Swirled Hearts Soap Project
This swirly soap recipe comes from the book Soap Crafting: Step-by-Step Techniques for Making 31 Unique Cold-Process Soaps, written by Bramble Berry CEO and founder, Anne-Marie.
It's an advanced cold process recipe, because it requires a good understanding of trace. Be careful to not over stick blend - the soap needs to be thick enough to hold it's shape, but thin enough to create the swirly hearts.
Because trace is important, a well-behaved fragrance oil is a must. Rosehip Jasmine Fragrance Oil scents the bars with notes of fresh rose, sultry jasmine, and white musk. We recommend whisking it in at the end, once colorants have been added.
What You Need:
18 Bar Unfinished Birchwood Mold
Silicone Liner for 18 Bar Mold
Rosehip Jasmine Fragrance Oil - 8 oz
Sodium Hydroxide Lye
Coconut Oil - 1 lb
Palm Kernel Flakes - 2 lbs
Palm Oil - 1 lb
Canola Oil, High Oleic - 1 lb
Olive Oil - Pure - 1 lb
Apricot Kernel Oil - 1 lb
Rose Pearl Mica - 1 oz
Black Oxide Pigment - 1 oz
Super Pearly White Mica - 1 oz
Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- Rosehip Jasmine Fragrance Oil - 8 oz
- Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- Coconut Oil - 1 lb
- Palm Kernel Flakes - 2 lbs
- Palm Oil - 1 lb
- Canola Oil, High Oleic - 1 lb
- Olive Oil - Pure - 1 lb
- Apricot Kernel Oil - 1 lb
- Rose Pearl Mica - 1 oz
- Black Oxide Pigment - 1 oz
- Super Pearly White Mica - 1 oz
EQUIPMENT:
- 18 Bar Unfinished Birchwood Mold
- Silicone Liner for 18 Bar Mold
Instructions
You will need:
- 18 Bar Birchwood Mold
- Silicone Liner for 18 Bar Mold
- 12 oz. Olive Oil (15%)
- 16 oz. Apricot Kernel Oil (20%)
- 8 oz. Canola Oil (10%)
- 20 oz. Coconut Oil (25%)
- 16 oz. Palm Oil (20%)
- 8 oz. Palm Kernel Flakes (10%)
- 11.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- 26.4 oz. Distilled Water
- 5.3 oz. Rosehip Jasmine Fragrance Oil
- Rose Pearl Mica
- Super Pearly White Mica
- Black Oxide
FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 5.3 ounces of Rosehip Jasmine Fragrance Oil into a small glass container and set aside.
COLORANT PREP: In a small container, disperse 1 tablespoon Rose Pearl Mica into 3 Tablespoons of lightweight liquid oil. In a seperate container, disperse 1 teaspoon of Super Pearly White Mica into 1 tablespoon of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). In a seperate container, dipserse 1/2 teaspoon of Black Oxide into 1/2 Tablespoon liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get rid of any clumps.
TOOL PREP: Add all of the dispersed White Pearly White Mica to a squirt bottle. To another squirt bottle, add all of the dispersed Black Oxide. If the holes of your squirt bottle are very small, cut them to create hole that soap can easily be squeezed from. Set bottles aside. Place the silicone liner into the 18 Bar Birchwood Mold, and assemble the dividers so they are ready to place into the mold.
SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, other distractions, and tripping hazards are out of the house or don’t have access to your space. Always make soap in a well-ventilated area.
Follow these steps:
1
Slowly and carefully add 11.5 ounces of lye to 26.4 ounces of distilled water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved. Set aside to cool. Add 5 teaspoons of sodium lactate and stir throughly.
2
Melt and combine 20 ounces of coconut oil, 12 ounces of olive oil, 16 ounces of apricot kernel oil, 8 ounces of canola oil, 16 ounces of palm oil, 8 ounces of palm kernel flakes. Once the oils and lye have cooled to about 100-110° F, add the lye solution to the oils and whisk together to combine. Use the stick blender to pulse the soap and bring to a very light trace.
3
Split off about 4 ounces of soap into each squirt bottles. Shake to mix in the colorants thoroughly.
4
To the remaining soap, add all the dispersed Rose Pearl Mica and all of the measured Rosehip Jasmine Fragrance Oil. Whisk thoroughly.
5
Pour all of the pink soap into the 18 Bar Birchwoodl Mold. Jiggle the mold to disperse the soap evenly and get rid of bubbles.
6
Use the squirt bottles to create small circles of black and white soap all over the top of the pink soap. There is no right or wrong way to place them - the more dollops of white and black soap, the more hearts you'll have.
7
Once you're happy with the placement of the white and black dollops, use a chopstick, dowel, or other swirling tool of your choice and drag the tool through the very top of each black and white dot to create a heart. Continue until all the dots are swirled. Use the squirt bottle to place more hearts if you'd like. Continue to swirl until you're happy with the look.
8
Tap the mold firmly on the counter to settle the soap.
9
Insert the dividers into the soap until they reach the bottom of the mold in every section. Note: If you prefer to cut your bars, you can skip this step.
10
Spritz the top of the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Cover the mold and place on a heating pad for 1-2 hours to promote gel phase. That helps the bars release from the dividers faster and more easily.
11
Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 1-2 days. After 1 day, check to see if the silicone liner pulls away easily. If it does, remove the soap. If not, give it another day or 2 to harden. Gently remove the soap from the dividers. To prevent tearing, do not pull the dividers. Push the soap down, or slide the dividers up or down to remove the bars without tearing. Allow the soap to cure for 4-6 weeks, and enjoy!
Tutorial credits
Photographer: Amanda Kerzman
Swirled Hearts Soap Project
- LEVEL Advanced
- TIME 2 hours
- YIELD About 7 pounds of soap
Project Description
It's an advanced cold process recipe, because it requires a good understanding of trace. Be careful to not over stick blend - the soap needs to be thick enough to hold it's shape, but thin enough to create the swirly hearts.
Because trace is important, a well-behaved fragrance oil is a must. Rosehip Jasmine Fragrance Oil scents the bars with notes of fresh rose, sultry jasmine, and white musk. We recommend whisking it in at the end, once colorants have been added.
You will need:
- 18 Bar Birchwood Mold
- Silicone Liner for 18 Bar Mold
- 12 oz. Olive Oil (15%)
- 16 oz. Apricot Kernel Oil (20%)
- 8 oz. Canola Oil (10%)
- 20 oz. Coconut Oil (25%)
- 16 oz. Palm Oil (20%)
- 8 oz. Palm Kernel Flakes (10%)
- 11.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- 26.4 oz. Distilled Water
- 5.3 oz. Rosehip Jasmine Fragrance Oil
- Rose Pearl Mica
- Super Pearly White Mica
- Black Oxide
FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 5.3 ounces of Rosehip Jasmine Fragrance Oil into a small glass container and set aside.
COLORANT PREP: In a small container, disperse 1 tablespoon Rose Pearl Mica into 3 Tablespoons of lightweight liquid oil. In a seperate container, disperse 1 teaspoon of Super Pearly White Mica into 1 tablespoon of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). In a seperate container, dipserse 1/2 teaspoon of Black Oxide into 1/2 Tablespoon liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get rid of any clumps.
TOOL PREP: Add all of the dispersed White Pearly White Mica to a squirt bottle. To another squirt bottle, add all of the dispersed Black Oxide. If the holes of your squirt bottle are very small, cut them to create hole that soap can easily be squeezed from. Set bottles aside. Place the silicone liner into the 18 Bar Birchwood Mold, and assemble the dividers so they are ready to place into the mold.
SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, other distractions, and tripping hazards are out of the house or don’t have access to your space. Always make soap in a well-ventilated area.
Follow these steps:
1
Slowly and carefully add 11.5 ounces of lye to 26.4 ounces of distilled water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved. Set aside to cool. Add 5 teaspoons of sodium lactate and stir throughly.
2
Melt and combine 20 ounces of coconut oil, 12 ounces of olive oil, 16 ounces of apricot kernel oil, 8 ounces of canola oil, 16 ounces of palm oil, 8 ounces of palm kernel flakes. Once the oils and lye have cooled to about 100-110° F, add the lye solution to the oils and whisk together to combine. Use the stick blender to pulse the soap and bring to a very light trace.
3
Split off about 4 ounces of soap into each squirt bottles. Shake to mix in the colorants thoroughly.
4
To the remaining soap, add all the dispersed Rose Pearl Mica and all of the measured Rosehip Jasmine Fragrance Oil. Whisk thoroughly.
5
Pour all of the pink soap into the 18 Bar Birchwoodl Mold. Jiggle the mold to disperse the soap evenly and get rid of bubbles.
6
Use the squirt bottles to create small circles of black and white soap all over the top of the pink soap. There is no right or wrong way to place them - the more dollops of white and black soap, the more hearts you'll have.
7
Once you're happy with the placement of the white and black dollops, use a chopstick, dowel, or other swirling tool of your choice and drag the tool through the very top of each black and white dot to create a heart. Continue until all the dots are swirled. Use the squirt bottle to place more hearts if you'd like. Continue to swirl until you're happy with the look.
8
Tap the mold firmly on the counter to settle the soap.
9
Insert the dividers into the soap until they reach the bottom of the mold in every section. Note: If you prefer to cut your bars, you can skip this step.
10
Spritz the top of the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Cover the mold and place on a heating pad for 1-2 hours to promote gel phase. That helps the bars release from the dividers faster and more easily.
11
Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 1-2 days. After 1 day, check to see if the silicone liner pulls away easily. If it does, remove the soap. If not, give it another day or 2 to harden. Gently remove the soap from the dividers. To prevent tearing, do not pull the dividers. Push the soap down, or slide the dividers up or down to remove the bars without tearing. Allow the soap to cure for 4-6 weeks, and enjoy!
Tutorial credits
Photographer: Amanda Kerzman