishment I’ve felt have completely overridden any feelings of fear and self-doubt. Besides, if I fail, at least I’ll be able to say I went for it... I went outside my “safety zone” and gave it my best shot! For giving the hugest self-doubter an inspirational “kick” in the proverbial pants, and for motivating me to reformulate my internal dialogue from the “I can’t” to the “I can”, I want to sincerely thank Carrie Thornsbury, who has been a selfless mentor and teacher to SO MANY crafters!
And so, my phenomenal, fellow soap artists, it seems that life really does imitate art sometimes! As you go about your own amazing soap making journeys, I truly, truly hope you don’t interpret these words as my attempt at a “humble brag”, but rather, for the true intention behind them. That intention being that whatever it is you wish to achieve; you can attain anything you set your heart and mind to! I know that sounds so cliché, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that it’s SO TRUE! When you let fear and doubt hold you back (Like I did for an embarrassing amount of time!), you end up staying right where you are, daydreaming of what might be someday. When you reformulate your thoughts into actions, taking that first step forward, and then continuing to take just one more step in front of the previous one, your “someday” become “right now”! You’ve got this!
MAKE THIS RECIPE:
SOAP FROSTING RECIPE:
The wheels in my head are constantly turning and churning-up new ideas for blog topics I can share; topics I hope my fellow crafters will find value in. Currently, I’ve been working on one project in particular (or rather, an experiment) that by the time I’m finished, I will have worked over 30 days on! I’m so excited to bring the findings and results of this experiment to you, my soapy companions, as I really feel it will answer one of the most commonly asked questions in beginner soap making, once and for all! With so much going on behind the sudsy scenes recently, I’ve been thinking of ways I can share wonderful soap making projects and ideas with you, which are lighthearted and fun! Projects which are easy to fit into any hectic schedule, while still fully enjoying the artistic process, and presenting opportunities for any busy crafter to take a moment to stop and smell the soapy roses! This is precisely one of those projects!
I started out with the idea that I would share another great blending idea, which would feature fantastic Nurture Soap fragrances smelling equally as fantastic in a blend. What the project naturally transformed itself into however, came as a complete and pleasant surprise! Admittedly, I am a self-proclaimed soap making nerd! I have stacks upon stacks of notebooks filled from cover-to-cover with notes, recipes, custom fragrance blends, color blends, and miscellaneous soap making musings (Because who needs a computer when you can create unnecessary clutter in real life, am I right?). I pulled out my notebook marked “Fragrance Blends”, and quickly found myself feeling overwhelmed with options, and completely unable to make a decision! “No worries!”, I thought. “...I’ll just create an entirely new blend!”. From my fragrance oil cupboard, I grabbed a little bit of this, and a little bit of that and began tinkering away!
When I decide I want to create a new fragrance blend, I always grab a small baggie, a handful of cotton swabs and a marker. This allows me to blend fragrances without worry of wasting precious oils, as I can simply dip a cotton swab into each fragrance oil I want to include in my blend, then add them to the baggie to get an idea of what the blend will smell like. If I feel the blend could use a little less or a little more of a particular fragrance, I just adjust it by adding more cotton swabs, then use my trusty marker to keep a tally of how many swabs of which fragrance I added to the baggie. When I feel I’ve gotten my blend exactly where I want it, these little “tally marks” tell me exactly how many parts of each fragrance oil will make up the whole of my blend. With this information, I can easily create the actual blend, in the amount needed for my recipe. All it takes is some simple math.
The math remains the same for any number of cotton swabs you might’ve added to your baggie. For example, let’s say you’ve created a lovely fragrance blend, and you need a total of 6 ounces of it for your recipe. In your baggie, you have 8 cotton swabs in total and 3 different fragrance oils in the blend. 4 of these cotton swabs are scented in fragrance oil “A”, 3 cotton swabs are scented in fragrance oil “B”, and 1 is scented in fragrance oil “C”. To determine how much of each is needed to create 6 ounces in total, just divide 100 (as in 100%) by the total amount of cotton swabs in your baggie. In this scenario, that would be 100 divided by 8 total cotton swabs. The dividend will determine exactly what the percentage is of one part of the whole blend. 100 divided by 8 is 12.5. This means that just one part of your entire blend is equal to 12.5%.
Now that you know what one part of the whole is, you can use this information to determine the percentage of each fragrance oil needed within the blend. Fragrance oil “A” has 4 cotton swabs, or four parts. Multiply this by the percentage of 1-part. 4 multiplied by 12.5 equals 50. This means that fragrance oil “A” makes up 50% of the total blend. Repeat this for each fragrance oil in your blend... Fragrance oil “B” has 3 cotton swabs (or 3 parts). 3 x 12.5 = 37.5. Fragrance oil “B” makes up 37.5% of your total blend. Lastly, fragrance oil “C” has 1 cotton swab. 1 x 12.5 = 12.5. Fragrance oil “C” makes up 12.5% of the total blend.
The very last step is to convert these percentages into the unit of measurement you wish to use in your recipe. For this example, we want to make a total of 6 ounces of our custom blend. Fragrance oil “A” is 50% of the blend. 50% of 6 is 3. This means you’ll need to add 3 ounces of fragrance oil “A” to the blend. Fragrance oil “B” is 37.5% of the total blend. 37.5% of 6 is 2.25. You’ll add 2.25 ounces of fragrance oil “B” to the blend. Fragrance oil “C” is 12.5% of the total blend. 12.5% of 6 is 0.75. To complete the blend, you’ll incorporate 0.75 ounces of fragrance oil “C” to the blend. UGH! Math... I know! But trust me, it’ll come in handy, especially if you love creating your very own fragrance blends!
In my own blend, I really had no clue what to expect, or what I was even trying to achieve! I just grabbed bottles of fragrance oils I thought would smell nice together and blindly began adding cotton swabs to my baggie! When I reached that moment of “blending nirvana”; that magical moment when you smell your aromatic concoction and think, “This is IT! It’s perfect!”, something totally unexpected happened! Not only did the blend itself smell utterly fabulous, but I knew this scent from somewhere! The aroma was hitting me right in the “memory spot”! When it finally hit me what it reminded me of, I realized I had just experienced blending serendipity!
Serendipity is the experience of searching for something, yet finding something entirely different in the process that makes you just as happy! My serendipitous moment happened when it occurred to me that my blend smelled exactly like the ripest, sweetest, most juicy fig, with just the slightest, yet oh-so-delectable hint of creaminess at its base! I couldn’t believe it, but there it was; an essence of mouthwatering fig with a kiss of sweet cream! You never know for certain what you’re going to end up with when it comes to fragrance blends. Some can be absolute hits, while others can turn out being disappointing misses. This was a definite HIT, and I’m so excited to share this accidental aromatic hit with you! It’s a fragrance blend I’ve lovingly named “Sweet Cream & Fig”, and you can make this mouthwatering treat by creating a blend made up of 40% “Devious” fragrance oil, 20% “Cottongrass” fragrance oil, 20% “Juicy Apricot” fragrance oil and 20% “Blackberry Bliss” fragrance oil... All available at Nurture Soap, of course!
With this accidental “figs & cream” scent thrown in my lucky lap, it became entirely settled that I wasn’t just going to make and share a custom fragrance blend for this blog’s topic; everything was going to be a blend! With the exception of “Winter White” mica, every single color used in the batch would be a blend too! I began searching for pictures of figs online for color inspiration, and ultimately found a fig-inspired color palette that spoke to me! Other facts about figs spoke to me too, including some things I had no idea about! It might not be soap-related, but the figgy information I stumbled upon had me feeling so fascinated, I simply had share it! Oh! And by the way, figs are currently in season, now through October, so if you’ve never tasted a fresh fig before (They taste nothing like Fig Newtons!), I highly recommend going to your local Whole Foods market and picking some up! A ripe, ready-to-savor fig will have soft “give” on the outside, and may even show signs of cracking, with some of its sweet, syrupy juices escaping!
Did you know that figs have a simply fascinating symbiotic relationship with wasps, and that they’re not even a fruit? Well, it’s true! Figs are actually inside-out (or inverted) flowers! On each plant, there are 2 types of figs; inedible male figs (also known as caprifigs), and the sweet, delicious female figs. Certain types of figs have a complete symbiotic relationship with fig wasps. They both depend on each other for reproduction. Being inverted flowers though, figs can’t be pollinated in the traditional way, as the flower actually blooms within the pod. The male figs have the pollen the female figs desperately need to ripen, and fig wasps are up for the challenge! It’s the fig wasp that enters a small opening in the fig, called an ostiole, to complete a cycle of life vitally important to both the fig and the wasp!
Female fig wasps must crawl inside a fig in order to lay her eggs, and in an attempt to do just that, she’ll crawl into both male and female figs. The male figs might be inedible to humans, but they’re especially important to the female fig wasp. If a female fig wasp enters a male fig, she has chosen wisely, as its ideal environment allows her to lay her eggs before dying. Her eggs hatch, beginning with the blind, flightless males, and the hatchlings then mate to ensure the survival of the next generation. Once impregnated with eggs, the female fig wasps then fly out of the caprifig through tunnels the males have burrowed out for them. When they leave their fig birthplace, they aren’t just carrying eggs though, they’re carrying precious pollen too!
The life cycle begins anew, and each pregnant wasp leaves to find a new fig to lay her eggs in. If the female wasp enters a female fig however, it spells doom (for her at least)! The inhospitable environment of the female fig makes the wasp unable to lay her eggs, and eventually she dies of starvation. Her death is not in vain though! The pollen she carried with her has successfully pollinated the female fig, and now it can begin to quickly ripen, and eventually become a delectable treat!
But wait a minute! Wouldn’t that mean there’s dead wasps inside the figs we eat? The relieving answer to this question is: NO! Sure, a wasp (or several) died within the fig, but nature is a marvelous thing! Along with this beautiful relationship between fig and wasp, nature also plays a part in ensuring we get to enjoy the fruits (or rather, flowers) of the fig wasp’s ultimate sacrifice. Female figs produce an enzyme called ficin. This enzyme completely breaks the insect’s body down into proteins, which are fully absorbed by the plant itself! Mama wasp didn’t die in vain when she picked the wrong fig, as a healthy plant means a healthy and delicious harvest! Pretty dang fascinating if you ask me!
With some self-education out of the way, it was time for me to mix up my color-blends to match that fig-inspired color palette I’d picked. As usual, I wanted this batch to have soap frosting on top, so I began by making some decorative embeds first. This step is completely optional, but feel absolutely free to re-create the color-blends themselves in your own soapy creations! I especially love the purple blend I mixed up to create fig-shaped embeds, but this particular blend might not be as stable in cold process application. Without a doubt, it looks positively stunning in melt & pour soap base though, and it’s a color blend I’ve named “Figaro”. You can make this blend by mixing 2 parts “Blackberry Mica” with 1-part “Purple Vibrance” mica! On a side note, I kinda have a thing for giving each new mica blend its own name, as it helps me remember and envision the color better when I want to use it again in a future project. After the fig embeds came the leaves, and while I’ll save this mica blend’s name for a bit later, it was created by mixing 2 parts “Enchantment” mica with 1-part “Cabin Fever” mica.
Mixing up 5 different color-blends that I chose to use within my soap batch was probably the most fun I’ve ever had when it comes to mixing colors! Going off the color palette I borrowed inspiration from during my online search, I grabbed dang near every purple mica I own, as well as quite a few other colors too, and went to blending town! Mixed in their dry state, they looked beautiful, and I couldn’t wait to get them into a batch of soap, scented in that most delectable of fragrance blends!
As I prepared my soapy project at hand, I went ahead and dispersed each mica blend in a bit of batch oils. That’s when I really fell in love with these colors! They looked so pretty, I thought I’d take a moment to introduce you to each one...
The first mica-blend is a color I aptly named “Aubergine”. For this shade, the goal was to create a purple so intensely and richly dark, it was almost black. I couldn’t have been more thrilled with how this color turned out! After cutting the soaps and seeing this color in action, I officially want to use it in every batch of soap I make now! “Aubergine” is what our British friends across the pond call eggplant (Why do Brits always get the good words? “Aubergine” sounds way cooler than “Eggplant” any day!). You can make it by blending “Purple Vibrance”, “Fantasia” and “Black Pearl” micas at equal parts.
The second mica-blend is a color I decided to call “Purple Fog”. The purpose of this blend was to create a soft, dusky shade of purple. By blending 2 parts (each) of “Iris Purple” and “Winter White” micas with 1-part (each) of “Neutral Gray” and “Silver Mist” micas, it turned out exactly as I hoped it would! Its name, “Purple Fog”, comes from my days of living in New York, waiting for the train to work to arrive in the brutally frigid, early-morning, winter hours. It was so cold, as the sun began to rise, it would illuminate the fog with a dreary, purple haze. Although the memory sounds miserable, it was really quite beautiful, and this color reminds me of that memory!
For our third mica-blend, “Plumbago Periwinkle” was the name this color was born to have! I wanted the perfect shade of soft periwinkle, and this is as perfectly periwinkle as they come! Here in Florida, Blue Plumbago flowers grow in abundance, and I have three large bushes in my own yard that I absolutely love! They’re called “Blue” Plumbago, but they’re actually the prettiest shade of periwinkle. This mica-blend is a dead-ringer for those flowers, and you can create it by mixing “Iris Purple”, “Sky Blue” and “Winter White” micas at equal parts.
“Princess Pea” is our fourth mica-blend, and you may recognize it from the melt & pour leaf embeds pictured above! For this color, I wanted a shade of green that was decidedly pea-green, but just a bit brighter than traditional pea-green tones. “Enchantment” mica was exactly what this blend needed to achieve the perfect hue, and you can make this shade by mixing 2 parts of “Enchantment” mica with 1-part “Cabin Fever” mica. This specific green reminded me of one of my all-time-favorite childhood fairytales, “The Princess and the Pea”! As a kid, I used to think I was her, and was 100% sure I’d be able to feel a pea under my mattress too! Unfortunately, no one ever told me it wouldn’t work with canned peas, so to this very day, I still think I’m owed re-do! Canned peas or not though, this mica-blend conjures up images of what that fateful pea must’ve looked like, so the name “Princess Pea” seemed only right!
For the fifth, and final, color-blend, I wanted the truest, deepest, richest, shade of teal I could possibly create! It took me a couple tries to get it just right, but eventually, I was able to achieve that richly-pigmented, deeply-saturated color I was aiming for, by mixing 2 parts “Synergy” mica with 1-part “High Society” mica. My first attempt at creating this color turned out having just a touch too much blue in the mix, but “Synergy” and “High Society” micas together created the truest of teals! After dispersing this blend in a bit of batch oils, I had Disney songs stuck in my head, and it slowly occurred to me I was absentmindedly humming along without initially realizing it! The association was definitely sparked by a certain, red-headed, singing mermaid us kiddos of the 90’s all knew and loved; and it was the color of her scaley tail which this blend reminded me of! Naturally, “Mermaid Serenade” seemed the perfect fit for this gorgeous, aquatic blend!
The sensational fragrance oil blend and the gorgeous mica blends featured in this blog can be interpreted and utilized in so many different ways, mediums. applications, and designs, it was important to me to focus more on the blends themselves, rather than the soap design I made. If you’d like to re-create the soap design pictured below in your own soap making ventures at home though, you are absolutely more than welcome to! Just use your favorite cold process soap recipe, and let that inner soap artist out! If you don’t have a “go to” or favorite soap recipe quite yet, please feel free to use any recipe I’ve included in many of my previous blogs, which are usually located at the bottom of each post. This information also includes my favorite soap frosting recipe, for anyone interested in turning their soap batches into a fun “high-top” design!
The design I chose to make within my batch of soap is one of my personal favorites, and includes pouring a tiger-swirl down the middle of the mold, then finishing by pulling a hanger tool through the soap in large, gradually-descending loops until the tool hits the bottom of the mold. Pulling the hanger tool out by moving it up one side of the mold is all it takes to create a swirly and colorful design! There’s really no right or wrong way when it comes to swirling soap batches though... Any movement of a hanger tool that you decide to do within your batch of soap is going to yield a plethora of pretty swirls throughout the bars no matter what!
Now, keep in mind that when it comes to the positively decadent fragrance oil blend shared in this week’s blog, “Devious” fragrance oil on its own does discolor to a medium tan in cold process soap. Also, if you have the old formula on-hand, before it was reformulated to be phthalate-free, as well as better behaving in cold process application, it may speed up trace in your recipe as well. With that being said though, the only portion of soap batter which I left unscented in my own batch was the portion colored in “Winter White” mica. I added this magnificent, fig-fresh, syrupy-sweet, slightly “green”, creamy-like blend to every other portion of my soap batter and haven’t seen any noticeable discoloration, darkening, or morphing of my mica colors! What’s more, this fragrance oil blend soaped beautifully in my recipe, with only very mild acceleration noticed toward the very end of pour. This is no way hindered me from successfully executing my chosen design, but If you’re worried about possible acceleration in your own soap batch, there are ways to give acceleration a run for its money! This includes soaping at cooler temperatures, omitting or reducing additives and/or ingredients known to speed up trace, increasing the amount of water/liquid in your recipe, increasing the percentage of soft oils within your recipe while lowering your hard oil percentages, or all of the above!
For the soap frosting portion of my soap project, I chose Nurture Soap’s positively stunning and royal-looking “Imperial Purple” Enviroglitter to complement all the lovely purples within the batch itself, add a dusting of jaw dropping shimmer to the top of the loaf, as well as add a whimsical touch of sparkle to the decorative fig and leaf embeds too!
And now, the moment of truth has arrived...It’s time for the “big reveal” of our mica color blends in action! I really wish there was such a thing as a “scratch n’ sniff” app for your phone, since it’s the fragrance oil blend that makes up a huge part of the total soapy experience! As for the color blends though, I’m thoroughly infatuated with how they turned out in the finished soaps! I have to say, “Aubergine” has my heart, but every single blend came out strikingly gorgeous and beautifully pigmented in application!
This was one of those rare projects which began with one idea, and evolved into something entirely different by sheer happenstance! The inspiration from one “happy accident” became the fuel for new ideas; ideas which ultimately grew into even bigger inspirations which helped to create, not just an amazing aroma, but a fully-custom batch of soap (I like to think using “Winter White” mica doesn’t count... There’s just no way to blend white!). From the aroma gracing its bubbly presence, to the colors which accentuate the aroma’s profound loveliness, some might even say there’s a symbiotic relationship between this soap’s scent and its colors... Just like the fig and the fig wasp! Okay, okay, that might be a bit of a stretch there, but one thing’s for sure, it really is a unique, one-of-a-kind batch of soap! The absolute best part about this soap’s “uniqueness” though is that even if a fellow crafter utilizes this custom fragrance blend to create their own batch of soap, or colors a batch with some, or all, of these mica blends, the result will always be a unique batch of soap! Why is that? Because handmade soap is precisely that! No one has YOUR two hands or YOUR imagination... What your hands make, and what your imagination dreams up is entirely unique to wonderful, one-of-a-kind YOU!
QUICK-LOOK BLENDING CHART:
“SWEET CREAM & FIG” FRAGRANCE OIL BLEND - 40% “Devious” Fragrance Oil 20% “Blackberry Bliss” Fragrance Oil, 20% “Cottongrass” Fragrance Oil, 20% “Juicy Apricot” Fragrance Oil
“FIGARO” MICA BLEND - 2 Parts “Blackberry Mica” to 1-Part “Purple Vibrance” Mica (*May Not Be Stable in CP. Test First!)
“AUBRGINE” MICA BLEND - Equal Parts: “Black Pearl” Mica, “Fantasia” Mica & “Purple Vibrance” Mica
“PURPLE FOG” MICA BLEND - 2 parts (Each) “Iris Purple” Mica & “Winter White” Mica to 1-Part (Each) “Neutral Gray” Mica & “Silver Mist” Mica
“PLUMBAGO PERIWINKLE” MICA BLEND - Equal Parts: “Iris Purple Mica”, “Sky Blue” Mica & “Winter White” Mica
“PRINCESS PEA” MICA BLEND - 2 Parts “Enchantment” Mica to 1-Part “Cabin Fever” Mica
“MERMAID SERENADE” MICA BLEND - 2 Parts “Synergy” Mica to 1-Part “High Society” Mica
]]>Three weeks ago, I began a soap project I’d hoped would yield wonderfully fragrant results. I had purchased Nurture Soap’s “Botanical Bliss” fragrance oil, and was blissfully in love with it at first sniff! Its product description described it as being a spa-like scent with clean, fresh notes of herbs and florals, and to my nose, that was spot-on accurate! This was definitely an aroma worth winding down to, as I found it to be calm, serenely beautiful and soft in character! I personally thought it smelled delightfully fragrant out of the bottle, but its product description mentioned that this lovely aroma might be best in cold process soap if it were anchored with kaolin clay.
Let’s rewind some years back now... About four years ago, I had made the leap from using only essential oils in my cold process soap recipes to fragrance oils. I felt like a kid in a candy store! Not only were the prices exponentially more affordable than the essential oils I was currently purchasing, but the different scents available to me had my head spinning! However, I quickly discovered that I was having the same issues with fragrance oils as I’d had with some essential oils too... Some of the fragrances would stay put in my cured soaps, and disappointingly, some just wouldn’t. I felt completely discouraged, as I wanted what I think most soap makers want; beautiful soaps that are also wonderfully fragrant.
I had an “ah-ha” moment when my husband and I went to a farmer’s market, and I purchased some soaps from a local, fellow artisan. I was utterly jealous the first time I lathered up with a bar! The soap was gorgeously aromatic, and the scent lingered on my skin for hours afterward. What was this man doing that I wasn’t? I had to know! The following weekend, I returned to the same market and tracked him down. He was so wonderfully kind, and shared with me the secret to his fabulously fragrant bars... KAOLIN CLAY! He explained to me that he anchored all his fragrances with kaolin clay, and although it wasn’t 100% failproof, he’d had more success with it than not.
My mind was officially blown that such a simple, skin-loving, inexpensive ingredient could make such a difference, but this awesome soap maker was right! Following his suggestions, I began incorporating kaolin clay into my own cold process soap recipes and never looked back! Returning to present-day, and THIS soapy project... When I read that the blissfully beautiful “Botanical Bliss” fragrance oil would do best if anchored with kaolin clay, I was all in! I wanted to see just how fragrant and lasting this delightful aroma could be in cold process soap, so I set out to do just that! Come along with me as we make “Botanical Bliss” cold process soap together! In the process, I’ll share with you how to get the very most of those beautiful fragrances in your own soapy projects at home!
I wish I would’ve gotten that gentleman’s name who helped me those years back; I’d give him a thousand kudos if I could! He didn’t have to help me at all, but the information he shared out of the kindness of his heart was a game-changer for me! In paying that kindness forward, let’s talk a little bit about fragrance oils. Fragrance oils don’t saponify. Just as the superfat in your recipe is extra, “free-floating” oils within your soap, so too is your fragrance oil. When you add water/liquid to your recipe, all of it must eventually cure, or evaporate, back out. As your liquid evaporates during cure, it can take some of the fragrance oil with it. This is where anchoring comes into play. Anchoring your fragrances is literally just that! It’s giving your fragrance oil something to “hold on to” while your soaps cure and evaporate all the excess liquid out.
Liquid discounting comes into play here as well, as the less liquid that must cure out of your soaps, the less fragrance oil will cure out with it. I’ve always had more fragrant results in recipes where a liquid discount was used, and I personally enjoy using lye concentrations between 33% (2-parts liquid to 1-part lye) to 40% (1.5-parts liquid to 1-part lye) in my recipes. What’s generally referred to as “full liquid”, or no liquid discount, is a lye solution made up of 3-parts liquid to 1-part lye, or a 25% lye concentration. More on liquid discounting in a future blog post though, as there’s a lot more to it than what I can sum up here, and it’s definitely a topic that deserves its own spotlight!
Going back to scent fixatives though... I know many of us have heard about kaolin clay being the “go-to” additive for anchoring scents, but why is that exactly? kaolin clay isn’t used as a scent fixative because it has magical powers which somehow make it work... Nope, it’s much simpler than that! Kaolin clay is great for anchoring fragrances because it’s very fine and highly absorbent. Simply put, it works by soaking fragrance oils up, and giving them something to “hold on to” while the excess liquid cures out of your soaps.
The best way I’ve found to get the most absorption between the clay and the fragrance oil is by making what’s called a “kaolin clay slurry”. It’s very easy to do, and very effective too! If you have the time, I’d recommend making your kaolin clay slurry at least 24 hours in advance of making your batch of soap. This gives the clay plenty of time to soak up as much fragrance oil as possible. To make a kaolin clay slurry, simply add the clay directly to the fragrance oil, then blend it in really well with a mini mixer. That’s all there is to it! Kaolin clay is heavier than fragrance oils, so you’ll begin to notice the clay eventually settling back down to the bottom. That’s no problem though! Whenever it crosses your mind, you can just return to your slurry and give it another quick mix with your mini-mixer. A great usage rate when adding clay directly to fragrance oils is anywhere between 1/2TBS to 2TBS per pound of batch oils. For this specific project, I used 1TBS per pound of oils. When it comes time to incorporate the fragrance oil into your soap recipe, you’ll add this slurry the exact same way you normally would any fragrance oil- easy peasy!
While kaolin clay makes for a wonderful additive with which to anchor your fragrances in soap, it’s not the only one! Kaolin clay just happens to be the more popular choice, as it won’t darken or alter the color of your batch oils (except maybe to lighten them a little), it’s super fine, so won’t impart a gritty or noticeable texture in one’s recipes, and it’s an inexpensive additive which just so happens to come with some great benefits too! Kaolin clay is generally well received by all skin types, is a natural humectant, helping skin lock in moisture, and will even add a bit of “slip” to cold process soap bars!
Certainly, other fine clays are another option when it comes to scent fixatives, but really, any additive which has the ability to easily absorb oil will help to keep scents anchored too! If you’ve ever used colloidal oatmeal in a soap recipe, you may have noticed your soaps being more fragrant for longer. This is no accident, as colloidal oatmeal is wonderfully absorbent, and can also help fragrances stay put! Other examples of additives which can help anchor fragrances in cold process soap include soft botanicals, and specifically for this project, calendula petals!
Fine clays, colloidal oatmeal, soft botanicals; all of these things can give your fragrance oils something to hold on to during cure, and when used in conjunction with kaolin clay, can really increase your fragrance oil’s potency and longevity! “Botanical Bliss” fragrance oil smells so tranquil and dreamy, I really wanted this amazing aroma to shine in my soap recipe, so for this project, I decided to embrace the botanical theme wholeheartedly, while also incorporating some scent-anchoring goodness at the same time! Along with a kaolin clay slurry, this soapy project would feature lovely calendula petals. I felt confident I could get the most fragrant and lasting results in my soaps with this combination of skin-loving scent fixatives, and they just so happened to fit the project’s theme perfectly too!
After mixing up my kaolin clay slurry the night before and making sure I had plenty calendula petals handy, I set to work making my blissful, botanical soap! The next step was to make some adorable melt & pour embeds to adorn the top of soap frosting that I’d pipe on top of the loaf. Using Nurture Soap’s “Magic Moments” mica, I made some elegant, pink flowers, then dry-painted a little “Cabin Fever” mica in the center of each bloom. Using “Mimosa Yellow” mica (Which is the perfect marigold-type color, if you ask me!) and “Celadon Green” mica, I made some ridiculously cute mushroom embeds, and dry-painted those with some “Cabin Fever” mica too!
For the main batch, and the design itself, I decided that this sudsy creation would feature four uneven layers in elegant and botanical-inspired colors. The layers would also have an eye-catching, gold mica line between each one. Using a bit of batch oils, I dispersed each soothing, spa-like mica color, which included “Magic Moments”, “Cabin Fever”, “Mimosa Yellow” and “Celadon Green” micas. This color scheme was the perfect accompaniment to the fresh and dainty aroma of “Botanical Bliss: fragrance oil!
Since this would be a layered design with lots of uneven texture, I blended my soap batter to a light-medium trace, then split the batch into four equal portions. Once finished with incorporating the mica colors into each one, I proceeded by stirring the calendula petals into the portions as well. Calendula petals are so soft and gentle on the skin, how much you choose to add to your soap recipes is entirely up to you. For me, and what I enjoy, a usage rate of 2 to 3TBS per pound of oils is excellent in cold process soap. You can add more or less, as desired, but for this batch, I employed a usage rate of 2TBS calendula petals per pound of oils.
Splitting my “Botanical Bliss” fragrance oil/kaolin clay slurry into four equal portions as well, I hand-stirred the fragrance oil into each portion, just before pouring it. The very first layer would be the one colored in “Cabin Fever” mica, and the fragrance oil performed beautifully for this task! Once poured, I allowed the layer to set up a little, then used the back of a spoon to create lots of pretty texture across the top. To finish the layer, I used a handy Glitter Spray Pump to add a healthy dusting of “Maya Gold” mica. This would create a subtle, yet elegant mica line, which I then sprayed with 91% rubbing alcohol to ensure my layers wouldn’t separate.
Finishing up the batch itself was as carefree and relaxing as “Botanical Bliss” fragrance oil smells! It was a simple process of just repeating what I had done previously. For the second layer, the portion colored in “Magic Moments” mica was poured, allowed to set up a little, textured, then dusted with more “Maya Gold” mica, followed by a spritzing of rubbing alcohol. “Mimosa Yellow” mica colored the third layer, and for the fourth, and final layer, “Celadon Green” completed the happy task! As you can see by the pictures, “Celadon Green” mica did turn a tad olive-toned in my fresh soap batter, but this is completely normal and nothing to worry about. Green micas can often temporarily morph in shade when first incorporated in soap batter, but as soon as saponification is complete, they’ll return to their original hues!
If you’d like to make this botanically blissful soap recipe at home, but would prefer to skip the soap frosting portion of this project, you can absolutely do that! Frosted top or no frosted top, this is a simple and fun soap design that looks beautiful any which way you slice it! You can leave the top of the batch as-is, with an eye-catching dusting of “Maya Gold” mica on top, or as a suggestion, you could also choose to mix “Maya Gold” mica with a bit of carrier oil to create a stunning mica drizzle on top. Any way you choose to complete this crafty creation, it’s going to look fabulous!
For me, I’m just a total sucker for piping the tops of my soap loaves, so continuing on, I blended up a batch of creamy soap frosting, colored it in “Winter White” mica, then piped the top with an ATECO #808 round piping tip. Once finished, I grabbed my Glitter Spray Pump filled with “Maya Gold” mica, and gave my soap frosting a light, yet whimsical dusting of golden shimmer!
Last, but certainly not least, was to get those super-cute decorative embeds placed on top and call it a day! Normally at this point, I place my batch under a towel-draped cardboard box to insulate overnight, but I did notice that this particular batch was getting HOT. I actually prefer that, as I absolutely love gelled soaps, but with melt & pour embeds placed on top, one must be mindful to not allow the batch to get too hot. To make sure my little flower and mushroom embeds wouldn’t get too warm and re-melt, I left the batch uninsulated. If you’re ever in a situation where you fear your batch may overheat, or you simply wish to prevent gel, you can always do as I did, and leave your batch uninsulated, or you can even pop the whole thing in the fridge to cool it down if you’d like.
It’s been three weeks since I made this batch of “Botanical Bliss” cold process soap, and I feel like it’s been the longest three weeks EVER! Admittedly, I’m not the most patient person! Patient with others, yes, but patient with sharing exciting news- ABSOLUTELY NOT! It was important that I wait to write this blog though, as I really wanted to see how “Botanical Bliss” fragrance oil would develop in my soaps as they cured. Ideally, waiting the full four weeks would’ve made more sense, but I couldn’t wait any longer, and with the aroma only progressively getting stronger, I felt that now was as good a time as any to share the results of this project!
As an extra bonus (For me at least!), this batch did gel, even when left uninsulated, but it did not overheat. From the get-go, “Botanical Bliss” fragrance oil was gorgeously aromatic, starting out fragrant and true from the very first bar that was cut! Now nearing the end of cure, this centering scent has actually become stronger to my nose! While the character of the fragrance still remains soft and botanically delicate, its potency is rich and aromatic! I am one happy soap maker when it comes to this batch, and this fragrance oil! It appears this fragrance really does shine in cold process soap with the help of some wonderful scent-anchoring additives!
When I was struggling and feeling so disheartened with my own soap batches not being as fragrant or long-lasting as I wanted them to be, another soap maker was there to guide me and share with me the successes that he had. Being so kind and helpful, he had no problems describing to me the methods, processes and ingredients that worked for him. I was, and still am, so grateful to that fellow crafter! He forever changed the way I make soap, as there isn’t a single batch I make where I don’t add a little (Or a little more!) kaolin clay. Even if a fragrance oil needs a little anchoring or not, it’s still a great additive to incorporate into one’s recipes! While I’ll probably never get the chance to properly thank this fellow crafter, my way of saying “thank you” is by passing along the knowledge he shared with me. My biggest hope is that another crafter will find this information helpful... Whether it’s 100 people or just one! Perhaps there is another soap maker out there who’s feeling just as discouraged now as I was back then. To that fellow crafter, I would say: Sometimes recognizing your better potential is as simple as leaning on a kind soul for a little guidance, and a little push in the right direction... Anchors away, my friend!
MAKE THIS RECIPE!
SOAP FROSTING RECIPE:
Hello my magnificent masters of suds! This week’s blog topic was inspired by a truly wonderful fellow soap maker who recently reached out to me in an email. The highest honor I’ve received since being given this awesome opportunity to write guest blogs for Nurture Soap is in the messages I’ve received! I’ve received emails of gratitude, messages from fellow crafters with excellent questions, and such sweet compliments which have left me feeling truly flattered and so thankful to be a part of this amazing crafting community! To every single crafter who has reached out to me, I want you to know that in every way, you brighten my days and are a true gift to me! Even when life get so busy that I’m not always able to reply as quickly as I wish I could, I value and appreciate you all so incredibly much... You keep me going and inspire me in so many ways!
In the email this very sweet crafter sent me, I was politely asked if I might offer help in formulating a soap recipe, or if I wouldn’t mind taking a look at a recipe this crafter had formulated herself. She was new to soap making and was hoping to formulate her own palm-free, vegan soap recipe. My very first question back was a kind inquiry as to the reason why this recipe needed to be both vegan and palm-free. Not that there is anything wrong with a recipe such as this by any stretch of the imagination (And in fact, the very soaps I sell myself are without animal by-products.), I just wanted to make sure that her desire to create a vegan, palm-free soap recipe wasn’t based upon guilt or shame. I firmly believe that no soap maker on the face of this planet should ever be made to feel shamed for the ingredients they choose to incorporate into their handmade soaps. Just as handmade soaps are as personal to the crafter as the craft is itself, so too are the ingredients in which we all freely choose to use and share with our friends, family and customers, by way of our incredible talent! What you use in your soap recipes is entirely your choice, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that... Your freedom of choice is a beautiful thing!
After corresponding with this fellow soap maker more, I came to know that she herself was vegan, and that by personal preference alone, she preferred to use recipes which were palm-free as well. Her biggest dilemma in formulating such a recipe though was that of cost and the properties of the soap itself. She went on to explain that every time she made an improvement to the formulation in one area, it meant a sacrifice in another. For example, every time she tried to improve the recipe’s conditioning properties, it always led to a sacrifice in hardness. When she tried to improve the recipe’s lather, its conditioning properties took a nosedive. She was stuck in what I like to call “SoapCalc hell”!
Indeed, I feel that a lot of new soap makers can become easily discouraged by SoapCalc, especially when it’s been drilled into the mind that the “perfect” soap recipe has an INS number of 160. To make it even more frustrating, there’s all these other numbers which pop up when you hit that “Calculate Recipe” button, and that can really make things feel a bit overwhelming! So, for the sake of simplifying things, let’s back up here for a moment and talk about that infamous INS number. “INS” stands for... Well, no one really knows with 100% certainty actually! If I had my way, “INS” would stand for “It’s Nothing to Sweat”, or “It’s Not a dealbreaker, Seriously!” I’ve made soap batches that have stayed within every recommended usage rate for the fats I incorporated into my recipe, and had perfect INS scores of 160 that I didn’t enjoy nearly as much as batches which pushed the boundaries, and had less-than-perfect INS numbers... Really! It all goes back to the fact that while SoapCalc is an absolutely wonderful tool and guide for soap makers, it most certainly isn’t the “soap making Bible”.
When I formulate recipes, I do so with a few factors in mind, which have far more importance to me than hitting that soapy “bullseye” of 160. Certainly, one of the biggest factors is cost (You can make a positively fantastic, outstandingly skin-loving bar of soap without breaking the bank on expensive butters and luxury oils!), and the other is my fatty acids. Far more important to me than that INS number down in the lower left of my computer screen are those numbers in the upper right. I’m talking about my saturated to unsaturated fats ratio. To be completely honest, I don’t pay much mind to my recipe’s INS number, I’m looking at my fatty acid profile. A recipe with a balanced saturated to unsaturated fats ratio makes for a wonderfully balanced bar of soap! If ever there were a proverbial “bullseye” to hit (Which there’s really not... The sky’s the limit when it comes to formulating recipes!), it would be in formulating a recipe which remains at, or very close to, a saturated to unsaturated fats ratio of 40:60.
But what did all this mean for my friend and fellow crafter looking for help in formulating a nice, balanced, skin-loving, palm-free, vegan soap recipe? Of course, I was incredibly honored that she’d reach out to me for help, and I was more than delighted to do just that, but there’s also this old proverb that I firmly believe in too! It goes something along the lines of, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. I didn’t just want to give this dear crafter a recipe she could use for a day, I wanted to explain to her exactly why I formulated the recipe the way I did so she could expand upon it, change it, improve it, and make it her own for a lifetime! To understand your fatty acids in soap making (And as such, understand the properties of your oils/fats/butters.) is to hold the key to always being able to easily formulate your best, most loved soap recipes!
So, what did this particular recipe look like? Let’s take a look! The palm-free, vegan soap recipe that I suggested to this kind crafter, based on the properties she desired most in her soaps (Hardness, conditioning and lather.) consisted of 40% olive oil, 30% coconut oil, 20% shea butter and 10% castor oil. I suggested a superfat of 5%, and a lye concentration of 33%. Let’s take a look at the “whys” of this recipe, and a quick glance at what, in general, makes fatty acids so special when formulating your own soap recipes!
In formulating a recipe that was both palm-free and vegan, I turned to shea butter! But why is this exactly? Well, butters are what are commonly referred to as “hard oils”. They’re the fats within your recipe which are typically solid at room temperature (Unless you live in Florida and your coconut oil is only solid for 2 months out of the whole year!). Just as this reference implies, hard oils, among other things, help to contribute to the hardness of your soap. This is especially helpful to know when it comes to making substitutions in your recipes. As a general guideline, hard oils are substituted with hard oils, and soft oils (Fats which are liquid at room temperature.) are substituted with soft oils. As the reference “soft oils” implies, these are fats which, among other things, generally contribute to the moisturizing/conditioning properties of a soap recipe. In a recipe such as the palm-free, vegan one we’ll be discussing here, without the addition of hard oils, such as lard, tallow, palm oil, etc., the result can be a rather softer bar of soap. Shea butter steps in to help increase some of the hardness lost due to not incorporating these certain fats. But why shea exactly? Well, butters can be a bit pricey, and some are just downright expensive! In the world of butters, shea butter is a much more affordable option, and it just so happens to be super skin-loving too!
Shea butter is cold-pressed from the seeds of the Karite tree and is wonderfully moisturizing! Like cocoa butter, shea butter doesn’t fully saponify... It can contain anywhere from 4% to 11% unsaponifiables (Components within the butter that cannot bond with a lye molecule to become soap.). Hence the reason for the recipe’s 5% superfat and 30% coconut oil. Many soap makers feel that recipes containing more than 25% coconut oil can be drying to the skin unless counteracted by an increase in superfat (Extra oils added to one’s recipe for the purpose of remaining “free floating” within the soap.). With the unsaponifiable components within the shea butter in this recipe, you can be rest assured it’ll help to keep the soap nice and conditioning! Shea butter really can and does go a long way in soap making... It doesn’t require much to enjoy the skin-loving benefits shea provides! A more commonly recommended usage rate for shea butter within a soap recipe falls typically within the 5% to 15% range. Regardless of more commonly used rates though, there’s really no maximum amount you can use in your recipes. One would simply need to remain aware of the properties shea butter imparts in soap, and the outcome it would produce at higher percentages. For example, shea butter won’t contribute much to abundant lather, but what it lacks in copious lather, it makes up for in its conditioning, moisturizing, emollient and humectant properties. For this particular recipe, this is where that 30% coconut oil and 10% castor oil come into play! The higher percentage of shea butter will produce a delightfully conditioning bar of soap, while the coconut and castor oils will help to increase and sustain lather which the shea butter may hinder. Soaps high in shea butter make awesome bars to use during the winter! 100% shea butter soaps are extremely conditioning, with more compact, low-lying lather similar to that of castile (100% olive oil) soap.
So far, we’ve got a palm-free, vegan soap recipe that is wonderfully conditioning, due to lots of shea butter, but how does one formulate a soap recipe that won’t break the bank, contains simple and accessible ingredients, and produces a balanced bar of soap? After all, conditioning is great, but most soap makers want to produce soaps which are nice and hard, cleansing to the skin, have beautiful, bubbly lather, and a lovely creaminess too. This is where understanding the properties of each oil within a recipe (And most importantly, fatty acids.), make their entrance! Within a recipe, you’ll find that your saturated fats, or “hard oils”, will be higher in lauric, myristic, palmitic and stearic acids. A recipe’s unsaturated fats, or “soft oils”, will be higher in ricinoleic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids. Let’s take a look at each one of these, and the roles they play within soap recipes!
Lauric Acid is a saturated fatty acid. What does it do for soap? Well, it contributes to hardness, cleansing and lather. The coconut oil in our recipe is high in lauric acid. Too much lauric acid can be drying, but this can be counteracted by reducing the percentage of coconut oil, increasing the recipe’s superfat, or balancing it with other fatty acids known for their moisturizing capabilities.
Myristic Acid is a saturated fatty acid. It also contributes to bar hardness, cleansing and lather. Again, the coconut oil in our recipe contributes to the myristic acid content, but a good replacement for it can be found in Babassu oil, which also contains a good amount of myristic acid.
Palmitic Acid is a saturated fatty acid which contributes to hardness, creaminess and a stable lather. Palm oil, lard, tallow and cocoa butter are all high in palmitic acid. A palm-free, vegan recipe, such as this, will be considerably lower in palmitic acid, especially since we haven’t included any cocoa butter. That’s absolutely okay though... Palmitic acid can range anywhere from 4%, all the way up to 20% and yield a great bar of soap!
Stearic Acid is yet another saturated fatty acid which contributes to hardness and a nice, stable lather. Butters are high in stearic acid, and we’ll find a high amount of it in this recipe from the shea butter. Again, you’ll find many palm-free, vegan recipes to be higher in stearic acid and lower in palmitic acid. A recipe with as little as 3% stearic acid, all the way up to 15% stearic acid, will still yield a great bar of soap! In fact, a high stearic acid content will help make up for the lower palmitic acid content found within many palm-free, vegan recipes.
Ricinoleic Acid is an unsaturated fatty acid which offers conditioning, moisturizing, and lather-stability properties to a soap recipe. The only oil that’s readily available to most soap makers which you’ll find to be high in ricinoleic acid is castor oil. Ricinoleic acid seems to be one of great personal preference, as how much castor oil one incorporates into a recipe directly affects the ricinoleic acid content. Many soap makers prefer to keep their usage rate of castor oil at, or below, 5%. On a personal level, I absolutely love recipes with lots of castor oil, and it shows in this particular recipe’s high ricinoleic acid content of 9%.
Oleic Acid is an unsaturated fatty acid which conditions and moisturizes. It’s no surprise that that’s where the olive oil in this recipe comes into play! Of course, you’ll also find high amounts of oleic acid in high oleic sunflower and canola oils. This is why these popular soap making oils make great substitutes for some, or all, of the olive oil within a recipe.
Linoleic Acid is an unsaturated fatty acid which conditions and moisturizes, as well as adds a silky-soft lather. Oils considerably high in linoleic acid tend to have short shelf lives, and are usually referred to as “luxury oils”. Evening primrose oil, hemp seed oil, carrot seed oil and rosehip seed oil, etc., are all high in linoleic acid. The short shelf life of oils high in linolenic acid is precisely why many seasoned soap makers prefer to keep the sum of their linoleic and linolenic acids within their recipes below 15%. Many soap makers believe that a sum higher than 15% significantly increases the likelihood of one’s soaps developing “DOS”, or “Dreaded Orange Spots”. DOS most commonly occurs when “free floating oils within a bar of soap go rancid and develop small, visible, orange spots. In this particular recipe, the sum of the linoleic and linolenic acids is 7%.
Linolenic Acid is an unsaturated fatty acid. It contributes to moisturizing and conditioning properties. Again, you’ll find many luxury oils to be high in linolenic acid, but it’s also present in small amounts in more well-known, commonly-used oils too, such as rice bran oil, sunflower oil and olive oil.
The properties of these fatty acids are exactly why I formulated this palm-free, vegan recipe the way I did. Based on affordable, skin-loving oils/fats, and the fatty acid profile of each one in consideration of the properties desired in the finished soap, I was honored to help a fellow soap maker begin her own formulating journey! Here’s what this recipe looks like when plugged into SoapCalc:
Remember, when plugging your own formulations into SoapCalc, don’t worry if your recipes fall short of that “magical” INS number of 160. Take you fatty acid ratios and profiles to heart more, and you’ll always end up with recipes that you love... That’s what matters most! This is a great recipe which makes for a fantastic soap frosting recipe too, but it’s also very customizable! Please feel free to enjoy it in your own soap making adventures, or tailor it to make it uniquely yours! Beyond lye safety, there are no “rules” in soap making, only guidelines and recommendations.
I apologize for this week’s blog being all talk and no creativity... I really do live for the opportunity of being able to show you, my fellow, amazing crafters, all the wonderful things that can be created using Nurture Soap’s phenomenal products! It’s just that when a kindred soap maker came to me for advice and help, not only was I happy to do so, I was also incredibly honored! Getting to know this fellow crafter was an absolute pleasure (And I hope she’s reading this now so she knows just how grateful I am for her inspiration!). This experience reminded me of a lesson I wanted to share as well: The answers to your questions are always out there- somewhere. Be it through the help of social media groups dedicated to helping new soap makers to grow, an informative online article or blog (Hopefully this one included!), or even newfound friends with shared interests; the answers are usually just around the corner, waiting for the questions to be asked! My biggest hope for all crafters though, whether your talents are completely new to you, or you’ve been improving them for years, is that when you do ask questions, the answers are always easy to find and even easier to put into practice... Not because someone handed you a fish though, but because someone amazing took you under their wing and taught you how to fish! So many of my fellow soap-aholics did that very same thing for me, and I will always be so eternally grateful to them! To them, and all of you, you know who you are... THANK YOU!!
]]>Back in February, I wrote a guest blog entitled, “United we Stand. Divided we Swirl”. In that blog, I shared how to use a simple mold divider cut from cardboard to create a two-toned batch of soap. It was swirled with pretty purples and earthy greens, then scented in Nurture Soap’s superbly herbal “Lavender & Sage” fragrance oil! Within that blog I had expressed my desire to one day own real mold dividers, and even mentioned the idea of revisiting the topic when I did. As a soap maker on a budget, if there’s a tool I’d like to use in a soapy project that I can make myself, that’s normally what I do! I firmly believe this wonderful craft can be tailored to fit any budget, and anyone who wants to make soap absolutely can!
As a long-term user of handmade dividers though, I really wanted to treat myself to one of Nurture Soap’s mold dividers, so eventually, I did! I was curious to see how my new mold divider (made specifically to fit Nurture Soap’s 2.5LB loaf molds) compared to my handmade, cardboard counterparts, and admittedly, the advantages and ease of use blew me away! The sheer amount of design possibilities available to me (and how much easier they were to execute!) had me regretting that I hadn’t treated myself to this incredibly handy tool so much sooner! In full honesty, I can sincerely say that Nurture Soap’s mold divider was worth every penny, and it’s been no comparison for me... I LOVE it!
Please know though that in no way, shape, or form do I say these things to make anyone feel as if they’re lacking, “missing out”, or need to buy a mold divider too. Your purchasing decisions are 100% personal and completely unique to you. If you’ve never had the need or desire to purchase a mold divider, that’s absolutely A-Okay! If you’re perfectly happy making your own mold dividers, that’s wonderful too! For my personal soap making wants and needs, it just worked out better for me to “upgrade” to one of Nurture Soap’s mold dividers. I will say that if you’ve been genuinely interested in purchasing one, I really think you’ll love it; and if you already have one, I truly hope you’ve had just as much fun using it in your soap making designs as I have with mine!
There are so many reasons why I love Nurture Soap’s mold divider, and so many different ways to use it, but one of my most favorite things is how easy it is to customize! With a single divider, I have the option of dividing my mold into 2, 3 or 4 different sections! For this specific blog post, I wanted to share a design technique I’ve had stuck in my head for weeks! This batch was my first time actually attempting it, and although I have some improvements I’d like to make the next time I attempt this technique, I’m still very pleased with the results of this soapy “first draft”!
It’s a technique I’ve dubbed “The Whirl Swirl”, and for this specific design, I’ll be using Nurture Soap’s mold divider to divide the batch into four sections. Please feel free to give this design a try (and learn from my mistakes!) in your own soap making adventures at home! The mold divider makes this design super easy to execute, but it certainly isn’t a deal breaker if you don’t have one. Handmade mold dividers will do the job just fine too; you just might need to borrow an extra hand if doing so, so that someone can help keep your dividers steady while you pour the soap. At the end of the day though, isn’t that what husbands, wives, roommates, friends or teenage children are for anyway?!
Because this was the first attempt of a design technique I’d never tried before, I wanted to keep things going as smoothly as possible so there wouldn’t be too many hidden surprises along the way. A fragrance oil I loved, had worked with before, and knew would behave like a perfect angel in cold process soap was an ideal choice. Lucky for me, Nurture Soap carries many fragrances which preform wonderfully in soap, and as I got to sniffing my collection of fantastic fragrances, my nose stopped at an absolute classic! You know a fragrance oil is downright amazing when the moment you pour it from the bottle, it fills your whole world with the most addictively uplifting aroma, and no matter how many times you’ve smelled it before, you never, ever, ever grow tired of it! That fragrance oil, my crafty friends, is none other than Nurture Soap’s “Awaken” fragrance oil! Many suppliers carry this duplication fragrance, but it’s this soap maker’s sincerest opinion that only one carries the ABSOLUTE BEST version of it!
My first goal in seeing this project through to the end was to get some melt and pour soap embeds made, which would decorate soap frosting I’d pipe onto the very top of the loaf (This step being optional, of course!). To my nose “Awaken” fragrance oil is one of the happiest scents on earth! It’s cheerful, bright and deliciously fresh, carrying more dominate notes of citrusy-herbal lemongrass, with enlivening hints of juicy-crisp lime! Grassy, garden-inspired embeds would be the perfect visual accompaniments to the authentic “vibe” of this fragrance, but I really didn’t have anything like that. What I did have though was an embed mold of fruits and veggies, and an overactive imagination! I made one set of embeds in the shape of carrots, and colored those in Nurture Soap’s deeply lush “Jade Green” mica. The second set of embeds were made in the shape of pineapples, and for those, I used the lighthearted shade of “Hello Spring!” mica. For the third, and final, set of embeds, I used Nurture Soap’s all-time-classic “Lime Appeal” mica to make little soaps in the shape of onions.
But what the heck does carrots, pineapples and onions have to do with “Awaken” fragrance oil? In all truthfulness, absolutely nothing! BUT... Their leafy, grass-shaped tops sure played well into the theme of the aroma! And so, once I had completed my embed-making, I took a smooth-edged knife and cut the tops off each embed variety! And there it was... A green, grassy, herb garden collection of embeds, perfect for complimenting the revitalizing scent of “Awaken” fragrance oil!
Since the main batch of soap would feature 4 divided sections, deciding on the perfect color-combo for the project was a leafy breeze! Once again, I’d include our lovely greens (“Jade Green”, “Hello Spring!” and “Lime Appeal” micas), but add a complimenting shade of yellow too, to give those gorgeous greens a touch of eye-catching “POP”! A bright, happy yellow seemed just right, so of course, I simply had to include some “Rise and Shine’ mica too!
I know I’ve mentioned it before in previous blogs, but I feel it bears repeating, especially if you’re new to soap making. It’s one of those situations where if you’re not prepared for it, the first time it happens, it can come as quite a shock! What I’m referring to is that very common, very natural occurrence of green and yellow micas temporarily changing color, or “morphing”, when first incorporated into fresh soap batter. This certainly doesn’t occur with every green and yellow mica, but if it happens in your own cold process soap recipe, there’s no need for alarm, I promise! Some green and yellow micas just have a tendency to temporarily morph, either in shade or color, when first added to raw soap batter, but the key word to remember here is “temporarily”. When first incorporated into soap batter, some green micas can take on more of an olive tone, or pea-green shade, while some yellow micas (usually the softer shades), can turn orange.
Whether you’ve been making soap for 20 days or 20 years, soap making will always find new and clever ways to keep you on your toes... Temporary color changes are just one of those many ways! As soon as saponification is complete (That fascinating process when a lye molecule bonds to a fat molecule and undergoes a complete molecular change! The lye is no longer lye, and the fat is no longer fat...Together they bond and become soap!), your beautiful green and/or yellow micas will return to their original and true colors... Scouts honor!
As I proceeded to get my own batch of soap underway, it was time to get it poured into each divided section. It’s easier if you use a bowl or cup that you can pinch while you’re pouring, or a soap pitcher with a long, narrow spout. Try to stay within the “lanes” of the mold divider as much as possible when pouring your soap, but at the same time, don’t sweat the small stuff either. If you get a little dribble of soap batter in the wrong divided section of the loaf, that’s no biggie at all! We’ll using a hanger tool to swirl the colors together anyway!
Once you’ve filled each divided section of the mold with as much soap batter as it can possibly fit, go ahead and carefully remove each divider, and the divider end-pieces, by steadily pulling them straight up and out, one at a time. At this point, I like to take a spatula and scape any excess soap off my divider pieces and back into the mold so that none of that precious soap batter goes to waste. Once you’ve removed all the divider pieces, you’ll notice your soap batter will go down in volume within the mold. This is a great opportunity to spoon remaining soap batter on top of the loaf. Use each section of soap as a guide for where to pour or spoon your remaining soap batter.
I got the idea in my head for a round, “whirlpool-type” swirl within a batch of soap, and have been itching to give it a try! I was curious to see if what I was picturing in my mind could be clearly seen once the bars were cut. The actual movement of the hanger tool is quite simple actually! Starting in the very center of the mold, I began by making the smallest of loops, then continued to increase the size of each loop as I went around and around with my hanger tool. Once my hanger tool reached the bottom of the mold, I moved the tool over to the side of my mold, then pulled it straight up and out. But was it really going to work? There was only one way to find out! Although my drawing skills are pretty rudimentary, here’s a diagram of “The Whirl Swirl”, which shows the movement of the hanger tool through the soap:
As soon as I completed my so-called “Whirl Swirl”, I grabbed my trusty spatula and scraped every last bit of soap remaining in each cup, then dabbled it across the top of the loaf. This was my first little “mistake”. Although I’m a total sucker for swirling the tops of my soap batches when I’m all finished (There’s something oddly relaxing about using a bamboo skewer to make swirls across the top of soap!), the next time I attempt this design, I’ll add every last drop of soap to my mold before completing the hanger swirl. That way, every bit of soap has a chance to get swirled into the actual design itself. In either case, the top of the batch still looked pretty to me, but it was time to move on to piping the top of the loaf!
For the soap frosting portion of this project, I had it in my mind from the very beginning that I wanted the top of this soap to be super-bright yellow. Of course, the brightest yellow known to humankind is, without a doubt, Nurture Soap’s exclusive ‘Full Throttle” mica pigment! Now, normally, for the sake of time (I’m not known for being able to sum things up in a few, short sentences. Character-limits and I are mortal enemies!), I usually skip over the “nitty gritty” of the soap frosting portion of my projects and jump straight to sharing a picture of what the soap looks like once the piping is complete, the embeds are placed, and it’s time to put the batch to bed for the night.
This time however, there was NO WAY I wasn’t going to share this picture! Normally with yellow micas, I bump my usage rate up just a little, especially if I’m going for a brighter, more intense shade of yellow, but “Full Throttle” mica pigment at 1tsp per pound of oils in my soap frosting recipe had me looking for my jaw after it hit the floor! The sheer intensity of this color is simply unbelievable! I was in total awe, and after snapping this picture, I decided to only lightly dust the top of the soap frosting with some eco-friendly shimmer. Using a pinch of “Gold Enigma” mica, I applied just enough to bring out a bit of sheen and accentuate the yellow awesomeness that is “Full Throttle” mica pigment! Other than that, this color truly needed nothing more to be absolutely amazing!
As soon as I’d gathered my wits about me again, I went ahead and placed each makeshift, garden-inspired embed on top of the batch and called it a day! It was time to get the batch insulated for the night, then impatiently wait until it was ready to be unmolded and cut. If something even remotely resembled a swirly whirlpool once the batch was cut, I’d be happy with that!
Now I must admit the second mistake I made when creating this soap design. I’m really excited to take these little “oopses” and make improvements with the next batch I make though! And, of course, if sharing my mistakes helps my fellow crafters have the best experiences possible while creating this design as well, it makes it all the more worth it! As many of you may already know, “Awaken” fragrance oil behaves exceptionally well in cold process soap. It behaves so well in fact, it actually decelerates trace in my own soap recipes! Normally, this is a soap maker’s dream-come-true, since a decelerating fragrance oil means plenty of time for multiple colors, intricate designs, and easy-breezy soap making. However, I looked at this deceleration as something to worry about.
Because I’d never attempted this technique before (Well, beyond having it play on repeat inside my head!), I worried about my colors becoming mottled if the batter was too thin, but in all actuality, I should’ve known better. Instead, I over-complicated things, and decided to blend each soap portion to a thicker trace before pouring it. It wasn’t until I cut the loaf that I realized this particular design actually needs to be poured at a very fluid trace. When I cut the loaf into bars, I was thrilled to discover I really could see a “whirly” design in each bar, but because I had poured and swirled the batch at a slightly more medium trace, I didn’t get swirls throughout the entirety of each bar. The different colors didn’t swirl into one another as I had hoped they would because the batter was just too thick. For this particular design, you really do want to work at a very thin, fluid trace so that all the colors swirl in-between each other in a circular pattern that includes the entire bar of soap.
In any regard, for a first attempt, I’m very pleased with the results and feel excited to give it another shot (or rather, another “whirl”)! If you’d like to try this swirly-whirly design in your own crafty creations at home, my best advice would be to get every last drop of soap into your mold before swirling the batch with the hanger tool, and keep the soap batter very fluid while you work. If you don’t quite end up achieving exactly what you had in mind though, don’t give up! Just take a few rejuvenating sniffs of “Awaken” fragrance oil and give it another try... You’ve got this!
SOAP RECIPE (SLOW-TO-TRACE):
FROSTING RECIPE (AMBER’S FAVORITE!):
I really and truly feel that I was born to be a soap maker! To some, that may not sound like the noblest of dreams or ambitions, but admittedly, I’ve always been a deep thinker; fascinated by science, nature and the world around me, yet supremely content with the simple pleasures in life! I’ve never had dreams of fame, fortune, grandeur or luxury. My version of luxury is curling up on the couch under a cozy blanket while getting thoroughly lost in a good book, or treating myself to the occasional bath bomb. My version of fortune is feeling grateful for all the things I’m fortunate to have: A safe, comfortable roof over my head; good, healthy food in my belly, a soft place to lay my head at night and the love of family! My version of fame is how special and amazing it feels to be the mom of the world’s most awesome boys! In the smallest acts of transforming into a ruthless sniper during a “Nerf War”, becoming a master architect by designing a living room fort, or by tripping over furniture while playing our version of “Indoor Marko Polo Hide & Seek”, my boys make me feel like a Rockstar every single day!
These things have always been enough for me, and are a big part of why I feel artistic soap making runs through my veins! The sheer joy and happiness I find in life’s simple pleasures extends far into soap making too! Creating something beautiful and useful with my own two hands positively fascinates me! Utilizing my imagination to change an intangible thought into a tangible thing feels like pure magic! A color, or combination of them, can immediately ignite inspiration in me, and different fragrances take me on aromatic journeys inside my mind. With a single sniff of a lovely aroma, I can be instantly transported to a rocky shoreline on a stormy, chilly November morning; go on a stroll through a quiet meadow on a warm, spring afternoon; or lie in the cool, damp grass as I look up into the night sky and gaze into the cosmos!
I’ve always felt so content and complete with the feelings these simple joys bring me, I thought it would be fun to make this week’s guest blog more of an invitation to my fellow soap artists! I'll explain... About a year ago we took a family trip to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, and while there, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meander through a busy marketplace to ogle all the beautiful handmade goods! I really wasn’t planning on buying anything, and I think I politely said, “stoy solo mirando” (“I’m just looking”) about a dozen times within the first 10 minutes of being there! However, something about this particular woman’s collection of handmade purses had me drawn in like a magnet!
Each little purse was intricately and uniquely different, but one in particular simply needed to come home with me! Its colors were mesmerizing, and I didn’t even bother to haggle the price down, as many tourists often do; it was well worth the asking price to me! Since then, I’ve stared at that little purse and have pondered making a batch of soap that shared its precise color scheme. For this specific soap project, I decided to do just that! But here’s where I present a fun “challenge” to you, my fellow soap makers! Because I truly feel that artistic inspiration can be found anywhere, and in anything, I’d like to extend a soapy invitation!
The very next batch of soap you make, begin by looking around your home, your yard, or even your neighborhood. Find one object or item which inspires you. Then, using Nurture Soap’s stellar micas and/or pigments, design your batch of soap to match that object or item as closely as possible! With great soap comes great responsibility though! Should you choose to accept this mission, I WANT TO SEE IT!! On Facebook and/or Instagram, share a picture of your gorgeous, soapy creation, along with the item or object you chose to match it with. If posting on Instagram, don’t forget to tag Nurture Soap @nurturesoap (and me too @squirrelandscholar !), or share it on Nurture Soap’s Facebook group page: “Nurture Soap – For the Love of Soap”! Make sure to include which micas and/or pigments you used so that others can be inspired by your artistry too!
Inspiration is incredibly infectious, so I’d be honored if you came along with me as I create a batch of soap based off my own inspiration! Of course, you’re always more than welcome to use or re-create these colors and/or design in your own soap making adventures if you’d like, and I’m happy to share the recipe I used as well! Now, without further ado, let’s get to soap making while re-creating the colors of my favorite purse in a batch of cold process soap!
Making an awesome-colored batch of soap requires an equally awesome fragrance oil to go with it! Admittedly, before even beginning my “color challenge”, I already had the precise fragrance oil in mind that I wanted to grace this batch of soap with! With such striking colors, Nurture Soap’s sensationally mouthwatering “Avalon” fragrance oil seemed a perfect fit! To my nose, the scent is predominately one of the freshest, juiciest, most crisp apple aromas I’ve ever smelled, but with a delightful twist that gives it a delicious burst of dimension and character! Comprised of glistening top notes of citrus, a fragrant heart of apple, sugar and violet, and an exquisite foundation of peach and musk, “Avalon” fragrance oil doesn’t just smell absolutely sensational, it’s a soap maker’s dream-fragrance too! In my recipe, it actually thins trace, allowing for all sorts of colors and intricate swirls! It doesn’t rice, separate, discolor or morph in scent, and the aroma sticks like superglue in cold process!
It was fully settled in my mind that “Avalon” fragrance oil was the best scent-choice for this project, and because it’s such a fun and easy-going oil, I wanted to make this batch a “high-top” one as well, complete with soap frosting and melt & pour soap embeds adorning the top! Definitely keep in mind though that if you’d like to accept my invitation to create a batch of soap based off of your own in-home color inspiration, or would simply like to re-create this design as well, there is absolutely no obligation to add soap frosting to the top of your own batch of soap if you’d prefer not to. As I always say (because it’s true!), soap frosting is not a requirement for creating sensational batches of handmade soap!
For me and my own soapy shenanigans though, I decided to try my hand at matching up melt & pour embeds to some of the colors I saw in my purse, as well as accentuate the apple-awesomeness of “Avalon” fragrance oil! Embeds in the shape of clovers and apples is what I was aiming for, so for my apple embeds, no other color was more perfect than “Trial by Fire” mica pigment! For half of my clover embeds, I used the always eye-catching “Synergy” mica, and for the remaining half, I created a blend. I wanted to get a super-deep, intense shade of emerald just right, and with a little mixing, I was able to accomplish that by combining “Emerald Green” and “Savage Garden” micas at equal parts. With the embeds complete and looking pretty darn spot-on, I was feeling a little more confident about the rest of the project!
From what I could see in the purse I was hoping to “color-copycat”, I needed 5 different colors to create this specific color scheme. Since Nurture Soap carries such a vast variety of stunning soap colorants, I was happily surprised by how easy it was to match most of the colors up with their mica equivalents! For the ones which presented a little more of a challenge, I discovered Nurture Soap’s Color Blender to be incredibly helpful! If you ever find yourself in a color-blending pickle, Nurture Soap has got your back! Simply select the micas you wish to blend, and the Color Blender will do the rest, showing you the results of your chosen blend in 5 different ratios! The Color Blender also offers helpful blending tips, and if you really want to step up your mica-blending game, check out Nurture Soap’s Mica Blender Mixing Tool! This handy, little gadget allows you to evenly and thoroughly mix small amounts of dry mica so that you can effectively create your very own custom-color blends with precision and ease!
After using Nurture Soap’s Color Blender as a guide for my project’s slightly more challenging colors, I felt confident I had chosen the right ones to accurately represent the colors I saw in my “muse” (AKA: my purse)! Those fabulous micas included: “Honey Blush”, “Synergy”, 2 parts “Winter White” mixed with 1 part “Siren’s Song”, “Trial by Fire”, and 1 part “Emerald Green” mixed with 1 part “Savage Garden”. I dispersed each mica and mica blend in a bit of batch oils, then set them aside as I proceeded to get the rest of the batch prepared and cooled down to around 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
From here, it was smooth, soapy, sailing, as I split my soap batter into 5 different portions. The main color of the purse I was re-creating in my soap’s color scheme and design was a super-pigmented, vibrantly-bold shade of red, so I poured off a bit more soap batter for the portion I’d be incorporating “Trial by Fire” mica pigment into. Once all 5 portions of soap were looking fantastic in their respective colors, with “Avalon” fragrance oil distributed amongst them, it was time to start pouring!
For the actual design of the project, I chose to do my favorite design technique! “Avalon” fragrance oi behaves so exceptionally well in cold process soap, pouring a down-the-middle tiger-swirl, followed up with a hanger-swirl was a piece of cake! The soap batter remained so fluid and workable from beginning to end, when I finished pouring the batch, I still had plenty of time to create some pretty swirls on top too, simply for the pure enjoyment of it! So far, things were looking great, but I was positively itching to find out if I had indeed gotten each color right!
The last order of business was to whip up a batch of soap frosting, complete piping the loaf, then place each decorative embed on the very top of the soap frosting. Of course, I’m nothing without a bit of magical shimmer dusted on top as well, so I reached for one of my absolute most favorite Enviroglitters of all time! Nurture Soap’s “Shamrock Gold” Enviroglitter was the perfect finishing touch! Now all that remained was to wait and see! Hopefully the cut would reveal a batch of soap that looked somewhat similar in its color scheme to the colors I saw in my purse!
It was about 12 hours later when the suspense was killing me so much, I just couldn’t wait any longer... It was time to get the batch cut and find out what color-surprises lay in store for me! For the actual cutting of the loaf, I purposely left my purse (the project’s inspiration and muse) in my bedroom so that I wouldn’t be able to make any close-up, side-by-side comparisons until every bar was cut and ready to be scrutinized. In and of themselves, the actual design, and combination of colors, within the bars looked really cool, and so far, I was super pleased with the results! But how would the soaps compare when placed directly beside the purse? Did I ace a perfect color-match? Was I at least close? Did I miss the mark entirely? There was only one way to find out!
It’s extremely possible I experienced a case of mica-matching beginner’s luck with this particular batch... Especially since it’s the first time I can recall attempting to match up my batch colors with an actual physical object (I love looking up color palettes online though)! While I felt pretty confident that I had at least gotten close to my goal, not once did I imagine I’d get this close! Seeing the bars of soap right next to the colors of my purse, I was positively thrilled with the results, and how exceptionally bold, rich and vibrant the micas looked in the soap! I felt like a kid all over again, searching for Waldo in an endless sea of characters also donning red and white stripes!
The different sources of inspiration available to us all are as amazing as they are countless! One of the absolute best things about inspiration is that it knows no distance! Inspiration can be found and felt as far away as the other side of our planet, or as distant as the stars in the Milky Way! Fortunately, you don’t have to be a world traveler or an astronaut to find it; it’s easily accessible with the tap of a button, or the click of a mouse! The same is true for how incredibly close by inspiration can be found as well ... In fact, it could be right under your nose, just waiting to be noticed or discovered! It could be as simple as the tiles on your kitchen floor, a favorite sweater or scarf, even a pretty flower that captures your attention on the way out to the mailbox! Earlier today, I even found the inspiration for my next soap project, and it just so happened to be during a family outing this afternoon! Bird of Paradise flowers in full, glorious, bloom and bright, colorful, display made my heart skip a beat the moment they caught my eye! Feel free to use this picture I took for your own source of inspiration too, if you’d like!
Out of all the subjects and themes I’ve had the immense honor of contributing to Nurture Soap’s blog, I think inspiration, in one aspect or another, has been my most written-about topic of all. This is no accident! When it comes to doing those things which you’re most passionate about and love doing with your whole heart, finding and feeling renewed inspiration is so important! Inspiration is the fire which continuously fuels your artistic journey! For me, It’s the secret ingredient in every batch of soap I make! Please join me on this fun and colorful quest for home-grown inspiration! Fully embrace any object or item in, around, or near your home which brings you joy and sparks imagination, then make a batch of soap to match it! Share your soapy inspiration with as many fellow crafters as you possibly can, then watch that inspiration spread like wildfire! I can’t wait to see what you create!
MAKE THIS RECIPE:
SOAP FROSTING:
Greetings crafty friends! If you’ve read any of my previous guest blogs, it’s very likely you’ve noticed a common theme… I LOVE making soaps with soap frosting on top (or “high-top” soaps, as they’re commonly called)! While I’ve always advocated (and always will!) that it doesn’t take a batch of soap with a big, frosted top to create magnificent works of soapy art; for me, it’s my personal way of continuing the artistic fun! Making a high-top batch of soap is like going to the carnival or county fair; re-living childhood all over again! It’s that moment at the end of a long, hot, summer day, when your fingers have developed a permanent, sticky layer over them from all the kettle corn and cotton candy you’ve eaten, and your poor, exhausted parents tell you it’s time to go home. Hopped up on sugar and childhood charm, you’re able to somehow talk them into just one more ride! That’s high-top soap making for me! I enjoy the artistry of cold process soap making so much, a high-top design is that “last ride” for me! It’s my way of continuing, and building upon, the creative fun for just a little while longer!
I remember the precise moment when I first became interested in turning my soapy creations into high-top designs... It was about 3 years ago, and per my usual, I was browsing YouTube (AKA: Google for soap makers!) for some new soap making inspiration. I came across a video of a fellow soap maker creating a big, beautiful, decorative top with soap frosting, and as I watched this video, the very first thought that came to my mind was, “There’s NO WAY I’ll ever be able to do that!”. Because I doubted myself, but my curiosity was piqued, I decided to order a couple bars from this talented soap maker instead. When they arrived, my very first reaction was that of amused laughter! Showing the soaps to my husband, I exclaimed, “These are quite possibly the silliest, most unnecessary bars of soap I’ve ever seen... And I love it!”. I looked forward to my next shower with childlike excitement, and when I used a bar for the very first time, I can honestly say that it was a fun and skin-loving experience! The soap did its job, cleaning my skin as any great bar of soap should, but using It was truly enjoyable too! Something about lathering up with that big bar of artistically-designed soap made me feel happy!
That was the very first moment when I realized there was absolutely nothing wrong with combining the necessary with the unnecessary; marrying the practical with the impractical, and embracing a bit of the excessive! Soap could be functional and beautifully “silly”; skin-loving and fun; wholesome and purposeful, yet wonderfully imaginative too; a multi-sensory experience I could share with others! If I had felt such lighthearted joy from an everyday item, such as soap, and had been delightfully amused and entertained during what was normally the mundane task of showering, just imagine the myriad of ways I could share that experience! And so, I set out to try what I had initially told myself I could never do, and my artistic love affair with soap frosting began!
If you’ve never made soap frosting before, and would like to begin the incredibly addictive journey of piping the tops of your own soap batches, I highly recommend reading “The Total Guide to Soap Frosting!!!”, found right here on Nurture Soap’s website! In this blog post, I delve, step-by-step, into the process of making soap frosting, and using it to create big, soap-frosted tops! The blog includes instructions, tips, and tricks which have helped me in my own soap frosting creations, and includes some of my favorite recipes too (I still firmly believe that any cold process soap recipe can be used to make a great batch of soap frosting though)! While I’ll always love these recipes, and recommend them to anyone who might want to utilize a specific one in their own soap making adventures at home, for me, the process of soap artistry and soap making is an ever changing one! I’m always striving to refine my skills, expand my knowledge, and improve in any way I can!
In this ever-changing, ever-improving creative process, I really wanted to formulate a soap frosting recipe that could be universally used and enjoyed. While I reserved different soap frosting recipes for different projects, I began daydreaming about a soap frosting recipe that “had it all”. While the answer may be different for each individual soap maker, I asked myself, “What makes a great soap frosting recipe?”. As I scribbled down the answers to this question, my hand couldn’t keep up with all the thoughts flowing from my mind! When I was finished writing, I had 5 main qualities that I wanted the “perfect” soap frosting recipe to have. Here are those 5 qualities, and what I wanted most in a great soap frosting recipe:
For about 6 weeks I tweaked and tested recipe after recipe; then tweaked and tested some more in an attempt to formulate and create my own, so-called “perfect” soap frosting recipe. For a moment there, I began to doubt if I could really and truly “have it all” in a single formulation. That is, until I made a leap of faith and tried something that had been under my nose the whole time! Every time I tested a new recipe, I’d get discouraged because it just wasn’t creamy enough! My heart cried out, “More creaminess, please!”, and after multiple test batches, I finally found my answer... RSPO Palm Shortening!
So, what exactly is RSPO palm shortening? Well, palm shortening (also known as “no-stir palm”) is palm oil which has had some of its unsaturated fats removed to create a more “fatty-stable” product. This results in the oil having a thick, creamy, buttery-like texture. Because palm shortening has a more stable fatty acid profile, it’s not necessary for the entire product to be melted down and stirred prior to incorporating it into your recipe, such as is the case with traditional palm oil. With palm shortening, you can just scoop out the amount your recipe calls for, and add it directly to your other batch oils (hence its nickname: “no-stir palm”). When entering recipes which contain palm shortening into a lye calculator, you’d simply input it as “palm oil” since the SAP value (or saponification value) of palm shortening is the same as traditional palm oil.
My best piece of advice when it comes to purchasing RSPO palm shortening is to purchase it from a reputable supplier, preferably one focused on selling products for soap making specifically. Some retailers of palm shortening (especially those focused on the food/baking industry) advertise their palm shortening as containing 100% palm oil, but when you take a closer look at the product’s SDS (Safety Data Sheet) documentation, it’s not unheard of to find other ingredients within it; most specifically, cottonseed oil. Now, cottonseed oil is a perfectly safe ingredient to incorporate into a soap recipe, but when present within a palm shortening blend, it’s virtually impossible to know how to account for it when trying to determine one’s superfat. Also, many soap makers actually prefer to avoid cottonseed oil in their soap recipes, as it’s known to be a bit more prone to developing DOS, or “Dreaded Orange Spots” within cured soap. Furthermore, many suppliers, retailers and/or wholesalers of palm shortening aimed specifically toward the food/baking industry can’t account for the product being RSPO certified, which stands for The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.
A reputable soap making supplier who sells and advertises palm shortening as being 100% palm oil will provide a product which contains nothing but palm oil. They’ll also be able to provide the proper SDS documentation to back this claim up! The world doesn’t have a palm problem, it has a people (industry) problem, so purchasing palm shortening which is RSPO certified, sustainably and ethically grown, harvested and manufactured is something I highly recommend. The more consumers only purchase and demand palm oil which is RSPO compliant, following sustainable and ethical growing and manufacturing practices, the more “big industry” will take notice. As consumers, we’ve done it before when we spoke up and demanded cruelty-free products. We can do it again with the palm oil industry! That logo of bunny ears you now see on countless beauty products, confirming the item and/or company is cruelty-free and against animal testing; we as consumers collectively made that happen! We made it happen when we refused to purchase products that didn’t meet those standards and practices, so don’t feel like you don’t have a voice- you absolutely do! A reputable retailer of RSPO Certified palm oil or palm shortening will have no problems supplying you with manufacturer proof of RSPO compliance, so feel free to politely request this information if it’s important to you too!
It was this not-so-secret, “secret” ingredient that bumped up the creaminess factor of my soap frosting recipe exponentially, and created a formulation which, when combined with my other batch oils, made for the absolute best soap frosting recipe I’ve worked with to date! With a formula that finally crossed off everything on my soap frosting “wish list”, I couldn’t help but share that with my crafting companions here! Please join me as we pipe the top of a fabulous batch of soap with an equally fabulous soap frosting recipe!
Since we’ll be focusing more on the qualities, behavior and recipe of the soap frosting itself, I won’t be delving as deeply into the process and design of the main batch of soap, as I normally do. I still wanted to share a quick rundown of the stunning mica colors and sensational fragrance oil used to create this specific batch though, just in case you’d like to re-create this design in your own soapy endeavors, or are just looking for a bit of fun inspiration! Think of this section of the blog as kind of a lengthier review, of sorts, for these stellar Nurture Soap products (As if my actual product reviews weren’t long enough! I just can’t help it though... When I get excited about something, I gush!). Most of the time my inspiration for soap batches comes from either a color (or color palette) which visually ignites my imagination, or by a supremely gorgeous fragrance oil which sweeps me away on an aromatic journey within my mind’s eye. for this particular project, it was the fragrance oil!
Newly reformulated, and smelling better than ever, I’ve been positively obsessed with getting Nurture Soap’s “The Grim Reaper” fragrance oil into a batch of soap! The product listing for this uniquely opulent, alluringly mysterious, intriguingly heady (in the most captivating of ways!) floral aroma lists aromatic notes of ylang ylang, tonka, rose and indolic jasmine, which is conveyed masterfully in its scent bouquet! When I smell this fascinating fragrance, I’m instantly transported to the Victorian era; a time when romance and fine art were one in the same! The scent itself carries a deep essence of romance and reverie, but also an aura of deep reflection, with a hint of melancholic sorrow; beautiful, requited love, long lost with the passing of time. It’s an aromatic masterpiece to my nose! In my specific recipe, I did experience mild ricing while working with this magnificent fragrance, but this was easily and effortlessly stirred out by hand. I also experienced mild to moderate acceleration in my particular recipe as well, but as you’ll see in the picture of the cut, it was quite workable regardless, and I was able to quickly execute a 5-color hanger-swirl with no significant difficulty!
Because this exquisite scent took my imagination back in time, I chose mica colors which I felt best conveyed colors often associated with the Victorian era; royal and dusky purples, scarlet reds, dusty mauve tones, and creamy shades of ivory. “Rapunzel” mica, in particular, creates the loveliest buttermilk-like shade in cold process soap. Pairing this with Nurture Soap’s “Fantasia”, “Ruby Red”, “Cyber Grape” and “Magic Moments” micas set the theme for this project’s design perfectly!
For the decorative soap embeds I’d be placing on top of the soap frosting, I wanted to celebrate the elaborate floral quality of the fragrance oil, as well as demonstrate just how well the soap frosting recipe accepts embeds of various thicknesses. I aimed to fit as many flowers on top of the batch as I possibly could! Calla Lilies in “Rapunzel”, orchids in “Fantasia”, roses in “Ruby Red”, and daisies in “Cyber Grape” micas looked vibrantly elegant, and I’d complete the look with a fine dusting of “Gold Dust” Enviroglitter when all was said and done! To demonstrate that artistic boundaries are as limitless as your imagination, especially with high-top soap designs, I also made embeds in the shape of little hand-held fans. I’d attach these to the face of each soap bar once the batch was cut, and I used a 50/50 blend of Nurture Soap’s “Celestial Silver” and “Silver Mist” micas to color them. This created a soft shade of silvery-periwinkle, which looked gorgeously antique-like when dry-painted with a touch of “Rapunzel” mica!
Once my main batch of soap had been poured and allowed to set up enough to support soap frosting on top, it was time prepare the batch by blending in “Rapunzel” mica at a rate of 1tsp per pound of oils. Because “The Grim Reaper” fragrance oil had accelerated a bit in my main batch of soap, I decided to leave the batch of soap frosting unscented. As a general guideline, when it comes to a good batch size to start out with, I recommend making a soap frosting batch which is half the size as your main batch, adjusting from there as/if needed. For example, if your main batch of soap consists of 32oz of oils, start with a 16oz batch of soap frosting.
When your optional mica colorant and lye solution have been fully incorporated into the batch oils, it’s time to begin blending! This particular recipe sets up quickly on its own, so as soon as I see that my soap batter has just reached a medium trace (about 2 minutes of intermittent blending), I put the stick blender down, and allow the batter to reach that perfect piping consistency all on its own. Because this recipe does set up nice and fast, I’m careful to stir the soap batter and check its consistency often.
One of the most commonly asked questions I get when it comes to soap frosting is how to determine when the batter has reached the right consistency to begin piping the top of your soap. The best way I’ve found to do this is by doing what I call “the spatula test”! When scraping excess soap batter off your stirring spatula, if the batter immediately runs down the side of the bowl, it’s not ready yet. When you can scrape excess soap batter off your spatula, and the batter clings to the side of the bowl, it’s at the perfect piping consistency! This particular recipe goes from “not quite ready” to “ready” within 5 minutes, but once it reaches PPC, it stays at that consistency for a good, long while!
As soon as the soap batter reaches PPC, you can fill up your piping bag and begin piping the top of your soap to your heart’s content! To me, this is one of the most beautiful sights of this particular recipe! The soap frosting has reached optimal consistency; it’s smooth and wonderfully creamy, yet also has that beautiful wet-soap look that even days of the week are named after! I mean, who doesn’t love “wet-soap Wednesday”? Dry soap frosting can be difficult to work with, and problematic when it comes to placing your soap embeds on top, so a frosting recipe which produces a smooth, creamy consistency, while also remaining wet and workable is the best of both worlds!
For this particular project, I chose to pipe the top of my soap with an ATECO #172 “Drop Flower” French tip. The reason for this is because out of all the piping tips I’ve used, I’ve found that if my soap frosting gets too hard and/or too dry, both round and French tips tend to split or crack more noticeably, especially when embeds are placed on top. I’ve also found that if my soap frosting is too thin, this is the piping tip that will show that most noticeably as well. I wanted to use this specific piping tip to demonstrate just how smooth, creamy and workable this recipe remains, while also holding its shape! You want your soap frosting to work for you, not the other way around. A great soap frosting recipe will be beautifully cooperative and multi-functional; holding definition and shape exactly where you want it, while also being smooth and malleable enough to fill in any spaces or gaps exactly where you want it to as well!
When you work with a soap recipe (not necessarily just soap frosting) which allows you to take your time and work at your own, comfortable pace, it simply makes for a more enjoyable soap making experience all around. Inner creativity flows better and more clearly when you’re not rushing through the process. That’s what this recipe is all about, and why I’m honored to share it! It’s about thoroughly enjoying the process, being pleasantly surprised by how easy it is, and piping-away to your creative heart’s desire! For me, it’s also about taking my time to “stop and smell the soap frosting”, while also drooling over how pretty and wholesome “Rapunzel” mica looks in cold process soap!
Of course, placing decorative embeds on top of your soap frosting is completely optional, but if you’d like to do so, this recipe is extremely accommodating as well! As mentioned earlier, a soap frosting recipe which hardens or becomes too dry too soon can be problematic for embeds. Even thinner embeds can cause soap frosting to split and/or crack where the embed is placed if the frosting is too firm or too dry. Although there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a batch of soap that isn’t “visually perfect” (I live by the motto that “imperfect” simply means “perfectly handmade”!), sometimes it can be discouraging when you work hard on a project that doesn’t turn out the way you envisioned it. A great soap frosting recipe will accept embeds of any shape, size or thickness with ease, literally forming around the embed, instead of splitting or cracking to accommodate it. Here, I’ve used multiple embeds of various shapes and thickness to show how easily and effortlessly this soap frosting recipe conforms to each embed. For me, this is one of my favorite qualities about this recipe, since admittedly, I’m not the best “embed-placer” in the world, and it takes me a little longer than it probably should to finish up! Thankfully, this recipe is wonderfully forgiving, and allows me all the time I need to get my embeds placed just right! With a shimmery dusting of Nurture Soap’s jaw-dropping “Gold Dust” Enviroglitter, I finished up my soap project, then got it nice and insulated for the night!
When I finally had that “eureka!” moment of formulating and testing a recipe that encompassed everything I wanted in a great batch of soap and soap frosting (This recipe makes for a wonderful main-batch of cold process soap too!), I was actually a little hesitant to share it. Not that I wanted to keep some sort of “secret recipe” all to myself; my brain just doesn’t work like that- I LOVE sharing knowledge! Nope, I was hesitant to share it because, while I wanted to help others have the same fantastic soap frosting experiences as I had, highlighting how and why I enjoyed this recipe so much, I was worried I’d come across as gloating, or “tooting my own horn”. I truly hope I haven’t come across that way; rather, in sharing this soap making experience with you, I hope I’ve only helped to spark inspiration and creativity in your own soap making, soap frosting, and soap artistry journey as well!
Thankfully, this recipe is such a nicely-balanced, simple and straight-forward one, it’s extremely possible many others have discovered and enjoyed it too! While the recipe itself isn’t anything drastically different or monumental, the results I’ve had while using it in my own high-top soapy creations have been! I hope you’re able to take advantage of those same results too! For me, the best “discovery” in creating this recipe came by way of incorporating RSPO palm shortening, or no-stir palm, at the appropriate usage rate. The finished result has been a high-top soap that looks, behaves and feels oh-so smooth and delightfully creamy!
Another fantastic result has been the time this specific recipe has saved me while making it, while also allowing me ample amounts of it to work at my own, leisure pace. I’m able to tap into my inner creativity as much as I’d like, and develop it as elaborately as I want to as well! Are high-top soaps necessary and a little unnecessary too; practical and impractical? Do they embrace a bit of the excessive, being skin-loving and fun? Can they be functional and beautiful; purposeful and amusing? Can soap be wholesome and imaginative; lighthearted, intricate, and even silly sometimes? You bet’cha! Between you and me, I wouldn’t have it any other way!
MY FAVORITE SOAP FROSTING RECIPE:
Greetings crafty friends! In a guest blog entitled “Incorporating Resins in Cold Process Soap!”, I had such a fun experience making an infusion with opoponax resin, and incorporating it into a batch of soap using Nurture Soap’s alluring “The Devil’s Door” fragrance oil, I’ve been itching to experiment with other resins to include in more soapy adventures! I treated myself to a bottle of Nurture Soap’s “Kismet” fragrance oil, and was instantly infatuated with it! The original scent this fragrance oil duplicates (extremely accurately, I might add!) is a widely popular, well-known aroma by the name of “Karma”, and is a scent mainly comprised of smooth, yet uplifting orange notes, and cozy patchouli. To my happy nose, Nurture Soap’s “Kismet” fragrance oil is a peacefully-centering, earth-loving, aromatic masterpiece! I had zero doubts this magnificent scent would go perfectly with another resin-inspired soapy theme!
Before we delve into this project though, let’s quickly discuss why on earth anyone would ever want to include resins in handmade soap. Resins come from the super-sticky sap of plants and trees. Various resins have been used and enjoyed for literally thousands of years; from ancient civilizations to present-day! Prized for their rich aromas, they’re used in incense and perfumery. They’re also used for natural dyes, religious, spiritual and/or personal ceremonies, and in the healing of minor wounds. In soap making, resins are appealing in that they contain natural sugars, minerals and enzymes, which are naturally antibacterial. Used alone, they can impart a subtle, yet pleasing aroma to handmade soaps, but when paired with a complimenting fragrance and/or essential oil, the results can be positively magical! For the divine scent of Nurture Soap’s “Kismet” fragrance oil, one resin in particular really stood out to me: Copal!
If I were to describe the scent of copal resin in my own words and opinion of it, the best way I could do so would be to compare it to frankincense. To my nose, copal definitely shares similarities to frankincense, but is somehow “lighter”, or less “heavy” in character. In other words, to me, copal resin smells like a more “feminine”, slightly “perfumier” version of frankincense... If that makes any “frankin-sense” at all! It’s positively lovely, and one of my personal favorite resins! In doing some research on copal, I discovered some pretty interesting things about it!
Copal is a tree resin from the (drumroll please) copal tree! The actual word “copal” is derived from the word “copalli”, which directly translates to “incense”. Found in abundance throughout present-day Southern Mexico and Central America, ancient civilizations, such as Mayan, Aztec and Pre-Columbian cultures ceremoniously burned copal as incense atop temples and pyramids. In Mayan ruins, copal resin was discovered in burial grounds, leading historians to believe the resin held sacred, ceremonial value to these ancient peoples. By the 18th Century, Europeans discovered it to be a valuable ingredient in producing high-quality wood varnish. It became widely used in the manufacturing of furniture and carriages.
As I sat there, deep in thought, going back and forth between sniffing the copal resin and “Kismet” fragrance oil, it suddenly occurred to me exactly what I wanted to do with these two ingredients within my soap! Using the color turquoise in my soap’s design seemed a great choice in paying artful tribute to the ancient civilizations who used and enjoyed this resin, as jade stone and turquoise were also highly valued during this time. Using the color orange seemed the perfect way to compliment the delightful orange-patchouli scent of “Kismet” fragrance oil, and when it was all finished, I’d call this batch “Aztec Orange”! With a game-plan in mind, I decided to get going on my soap project. The first course of action would be to get my copal resin transformed into an infusion which I could incorporate into the batch!
The first step to making an infusion with resins is to get the resin itself ground down into as fine of a powder as you possibly can. Luckily, copal resin is in an intermediate stage of hardening. While it’s not a soft, “gummy” resin, it’s also not as hard as other resins, such as opoponax or amber, so with the help of a mortar and pestle, it’s actually quite easy to grind by hand. So easy in fact, my 8-year-old son begged to be given this task! With a face as cute as his, I couldn’t say “no”, so instead, I supervised and allowed him to make the infusion!
Under my proud supervision, my son ground the copal resin to a fine powder, and we were careful to weigh it once he’d finished. Exactly how much ground resin you’d like to include in an infusion is entirely up to you, but for me, and my 32oz batch, I wanted at least a half ounce of ground resin with which to infuse in oil. We ended up with .60oz, but that was A-Okay with me! When it comes to exactly how much oil to infuse your ground resin into, that’s also a matter of preference, but for me, I prefer to use a ratio of 4-parts carrier oil to 1-part ground resin. Any type of light carrier oil you’d like to use will do just fine, but since I was planning on substituting part of my recipe’s olive oil with the resin-infusion, and incorporating it as my recipe’s superfat, I decided to infuse the ground copal in olive oil.
Once you’ve poured your carrier oil of choice over your ground resin, give the mixture a good stir with a spoon to get everything nice and combined, then place the resin/oil mixture in a water bath in a crockpot. Make sure your resin/oil mixture is in a heat-safe jar or container with the lid on. If you’re like me and are fairly certain aliens came down and abducted every single lid to your Mason canning jars, heat-safe plastic wrap can be used to securely cover the top of your jar as well! With a crockpot filled about 3 inches from the bottom with water, place your resin/oil mixture in the center of the pot, set the heat to “Low”, place the lid on the crockpot, then allow the resin to become a lovely infusion over the course of 4 to 6 hours.
After 4 to 6 hours, use pot holders to carefully remove your resin infusion, and allow it to cool down to around room temperature. Once cooled, thoroughly strain the infusion (a fine-mesh tea strainer works great for this), so that all that remains is the infused oil. Resin grounds can often feel too harsh, scratchy, and even tacky on the skin, so it’s best to strain your infusion well. Some resins can impart a beautiful color to the carrier oil once fully infused (dragon’s blood resin comes to mind), but in the case of copal resin, it’ll change the texture, or viscosity, of the carrier oil to a thicker, more “syrupy” consistency. In all cases, any resin you use will impart its glorious aroma to an infusion! At this point, your resin infusion is complete, and ready to be added to a fabulous batch of soap!
With the copal resin infusion made and ready to rock in our batch of soap, it was time to focus on the actual design. In my mind’s eye, a soap with two layers looked lovely. With the help of Nurture Soap’s “Sea Green” mica, the first layer, or bottom half of the batch would be a beautiful, lighter shade of turquoise, and to celebrate the enlivening orange note in “Kismet” fragrance oil, real, dried orange peel would be added for a wonderful, “scrubby” sensation! Both lemon and orange peel are two of my absolute favorite natural exfoliants to add to soap batches, as despite being larger exfoliants, they’re still gentle, yet delightfully effective! There’s no right or wrong amount to add to your own soap recipes; it all just depends on the level of “scrubbiness” you desire. For me, I enjoy incorporating dried citrus peel at a usage rate of 1TBS per pound of batch oils.
The second layer, or top half of the soap batch would be a drop swirl design featuring bright colors of white, orange, red-orange and more turquoise. For the finishing touches, turquoise-colored soap frosting would be piped on top of the batch, then embellished with melt & pour embeds to tie the theme of the soap’s design together. As always, the soap frosting portion of this project is completely optional, and entirely up to you (your soap batches don’t need soap frosting to be totally awesome!), but if you’d like to include this step, along with decorative embeds, you’re more than welcome to create the same, or similar, embeds as I did, or customize them any which way you’d like! To represent the semi-precious gemstones ancient Aztec and Mayan civilizations adorned themselves with, I made gemstone embeds in “Sea Green” mica. Representing the dense, green jungles of Southern Mexico and Central America, leaf embeds in “Savage Garden” mica turned out strikingly beautiful, and to pay homage to our orange-inspired theme, orange slices in “Mango Tango” mica looked adorable!
For the actual colors I’d be using within the soap batch itself, beyond our “Sea Green” mica-colored bottom layer (used at 1/2tsp per pound of oils to appear slightly lighter), the drop-swirl design planned for the top layer would feature “Winter White” mica, the deeply-pigmented shade of “Orange Marmalade” mica, the fabulous turquoise tone of more “Sea Green” mica, and a color-blend consisting of 1-part “Lemon Drop” mica to 3-parts “Candy Apple Red” mica, to create a coral-like shade which would be more predominately red than orange in the finished soap.
Before getting into the actual soap making portion of this project, I do have a quick confession to make! I’ve worked with resin-infusions in cold process soap before, but never copal resin specifically. Knowing that resins contain natural sugars, and seeing just how thick and viscous the copal had made the olive oil I infused it into, I had a sneaking suspicion this particular resin infusion would move fast, speeding up trace once incorporated into my recipe. I went ahead and COMPLETELY IGNORED these suspicions however, opting to use a moderate liquid discount, a less “forgiving” recipe, and even more sugar, added to my lye-water solution. While I don’t regret that decision, being pleased with the finished results, I certainly ended up having to work FAST while making this particular batch of soap! With this being said, at the end of this blog, I’ll go ahead and include a way more “forgiving” recipe that you can use with a copal resin-infusion, should you wish to re-create this soap project, without having to dash and mash your soap batter into the mold, like I did!
With that little confession aside, my first order of business was to divide my soap batter in half, treating it as if it were two separate batches. One portion was designated as the bottom layer, and the other was set aside for the top layer. Alternatively, you can also opt to divide your total recipe in half, making two smaller batches instead, if you prefer to do it that way.
Remember when I mentioned wanting to add my resin infusion as my recipe’s superfat? Well, this is where that also comes into play! When I made my opoponax infusion for a past blog, I opted to superfat my recipe at 0%, then add the opoponax infusion to my recipe as extra oil, which ultimately increased my recipe’s superfat to 6.3%. To demonstrate another way to do this, for this batch, I decided to calculate my recipe with a superfat of 5%, then subtract the weight of my resin infusion from my recipe’s total olive oil. For example, if one’s recipe calls for 10 ounces of olive oil (or any other unsaturated fat, or “soft oil”, you’d like to substitute in your recipe), and you have 2 ounces of a resin infusion you’d like to incorporate, you’d simply use 8 ounces of olive oil within your recipe, then incorporate the remaining 2 ounces (for a total of 10 ounces) by way of the resin infusion later on.
Starting with my first portion of soap batter, and anticipating things moving a little quickly, I incorporated “Sea Green” mica, “Kismet” fragrance oil, the orange peel and lye solution into my batch oils prior to using my stick blender to blend it to trace. This allowed me extra time to get everything nice and combined by hand, prior to blending the batter to a light trace and incorporating half of the copal infusion. I was worried I wouldn’t have enough time to get everything fully combined if I began at a light trace, and am thankful I chose to do it this way, since I don’t think I would have! Stirring in the lye solution, fragrance oil, mica colorant and orange peel by hand first didn’t just prove to be a saving grace when it came to how quickly the resin infusion accelerated trace, it also proved to be exceptionally pretty to look at too!
Using my stick blender, I blended this first portion of soap to a very light trace, then held my breath as I added the resin-infusion to the soap batter. Things really sped up at that point, but it’s very important to get that extra oil fully combined within the soap batter before pouring it into the mold. If your soap batter isn’t fully emulsified, you could end up with “weepy soap” that has leaky pockets of unsaponified oil, so staying calm and not sweating that acceleration too much is key! It’s more important to get that resin-infusion fully stirred-in and incorporated with the soap batter, as there are always ways to use acceleration to one’s design advantage!
What was originally planned to be a straight layer within my soap’s design ended up being made into an uneven layer, but this was definitely one of those “acceleration advantages”! Using the back of a spoon, I had a little too much fun creating peaks and valleys of texture within the soap, and to complete this uneven, rustic-like look, a dusting of “Maya Gold” mica (to create a shimmery mica line) looked positively perfect for the theme of this project!
For the top, drop-swirl layer, I repeated the process again, only this time, by the time I had split the batch into its appropriate portions for the four different colors I was using, I didn’t need to use my stick blender at all! Stirring the copal resin infusion in by hand was enough bring my soap batter to a light trace, which went from a light, to a medium, and finally a thick trace very quickly on its own! That’s totally okay though, because as we all know, a drop-swirl poured at a thicker trace will produce bigger areas (or “blobs”, as I like to call them!) of color, and I was absolutely fine with that! Unfortunately, there was simply no time to stop and take pictures of this process, but by remaining focused and working quickly, I was able to get every last drop of soap in the mold. By the end of pour, my soap batter was so thick, I had to do some mashing and bashing to ensure my soap wouldn’t end up with unsightly air-pockets, but the end result was worth it! Using a spatula to smoosh the last of my super-thick soap batter into the mold, I decided to, once again, create some uneven texture, then finish the look off with a dusting of more “Maya Gold” mica.
Since I had planned from the get-go to only add the copal resin infusion to the main portion of my soap batch, it was smooth sailing when it came to piping the soap frosting on top of the loaf. I was able to slow my pace down and use my absolute most favorite color-blend (possibly in the whole wide world!) to color the soap frosting! That’s right, as I’ve mentioned many times before in previous blogs, I’m talking about Nurture Soap’s “High Society” mica, mixed at equal parts with “Winter White” mica! I just can’t help it; I'm amazed by the sheer versatility and beauty of “High Society” mica every single time I use it! Is it green? Is it blue? Is it teal or turquoise? Depending on the usage rate, YES, TO ALL! Once I’d finished creating my pyramid-like peak of soap frosting atop my batch of soap, I accentuated its stunning awesome-ness even more with a dusting of Nurture Soap’s “Gold Dust” Enviroglitter, then happily placed each decorative embed on top! It was time to put this batch to bed for the night, leaving it uninsulated in a cool location in my home... The natural sugars within the batch had things really heating up!
Making this batch of “Aztec Orange” cold process soap, using the centering, almost Zen-like aroma of Nurture Soap’s “Kismet” fragrance oil, and a copal resin infusion, taught me a few things. As a side note, I think that’s what I love most about soap making... No matter how long you’ve been making soap, or what your level of experience is, the learning process never ends! There’s always something that keeps you on your toes, humbles you, uplifts you, boggles your mind, or enlightens you! This craft never grows stagnant because newfound knowledge is always flowing in!
When it comes to this particular batch, I learned that copal resin isn’t like opoponax or dragon’s blood resins (which behave like little angels in cold process soap!), as it can actually speed up trace quite a bit... Especially if you’re stubborn, like me, and go against your better judgement to use a more “forgiving” recipe, sans accelerating additives and liquid discount! I also learned that it’s totally okay to not produce the precise design you had in mind... You just might love what you get all the same, or even more! Another key reminder was that of “going with the flow”! When things began thickening up faster than I had anticipated, I had to change my process and method to accommodate that, but it’s an excellent “refresher” that even when things don’t go quite as planned, almost any plan can be changed on the fly. Even inconveniences, like heavy acceleration, can be used to one’s advantage (check out my blog posts entitled: “Using Acceleration to Your Design Advantage”, or “Revisiting Acceleration for Therapeutic Soap Making”)!
As you continue on in your own soapy adventures, I hope you find moments when this amazing craft continues to keep you on your toes. It’s these moments that ever refine you as the incredible soap maker you are, and keep the channels of knowledge and experience flowing! After all, being on your tippy-toes is only but a higher vantage point! Happy “staying-on-your-toes" soap making, my crafty coconspirators!
RECOMMENDED, SLOW-MOVING RECIPE FOR THIS PROJECT:
*Remember to prepare your resin infusion 4 to 6 hours in advance, allowing it to cool prior to making soap. Substitute the resin infusion for part of the total olive oil in this recipe, as described above. Split the batch in half if wishing to create two layers.
SOAP FROSTING RECIPE:
Hello again beautiful crafters of all things sudsy! I have to admit, I was feeling a wee nostalgic this past week, so I decided to revisit a fun topic we’ve experimented with before! The first guest blog I wrote for Nurture Soap was an article called “The One-Color Challenge”. For that project, I used Nurture Soap’s unbelievably juicy “Blackberry Bliss” fragrance oil and challenged myself to make a batch of cold process soap using one main color to create several color-blends to use within that very same batch. My only exception to this “blending rule” was “Winter White” mica, but all the other colors used within the design were created using “My Red Obsession” mica as the “focus color”. With the help of “My Red Obsession” mica, I was able to create a gorgeous array of different and unique colors to make the batch look as berry-delicious as it smelled!
I had so much fun with that project, I decided to do it again, only with a different mica color this time. Whether you’re still expanding your mica collection, or have so many, you don’t know where to keep them all, one fact remains the same... With just a few different mica colors, a whole world of blending possibilities awaits! To demonstrate this exciting point again (As well as my obsession with creating color blends!), I chose one of my personal “must-have” colors: “Lemon Drop” mica. I’d be honored to have you join me as we take this stunning yellow mica and use it to create even more stunning colors!
Since this week’s topic is all about color, the recipe itself is entirely up to you! If you’d like to re-create this soap’s design in your own handmade works of art, you can use any cold process recipe that you prefer best. If you’ve just begun your soap making journey and don’t have a specific “go-to” recipe just yet, you’re more than welcome to use the following recipe, which is one I recommend to new soap makers for the following reasons: First, It’s dependable. While you’re still experimenting with which qualities you desire most in your handmade soaps, this recipe will produce a good amount of everything! It’ll produce soaps which are nice and hard when cured, have lovely lather and are delightfully conditioning too! Second, its ingredients are inexpensive, straightforward and easy to obtain. You only need four different oils/fats to make it, and they just so happen to be four of the most commonly used oils/fats in soap making. Third, it’s easy to customize! Don’t have any palm oil handy? No Problem! The palm oil in this recipe can be substituted for lard or tallow. Last but not least, it’s a forgiving recipe! Because of its ratio of saturated to unsaturated fats (hard oils to soft oils), including a higher percentage of olive oil, this recipe is slow-moving, allowing plenty of time to work at your own pace (fragrance oil permitting), even when a slight to moderate liquid discount is employed. The recipe is 45% olive oil, 25% coconut oil, 25% palm oil (Which can be substituted with lard or tallow if desired.) and 5% castor oil. Superfat this recipe at 5%, and if you feel comfortable with liquid discounting, a 33% lye concentration is recommended, which is a ratio of 2-parts distilled water (or alternative liquid) to 1-part lye. Just be sure to run this recipe through a lye calculator whenever any changes or substitutions are made to it. The recipe provided here is calculated for a batch-size of 32oz of oils/fats.
For this color-blending go-around, I went into the project knowing exactly which mica color and fragrance oil I wanted to use. As mentioned, my sights were set on the magnificent “Lemon Drop” mica, and I could hear Nurture Soap’s “Cucumber Melon” fragrance oil calling out my name from my fragrance oil cabinet! “Cucumber Melon” fragrance oil is a duplication fragrance of a scent made widely popular by a well-known bath and body (works- he he!) company, but it wasn’t until fairly recently that I experienced this mouthwatering aroma for the very first time. What can I say? The original scent made its debut in the 90’s, and I was the child of self-sustaining hippies who rarely ventured to places commonly referred to as “the mall”! I tell you what though, the first time I smelled Nurture Soap’s “Cucumber Melon” fragrance oil, I immediately understood why this aroma had such a huge following! It’s downright delicious, and takes my nose directly to its happy place!
First order of business was to start mixing “Lemon Drop” mica with other mica colors that would produce the perfect color-theme for this cucumbery-fresh, melony-sweet aroma! When I smell “Cucumber Melon” fragrance oil, certain colors quickly come to mind. Colors like refreshing greens, coral red-oranges, and fruity pinks. True to my artistic style, I wanted to make a batch of soap which would feature soap frosting on top, so I wanted to find a way to incorporate these colors into melt & pour embeds which would embellish that. The first decorative embeds I chose to make would serve as visual representations of cucumber slices, so creating the perfect shade of crisp, refreshing green was a must. I was thrilled to find that precise shade by mixing 2-parts “Lemon Drop” mica with 1-part “Green Vibrance” mica! But what do I mean by “parts” exactly? Well, when blending micas, I’ve found no other tool to be more helpful than Nurture Soap’s .15cc Mini Scoops! They make creating new color-blends (and creating them again, later on) a breeze! All I need to do is keep track of how many scoops of which micas were added, and I’ve got my “parts”! I also like to give each new color-blend its very own name. I find I’m better able to visualize a specific color-blend for future projects if I give it a name in relation to what the color reminds me of. For this specific green blend, I dubbed it “Key Lime”!
For the next melt & pour embellishment, round, “melon balls”, made with Nurture Soap’s Small 9-Ball Silicone Mold seemed the perfect accompaniment for this project, and in my mind’s eye, nothing but a sweet, sugary-type pink would do. My favorite shade for this came from mixing 1-part (or one mini scoop) “Lemon Drop” mica with 2-parts (or two mini scoops) “Lollipop” mica, which is such a fitting name if you ask me! I decided to call this color-blend “Strawberry Daiquiri”.
Next up was to create “melon wedge” embeds in the brightest, boldest shade of coral I could come up with. After tinkering around a bit, I found that perfect red-orange hue by blending 1-part “Lemon Drop” mica with 2-parts “Candy Apple Red” mica. This shade reminded me of a sunset I once watched with jaw-gaping awe while on vacation with my husband. I chose to bestow upon it the name of “Caribbean Sunset”!
The colors I had envisioned for this project were looking awesome; each one different from the other two colors, yet also related to one another by way of “Lemon Drop” mica! In fact, if micas were people, these ones would definitely be related through one common ancestor! They looked fabulous in Nurture Soap’s Low Sweat, Clear Soap Base, but the true test would be getting them into a batch of cold process soap, along with the incredible scent of “Cucumber Melon” fragrance oil. With my .15cc Mini Scoops in-hand once again, I mixed up more of each color-blend, then dispersed them in a bit of my batch oils at a rate of approximately 1tsp per pound of oils (PPO). I also dispersed 2tsp/PPO “Winter White” mica, which would serve as my main batch color.
Each vibrant color-blend incorporated beautifully into the soap batter, with the “Key Lime” blend initially taking on more of an olive tone in the raw soap. It’s not uncommon for green micas to occasionally do this though, and I was confident this was no different than the temporary color changes other green micas can sometimes undergo. I was sure that lovely tone of olive-green would return to its original upbeat and refreshing shade of citrusy-green as soon as saponification was completed.
I wanted to keep the design of this batch simple, opting to pour a drop-swirl design so that bigger portions of each mica-blend would be distinct and clearly visible once the loaf was cut into bars. I couldn’t have dreamed up a more perfect pour if I tried! “Cucumber Melon” fragrance oil behaves so well in cold process soap, the batter remained pleasantly fluid and workable from the beginning of pour to the end of it! My “Lemon Drop” mica-derived color-blends looked wonderfully vibrant, and even appeared a bit tropical-like when highlighted by “Winter White” mica!
If I was going to go ahead and blend up a batch of soap frosting as well, you bet your booty I was going to do it using another fantastic “Lemon Drop” mica blend! This time, I knew exactly how I was going to blend it though, as it’s a color-blend I’ve used many times before and thoroughly love! “Lemon Drop” mica blended with “Winter White” mica at equal parts creates one of the loveliest shades of creamy-soft yellow I’ve ever seen, and is a blend I like to call “Bananas n’ Cream”!
Creating eye-catching shades of color doesn’t just begin and end with micas though! Did you know you can create captivating color combinations with Nurture Soap’s exquisite Enviroglitters too? It’s true! Both complimenting and contrasting shades of Enviroglitters can create dazzling hues of color when lightly dusted overtop cold process soap! In this situation, I knew the contrasting color of “Heart’s Desire” Enviroglitter would make the yellow of the soap frosting “pop”! The opulent, coquettish, pink lemonade-like shade of this breathtaking Enviroglitter magically transformed the banana-yellow top of my soap into a peachy-pink daydream!
From here, all that was left to do was get those custom-colored decorative embeds gently placed on top of the soap frosting, then lovingly put this batch to bed for the night!
Cutting this batch of soap proved to be a colorful success! Each custom-color had been dreamed-up using the same mica color for inspiration, but each one came out uniquely different and beautiful! The “Key Lime” blend returned to its original shade of crisp, bright green; “Strawberry Daiquiri” was definitely pink, but with a twist, and “Caribbean Sunset” turned out as coral-red-orange as that blazing sunset I had once watched as the sun lazily sunk into the sea!
Creating your very own custom color-blends doesn’t have to begin and end with just these three colors though! In preparing for this project, I was awed in my discovery that “Lemon Drop” mica mixes phenomenally well with so many other micas too! Here, I share my 10 most favorite “Lemon Drop” mica blends! In sharing how to create these fantastic colors, in some small way, I hope this helps to inspire you in your next soapy adventure! May these also inspire you to create even more amazing blends! Happy color-blending my fellow, brilliant soap artists!
Father’s Day is fast approaching, and my husband is running out of soap! I know you must be thinking, “But Amber, you’re a soap maker! How is it that your fella is running low on soap?”! Well, as I’m sure it’s become pretty apparent by now, I’m quite the sucker for making soap with big, soap-frosted tops! Although my husband certainly appreciates the artistry of such soap designs, when it comes to the type of soap he prefers to lather-up with, he enjoys a more straight-forward, simpler bar. I secretly get a little excited whenever my husband lets me know he’s getting low on soap... His preference for a simpler design means I get to employ one of my most favorite methods of soap making: CPOP!
Since this week’s project has a more masculine theme to it, I decided to embrace both that, and Father’s Day, and make this a special Father’s Day treat for anyone who might like to try this at home in their own soapy creations! Unfortunately, I’m running a little behind, so the actual soaps (Should you choose to make them!) won’t be fully cured by the time Father’s Day rolls around, BUT... They’ll still make for great “guy gifts” nonetheless, and will be well worth the wait! So, let’s dive on in, and get to boppin’ and CPOP-in' some cold process soap!
To begin, let’s talk about CPOP for a little bit! What exactly is CPOP? Well, “CPOP” (Pronounced: “see-pop”) stands for Cold Process/Oven Process, and is a popular soap making method for promoting gel phase in your handmade soaps. Basically, it’s using heat from your oven to extend the temperature phase during saponification in an effort to promote or “force” gel-phase. What is gel phase, you ask? Gel phase is a temperature phase during saponification, where temperature is increased and maintained for a time, causing your soap batch to take on a more gel-like appearance. In hot process soap making, the look of this phase is often compared to the slightly translucent look of applesauce. Gel phase in cold process soap making can be promoted intentionally, through CPOP or insulation, or naturally (Such as in the case of added sugars, or a particular fragrance oil, which heat up in your soap batch.).
So, why exactly would someone want to force or promote gel phase in their cold process soap batches? There are quite a few reasons actually, and in discussing these reasons, we can get into the “pros and cons” of CPOP soap making! Many soap makers choose to promote full gel in their soap batches in an effort to prevent what’s called “partial gel”. If you’ve ever made a batch of soap that looked like it had a wet spot right in the middle of each bar, then you’ve already had firsthand experience with partial gel! Partial gel is exactly that... It’s a batch of soap where only a portion (namely, the center of the batch) has gelled, leaving the outer edges un-gelled. Although this has no negative impact on the soap itself, many soap makers find this to be aesthetically unpleasing. In an effort to prevent any partial gelling of their batches, many soap makers will often do one of two things: Either force gel, or prevent it entirely. Preventing gel would entail making sure temperatures remain cool during saponification, and ways to do this are placing your batch of soap in the fridge, or leaving it uninsulated in a cool room.
A fully gelled batch of soap will produce a bar of soap that is harder straight away. Not only will the soaps be harder faster, many soap makers believe gelled soaps last longer in the shower too. Because gelled soaps harden fast, batches are usually ready to be unmolded and cut much sooner than un-gelled batches. In my own experiences, my gelled soap batches are usually completely ready to be unmolded and cut about eight hours after being poured. This is especially helpful for the busy soap maker who needs to stay productive, but may be working with a limited number of soap molds. Along with producing a bar of soap which feels hard and oh-so glassy-smooth to the touch, colors and designs in gelled soaps often appear crisper and more vibrant as well.
Keep in mind that not every soap colorant likes to get overly hot though, and this is where a “con” of CPOP soap making can come into play. In my personal experiences with CPOP soap making, most colors do indeed appear more vivid and vibrant in gelled soaps, with some exceptions. Coral shades are pretty adamant about not getting too hot, as well as some orange and yellow shades too. Oftentimes, orange and coral micas tend to take on a more peachy-tone in soap batches that get too hot, and a few shades of yellow seem to lose some of their brightness as well. If you’re making a coral or orange-colored batch of soap, and it’s imperative those colors remain as bold and bright as possible, I’d recommend keeping temps a little cooler.
Other instances where you may want to avoid CPOP (Or keep a close eye on it!) are soap batches which contain a lot of natural sugars, or sugar-containing additives. Sugars are known to heat up in soap batches naturally, and when a batch gets too hot, some pretty unsightly things can happen! Things like cracking and “alien brains”. Yes, “alien brains” is a real thing! Cracking is pretty self-explanatory, but “alien brains” is a common soap making term for a batch which has developed folds or ripples across the top which resemble the folds of a brain. These things certainly don’t affect how awesome your bars of soap actually are, but sadly, they’re just not very pretty!
Another “con” in CPOP soap making can actually be considered a “pro”, depending on how you look at it, and what you’re trying to achieve in your soap’s design. I’m talking about glycerin rivers. While many soap makers are already aware that titanium dioxide is especially prone to the possibility of developing glycerin rivers, this possibility increases with both heat and liquid. Excess liquid in your soap batch can increase the likelihood of glycerin rivers (And this is because water/liquid expands with heat.), and when paired with excessive heat, that likelihood can increase even more so. The good news is that there are ways to help prevent AND promote this! If wishing to prevent the greatest possibility of glycerin rivers in your CPOP soap batches, liquid discounting will help! You can also opt to skip using titanium dioxide, and use a white mica instead. While this won’t guarantee glycerin rivers won’t form, it will certainly help decrease the likelihood or severity of them. On the other hand, if the beautiful, crackled look of glycerin rivers is what you’re aiming for, a CPOP soap batch with titanium dioxide and/or more water will almost certainly give you results!
As for other “cons” that come to mind, it really comes down to what you want out of a batch of soap. For example, if the prospect of a harder, smoother more colorful bar of soap is less important to you than say, producing bars of soap which appear soft and creamy, then CPOP may be a soap making method you’ll wish to skip. That’s the beauty of soap making though; there’s truly no “right” or “wrong” when it comes to the end result that you desire! And speaking of end results... When it comes to CPOP soap making, you’re going to find that many different soap makers have their own approach to it, and that’s absolutely fine too! Some soap maker’s ovens run hot and some run cool. Some crafters prefer to pre-heat their ovens, then turn them off, allowing their batches to warm in the ambient heat, while others prefer to keep their ovens on during the process. Some soap makers keep a close watch on their batches, turning the oven off as soon as their soap has fully gelled, while others just set a timer for an hour and walk away! I’m here to tell you that absolutely no method or process is wrong! The goal (or end result) of CPOP soap making is to produce a batch of soap which has fully gelled. No matter which way you go about doing that, if the result you get is the one you wanted, well then, you did it right!
This is just how I personally like to CPOP my soap batches, and I’m honored to share this with you! If you find a way that works better for you, then by all means, rock that better way! What works best for me and what I want out of my soap batches might not be the same for you, and that’s perfectly okay! Before we jump into making this batch of CPOP soap though, I want to quickly share with you something I wish I would’ve known when I started experimenting with CPOP. This “something” I’m referring to is silicone rash!
When I first began making my first few batches of CPOP soap, I was positively perplexed when one of my batches came out having all these little holes or “pock marks” all over it. The inside of the soap was fine, but the outside was just riddled with them! I quickly learned that this odd phenomenon was called “silicone rash”, and I wanted to know why it had happened and what I could do to prevent it from happening again. The “why” turned out being pretty simple. When silicone undergoes extreme temperature changes, it expands and contracts; expanding with heat, and contracting when it cools down. It was this expansion and contraction of my silicone mold during CPOP which caused all those little pock marks to form on the outside of my soap. The best way I found to prevent this was to prevent the silicone itself from expanding. A silicone liner in a wood mold won’t cause silicone rash since the wood mold literally stops the silicone from expanding. I was absolutely delighted to be able to show you an example of this with this batch of soap! As you can see from the picture here, a very, very mild case of silicone rash did form on my batch, but only at the very top of the soap, where the silicone liner had a little more space between it and the wooden mold. The rash stops right there though! The rest of my batch came out gorgeously smooth, thanks to the wood mold preventing the silicone liner from expanding!
For this soapy project, it was actually my husband who chose the fragrance blend after he couldn’t decide whether he liked Nurture Soap’s “Pheromone” or “Earth Meets Sky” fragrance oil better! His indecision led me to blending these two drool-worthy fragrances together, and the result was drop-dead sexy! If you’d like to try this dapper, rich and clean blend (I HIGHLY recommend it!), 3-parts “Pheromone” fragrance oil to 1-part “Earth Meets Sky” fragrance oil smells like pure heaven!
The mica colors I chose for this project included Nurture’s incredible “Winter White”, “Caribbean Blue”, “Kashmir” and “Belize Blue” micas, but you might notice one tiny problem with that! “Belize Blue” was actually discontinued by the manufacturer (I literally hoard this color!), so unfortunately, if you don’t already have it on-hand, it’s no longer available. All is not lost though! Nurture Soap has got your back with their “Celestial Silver” mica! As you can see from this picture, “Belize Blue” and “Celestial Silver” micas aren’t identical, but both will produce a gorgeously “frosty”, silvery-blue color in soap! So, if you don’t have any “Belize Blue” mica on-hand (Or you want to share your stash with me!), “Celestial Silver” mica is an excellent substitute!
The design for this project is entirely up to you, and the sky is truly the limit! For me and my soapy daydreams, I decided to color the majority of the batch white, and pour off three smaller portions for the three blue mica colors. I kept my temps low (around 85 degrees Fahrenheit) and my soap batter nice and fluid; only blending to a very light trace, so I’d have lots of time to create some pretty, blue swirls within the soap!
The fragrance oil blend itself behaved beautifully, and I had absolutely nothing to worry about when it came to pouring this batch! I was able to take all the time I needed pouring a tiger-swirl down the center of my mold, then following-up with a hanger-swirl. There’s truly no right or wrong way to execute a hanger-swirl in this soap design, but for me, I kept it simple! Starting from the middle-top, I brought my hanger tool down, completed four large loops before hitting the bottom of my mold with the tool, then pulled it right back up and out of the soap, moving it in a slight zig-zag motion on the way up... That’s all there was to it!
With any remaining soap batter, I just spooned it right on top of the loaf (No drop of soap left behind!), then used the back of a spoon to create soft peaks and texture. Once I was happy with the soapy hills and valleys I’d made, I used one of Nurture’s incredibly handy Glitter Spay Pumps to give the top of the loaf a beautiful metallic-like sheen with the help of the always-stunning “Blue Enigma” mica!
The design of this soap was easy, and so much fun to create! Since my husband prefers a simpler bar of soap, understated elegance was the look I was going for! From here, all that was left to do was to get this batch gelled in the oven! While I was playing around with the top of my soap batch, using the back of a spoon to create eye-catching texture, I used that time to get my oven pre-heated. My oven runs a bit on the warmer side, but 170 degrees Fahrenheit is as low as it will go. As soon as the oven was pre-heated and ready, I popped my soap in the oven and quickly closed the door to keep all that beautiful warmth in there! When I first started experimenting with CPOP, I went by the general guideline of allowing my soap to remain at 170 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. For my oven though, I found this was a little too long. Because my oven does run a tad warmer, I’ve found that 40 to 45 minutes is perfect for achieving a fully gelled batch of soap. Your oven may require more or less time, but as you grow in your CPOP experience, you’ll learn exactly how much time is needed to fully gel your own soap batches. If CPOP soap making is completely new to you though, I would recommend placing your soap in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes at 170 degrees Fahrenheit, then adjusting from there as/if needed.
It’s going to be really, really tempting to open that oven door and take a peek at your batch of soap. I’ve been there and completely understand, but try as hard as you can to resist that temptation! You can certainly turn on your oven light to check on your soap, but keep in mind that when it comes to promoting gel phase, the key isn’t just heat, it’s also maintaining it. Gel phase is a process, which if interrupted could result in a partially-gelled soap batch, so allow your soap to remain in the ambient heat of your oven long after you’ve turned it off. Many soap makers prefer to do this overnight, and while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, sometimes it’s just not feasible... Especially when you have a hungry family to feed and only one oven! In my experience, I’ve learned that as soon as my batch no longer maintains heat, and begins to cool down, it’s reached and completed gel phase. It’s at this point that you can remove your soap from the oven and allow it to cool down the rest of the way at room temp. Once removed from the oven, the cool-down happens very quickly, and it’s around this time when my batches are also ready to be unmolded and cut. Depending on the recipe, this is most often around 8 hours after pouring them.
The first thing you’re going to notice about your gelled soap is just how much harder the bars are, and how incredibly smooth they feel. You’ll also notice (and more noticeably in lighter or uncolored portions) that the bars themselves look less “creamy” and more translucent-like. Your colors will be bolder and brighter, with your design crisper and more defined. Congratulations! You’ve successfully completed a beautiful batch of CPOP soap!
My Father’s Day-inspired batch of CPOP soap was looking AND smelling awesome, and I was extremely happy with the results! If you’ve read any of my previous blog posts though, you know I never know when to leave well enough alone! I think I’m physically incapable of making a batch of soap and not including a little extra something! In this situation it was dragons! I can’t imagine anyone not loving dragons, and to me, this soap batch was just begging to have some included in its design! I grabbed some Low Sweat, Clear Soap Base, and made dragon embeds colored in “Belize Blue” mica (Which will look just as frosty-blue and beautiful in “Celestial Silver” mica too!). The task proved to be pretty tedious, since each dragon embed needed to be trimmed and “cleaned up” by hand, but it was definitely worth it! If you’d like to get your hands on the mold used to make these dragons, it can be found at several shops on Etsy. To give the dragons a bit more definition and metallic shimmer, Nurture Soap’s “Shimmer Gold” mica looked jaw-dropping when dry-painted atop each one!
The plan was to attach each melt & pour dragon embed onto the face of each cold process soap bar. I’ve briefly described how to do this in previous blog posts, but wanted to cover it again here, since I feel I’ve finally come to the best method of doing this, while also achieving an inseparable bond between the two different types of soap. Naturally, another way to do this would be to melt down a little melt & pour soap base and use it as “glue” to attach the embeds to the cold process soap, but in my personal experience, I’ve found this method to only be temporary... For some reason, melt & pour soap just doesn’t want to stay attached to cold process soap for the long-haul, and many times, I found myself feeling frustrated when the embeds would eventually pop right off again. I wanted to find a way to attach melt & pour embeds to the face of cold process soap bars and have them stay there for good (No popping back off!), so for me, the process I’m about to describe has worked extremely well for doing just that!
As general tip, melt & pour embeds seem to achieve the best adherence to cold process soap when the embeds are freshly-made, and the cold process soap is freshly cut, so I would strongly suggest not waiting too long to attach the newly-made embeds to your soap bars (Especially with CPOP soap, where the bars come out harder from the get-go.). It seems the initial extra moisture in both types of soap helps to create a stronger bond... It’s the excess moisture which forms it, while the process of cure makes it inseparable. The supplies you’ll need include: Distilled water, any type of liquid soap suitable for skin application (It can be liquid hand soap, skin-gentle liquid dish soap, or liquid castile.), a small cup, cotton swabs, a soft-bristle paintbrush, and a non-serrated scraping/trimming tool of your choice.
The first thing you’ll want to do is take your scraping/trimming tool, and shave off the topmost layer of soap from the backside of the melt & pour embed. Use your tool to shave down the embed so that it will sit as flush as possible to the face of the cold process soap bar, without any large gaps. This also serves a double purpose in that shaving off the topmost layer of soap from the embed also exposes a slightly “tacky” layer beneath the surface of the melt & pour soap.
Next, you’ll want to create a watery “glue” of sorts. To your small cup, add about 1TBS of distilled water. To the distilled water, add about 1/2TSP of liquid soap, then stir this well to combine. If you rub this water/soap mixture between your fingers and it feels slightly “slimy”, it’s perfect! Using your soft-bristle paintbrush, generously saturate the backside of the melt & pour embed with the water/soap mixture. Don’t be afraid to get that embed fully saturated, paying attention to the outer edges of the embed as well. Use your paintbrush to place a small dab of the water/soap mixture to the cold process soap also; just in the spot where you’ll be attaching the melt & pour embed.
Using your thumbs, or the palm of your hand, press down on the melt & pour embed. Initially, the embed will want to slip and slide around a bit, but eventually you’ll feel it begin to “take hold” of the cold process soap bar. Once the embed is no longer slip-sliding around, and you have it positioned exactly where you want it, apply firm, steady and even pressure for about 30 seconds. You can use your thumbs or the palm of your hand, and if you’d like, you can also place a napkin or paper towel over the embed while applying pressure so that you don’t muddle-up your beautiful embed with finger prints or “people grease”.
Lastly, take a cotton swab and gently clean up around the edges of the embed. Applying pressure can push some of that water/soap mixture out from underneath the embed, but a gentle swipe of a cotton swab will take care of this, no problem!
At this point, you should be able to stand your soap bars up, and the melt & pour embeds will stay put. Avoid touching the embeds in any way for at least 24 hours. The two different types of soap need uninterrupted time to form that bond with each other. As your cold process soaps cure, the bond between the two soaps will grow increasingly stronger!
The rich, steely-blue colors of this soap project, paired with a touch of metallic shimmer, whimsical swirls, a positively sexy aroma, and the addition of everyone’s favorite fantasy creature (Dragons!) is only made more wonderful through the process of CPOP! Its colors and design really do stand out, sharp, crisp and defined, and the look and feel of the bars themselves is as hard and smooth as polished stone! “Steel Dragon” just seemed the perfect name to represent this soapy theme, and in trying this method and design in your own crafty creations at home (If you’d like!), I hope you will agree!
While I was only able to cover the tip of the “CPOP Iceberg”, I truly hope it was just the right amount of information to at least get you started in your own exciting CPOP soap making adventures! Covering the basics is always a great place to begin when trying something new, but I hope this inspires you to delve deeper too! There are so many more fascinating things to learn and know when it comes to CPOP soap making, with many extraordinarily skilled, knowledgeable and talented crafters ready to guide you every step of the way! The shared knowledge is out there and available for anyone who wishes to take their CPOP soap making to greater heights, and I’ll be here rooting you on as well! May you thoroughly and always enjoy the soapy ride, and may the special fellas in your life enjoy their “Steel Dragon” handmade soaps! Happy soap making, and a very happy Father’s Day to all the amazing dads out there!
SOAP RECIPE:
*For CPOP, place in preheated oven at 170 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 to 60 minutes. After time is up, turn oven off and allow soap to remain in ambient heat until cooled.
As spring begins to wind down, making way for summer and warmer days ahead, nothing seems to herald the changing of these glorious seasons quite like juicy, refreshing citrus fruits! For me, delicious, zesty citrus scents are synonymous with summer, and as the days grow longer and hotter, I find myself actually craving them! For this week’s soapy project, I wanted to welcome the impending arrival of summer with one of the most classic and universally-loved citrus scents of them all... Oranges!
As I rummaged through my stash of fragrance oils, I knew of the precise fragrance that I wanted to use. It’s a fragrance oil I’ve used in cold process soap before, and I positively love it! It’s Nurture Soap’s amazingly authentic “Satsuma Orange” fragrance oil, which is pure orange-heaven to my nose! Not only does this delightful fragrance behave like a soap maker’s dream in cold process soap, it also smells identical to the scent of real, freshly-squeezed oranges, and sticks around in soap for the long haul! However, as I grabbed my bottle of “Satsuma Orange” fragrance oil, I realized I didn’t have quite enough to make a full two-pound batch.
All was not lost with this project though! It just so happens I had some sweet orange essential oil on-hand as well, and if sweet orange essential oil doesn’t go awesome with “Satsuma Orange” fragrance oil, then I don’t know what else would... Orange plus more orange equals my version of pure happiness! To bump up that happiness-factor even more, I decided a little “scrubby action” from another one of my all-time favorite citrus fruits would take this project from “happy” to full-on ecstatic! Dried, ground lemon peel would be just the thing to take this citrusy soap to the next level!
Now, keep in mind, if you sell your sudsy creations, the absolute only claim one can make in regards to what their soap can actually do for the user’s skin is clean it. That certainly doesn’t mean we can’t talk a little bit about the ingredients we’ll be using in this soap recipe though, and the qualities they have individually. Also, keep in mind that in a wash-off product, such as soap, the only thing that I can definitively say about adding dried lemon peel to this recipe is that it will provide lovely exfoliation. The only thing I can definitively say about blending sweet orange essential oil with Nurture Soap’s amazing “Satsuma Orange” fragrance oil is that it will smell awesome! With this little disclaimer out of the way though, let’s take a quick look at the properties of these two ingredients.
Sweet orange essential oil has a positively delightful aroma, which from an aromatherapy standpoint is wonderfully uplifting! It’s non-phototoxic, and is very affordable too. It’s known to contain antiseptic, antibacterial and antioxidant properties, while also being naturally cleansing. High in Vitamin C, it is also said to help improve circulation. Lemon peel provides gentle, yet effective exfoliation, helping to buff away dull, dead skin, revealing a healthier glow. The citric and phytic acids in lemon peel are thought to help clarify, brighten, and smooth uneven skin tone. High in enzymes, vitamins and minerals, lemon peel is known to contain as much as five to ten times more vitamin content than lemon juice. So, while you might be limited in what you can and can’t say about your wonderful soapy creations, you can certainly allow your soapy creations to speak for themselves!
I wanted the recipe and design for this week’s soap project to be simple and fun, so that anyone who wanted to give this recipe a try at home could! While my own design features a soap-frosted top, please know that this is completely optional. Whether you add soap frosting to the top of your soap or not, I guarantee you’re going to create a beautiful batch either way! Small tweaks that I’ve made to a very simple, yet wonderfully reliable, soap recipe have made this week’s recipe very beginner-friendly, and you can find every batch oil used in this recipe right here at Nurture Soap! If you’d like to add a piped-top to this soap design, the first order of business will be to get some optional decorative embeds made.
Using the best melt & pour soap base EVER (Nurture Soap’s Low Sweat Clear Soap Base!), I got busy getting some fabulous citrus-inspired embeds made, which would adorn the top of this soap batch. Using Nurture’s mind-blowingly fantastic “Orange Marmalade” mica (I LOVE this orange mica so much!), I quickly made some refreshing orange-wedge embeds. For a splash of vibrant color contrast, the epically lush green-ness of Nurture Soap’s stunning “Jade Green” mica was the perfect choice when it came to making some accentuating citrus leaves!
The color theme for this citrusy creation is simple, but aptly bright, happy and vibrant! I envisioned a soap with a solid color bottom section (Complete with scrubby lemon peel!), and a top section featuring a fun drop-swirl design. To make this easier and allow myself plenty of time to work at my own, steady pace, I decided to treat this batch as if it were two smaller, separate batches. Instead of preparing one 32oz batch, I prepared two 16oz batches instead. This would give me ample time to pour the bottom half of this soap’s design, and then allow it to set up enough to be able to easily pour a drop-swirl over top of it with the remaining half.
For the bottom half of this project, the bright, sunshiny “Rise & Shine” mica seemed a great choice to incorporate those lemon peel granules into, and for the would-be drop-swirl on top, more “Orange Marmalade” and “Jade Green” micas would look lovely when swirled with some “Winter White” mica. Using a bit of my batch oils, I prepared these cheerful colorants by getting them nice and dispersed with my mini-mixer!
Once my divided batch oils and two lye solutions had cooled down to around 84 degrees Fahrenheit, I set one 16oz container of batch oils (and its corresponding lye-water solution) off to the side and focused on the first half of the project. This would be our bottom layer, with all those lovely lemon peel granules added for a touch of blissful scrub! After carefully and gently stirring the lye solution into the batch oils, I went ahead and stirred in the lemon peel as well. This will help break up any large clumps that may form, but lemon peel is a heavier exfoliant, so to fully and evenly disperse the granules, you’ll want to use your stick blender to bring your soap batter to trace. A light to medium trace is ideal to get those lemon peel granules evenly suspended throughout your soap batter. For this project, a usage rate of one tablespoon of lemon peel granules per pound of batch oils was used, but you can certainly add more or less lemon peel, per your desired level of “scrubbiness”.
The next step was to get the batch colored with the ever-sprightly “Rise & Shine” mica, as well as get that sensational orange-scented blend added to the soap! There’s truly no right or wrong way to accentuate the deliciously juicy scent of “Satsuma Orange” fragrance oil with sweet orange essential oil, but if you’d like to try the blend that I used for this project (Which smells fantastic, by the way!), a fragrance blend consisting of 75% (or 3-parts) “Satsuma Orange” fragrance oil, and 25% (or 1-part) sweet orange essential oil smells outstandingly orangey! If you don’t have any sweet orange essential oil on-hand, worry not... “Satsuma Orange” fragrance oil smells absolutely sensational all on its own!
With my lemon peel, mica colorant and fragrance blend now added to the soap batter, it was time to get the first half of the batch poured. This part of the project is fun, easy and oh-so satisfying, all at the same time! Just pour your soap batter into your mold, then allow it to firm up a bit before continuing on to the last half of the project. You’ll notice in this picture that my soap batter looks as brightly orange in color as it smells. This is because in this specific recipe, “Rise & Shine” mica does undergo a temporary color change. If this happens in your own cold process soap recipes at home, don’t panic! As soon as saponification gets underway, that chipper shade of orange will eventually go back to being its original shade of yellow, I promise!
While giving the bottom half of the soap batch a little time to firm up, I continued on by getting the last half of the soap batch prepared. This would be the top portion of the project, which would feature a colorful and eye-catching drop-swirl design! Blending until just passed emulsion, I split the soap batter into three equal-ish portions, then stirred the mica colorants and fragrance blend into each one as well. You might notice some color changes here too, but again, this is nothing to worry about and completely normal. In this specific soap recipe, “Jade Green” mica tends to take on a slightly darker, murkier shade of green in the fresh soap batter, while “Orange Marmalade” mica takes on more of a reddish tone. As with “Rise & Shine” mica, these changes are also very temporary, and the true shades of these gorgeous colors will return with the completion of saponification.
From here, this sudsy creation becomes a breeze! By this time, that bottom layer should be nice and firm enough to be able to pour a drop-swirl design over top of it without disruption, and once you’ve filled your mold to the very top, you can stop right here and call it another fantastic, soapy day! You could also continue on by adding some soap frosting to the top of the loaf if you’d like, but either way, you’re going to have one fantastically-fresh, orange-scented, scrubby-lemon batch of soap on your hands! If you’d prefer to skip piping the top of your soap with soap frosting, a bamboo skewer (or other swirling tool of your choice) can be used to create some colorful swirls on top!
For the soap frosting portion of this project, I used the very same recipe as the main batch of soap to whip up the frosting itself, and used a blend of equal parts “Winter White” and “Lemon Drop” micas to color it. This created such a soft and cheerful shade of yellow that reminded me of a delicious lemon custard dessert! You’ll notice that “Lemon Drop” mica doesn’t temporarily change in color, but such is the way of yellow micas! Some change from yellow to orange, then back to yellow again, and some don’t. You’ll even notice that this can be dependent on the recipe you use too. Nurture Soap’s amazingly bright “Firefly” mica temporarily turns orange in some of my soap recipes, but stays yellow in others. This is just another one of those wonderful ways in which soap making keeps us on our toes!
To add a beautiful, light dusting of golden sheen, I completed my fluffy, piped-top with a spritz and a sprinkle of Nurture Soap’s exquisite “Gold Enigma” mica, then gently placed each decorative melt & pour embed on top as well. From here, all that was left to do was insulate the batch overnight, then impatiently wait to cut it the next day!
This soap design was truly two times the fun to make, and with sweet orange essential oil accentuating the already amazing orange scent of “Satsuma Orange” fragrance oil, it’s two-times the orange awesome-ness too! With a dash of scrubby lemon peel, lovingly incorporated for an extra dose of citrusy goodness, this soap project doesn’t just say, “Hello summer!”, it shouts it!
As you prepare for the warmer days of summer ahead, I hope you feel more than welcomed to add this citrusy soap project to your incredible lineup of summertime creations! Whether you’ve been making soap for a month, a year, ten years, or more, my hope in sharing this handmade soap recipe and design is that you enjoy making it just as much as I did, or feel completely free to customize it any which way you’d like! Stay cool and keep on soaping, my phenomenally talented crafting companions!
MAIN BATCH RECIPE:
*Remember to divide the total recipe in half, working with one half at a time!
SOAP FROSTING RECIPE:
The inspiration for this week’s soap design and blog actually came to me in a very, very weird dream... Steve Buscemi and I had taken the big, swirly waterslide (Excellent mode of transportation!) to a local café, where he, his dog and I got into a deep discussion about fragrance oils (Oddly, this isn’t the first time Steve Buscemi and I have hung out together in a dream, OR ridden the big, swirly waterslide!). I asked him where I could find a soap scented in “Passion Fruit and Marbled Molasses” (I don’t know where my brain would come up with such an odd combination!), and he had explained that I could make my own marbled molasses and mix it with a passion fruit fragrance oil. I don’t know what “marbled molasses” even is, but it does sound tasty, and what he described to me made perfect sense! He told me that micas were soluble in marbled molasses, so I could even make all these wonderful colors with it in my soap, if I wanted to! How he described adding these colors to my soap had me feeing utterly excited by the time my alarm clock brought me back to consciousness, and I was inspired to try this in real life... Only, without the molasses!
I’m pretty sure this technique is actually called “mica outlining”, or at least a variation of it, but for this specific project, I've decided to call it “mica marbling”, as that’s what the end result looks like to me in soap! Before jumping into the “how to” of this design though, I wanted to quickly cover some tips and important pointers to know before creating this design in your own soapy creations at home. With three batches of this technique now under my belt, and only two of them successful, I’ve learned some pretty important “do’s and don’ts” myself!
The first important tip to know is to always, always, always use a fragrance oil which will remain very fluid and on its best behavior in cold process soap. Even the mildest acceleration can result in one epic mess (and failed soap batch)! Your soap batter must remain super fluid the whole time you’re working, as it needs to act as “cocoon”, containing and surrounding the oil-dispersed micas you’ll be incorporating. The picture here is what happens when this technique is attempted using a fragrance oil that accelerates, and this was only mild acceleration!
As you can see, my soap batter wasn’t fluid enough to surround the sides of my mold, so when I unmolded the batch, this loaf of soap tragically died in arms, spilling mica color everywhere, and creating one giant mess! For this technique to be successful, your soap batter must remain very fluid and workable, from the beginning of pour to the end of it.
Another tip: Even when perfectly executed, this design can be a little messy when first unmolded (especially the ends of your soap loaf). Don’t panic if some mica color gets on your hands when you unmold your soap. Eventually (and rather quickly, actually), your soap will absorb the excess mica-in-oil, so that it won’t transfer to your hands when touched. Upon first unmolding though, it can be a little messy, so be sure to have a roll of paper towels nearby when you unmold and cut your batch. This leads me to my next piece of advice... Even the best made plans can go awry, so if you’re using a wooden soap mold and prefer it not get stained, I would highly recommend lining your mold in freezer or parchment paper when making this design. Thankfully, the silicone liners in Nurture Soap’s soap molds don’t stain with this design, and any excess mica washes off, no problem. If you’d like to avoid stains to your wooden mold though, lining it would be ideal.
As for the recipe itself, you’ll want to use a recipe which is nice and slower-moving, to allow you plenty of time to work, but not too slow-moving to where it takes a week before you’re able to unmold your soap! This design technique is initially going to make your soap softer, so I’d recommend using a recipe that’s reliable, and one you’re familiar working with. If you don’t know of one, you’re always welcome to use the recipe that I used (included below)! Speaking of softer soap... Because we’ll be adding quite a bit of extra oil to create this design, I’d highly recommend using sodium lactate in your recipe as well. This will help shorten unmolding time. You can incorporate Sodium Lactate into your recipe at 3% per pound of batch oils. Incorporate sodium lactate by stirring it into your cooled lye solution, just prior to adding the lye solution to your cooled batch oils.
Another highly recommended tip: Dial down that superfat! Any extra oil added to your recipe is going to affect your soap’s lather, and can even put you at higher risk of DOS (Dreaded Orange Spots) developing on your soaps. Always use fresh batch oils which come from reputable soap suppliers (Like Nurture Soap!), and reduce your superfat to no greater than 3% when making this design. Don’t worry, your soaps won’t be “lye-heavy”. The addition of extra oils in this design will make for a wonderfully conditioning bar of soap, and lowering your superfat will ensure your lather isn’t significantly affected. It’ll also increase the lye in your recipe, which will saponify some of that extra oil, as well as help prevent possible DOS from forming. So now that we’ve covered some important tips, let’s jump right in and make a batch of mica-marbled soap!
To begin this project, we’ll start with the fragrance oils used! When it comes to mica marbling in cold process soap, another recommendation I’d make is to use a fragrance oil (or oils) that you’ve worked with before, so that there are no unexpected surprises. I decided to go with a fragrance oil blend, that when combined smells positively mouthwatering! Mixing equal parts of Nurture Soap’s refreshing “Mad About Mint” fragrance oil, and their zesty “Ginger and Lime” fragrance oil creates a positively scrumptious aroma that reminds me of a crisp mojito drink! Not only does this combination of fragrances smell delicious, they also remain on their best behavior in cold process soap!
Since I wanted to make this a “high-top” soap design with soap frosting piped on top, the next order of business was to get some decorative embeds made. You can certainly omit piping the top of your own batch of “Marbled Mojito” soap if you prefer, but if you’d like to include it in your soap’s design, melt & pour embeds of lime wedges and mint leaves will go great with this project! You could even add a paper straw to each bar as an extra embellishment, if you’d like! Pictured here are beautifully bold lime wedge embeds in “Jade Green” mica, and adorable mint leaf embeds in “Synergy” mica! Both were made using Nurture Soap’s Low Sweat, Clear Soap Base in Life of The Party-brand molds. You can find these affordable molds at many retailers of bakery supplies. I enjoy ordering mine from a bakery supplies shop called Sweet Treat Supply!
The mica colors for this design will be handled a bit differently. Instead of dispersing each mica colorant in a bit of carrier or batch oils, then incorporating them into portions of soap batter, we’re going to be pouring them, sans soap batter! That’s right... Each mica color in this soap design (not including the main batch color, which for this soap batch is “Winter White” mica) will be dispersed in olive oil, then poured directly into the soap batter in its original, oily state. The effect will be a jaw-dropping marbled look throughout the soap bars! I tried two different ratios of olive oil to mica and found that I liked 2 tablespoons of olive oil per every teaspoon of mica colorant best. You certainly don’t have to pour the full 2 tablespoons of mica-in-oil into your soap design though. This ratio produced the best results in my own soap batches, but you can add as little of this mica-in-oil mixture as you’d like to your soap! Any remaining mica-in-oil can always be saved for future soap projects, and in my own marbled soap batches, I only used about 2/3rds of each 2-tablespoon oil/mica mixture in my soap’s design. For this specific batch, the fabulous mica colors of “Green Vibrance”, “Rainforest”, “Hello Spring!”, “Sea Green” and “Lime Appeal” were used!
The Success of this design (which I learned the hard way!), really depends on how fluid your soap batter is, and remains. The more fluid your soap batter, the better, so when it came time to grab my trusty immersion blender and combine my lye solution and batch oils, I made sure to only blend in short bursts, using my immersion blender to stir the batter between bursts. The second my soap batter reached emulsion, where “ribbons” of separated oil were no longer present in the batter, I stopped right there! The key to ensuring your emulsified soap batter remains fluid lies in keeping those temps low. In this specific batch, both my lye solution and batch oils were allowed to cool to around 84 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once your soap batter has reached emulsion and is a nice and fluid consistency, you can now add your main batch colorant. For this batch, I used “Winter White” mica. Because there aren’t any soap portions to split off and color, you can also incorporate the entirety of the fragrance oil blend in the soap batter as well. Once the colorant and fragrance have been incorporated (most preferably by hand!), you can now begin pouring the design!
So, remember when I mentioned your soap batter acting as a “cocoon” for the micas-in-oil? That’s another important point to keep in mind! You see, if the micas-in-oil aren’t contained within something (Ie: your soap batter), they’ll most likely just leak back out! You really want to think of your soap batter as a barrier which will contain the micas-in-oil within your soap. Ideally, you’ll want all sides of your soap to be covered with soap batter, while concentrating on keeping the micas-in-oil in the center of your soap as much as possible. The ends of your soap aren't as big of a deal, as most soap makers cut their end-pieces off anyway, but you really want to make sure the bottom, sides and top of your soap loaf are adequately covered. To begin pouring, fill your mold a touch over 1/3rd full with soap batter (or more, if preferred), then proceed by pouring the first mica-in-oil color down the very center of your mold.
As you continue pouring, make sure to alternate between pouring your soap batter down the center of your mold, followed by your next mica-in-oil color, so that it becomes a pattern... One color of mica-in-oil gets poured, then the soap batter gets poured right over it, tiger-swirl style. The second mica-in-oil color gets poured, followed by more soap batter. This pattern repeats until your mold is almost filled, and you’ve added all your mica-in-oil colors. As you continue pouring the batch, you’ll begin to notice the micas-in-oil spreading their way ever outward. That’s no problem, and another reason why it’s so very important to work with very fluid soap batter. When you notice your micas-in-oil getting too close to the sides of your mold, simply use your soap batter to “push” everything back to the center of the mold. A quick pour of soap batter up and down the sides of your mold will take care of that!
Once you’ve poured all the mica-in-oil colors into your mold, remember to leave some room near the top. The next step will be to incorporate a hanger swirl into this design, but once finished with that, you’ll want a little room left on top to push and wayward micas-in-oil back to the center of the mold, as well as use remaining soap batter to cover the top of the loaf as best as possible.
The hanger swirl for this marbled design is quite simple and fun, and it’s also the star of the show when it comes to creating that marbled effect in your soaps. To complete this swirl, simply take your hanger tool, and beginning at the side closest to you, insert it just barely below the surface of the soap. Skim the hanger tool across the surface until you get to the center of your mold. Moving the hanger tool in a clockwise direction, begin by making large, circular loops within the soap, gradually moving the tool a little lower with each completed loop. Complete four large, descending loops until your hanger tool hits the bottom of the mold. At this point, drag the tool across the bottom of the mold by about an inch (moving it towards you), then pull it straight up and out of the soap. That’s it! The hanger swirl is complete, and from here, you can use remaining soap batter to fill your mold up the rest of the way; using it to push any micas-in-oil away from the sides, and covering any oil sitting on top as best as possible.
Using the same batch oils and percentages as in my main batch of soap, I returned to a more appropriate superfat (7%) for my soap frosting recipe, and piped the top of the loaf using a Wilton #1A, round piping tip. To color this part of the project, I used, quite possibly, the most insanely beautiful color blend I think I’ve ever seen in soap! If you’ve read any of my previous blog posts, you may already know that I’m positively infatuated with Nurture Soap’s “High Society” mica, and have mentioned several times how incredibly versatile it is in cold process soap! With this one mica, the possibilities to create an array of different colors and shades within the green and blue color spectrums are gorgeously vast!
A blend consisting of one-part “High Society” mica to two (slightly generous) parts “Winter White” mica looked absolutely sublime for this portion of the project, and to finish up with a heavenly dash of eco-friendly sparkle, an “ombre-style” dusting of “Shamrock Gold” Enviroglitter looked positively ethereal! To create this “ombre-type” effect in your own “high-top” soap batches, using one of Nurture Soap’s Glitter Spray Pumps (As I’ve found these are the absolute best tools for distributing fine Enviroglitters to the tops of soap!), simply start by spraying a more concentrated amount of glitter around the base of your soap, then gradually decrease the amount as you spray your way up to the very top of the soap frosting.
For that perfect finishing touch, I happily placed each fun and fresh-looking melt & pour embed atop my soap frosting and called it a day! I lovingly insulated the batch under a cardboard box and blanket, then waited (impatiently!) for when I’d be able to unmold and cut the batch. I couldn’t wait to see what this batch would look like once cut, as the magic of this design technique is that each and every bar looks so completely different and unique from any other! Each batch, and each bar of soap is truly one-of-a-kind, and no single batch will ever be identical!
“Don’t drop the soap!” is a well-meaning piece of advice I’m sure we’ve all heard before. It’s usually said in jest, and seems to be in reference to individuals serving time in prison. Clearly, this has to do with the fact that shower floors in prison must be teeming with all sorts of icky germs, and carries absolutely no other innuendos! It also just so happens to be outstanding advice for soap makers too! You see, when the time came to unmold my batch of “Marbled Mojito” cold process soap, I discovered it was still quite a bit soft, and wasn’t ready to be unmolded just yet. Ideally, considering the extra oils in this recipe, and how fluid the batter is when poured, I’d actually recommend allowing this batch to remain in the mold for a good 48 hours before unmolding, but I was on a deadline, and needed to get this batch unmolded and cut STAT!
By being as gentle as a feather, I managed to unmold the soap loaf with no incident, but it was still pretty soft and not quite ready to cut. Getting it unmolded was the first hurdle though, as now that each side of the loaf was exposed to air, it would firm up much faster than if it had remained in the mold. Unfortunately, the weather outside was wet and rainy, and I worried this would slow things down significantly. Suddenly, I had a bright idea! I’d just move the loaf into the next room and crank the dehumidifier up full blast- problem solved! As if cradling a baby bird, I carefully picked the loaf up, turned to start walking to the next room and almost tripped over the damn cat (She has a thing for creeping up on people, standing directly underneath you, and then getting all kinds of offended when you nearly break your neck trying not to trip over her!). In an effort to save both myself and the cat from bodily harm, I teetered, and I tottered, and accidentally DROPPED THE ENTIRE LOAF ON THE HARD KITCHEN TILE!
MY stomach immediately found a new home, up in my throat, and I felt tears of utter frustration coming on strong. I looked at the damage and found one side to be completely destroyed, with the bottom sides and corners badly squashed. Looking back, I wish I would’ve taken a picture of how bad it looked, but I was so upset and devastated, all I could think about was trying to salvage it as best as I could. Naturally, I couldn’t use any of the soap that had come in contact with the floor, but I began collecting as much of the soap that hadn’t touched the floor as I could. It was so soft and malleable, I was able to roll it up into little balls with my hands, then use an icing spatula to reattach it to the loaf. For the next hour, my poor soap batch went through extensive reconstructive “surgery”! One side was beyond repair, but I hoped with all hope that after cutting and trimming the edges of each bar (as I always do anyway), I’d have at least ONE decent bar to show you all, so you could at least get a good idea of what this design technique looks in the finished soap.
I’d like to thank my subconscious Steve Buscemi, and his little, fluffy dog, for giving me the idea and inspiration for this soapy project! By some complete miracle, when I cut and trimmed this batch, only ONE bar out of the entire loaf was moderately damaged! I have absolutely NO CLUE how that was even possible, but I like to think it’s because this idea came to me in a dream; which I also like to think must’ve been some sort of sign, beyond an over-active imagination, or eating sweets too close to bedtime! Perhaps it was meant-to-be; “fate”, if you will! Whatever it is, I’m thrilled with the results of this project, and am so pleased with how the soaps turned out, despite my little dropping “incident”! As you go throughout your soapy week, I hope inspiration finds you in its own unique way as well, and that you never hesitate to follow your dreams, no matter how odd they may seem... Even if they come to you by way Steve Buscemi, or whatever “marbled molasses” is!
SOAP RECIPE:
Soap Frosting Recipe:
As I was narrating this introduction in my head, I realized I was about to get really personal here! That’s okay though... We’re soap makers, which in a way, makes us one, big, happy family! Let’s see... How do I begin? Well, for starters, I am, as some would say, “a hippy at heart”. I love this amazing planet of ours, and I’ve never felt more in the company of “my own kind” than when I’m alone, in nature. I love the sounds of it, the smells of it, the wondrous sights of it, the feel of its cool breezes brushing past me, the sensation of raindrops on my skin, or the way the sun feels when it warms my face. In fact, at this very moment, I’m sitting outside with my laptop, fully appreciating the beautiful serenade of the birds!
This love of nature, and our earth, was instilled in me as a child. My family was in no way the “typical” kind, but then again, is anybody’s really? My mother was a devout Latter Day Saint (as I believe they prefer to be called now, in place of the more familiar, “Mormon”), and my father was a practicing Buddhist. When I tell people this, they usually look at me with confusion on their faces and ask if that “messed me up” in any way. I just laugh and say, “No, quite the opposite, really!”. You see, my mother’s beliefs were heavily focused on preparedness. Latter Day Saints are some of the most prepared individuals I’ve ever met, and because of this, I had the amazing opportunity to grow up having many skills instilled in me! Instead of buying clothes, my mother sewed them herself. Instead of buying our fruits and vegetables, my mother tended fruit trees and grew a garden. Instead of purchasing canned goods, as a family, we’d collectively make jams and jellies with the fruits that grew nearby (we harvested prickly pears from the prickly pear cactus each year!), and took what remained of the garden’s harvest and canned it ourselves. Heck, we even knew how to churn our own butter!
My mother was the practical side of nature, instilling in me a love for all the amazing bounties it provided, and teaching me how to utilize them. My father, on the other hand, was the spiritual side of nature. Instilling in me a reverence and awareness of it through quiet observation. It’s going to sound cliché, but he was the one who taught me my “oneness” with it all. As a child, be awoken by the sound of my father chanting in prayer and meditation with the rising of the sun was just another beautiful morning in our house! Did this confuse me in any way while growing up? Absolutely not! I actually feel like I got the best of both worlds! As an adult, I don’t walk the straight lines my parents did, rather, I swerve in between them, being a practical and resourceful woman who also carries a deep love and respect for the immense beauties and wonders of nature! So, what does all this have to do with soapmaking you ask? Well, I’m so glad you did, because it has everything to do with this specific soap project!
When I first began my soapmaking journey, natural colorants were all I used. It’s absolutely amazing to me to see the ranges and hues of color nature can impart to one’s soaps! Naturally, I eventually developed quite the obsession with mica colorants as well, but there will always be a part of me that adores the colors of the earth too! For this project, I decided to go back to my “soapy roots” and get my hands on Nurture Soap’s gorgeous Brazilian Clay Set. The soap maker I was back then though, isn’t the soap maker I am today (I’ve grown and evolved!), so I also decided a touch of the old, along with a touch of the new, would be perfect for the design I had in mind! Come along with me, and let’s make some stunning, earth-colored clay soap together!
My scent preferences (emphasis on the plural!) are extremely broad! There actually aren’t very many “scent categories” that I actively dislike at all! Off the top of my head, I’m not the biggest fan of tropical-type aromas, but even then, I’ve found a few I’ve liked! For the most part though, pretty much anything and everything gets a big thumbs-up from me (yes, even patchouli!). If I'm being completely honest though, the scents which “speak to me” the most are those which are earthy, herbal, green and/or woodsy in character. That’s precisely why I decided, without a shred of hesitation, that Nurture Soap’s “New Beginnings” fragrance oil would make for the perfect aroma to accentuate this earthy project! Although, I MUST say that Nurture’s “Cottongrass” fragrance oil would also be an outstanding choice for a soapy theme, such as this! Holy moly, that fragrance hits me right in the “feels”!
“New Beginnings” fragrance oil though, WOW did that take me to my happy place from the very first sniff! Exactly as described in its product description is what this fragrance smells like! Fresh, delicate green notes are uplifted by delightful hints of citrus undertones... Not the type of citrus that’s boisterously energetic though; more like a whisper of soothing citrus that gives you a mad case of “Mona Lisa smile”! Green vetiver greets you at the heart of this aroma, with a warm subtlety of centering woodsy accords completing this lovely aromatic affair- like a tender embrace from Mother Nature herself! It truly IS spring’s essence, captured in a bottle, and is the type of scent even those who normally shy away from earthy or woodsy aromas would enjoy, as it’s not TOO MUCH of anything! Rather, it all comes together to make one beautiful, outdoorsy menagerie of scent both women and men would equally love!
Because of the exquisite aromatic adventure of spring, sprung to life (otherwise known as “New Beginnings” fragrance oil!), and the rich, bountiful colors of the earth (I’m talking about YOU, Brazilian Clay Set!), I wanted to incorporate some of my usual decorative embeds in this soapy design too, just not in my usual way! Instead of melt & pour embeds, this project needed to feature even MORE goodies from Mother Nature! Purchased locally, from a small (but mighty!) business, I found precisely what this project needed for that extra “pop” of botanical embellishment! A dainty, yellow accent of dried chamomile flowers (which remind me so much of Nurture’s “Mimosa Yellow” mica!), paired with whole, dried rosehip and juniper berries, would be just what this project needed to celebrate the beauties of nature!
I happily went about the task of getting my lye solution made, and my batch oils weighed out, melted and combined. Normally, for a batch of this size, using Nurture Soap’s 2.5lb Basic Soap Mold, I plan my recipe to consist of 32oz of batch oils. For this specific project though, I had a little sumthin’ extra planned, where I wanted to pipe an accent of green vines and leaves on top of my loaf. I didn’t need very much extra soap batter at all to do this though, so instead of making a separate batch just for soap frosting, I decided I’d just increase my usual batch size a little, and then reserve some of that extra soap batter to use for this purpose. Instead of my normal 32oz batch size, I increased it to consist of 36oz of batch oils, with the intention of pouring off, and reserving, a touch over 4 ounces of soap batter to make a bit of soap frosting with. the additional liquid needed to make a 36oz batch of soap would result in a little more than 4oz of extra soap batter, but I decided it would be better to have a little leftover soap frosting as opposed to not enough. Besides, any leftover soap frosting can always be piped into a cavity mold to make wonderful guest or travel-size soaps!
While I waited for my lye solution and batch oils to cool down to around room temperature, I got started on dispersing the lovely Brazilian Clay Set in a bit of carrier oil. Nurture Soap’s Brazilian Clay Set has really got you covered, especially if you’ve always been interested in making clay soaps, or just want to experiment with clays as natural colorants in your recipes! Included in the set is Red Brazilian Clay, Pink Brazilian Clay, Black Brazilian Clay, Gold Brazilian Clay and Purple Brazilian Clay, so there’s many to choose from! In this sudsy creation, I decided to use ALL of them, as well as some White Kaolin Clay to add a natural white shade to the design as well (which would be a pretty drop swirl!). The clays aren’t quite as vibrant in their dry state, but I tell ya... The moment you disperse them in a bit of carrier oil, their natural tones will burst with earthy vibrancy! A great usage rate for clays in one’s soapy projects is one to two teaspoons per pound of oils, and in this particular batch, I used two teaspoons of each clay per pound of oils.
It was time to make soap, and I was so excited to see those beautiful clays in action! Blending my soap batter to emulsion, I stopped there to pour off a small portion of the batter that I would reserve, and come back to later, to make my soap frosting with. To be honest, I eyeballed this to be a touch over 4oz, but I really should have weighed it (sorry about that!)! That way I could’ve told you exactly how much to pour off and reserve if you wanted to try this recipe at home, but I ended up having the perfect amount for my main batch (like, an eerily spot-on amount!), and as anticipated, had more than enough soap frosting to make my leafy design with too!
As I set my reserved soap batter aside, I continued on by blending my soap batter a little bit more... Just until I reached a light trace. Clays can sometimes cause one’s recipe to move a tad faster, so blending to a light trace was the perfect stopping point to get my soap batter divided, and those beautiful clays incorporated into each of my six portions. As I stirred the clays into their respective portions of soap, I became enamored by how richly pigmented and unique each one was, and as I subsequently incorporated “New Beginnings” fragrance oil as well, I was officially in my own version of heaven!
As if I wasn’t already having a personal moment of Zen with this blissfully bubbly creation, the actual process of pouring the batch itself was an absolute dream! “New Beginnings” fragrance oil doesn’t just smell fantastic, it behaves that way in cold process too! My earthy-clay colors mingled and swirled in mesmerizing waves of various shades within my loaf mold (perfectly fluid swirls!), and the fragrance oil didn’t even show the slightest glimpse of acceleration! It was a perfect pour, from start to finish, and when I was all done pouring, I grabbed my trusty bamboo skewer and made a pretty design on top!
Once my batch was poured, it was time to go back to that small portion of soap batter I had set aside and make a bit of soap frosting! By this time, it had already set up to a great point where I could get it separated, colored, and blended up the rest of the way to the perfect piping consistency! Dividing it equally, I used the aptly named “New Leaf” mica to color one portion, and the nature-inspired “Celadon Green” mica to color the other. I poured one green down the left side of my piping bag, and the other down the right, so that both greens would eventually meet and mingle in the middle when I piped the soap frosting from the bag.
To make leaves using a leaf piping tip, simply turn the tip so that it looks like an open bird beak; apply steady pressure when first squeezing the soap frosting out, then gradually reduce pressure as you go, pulling up to make the point of the leaf. I promise It’s really simple and fun, and once you’ve practiced a few times, you’ll be a natural at it! If you hold the leaf piping tip on its side and squeeze (so that it looks like a “V”), you’ll get a line from it, which is exactly how I created the “vine” for this project! Don’t worry if your leaves or vines aren’t perfectly symmetrical... That’s the beauty of nature! Mother Nature doesn’t follow the rules of symmetry when it comes to her magnificent decorating skills!
After finishing up my frosty leaves, I carefully placed each botanical embed on top of my soap loaf, then stood back for a moment to admire my re-creation of nature... I don’t possess the same awe-inspiring artistic abilities that nature itself has (nature “out-arts” us all!), but I did my very best, and was feeling proud! The next step would usually entail insulating the batch with a towel-draped cardboard box overnight, but this wasn’t the usual “high-top” batch I make either! Because this batch didn’t feature any melt & pour embeds, which would certainly melt, THIS was a batch I could CPOP!
“CPOP” stands for “Cold Process, Oven Process”, and is a method used to promote gel phase in one’s soap batches. The added benefit of this, besides producing a batch of soap that feels harder, and oftentimes unmolds sooner, is that colors within one’s soap batches will usually appear brighter and bolder than in un-gelled soaps. Natural clays in particular REALLY benefit from CPOP in that you’ll get the deepest, most pigmented results from them if you promote gel phase. This batch didn’t have to tell me twice... It was going in the oven!
There’s a couple different ways soap makers go about CPOP, and neither way (or method) is wrong. As long as you end up with a batch of gelled soap that you love and are proud of, well then, you did it right, regardless of HOW you did it! One popular method is to heat your oven to 170°F (that’s usually as low as the standard oven will go), place your batch of soap in the oven for one hour, turn the heat off after one hour, then allow the batch to continue to stay warm in the ambient heat of the oven until it cools down naturally. The other popular method (although there are several other methods out there which all work equally well!) is to preheat your oven to 170°F. Once your oven reaches this temperature, turn it off, and then place your batch of soap in the oven, allowing it to heat up and gel in this ambient heat, until it cools down on its own. Because I didn’t want to inadvertently bake the dried botanicals I had decoratively placed on top of my soap, I chose the latter method, but as you can see, it worked great! By the next morning, my soapy leaves looked as bright and fresh as real, newly-sprouted spring leaves!
To be honest, I almost didn’t want to cut this batch at all (why can’t I just scrub down with a 2.5lb bar of soap?), but I was dying to see what those clays looked like on the inside; to see the magnificent colors nature provides us in application! I wasn’t disappointed in the LEAST, and in fact, I was downright WOWED! These clays came out gorgeous in cold process soap; a real tribute to the colors of the earth itself!
As I think back to my childhood, taking moments of quiet reflection to internally thank my parents for all the quirky, yet wonderful, ways in which they instilled in me a deep love, passion and respect for this earth and the beauties of nature, I’m most grateful for the fact that even though I grew up to be my own, independent individual, I STILL look at the magnificence of nature with those very same eyes, and that very same childlike sense of wonder and awe! It’s one of the many reasons why I thoroughly savored each and every moment of this soapy project too! To be able to have the ability and artistic outlet to share my love for this amazing world of ours with others... Well, it doesn’t get much better than that! And so, my insanely talented, fellow soap makers, as you inspire others with your own incredible artistry and talent, my wish for you is that you always do so, beginning with those things which inspire YOU first... Inspiration is wonderfully contagious after all!
MAKE THIS RECIPE:
*If choosing to make soap frosting for the vine and leaf embellishments, remember to increase the recipe’s total oil weight by 3 or 4 ounces, reserving this to make your soap frosting.
OPTIONAL EMBELLISHMENTS:
Once upon a time there was a beautiful welsh woman who owned a little market with her beloved (and dashingly handsome!) husband. Side by side, they worked hard together to lovingly serve the people of their community, as well as raise their two young children. The woman possessed many skills and talents, and she excelled at all of them! One skill in particular was that of soapmaking, as she herself was a soap maker (among many other things!). She would collect the trimmings of fat from the meat sold in the market, render it down and make soap with it. You see, this woman wasn’t just talented, she was very resourceful too! As a witness and survivor of extremely hard and meager times, where so many families were forced to try to make ends meet with so very little, it was instilled in her from a very young age that nothing went to waste, and that all things served a purpose.
Items which many people would regard as waste and needlessly dispose of (as they were fortunate to have never had to endure such hard times before) held value to the woman, so each shaving of fat the woman’s husband would skillfully trim away from the cuts of meat they sold to their customers, would be gathered and saved to make soap for their family. The soaps themselves were no great beauties by today’s standards, and they featured no added colorants and fragrances, but they were wholesome and pure, and made from scratch with love. They kept her family healthy and clean, which is what mattered most to the woman.
As this woman got older and became a grandmother, she would tell her grandchildren all sorts of wonderful and enthralling stories of her life’s experiences, and her grandchildren always listened intently, eager to hear more! One story in particular that she often told (because her youngest granddaughter always incessantly begged her to!) was the one about the oranges. As a child, candy and sugary treats were so extremely rare for the woman to have, that it was actually fresh fruits that were considered treats, and the woman’s most favorite treat of all was oranges! At this time in her life though, even fresh fruits were a very rare indulgence, but the woman would always share the story of how each year, her father would save his money and buy each child in the family an orange for Christmas. He would put a single orange in each child’s Christmas stocking, and as the woman retold this story to her granddaughter, she’d always do so with a twinkle of reflection in her eye and a smile on her lips.
She would tell her granddaughter how much she looked forward to that orange, and how she would savor each and every bite of it, taking her time to deliberately and slowly eat it so she could imagine it would last forever. Because of this experience and the fondness of looking back on it, as a tradition, each and every year on Christmas, the woman would place an orange in each of her grandchildren’s stockings. Because her grandchildren had never known such hard times before, the oranges were never received with nearly as much excitement, but it was very important to the woman that she give her grandchildren all the simple joys and bounties that she never had so freely as a child herself. It was important to her to share all the many talents and skills she possessed with her grandchildren as well, with a prayer that they’d never have to work as hard as she did, or ever know a life where they couldn’t have all the things that they desired.
This woman was my grandmother, Ila Worrell-Morris, and I loved and deeply admired her more than words could ever say! She was, and is my hero, and I’d like to think that maybe my own love and passion for soapmaking was instilled in me because of her; as if a little part of her still lives on inside me, though my love for this craft! This batch of soap was made in honor of my incredible grandmother! I truly hope I would have done her proud with this one!
When I started thinking about the ingredients for this batch of soap, I knew I wanted to incorporate lard into the recipe in tribute to my grandmother, who used to render who own lard for soapmaking from scratch. Of course, I can’t ever make things easy on myself though! I’ve got quite a bit of shea and cocoa butters on-hand as well, so I decided I’d go against my own “KISS” rule (you know, “Keep It Simple, Squirrel- a nickname my husband calls me!), and incorporate those into my recipe too! At the end of the day though, my grandmother was anything but a simple woman, so I think this recipe is very fitting for her! As for the scent, without a shred of doubt, I knew this batch needed to smell like true, authentic oranges!
No other fragrance oil on this planet could have been more perfect for this project than Nurture Soap’s “Satsuma Orange” fragrance oil! The moment I smelled this sensational citrus scent, I was hooked! This is orange at its absolute best! It’s a fragrance so juicy, fresh, uplifting and citrusy, its authenticity blew me away at first sniff! Think freshly squeezed oranges, with the most perfectly placed splash of actual orange rind too, and you’ve got this fragrance oil... It’s absolutely FABULOUS! In her own soap batches, my grandmother never added any additional fragrances or colorants, but as the spirited woman she was, she loved color! A super colorful batch in honor of her just seemed right, and on a personal note, I have been itching (badly!) to get Nurture Soap’s new Epic Color Collection into a batch of soap!
These jaw-dropping, stunningly vibrant mica pigments were made in-house by Carrie Thornsbury herself, so not only are they positively incredible, they’re also Nurture Soap exclusives! After my experience of using them in this batch, I can wholeheartedly say that it’s this soap maker's most sincere and honest opinion that you won’t find colors as extraordinarily vivid and captivating as these new colors are anywhere else! Seriously though, these colors are EPIC!!! After formulating a recipe I think my grandmother would've been proud of, and choosing a fragrance and colors I KNOW she would’ve loved, I set to the exciting task of transforming my soapy vision into a bubbly reality! Come along with me and grab your loaf molds... It’s time to make a batch of “Epic Orange” cold process soap!
As per my usual soapy style, I chose to make this a high-top batch, complete with fluffy soap frosting to pipe the top with, so naturally I wanted to get some decorative melt and pour embeds made up too! “Satsuma Orange” fragrance oil is fresh and citrusy, so I wanted my embeds to convey this as well. Using Nurture Soap’s Low Sweat Clear Soap Base, I set to “work” (or “fun” rather!) making lively orange slices in the incredible “Orange Marmalade” mica (I LOVE this mica color!). For the freshness of this scent, leaf embeds made with the jovial, lighthearted shade of “Hello Spring!” mica, turned out conveying this “vibe” perfectly! When all my embeds were made and looking positively pretty (I made 8 of each for my 2.5lb Basic Soap Mold), I set them aside and got started on making my lye solutions (one lye solution for my main batch, the other for my batch of soap frosting), as well as allowing them to cool down to room temperature. I did the same with my main batch and soap frosting batch oils as well, getting my hard oils melted down fully, then weighing and incorporating my soft oils, allowing these to cool to around room temperature too. While my batch oils and lye solutions cooled, I used this time to get the epically stellar mica pigments measured out and dispersed in a bit of light carrier oil.
The way these mica pigments look in the jar (I actually purchased mine in bags, then transferred them to jars I had on-hand) will have you thinking “WOW”, but the way they look once dispersed in a bit of carrier oil will have you audibly saying it (at least I did)! They truly came to colorful life as soon as I mixed them with oil, and not only did they look absolutely epic (there's really no better way to describe them!), but they blended and dispersed so effortlessly tool! Because of the gorgeous array of color these mica pigments positively pop with, I decided a rainbow-type theme would look amazing for this soapy design, with a hanger swirl tool finishing the job, and bringing some rockin’ swirls to the bars themselves. It was settled, and I was officially in love... This crafty project would feature seven beautiful colors in total (“Material Girl” mica, “Eye of The Tiger” mica, “Full Throttle” mica, “Force of Nature” mica, “Making Waves” mica, “Queen for A Day” mica and “Winter White” mica), and I couldn’t wait to see what these fantastic colors would look like in the completed batch!
As soon as my main batch oils and lye solution both reached about 80°F, I couldn’t contain my excitement any longer, and got started making my colorful, swirly-rainbow, epically-orange batch of soap! I added my sodium lactate to my cooled lye solution, then incorporated my lye solution into my batch oils, using my stick blender to bring my soap batter to a nice and fluid light trace. From there, I split the batch off into six portions, then colored my remaining soap batter in the bowl with “Winter White” mica. There just aren’t any words for how positively enchanting these new mica pigments look in cold process soap batter! As I blended each color into my portioned soap and saw magic happen right before my very eyes (these colors are UNREAL!), I thought I was going to have to stop and go looking for my jaw after it hit the floor!
My colors blended in smoothly and beautifully into my soap batter, as did the fragrance oil too! Holy wow does “Satsuma Orange” fragrance oil smell incredible! It is beautifully fragrant, authentic and true in cold process, and its behavior was OUTSTANDING! In every way, I went full-on lazy when it came to pouring this batch, simply because I could! The fragrance oil behaved so well, I was able to take all the time I needed while pouring (and then some!), and would have had plenty of time to spare too! Not only does “Satsuma Orange” smell downright mouthwatering, but its behavior in cold process is every soap makers dream! I poured each of my seven colors in a tiger swirl design down the center of my mold, alternating each color in a repeating pattern as I went. I continued until the mold was filled almost to the very top, then stood back to admire this sensory explosion of color! I could’ve stopped right there, and would’ve had zero doubts that the soaps themselves would turn out amazing, but I really wanted to get some swirls in this blatantly bright and beautiful batch, so it was time to grab my hanger swirl tool and make it happen (hopefully without mottling any of those fabulous colors)!
When it comes to the actual swirling and movement of the hanger tool, I’ve had a few, wonderful fellow crafters ask me what I do to achieve my swirls. It’s so difficult to explain, and then subsequently visualize, a movement though, especially when it’s a tool being moved though soap batter (oh if only for x-ray vision in these moments!), but I will try my very best! I also drew a little diagram, of sorts, that will hopefully help those soap makers who would like to try it in their own soapy designs at home. Keep in mind though that in no way, shape or form am I any good at drawing, so you have to promise not to laugh at my drawing skills! This swirl technique is one I’m unofficially calling “The Squirrel Swirl” (my husband has called me “Squirrel” since practically the day we met. It’s only when he calls me by my first name that I know I’m in trouble!), but essentially, here’s what you’ll want to do to achieve the hanger swirl used for this project: After pouring your tiger swirl down the center of your mold, take your hanger tool and bring it down into the top of your soap at a diagonal angle. Starting from the top, and gradually working your way down towards the bottom of the mold, move your hanger tool in large loops, making 4 loops before hitting the bottom of the mold with the hanger tool. As soon as you feel the tool hit the bottom of the mold, pull it up and out in a diagonal motion again, coming out on the opposite side of the mold from where you started. Check out the diagram here to get a better visual of how I executed this specific swirl.
To finish up, after I completed my hanger swirl, I simply added any remaining soap batter to the top of my loaf, then made a pretty swirl design using a bamboo skewer. If you’d like to omit the soap frosting part of this project, you can stop right here, and your soaps will look just as beautiful! The new mica pigments from Nurture Soap are so bright, pigmented and breathtaking, they certainly don’t require a piped-top to create a truly glorious work of soapy art! As I played around with the top of my own soap batch, I couldn’t help but think of how much it looked like confetti! There was definitely a party going on in the soapmaking kitchen that day!
To continue on with my wonderfully colorful, citrusy tribute to my grandmother, I got started on my soap frosting. Using the same recipe that I used for my main batch, I added “Heart Breaker” mica to my soap frosting batch oils and fell head-over-heels in love! “Heart Breaker” mica is a deliciously flirty shade of bright hot pink with the most gorgeously sultry red undertones, and I have to admit that my biggest reason for incorporating it into this project is because it’s a mica I just recently purchased and have been hankering to get into a batch of soap... It’s just too pretty to pass up!
After blending my soap frosting batch to a good, medium-ish trace, and then allowing it to set up on its own to a nice, pipeable consistency, I piped the top of my loaf with the coquettishly seductive shade of “Heart Breaker” mica and realized exactly why this mica is called “Heart Breaker”! It truly IS a stunning shade of pink, with heartbreakingly beautiful red tones coming through exquisitely in application! Once I finished piping the top of my soap, a dusting of “Snowflake Sparkle” mica was the cherry on top, making this project come to sparkly life!
For the final embellishments, the fabulously bright orange slices and fresh, green leaf embeds I made earlier made for the perfect finishing touches! It was time to lightly spray the batch with 91% rubbing alcohol (to help prevent soda ash), get it lightly insulated overnight with a towel-draped cardboard box, and hope with all hope that my vision of intensely colorful swirls turned out as planned. So far things were looking great though! The mica colors I’d used had already exceeded my expectations, the fragrance oil behaved exceptionally well, and my workspace smelled divine... Just like fresh, juicy oranges!
The next morning came and it was time to unmold my “Epic Orange” cold process soap batch! Everything about making this batch went so smoothly, I was actually a little worried that I’d used up all my good luck, and I’d cut into disaster! I couldn’t have been more wrong, or happier about being wrong! From the very first cut I made I was floored!! The hanger swirl itself came out perfect, but those colors... OH MY GOODNESS, THOSE COLORS!!! Now I see more clearly than ever why these new mica pigments are called “Epic”! The magic of saponification did nothing but intensify their beauty (which was already pretty unbelievable to me!), as each and every color looked even MORE bright, even MORE intensely vivid, and even MORE boldly pigmented than they had looked when freshly poured! I mean, these colors just came to life, and for a rare moment there, I was speechless! From one soap maker to another, I just have to say, these micas are INSANELY AWESOME, and as I write this blog post, I’m giving Carrie Thornsbury a standing ovation for creating these world rocking colors! In every way, they are pure “WOW”!
As a soap maker herself, I think my grandmother would’ve been proud with how this batch turned out, and my only wish is that she was still here to see it... To see the batch of soap made in her honor, and scented in the memories she left behind. This specific project was made with an epic aroma and some pretty epic colors, but it feels fitting because she was one epic lady herself! As crafters, we have this amazing blank canvas with which we can “paint” all kinds of different things on... A scent that evokes a beautiful memory or moment in time; a color scheme that sets a mood or awakens a feeling; a theme which honors a loved one; a sensory experience that can put a restless mind at ease, or wake one up! This “blank canvas” I’m referring to is the incredible craft of soapmaking! Your oils and your lye, your additives, fragrances and colors... All these are your canvas, but it’s YOU who paints upon it. It’s YOU who takes those raw ingredients and an idea, and brings it to life with your own creative imagination! Happy imaginative soapmaking my amazing fellow artists!
MAKE THIS RECIPE:
SOAP FROSTING:
OPTIONAL EMBEDS:
In every way, I felt completely out of my element (literally and figuratively) when it came to this batch of soap! I had flown across the country, from Florida to Arizona, to visit family for the holidays, and although I thought I had come prepared, I’m never prepared for how “off” it feels making soap in someone else’s kitchen! I’m sure my fellow crafters can relate, but when I’m at home, I have a flow and natural rhythm for each and every step of the soapmaking process, so even the slightest difference and deviation just feels wrong to me. In this instance, as with other times, the kitchen layout was different, the size of my workspace was different, heck, even a lot of my tools and equipment were different! I’m always reminded of just how much of a creature for my own comforts and old habits I truly am when it’s time to get crafty in someone else’s crafting space!
Before I left for my trip, I did think ahead (or as far ahead as I could!) and packed as many soapmaking accouterments as I could fit into my luggage (well, the ones TSA would allow me to fly with anyway!). I also had an order from Nurture Soap shipped directly to my mother’s home in Arizona, so that I’d have even more goodies waiting for me when I arrived. Needless to say, I was not the least bit surprised to find a "Notice of Baggage Inspection" card inside my luggage when I arrived at my final destination!
One item in particular in the order I had shipped to Arizona turned out being an absolute lifesaver for me, and another item was simply pure heaven! My proverbial lifesaver was the AMIR Digital Scale Nurture Soap now carries! At home, I use a MyWeigh KD8000 scale, but it’s not a very travel-friendly piece of equipment by any means! On the other hand, the AMIR Digital Scale is perfect for travel! Light, compact, portable, easy to use and easy to clean, this scale makes for a great companion to the traveling soap maker! I was very happy I picked one of these babies up!
My “pure heaven” moment came when I smelled Nurture Soap’s newest fragrance oil sensation, “Seventh Heaven” fragrance oil for the first time (and second, and third, and fourth...)! With notes of lime, bergamot, frankincense and litsea cubeba, this aromatic treat is exactly as described in its product listing! It really is sweet and sultry, all rolled up into one blissful, not-your-typical-citrus scent! To my nose, it’s a solid representation of the aroma it duplicates, but you don’t have to be familiar with the original Avocado Co-Wash scent to fully appreciate this fragrance! It’s a citrusy kiss with a spicy-resinous kick, combined to create pure heaven in a bottle! The original product this celestial celebration of scent represents is chock-full of fresh avocados, so I felt it was only fitting to use fresh avocado puree in this batch of cold process soap! With my avocado in-hand, I got ready to make a heavenly batch of soap... Or at least as ready as I could get when it came to making soap in this strange and foreign land (aka: mom’s kitchen)!
If working in an unfamiliar workspace wasn’t enough, I decided to make things even more challenging for myself by making this a high-top batch, complete with decorative melt & pour embeds. I had brought a pound of Nurture Soap’s Clear, Low Sweat Soap Base with me, as well as some embed molds, and figured if I could make and embellish soap frosting at home, I could make and embellish it anywhere! To give homage to the avocado, which was sacrificed from being made into guacamole to become soap instead, I used Nurture Soap’s Small 9 Ball Silicone Mold and “Copper Penny” mica to make what would represent avocado seeds, which turned out being the perfect color for this task, if I may say so myself!
When I smelled “Seventh Heaven” fragrance oil from the bottle, I could smell the freshness of the citrus notes, but also the rich, warm, almost earthiness of the frankincense too. To represent that bright, citrusy boost, citrus wedges in “Electric Orange” mica made for the perfect touch, and to represent the sweet-earthiness of the fragrance as a whole, leaf embeds made with “Jade Green” mica beautifully completed my vision for this part of the soapy project! With my melt & pour embeds looking happily angelic and bright, it was time to move forward by offering up my avocado to the soap gods... For the greater good, of course!
When it comes to soapmaking, the sky is truly the limit! I think that’s one of the biggest reasons why I'm so hopelessly addicted to this craft! There are few “rules” when it comes to soapmaking (with most of them pertaining more so to lye and lye-safety), but beyond that, a whole world of endless possibilities awaits! There are general guidelines, suggestions and recommendations, of course, but these can be challenged and tested! Not much is set in stone when it comes to making soap. Curious to know what a recipe with yak’s milk would feel like? If you can get your hands on some, try it! Wondering how a recipe with 20% castor oil would turn out? Give it a shot! Interested in how those chia seeds you put in your morning smoothie would feel in a bar of soap? Add ‘em in there! Soapmaking is as limitless as your imagination! In regards to fresh fruits and vegetables in particular, if you can puree it, most likely you can throw it in a batch of soap! Well, don’t “throw”, but you know what I mean!
As with anything “extra” you’d incorporate into a batch of soap, fruit and veggie purees also come with well-meaning guidelines and recommendations, but beyond these, feel free to experiment as much as your heart desires! As long as your soapy experiments don’t put yourself or others in harm’s way, you’re completely free to become the bona fide Albert Einstein of soapmaking if you’d like!
Here are some great guidelines to remember when making soap with fresh fruits or vegetables... Just as your oils can go rancid within your soaps, so too can fresh fruit and vegetable purees. However, the PH level of soap will inhibit the growth of bacteria and mold (thanks lye!). That’s why it’s important to understand the properties of the fruit or vegetable you’ll be adding to your recipe. For example: In this recipe, I used fresh avocado. Avocado is going to add extra fat and water to my recipe. To help balance this, I decided not to superfat my recipe too high, but I still wanted those wonderful properties avocados bring to the skin to be enjoyed within my soap as well. For this purpose, I chose to superfat my recipe at 5% and no higher. For the extra water the avocado would introduce into my recipe, I subtracted the weight of the avocado from my recipe’s total liquid weight. For a batch of this size (32oz of batch oils), I used half of the avocado and weighed it (the other half ended up being spread over slices of toast- Yum!).
The avocado came out to weighing 2.12oz. My recipe called for a total of 8.44oz of liquid. Taking the weight of the avocado (2.12oz), I subtracted that from my total liquid weight (8.44oz) to determine the new, divided liquid weight in which I would need to make my lye solution (8.44oz - 2.12oz = 6.32oz. 6.32oz is the amount of liquid I need to dissolve my lye into). Just remember that when making your lye solution, lye needs at least its own weight in liquid to safely and fully dissolve. If your new, divided liquid weight comes out totaling less than the weight of lye in which your recipe calls for, it’s too much puree.
Anything extra added to a soap recipe, such as fresh fruit and veggie purees, can affect your soap’s shelf life too. While the growth of bacteria and mold may be inhibited, rancidity is still a possibility. You’ll know when rancidity occurs because your soaps will develop what’s commonly referred to as “Dreaded Orange Spots”, or “DOS”. While a bar of soap with DOS is still perfectly useable, it can certainly be unsightly, and sometimes, even the scent of your soap can be affected. For these reasons, when it comes to incorporating fresh fruit of veggie purees into your recipes, I personally recommend using and enjoying the soaps sooner, rather than later (within 3 to 6 months).
So, you’ve got your avocado weighed out, and you’ve subtracted the weight of it from your recipe’s total liquid weight. Now what? Well, it’s time to turn that avocado into avocado puree! Using whatever mashing or blending tool you prefer, or have available (you can even use your stick blender for this... It’s actually what it was made for!), get that avocado mashed up, nice and good!
This next step is purely optional, as you can certainly choose to incorporate your avocado puree into your soap batter at light trace if preferred, but I’ve personally found that it just works easier for me if I blend my puree really well with one of my recipe’s soft oils instead. This just really helps me be able to effortlessly and smoothly incorporate any fruit or veggie puree into my recipe with ease.
If you prefer to do it this way as well, any of your recipe’s soft oils will do, so long as you have enough of it to thoroughly blend your puree into. The recipe I used for this project has 35% olive oil, so that’s the soft oil I chose to blend my puree into. I started by taring out the weight of the mashed avocado, then adding my recipe’s full amount of olive oil directly over top of it. From there, I just used my stick blender to fully, and oh-so smoothly, incorporate the avocado right into the olive oil. Once all was nice and blended together, I simply set it off to the side. When it came time to get all my batch oils combined, I just poured my olive oil (avocado puree and all), in with my other batch oils- easy peasy!
Choosing a color theme for this heavenly project of bubbly avocado goodness hit me like divine intervention! Already I was dying to get the gorgeously green shade of “Jade Green” mica into this batch, but it wasn’t until I saw Nurture Soap’s “Orange Marmalade” mica (another goodie included in the order I had shipped to my mom’s house) that I realized this color combo was positively ROCKIN’! I mean, HOLY ORANGE MARMALADE!! This mica is jaw-dropping! It’s an intense burst of orange with rich and bold red undertones! It almost looked more like a vibrant red when first dispersed in a bit of carrier oil, but make no mistake about it, this mica is totally confident in its orangey-ness, yet fully embraces its red tones too! It’s the most beautiful shade of vibrant reddish-orange I’ve ever seen, and it’s very likely I’ll be using it in everything I make for the next foreseeable future!
“Jade Green” and “Orange Marmalade” micas looked thoroughly magical together, so a dash of the cheerfully bright “Lemon Drop” mica just seemed like the perfect choice for an accent color (it so totally was!). A softer side, featuring accents of the whimsically fresh “Enchantment” mica, alongside the energizing orange glow of “Electric Orange” mica, came together to make a fantastic combination of colors, capturing the energy and vibe of how “Seventh Heaven” fragrance oil made me feel! Despite how weird it felt making soap in a kitchen that wasn’t mine, I knew I was on the right track with these colors!
The actual batch oils I used for this recipe had me a little worried that coloring a portion of my soap batter white would prove to be a bit of a challenge. Not only did I have the green of the avocado puree to contend with, but the recipe itself contained batch oils, that when combined, look pretty dark. Because of this, I chose to use something I don’t use very often at all- titanium dioxide!
Now, don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against titanium dioxide, I’m just more of a “Winter White” gal myself. On a personal level, I’ve always found “Winter White” mica to be super easy to work with, super easy to pre-mix and incorporate, and it gets my soaps plenty white, with no worry of batch acceleration, glycerin rivers or those pesky titanium dioxide speckles. All this being said though, in situations like this, where I feel using titanium dioxide, in place of “Winter White” mica, will work best to achieve the whitest white in my soap batches, the absolute BEST titanium dioxide in this soap maker’s opinion is Nurture Soap’s titanium dioxide (and those who know me personally, can verify I’ve been saying this long before I started writing guest blogs here)!
Not all titanium dioxides are created equal, and if you’ve ever used impure, poor-quality titanium dioxide before, you’ve found this out the hard way (been there!). Poor-quality titanium dioxide is difficult to work with, doesn’t produce quality results, is more prone to developing glycerin rivers, and even when you mix the ever-living daylights out of it, unsightly speckles abound within your soap. The good news though is that it’s easy to immediately identify poor-quality titanium dioxide. If it thickens, foams and froths up when you disperse it in water with your mini-mixer, it’s impure, poor-quality titanium dioxide. High-quality titanium dioxide will be easy to disperse, and won’t thicken, foam or froth up at all. No matter how long you mix it with your mini-mixer, it will always stay liquid when dispersed in water.
An easy way to spot poor-quality titanium dioxide before you buy it is by looking at its price point. High-quality titanium dioxide will be reflected in its price and is worth every penny. If you see a pound of titanium dioxide being sold for too-good-to-be-true prices, it is! Don’t do it! You’re better off going to Starbucks and getting yourself a venti flat white coffee! Trust me, I am the queen of pinching pennies, but purchasing my titanium dioxide isn’t a corner I cut. I’ve been going on the same 8oz jar of titanium dioxide from Nurture Soap for well over a year now (shows how often I use titanium dioxide!), but I wouldn’t get it anywhere else. Nurture Soap’s titanium dioxide means easy dispersing, a crisp, whitest-white in my soaps, rarely ever a glycerin river, and never once an annoying titanium dioxide speckle in my soaps! What can I say, I’m passionate about some things, and high-quality titanium dioxide is one of them!
So, it’s a pretty safe bet to assume that despite my green avocado and my batch oils, I was able to achieve a beautiful, pristine white in this soap batch, and if you did assume that, you’d be dead-on RIGHT! As for my other mica colors... Well, they looked downright fabulous in my soap batter too, and no amount of contending avocado puree or dark batch oils was gonna break their stride!
Okay, so I have a confession: This fragrance oil... Holy moly did I love it out of the bottle, but in my soap, I don’t even have words for how much I love this! Did it behave awesome in my cold process soap recipe? You bet’cha! In fact, it actually thinned trace for me a bit, which was a saving grace because being unfamiliar with the stick blender I was using (my mom’s), I inadvertently blended my soap batter to a thicker trace than I had intended. Incorporating “Seventh Heaven” fragrance oil into my soap batter thinned it back up, making it much more fluid and workable again (whew!). When I finished pouring my batch, I achieved the beautifully fluid drop-swirl design I was going for, and even family members commented on how good the whole kitchen smelled!
My chosen mica colors looked fantastic as well, and I didn’t even mind one little bit when “Jade Green” mica did what many green micas often do... It still looked beautiful! “Jade Green” mica is an absolutely fabulous color in anything you put it in, but for me and my recipe, it does temporarily turn olive-toned (emphasis on “temporarily”). If you’re new to cold process soapmaking and notice your greens have gone a murky olive color in your recipe, or that your bright, cheerful yellow decided to turn into a bright, cheerful orange, DON’T PANIC!!! This is just the weirdness of PH levels, chemical reactions and cold process soap in general doing what they do best- wreaking temporary havoc on the nerves of unsuspecting soap makers! As soon as saponification is complete, your stunning greens will return to their original stunning shades, and your vibrantly happy used-to-be-yellows will go back to being vibrantly happy yellows again, promise!
As with 99% of my soap batches, I planned this batch to be a high-top design (but probably shouldn’t have! I’ll explain why later!), and whipped up some soap frosting. If you’d like to make soap frosting to pipe the tops of your own soap batches with as well, please feel free to check out my previous blog post, “The Total Guide to Soap Frosting!!!”, where you’ll find all my best tips, tricks, suggestions and recipes for making your own soap frosting batches too! Although, I will mention here, in an attempt to humbly redeem myself, that if you choose to make Recipe #4 (Palm-Free/Vegan with Shea Butter), please use 40% olive oil, not the 30% usage rate I so absentmindedly and incorrectly typed there (hanging head in shame here)!
Moving onward from my mistakes, which embarrassingly expose my human-ness to the world, I decided that for this batch of soap frosting, I’d take one of my most favorite and long-time loved shades of blue, “Klein Blue” mica, and mix one part of its deep, rich “blue-ness” with two parts “Winter White” mica. My brain was thinking “sky” for my heaven-inspired batch of avocado soap, but as I began to blend my soap frosting to trace, the most beautiful shade of periwinkle emerged! It’s for certain my batch oils also played a role in this, and it wasn’t quite the “sky-blue” shade I was going for (you might be wondering why I didn’t just use Nurture Soap’s “Sky Blue” mica in the first place... And the answer would be: Because I forgot to bring it with me!), but I actually found myself really digging this periwinkle-type shade of blue- a lot! Reason #127 of why I love soapmaking so much: There have been so many times little “oopses” have turned into big loves for me!
Once I completed piping the top of my soap loaf, I added an extra dash of “the heavens” to it with a dusting of the ever-mesmerizing “Gold Dust” EnviroGlitter, which was simply divine for this purpose! In fact, for a moment there I thought I could even hear the soap gods, and their angelic hosts themselves, singing songs of praise! Oh wait! Nope! That was just my two young boys singing “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells” from the next room, but I'll take what I can get!
Next step was to get the enlivening embeds I made earlier placed on top of my soap frosting so I could insulate this celestial-avocado creation, and allow the magic of saponification to do its thing over the next 18 to 24 hours. At this point, I was really grateful for that order from Nurture Soap because even the cardboard box that the order arrived in served an important purpose! The shape and size of the box were perfect for the 2.5lb Basic Soap Mold I had brought with me, so under that box (and a towel) my batch went for the night!
As a kid, my mom would often say, “Stop playing with your vegetables!”. Little did she know that as an adult, I’d still be playing with them! Well, in this case, avocados are fruit, but veggie purees are just as fun! If you’d like to make your own “Seventh Heaven Avocado Soap” at home, feel free to use the recipe I used here, or use your favorite tried and true soap recipe, adding an avocado to it, just for fun!
If you’d like to make this a high-top batch as well, check out “The Total Guide to Soap Frosting!!!” blog post, and refer to Recipe #3 (Palm-Free/Vegan “Double Butter”), which was the recipe I used for this project.
The next morning, I unmolded my batch of soap, and initially, the scent of the fragrance oil within the soap was a tad hard to detect clearly, due to the cocoa butter in my recipe. This is totally normal, but I've found that eventually the scent of the cocoa butter always clears out to allow my fragrance to shine through beautifully. However, if this bothers you, you can always choose to use deodorized cocoa butter instead. At the time of this writing though, my “Seventh Heaven Avocado Soap” is 6 days old, and the scent is INCREDIBLE! It didn’t take long at all for my cocoa butter to take the back seat, allowing this wonderful fragrance oil to come through strong, clear and true!
So, remember when I said I probably shouldn’t have made this a high-top batch? Well, here’s why... It wasn’t until I had completely unmolded my soap loaf that it occurred to me I didn’t bring anything to cut my soap batches with! My sweet mother tried to help though and offered me her single-wire cheese cutter (turned into a soap slicer!) to cut the batch with. There was only one tiny problem... Had I not placed any embeds on top, the cheese/soap slicer would have just barely done the job, but with the addition of embeds, there was no way, no how (without destroying the embeds). Bummer! This left me with one option, and it’s this soap maker’s worst nightmare: I had to cut the batch free-handed!
For the record, I cannot cut soaps free-handed to save my life! If an alien race came down to earth and told me that the entire fate of all humankind rested solely upon me perfectly cutting just one single bar of soap free-handed, well... I’m really sorry everyone, we wouldn’t make it! So, needless to say, these bars turned out horribly lopsided and completely uneven, but they’ll still make for a fantastic bar of soap with which to scrub-a-dub-down with, so it wasn’t a total bust!
This tale of lopsided soaps does have a happy ending though! For Christmas, it just so happens that I received a Visa gift card, and it really came in handy! I used it to order a soap cutter so that I'll always have a way to cut my soap batches whenever I visit family now!
This heavenly creation of “Seventh Heaven Avocado Soap” was my very last batch of soap made in 2019, and it definitely didn’t come without some minor challenges, but boy was it worth it! My terribly uneven soap bars smell AMAZING, and that luscious, fresh avocado puree will make for a wonderful, skin-loving treat in the shower!
As I reflect back upon 2019 and set my sights upon 2020, I am so immensely grateful for all the incredible opportunities that have come my way this last year, and look forward, with childlike excitement, to all the new opportunities for growth to come! May your own reflections of 2019 be filled with moments of love, gratitude, happiness and personal growth as well, and may those wonderful reflections become ever-multiplying realities for 2020! HAPPY NEW YEAR, my sensationally talented fellow crafters, and happy soapmaking too!
]]>Making soap frosting to pipe the tops of your soap batches with isn’t just addictive and fun, it’s also quite easy too; perhaps easier than you may think! When I first began looking into ways in which I could make my own soap frosting, I came across plenty of information out there, with much of it telling me it was either a complicated process (it’s totally not!), or that I needed a special, sometimes even secret, recipe to make it (you totally don’t!). I found information which told me I needed to use a special type of recipe in order to make a successful batch of soap frosting, and that it needed to contain a crazy-high percentage of hard oils. Oftentimes I was instructed to use recipes which consisted of a whopping 80% hard oils, and in other cases, even 100% was suggested- YIKES!
When I plugged these recipes into Soapcalc, they were considerably unbalanced. Now, I’ve always felt that Soapcalc is a wonderfully helpful tool for soap makers, and can certainly provide a good, general idea of the properties in which a specific soap recipe will impart to a finished batch of soap, but it most certainly isn’t the “soapmaking bible”. First of all, Soapcalc can’t provide the information for which the properties of different additives impart within a recipe, and subsequent finished soap. It can’t calculate the differences in superfat percentages and how that affects the lather and moisturizing properties of a recipe, and I for one have made plenty a soap batch in my day where Soapcalc generated less than awesome numbers for, only to end up with a truly fabulous bar of soap! With all this being said however, even good ol’ fashioned experience has taught me that a nice, balanced bar of soap (with the exception of some recipes, such as castile, coconut oil, bastille, etc.) contains a combination of both hard and soft oils. I wanted my own soap frosting recipe to have that same balance; to be just as balanced and skin-loving as the loaf of soap I was piping it on top of.
Then there was the process of it all. Some well-meaning advice and instruction out there advertised that in order to successfully make soap frosting, I had to do all these unnecessary steps with a recipe that already contained an unnecessary amount of hard oils, then agonizingly babysit my KitchenAid stand mixer for the next foreseeable future. I didn’t have time for that, and by the second time I had employed this method, I wasn’t enjoying myself, I was wasting precious moments of my life just standing over my KitchenAid, and I knew this wasn’t going to work out for me. What’s more, I didn’t even like the results I was getting! Making soap frosting in this way, and with these recipes, I found the soap itself to be dry, crumbly and difficult to work with. I didn’t like the way it felt on my skin, and I felt like it wasn’t doing any justice to the skin-loving recipe I was piping it on top of. There had to be a better, easier way.
I began to think and observe… Some of my favorite, most commonly used cold process soap recipes contain anywhere from 50% to 60% hard oils, and it made me wonder if the recipes I loved and used most often could be used to make amazing soap frosting recipes too. I mean, why couldn’t I just take the very same recipes I was already using for my main batches of soap and use them to make my soap frosting too? The answer: I absolutely could! So, I’m here to tell you that if you’d like to make soap frosting but think you don’t know how, or think you don’t know of a recipe to use, there’s an extremely high chance you DO! If your soap recipe can reach a thick trace (as they all can), then you’ve got a soap frosting recipe, and if you know how to make cold process soap, then you know how to make soap frosting too!
So, let’s dive in and make a batch of soap frosting together! For this soap batch itself, I used Nurture Soap’s sensational, irresistible, refreshingly crisp and juicy “Cucumber Melon” fragrance oil, alongside their fabulous “Mango Tango”, “Hello Spring”, “Summer Crush”, “Hollywood Pink” and “Winter White” micas! For the design, I decided to do a hanger swirl, but for this blog post, we’ll be focusing on the soap frosting part of the project, so feel free make your main batch of soap any which way that inspires you! I truly feel that virtually any cold process soap recipe can be used to make soap frosting too, but if you feel like you could still use some guidance in this area, here’s four of my personal favorite soap frosting recipes to get you started! Feel free to choose any of the following recipes to make soap frosting for your own soapy creations if you’d like! All are very simple, contain ingredients which are easily accessible, and make for a great bar of soap!
*Superfat at 5% with a 33% lye concentration (2:1/water: lye)
*Superfat at 5% with a 33% lye concentration (2:1/water: lye)
*Superfat at 5% with a 33% lye concentration (2:1/water: lye)
*Superfat at 5% with a 33% lye concentration (2:1/water: lye)
Currently, I’ve got quite a bit of cocoa butter on-hand just begging to be used, so for this soapy project, I made both my soap batch and soap frosting with recipe #3. Regardless of which recipe you use though, the process remains exactly the same. So, let’s get started on making a beautiful batch of soap frosting, and a beautiful batch of high-top soap!
You absolutely do not need to make and decorate the top of your soap frosting with embeds to produce a gorgeous batch of soap, but if you’d like to include embeds, that’s perfectly great too! Embeds are a fun and easy way to embellish the tops of your soap batches, so before I get started on the soapmaking process itself, I always begin by making my embeds.
For this project I used Nurture Soap’s Small 9 Ball Silicone Mold (to represent melon balls!), and two plastic candy molds I purchased for a couple bucks each from an online cake and candy decorating supplies shop. After much experimenting, trial and error, I’m extremely picky about which melt & pour soap bases I use to make my embeds, so I make all my embeds with Nurture Soap’s Low Sweat Soap Bases (I used their clear soap base for this project). The melt and pour soap bases Nurture Soap carries are the superior choice for me for several reasons: First, they really are low sweat, which is very important when you’re adding melt & pour embellishments to the top of cold process soap batches which must be cured, and can’t be packaged right away. Second, these are hardy bases! They stand up to the heat of saponification (I’ve had other melt & pour soap bases completely re-melt on me when I insulted the batch. Nurture Soap’s bases have never re-melted on me!). Third, they melt down with ease, accept colorants beautifully, unmold easily from any type of mold I use, and set up quickly so that my embeds are ready to be unmolded within a matter of minutes. Most times, I even put my poured embeds in the freezer for about five minutes, and once they’ve set up, they pop right out of the mold, no fuss, no fight! And last but not least, these bases feel great! The embeds are rock hard with absolutely no sticky or tacky feel. The lather is copious, and isn’t the least bit drying to my skin. They’re actually the only bases I’ve used that more closely resemble the properties and feel of my own cold process soaps. For these reasons, Nurture Soap’s Low Sweat Soap Bases are the only bases I use to make my embeds.
For this project, I made “melon wedges” (at least in my mind that’s what they are!) using the beautifully vibrant “Mango Tango” mica, “melon balls” with the ever exquisite “Summer Crush” mica, and “cucumber halves” (another instance of me using my creative imagination!) with the fabulously sprightly “Hello Spring” mica!
For those crafters who have always wanted to try making soap frosting but felt it was beyond their budget to do so, and/or felt they needed to invest in expensive equipment or kits to get started, I’m here to tell you that I am also a soap maker on an oftentimes tight budget, and gathering the supplies you’ll need (or want!) does not need to break the bank! I purchased my couplers and many of my piping tips right here at Nurture Soap at excellent prices, as well as shops on Etsy which offer an abundance of different piping tips and tools at very low prices! You don’t need to invest in a ton of equipment to have a wide range of piping possibilities available to you!
The basic tools you’ll need are couplers, tips and piping bags. For couplers, I recommend having at least one medium and one large coupler handy, and I purchase my 16” piping bags at a local shop for less than $6 a box. What’s great about piping bags is that they are so easy to wash and reuse too! I can get a good seven to eight uses from one single bag before it needs to be replaced, so one box of piping bags can be utilized to last a very long time! When it comes to piping tips, it can be easy to go hog-wild collecting different tip styles and designs, but for me personally, I reach for the same four different tip designs most often. Those tips include French tips, round tips, open star tips and closed star tips. With these four different tips available in various sizes, I have a myriad of unique design possibilities available to me!
We’ve covered the basics of recipes, embeds and equipment, so with this knowledge in-mind, it’s time to get started on preparing and making soap frosting! I finished pouring and hanger-swirling my soap batch in my 2.5lb. Basic Soap Mold, and all was right in my soapy world! My workspace smelled AMAZING, thanks to Nurture Soap’s sensationally mouthwatering “Cucumber Melon” fragrance oil (oh how I LOVE this scent!), and my chosen micas made for a beautiful melon-inspired menagerie of eye-catching color! It’s very important though that once you’ve finished pouring your batch, you allow it to set up to a point where it will be able to hold and support the soap frosting you’ll be piping on top of it. This particular fragrance oil behaves so exceptionally well in cold process, once my batch was poured, it was still very fluid.
That’s another key tip to remember… 99% of the time I incorporate fragrance into my soap frosting batches as well. When it comes to soap frosting though, it’s super important that you only use well-behaving fragrance oils. If a fragrance oil mildly rices, but doesn’t accelerate, that’s totally fine, since you’ll have plenty of time to stick blend it back to smooth, but fragrances which heavily accelerate or seize just won’t work for soap frosting. If a well-behaving fragrance oil discolors, you’ll have two options: Embrace the discoloration, or leave your soap frosting unscented. While I waited for my freshly-poured batch of soap to set up to a point where it would support a piped-top, I used the time to get my workspace and tools ready to make soap frosting!
Let’s rewind a little here… As I was preparing my main batch of cold process soap (making my lye solution, weighing, melting down and combining my batch oils, getting my micas measured out, etc.), I was simultaneously preparing my batch of soap frosting too. I did everything in doubles, making two lye solutions, two containers of batch oils, weighing out two beakers of fragrance oil, and two sets of mica colorants (one color being reserved for my soap frosting). I do this so that when I’m finished pouring my main batch of soap, my soap frosting batch is already prepped and ready to go! The only differences that my soap frosting batch has from my main batch is that I don’t make my usual kaolin clay slurry with the portion of fragrance oil I’ll be using in my soap frosting; I don’t incorporate sodium lactate, as I do in my main batch (a piped-top needs no unmolding, so no sodium lactate necessary); I don’t disperse my mica in oil, as I’ll use the batch oils themselves to do this; and regardless of if I’m using an alternative liquid in my main batch or not, I used distilled water to make the lye solution for my soap frosting. By keeping my soap frosting recipe simple, reserving all my additional “goodies” for my main batch, I’m able to keep costs lower, which is a savings I can pass along to my customers too! A fantastic batch of soap that doesn’t cost me or my customers an arm or a leg… It’s a win-win!
Before I start whipping up soap frosting all willy-nilly like, I get my piping bag ready to go first! Make sure when attaching your coupler and piping tip to your piping bag that it’s on there, nice and tight! The last thing you want is for your coupler to inadvertently get squeezed out the top of your piping bag and end up plopping off, right onto your beautiful piping job (speaking from experience here!). For this project, I used an Ateco #868 French piping tip with its compatible large coupler.
The next thing I always do with my piping tip is a very simple piece of advice (I didn’t want to keep using the word “tip” in the same sentence!), but a very effective one. Since I like having both of my hands free to fill my piping bag, I grab one half-sheet of a paper towel and fashion a little “plug” out of it. I insert this makeshift plug into my piping tip so that none of my soap frosting leaks out as I fill the bag.
I then take the excess paper towel that’s sticking up and fold it down and around the piping tip itself. Doing this actually does serve a purpose, as it helps to hold my piping bag steadier within the tall cup I drop it down into.
You can probably guess what the next step is! From here, I drop my piping bag down into a tall, narrow cup. I actually didn’t have any cups that were tall enough for this purpose, so I tapped into my inner recycle/reuse thought processes and fashioned my own by washing an empty container of sodium hydroxide very, very well, then cutting the top off. This works great for holding my piping bags upright and steady, so if you don’t have a cup or container that’s tall or narrow enough for your piping bags, just tap into your own inner recycle/reuse thought process, and look for objects around your home which can be made into one!
The very last step to getting your piping bag ready for filling is to simply fold down the excess sides of the bag so that you don’t have to stand on your tippy-toes when it comes time to pour your soap frosting into it. That’s all there is to it! You now have an easy and convenient way to pour that glorious soap frosting into your piping bag, while still having both hands free to do so!
With the piping bag all set up and ready, you can move on to the fun stuff- preparing your batch oils to be turned into beautiful, fluffy soap frosting! At this point, you can now add your mica colorant and optional fragrance oil to your soap frosting batch oils. This is always my favorite part, as I will never get tired of seeing how pretty micas look when dispersed in oil! I add my dry, pre-measured mica and fragrance oil directly to the batch oils, then use a mini mixer to quickly get that lovely mica dispersed into the oils nice and good! For this project, I used “Hello Spring” mica and was completely entranced by how gorgeous and brightly pigmented this color is!
This is it! The moment we’ve been waiting for! It’s time to make soap frosting! I promise, if you’ve never done this before, you’re going to be surprised by how easy (and so much fun it is)! First is to incorporate the lye solution into the batch oils, and you’ll do this the exact same way you’d incorporate the lye solution into any batch of cold process soap. Next, using your stick blender, start blending until the soap batter reaches a nice, light trace.
You can certainly blend for longer if you’d like, even choosing to blend all the way until your soap batter reaches a pipeable consistency, but the reasons why I personally stick blend to a light trace and then stop are because I don’t want to inadvertently over-blend. I feel like I have more control over the consistency of my soap frosting if I allow it to thicken on its own, as there’s a very fine line between the perfect consistency and too thick. My other reason is purely a frugal one… I don’t want to burn out my stick blender!
Once your soap batter has reached trace, you can leave it be, coming back periodically to stir it and check the consistency. For me, my soap frosting usually reaches the perfect piping consistency within about 5 to 10 minutes, which is just long enough to enjoy a cup of coffee! So, what is the perfect piping consistency? Well, I’ll show you! I have a way in which I personally gauge my soap frosting to tell if it’s ready or not, and it’s never failed me! When you stir your soap batter to check the consistency, if the soap batter runs down the side of the bowl as you scrape the excess soap off your spatula, it’s not ready yet.
When you check the consistency of your soap batter, and the batter holds its shape where you stirred it, and sticks to the side of the bowl when you scrape the excess soap batter from your spatula, it’s ready!
Alright, so you’ve got yourself a perfectly pipeable batch of soap frosting… Now what? Well, it’s time to fill that piping bag and get to creating something awesome! Using both hands (because you can!), go ahead and pour your soap frosting into your piping bag.
When you’ve poured as much of your frosting into the bag that will pour, use one of your hands to hold the bowl, and the other to grab a spatula, using it to get every last bit of soap frosting into the piping bag. Different sizes of piping tips require different amounts of soap frosting, with large piping tips usually requiring a little more, so for a main batch of this size (32oz. of oils), I made a 15oz. batch of soap frosting. I’ve found that a 15oz. batch of soap frosting is the perfect amount for this tip size and 2lb. batch of soap, with virtually no leftover soap frosting when I’m finished. For medium-sized piping tips and 2lb. soap batches, I make 14oz. batches of soap frosting, but keep in mind that this is personal preference too. You can make your piped-top soap batches as low or as high as you’d like, so for your personal needs, the batch sizes I make may be too much frosting, or not enough for you. That’s why I always suggest that first-timers start with a soap frosting recipe that’s half the size as their main batch of soap, then adjust the recipe as needed from there.
Once the piping bag is completely filled, unfold the sides of the bag back up, lay the cup down on its side and remove the piping bag. If our makeshift paper towel plug has done its job, there won’t be any soapy messes in the bottom of your cup! From here, use a spatula to push the soap frosting down toward the piping tip. This will also help to fill in any gaps or air pockets you may have in the frosting. If you notice any particularly stubborn air pockets, you can also use your hand to “massage” them away through the bag.
Once all the soap frosting has been completely pushed down towards the frosting tip, you can now tightly twist the filling end of the bag closed, hold it upright, with the piping tip pointing up towards the ceiling, and remove the paper towel plug.
Before we continue, I wanted to quickly address the aggravation of lopsided soap tops, and what you can do to help remedy that if you struggle with this as well. In the very beginning, I was making some pretty lopsided soap tops there, and I realized this was because I have terrible depth perception! I simply cannot pipe the tops of my soap loaves from one spot and have them come out symmetrical to save my life! I host a Facebook group called High-Top Cold Process Soapmaking though, and from chatting with others in the group, I know I’m not the only one who’s “visually challenged”! I still have moments where my soap frosting doesn’t come out perfectly symmetrical, but this little tip I’m about to share with you has helped me to improve tremendously! Please keep in mind though that if your soap tops don’t turn out 100% perfect, that’s absolutely alright! Little imperfections become perfections when they manifest the unique beauty and charm of a gorgeous batch of soap, made from scratch with your two hands, and your whole heart!
In piping tops that aren’t absurdly lopsided though, it helps if I begin by piping the ends of each layer first, then pipe the side that’s closest to me next, followed by turning the mold around to pipe the other side, then filling in the middle last. By turning the mold as I go, I’m always piping the side that’s closest to me, which has really helped with my depth perception issues, and I no longer end up with the leaning tower of soap!
As you go from piping one layer to the next, don’t pay too much mind, or an excessive amount of attention, to what the middle of your soap frosting looks like. No one is going to see how pretty you piped the middle of your soap, and in my experience at least, the more perfect and pretty I’ve made my middle look, the more riddled with gaps and air pockets my bars have been when cut. There’s no guarantee that every single one of your high-top soap bars are going to be completely air pocket-free, but if you pipe the middle of each layer with no real rhyme or reason, focusing more on filling in any visible gaps or holes you see, you’re guaranteed to produce more bars of soap with smoother tops and less gaps or holes in them. So, the moral of this story is: Focus on the sides of your high-top soap designs looking pretty, not the middle! And don’t beat yourself up if you see a gap or two in your finished soap bars. Remember, “imperfection” just means perfectly handmade!
Working step-by-step, layer-by-layer, we’ve successfully made a batch of wonderful soap frosting, and have piped the top of our soap loaf! Things are looking great, so you might be asking yourself, “What’s next?”. Well, what comes next is entirely up to you and your own unique creativity! You can choose to stop right here if you’d like, and if you do, you’ll have yourself a perfectly awesome, truly beautiful batch of handmade, high-top soap! However, if you’re like me and are hopelessly addicted to anything that sparkles (and even more head-over-heels for eco-friendly things that sparkle!), you’ll want to embellish your frosted top with one of Nurture Soap’s jaw dropping EnviroGlitters or micas!
Because I colored my soap frosting with one of the most fabulously fresh and enlivening shades of green I’ve ever seen (Nurture Soap’s “Hello Spring” mica), I decided to embellish the top of this soapy project with an utterly enchanting EnviroGlitter which would complement it beautifully. The phenomenal, multi-blue toned shimmer and glimmer of “Mystic Blue” EnviroGlitter is thoroughly mesmerizing, and when sprinkled on top of contrasting colors (like greens!), truly makes these colors pop! So naturally, I had no other choice than to add a healthy dusting of “Mystic Blue” EnviroGlitter to the top of my soap! To “bling out” the tops of your own soapy creations, tea strainers, empty spice shakers or Nurture Soap’s Glitter Spray Pumps all work great!
The very last step was to adorn the top of my soap frosting with the bright and cheerful melt & pour embeds I made earlier. If you’ve noticed in any of the pictures, you might’ve seen that my mold has small markings on it, which indicate where I’ll be using my soap cutter to slice my loaf into bars. I cut my soap bars at 1” thick, so I’ve made each marking on my mold to be spaced exactly one inch apart. I’ve also accounted for the two end pieces I’ll cut off. When placing my melt & pour embeds on top of my soap frosting, all I need to do to ensure they’re properly spaced is to place each embed between these “cut marks” and I’m good to go! With a quick spritzing of rubbing alcohol, my soap-frosted batch of “Cucumber Melon” handmade soap is ready to be insulated under a towel-draped cardboard box and put to bed for the night!
Unmolding my high-top soap batches comes second nature to me now, but it wasn’t always that way. The very first batch of high-top soap I ever made, I specifically remember thinking to myself, “Now, how on earth am I supposed to get this thing out of the mold?”! It’s actually much easier than it seems! Once your soap is ready to be unmolded, simply pull away the sides and ends of the mold, as you normally would. With your thumbs pushing down on the two end corners of your mold and pointer fingers pushing up from the bottom, gently break the seal from the bottom of the mold. Flip the mold around and repeat this on the other end so that your soap is freed from the bottom of the mold. Stand your loaf up vertically, then using your thumbs, gently begin to push the loaf out, using your other hand to support the top of your loaf, which will prevent it from accidentally tipping over. Once you’ve pushed your loaf out of the mold by about an inch or so, you can now pull the mold away, and eventually off, by gradually “walking” your loaf out of the mold, pulling it forward with your supporting hand as you go. It’s very easy, and by the second time you do it, you’ll be a pro at unmolding your high-top soap batches!
So, there you have it! From the very start to the very finish, these are my personal and absolute best, most tried and true recipes, tips, tricks and procedures for making soap frosting and a magnificent batch of high-top soap! I have always strongly and firmly believed that knowledge should be both accessible and shared, so I truly hope that in some small way, you’ve found some value, help or guidance in the knowledge I’ve shared here! To all my fabulous fellow soap makers, may you go forth and be bold in your crafty endeavors! May you always knock your own socks off with your astonishing abilities and astounding works of soapy art! Equally as important, happy high-top soapmaking, my talented friends!
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