Grapefruit LaCroix Soap Project
This soap is made with flat LaCroix instead of distilled water and scented with Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil.
We’ve never made soap with sparkling water before, so this was a fun experiment. Because it doesn’t contain alcohol we didn’t boil it. Instead, we opened a few cans of LaCroix and let them sit for a couple days to get rid of the carbonation.
Once we were ready to make soap, we added the lye directly to the room temperature LaCroix. Because it doesn’t contain sugar, you don’t need to worry about scalding or overheating.
What You Need:
Swirl Recipe Quick Mix - 54 oz
Sodium Hydroxide Lye
Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil - 3.5 oz
Titanium Dioxide Pigment - 1 oz
Magenta Mica - 1 oz
Sunset Orange Mica - 1 oz
Aqua Pearl Mica - 1 oz
Mermaid Blue Mica - 1 oz
Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- Swirl Recipe Quick Mix - 54 oz
- Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil - 3.5 oz
- Titanium Dioxide Pigment - 1 oz
- Magenta Mica - 1 oz
- Sunset Orange Mica - 1 oz
- Aqua Pearl Mica - 1 oz
- Mermaid Blue Mica - 1 oz
EQUIPMENT:
Instructions
You will need:
- Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold (discontinued)
- 40 oz. Swirl Quick Mix
- 13.2 oz. Flat Grapefruit LaCroix
- 5.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- 2.9 oz. Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil
- 1 tsp. Titanium Dioxide
- 1/2 tsp. Magenta Mica
- 1/2 tsp. Sunset Orange Mica
- 1/2 tsp. Aqua Pearl Mica
- 1/2 tsp. Mermaid Blue Mica
LACROIX PREP (1-2 days before): Open 2 cans of Grapefruit LaCroix and allow the liquid to sit out for 1-2 days to get rid of carbonation. The best way to test if the LaCroix is flat is to taste it. Once it no longer contains carbonation, pour 13.2 ounces of the LaCroix into a lye safe container.
COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of the titanium dioxide into 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). In separate containers, mix 1/2 teaspoon of Aqua Pearl Mica, Mermaid Mica, Sunset Orange Mica, and Magenta Mica into 1/2 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps.
OPTIONAL: To ensure that the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. To micronize the colorant, simply use a coffee grinder to blend it. That breaks up any clumps of color and prevents streaks of white from showing in the final soap. We like to use a coffee grinder that has a removable stainless steel mixing area for easy cleaning.
FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 2.9 ounces of Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil into a glass container. Set aside.
MOLD PREP: Line the Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold with freezer paper, shiny side up.
SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, other distractions, and tripping hazards are out of the house or don’t have access to your soaping space. Always soap in a well-ventilated area.
Follow these steps:
1
Slowly and carefully add 5.5 ounces of lye to 13.2 ounces of LaCroix and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that releases faster from the mold, you can add sodium lactate to the cooled lye water. Use 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate per pound of oils in the recipe. For this recipe, you’d add 2.5 teaspoons of sodium lactate.
2
Fully melt the entire bag of Swirl Quick Mix until it’s completely clear. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 40 ounces into your soaping bowl. Once the lye solution and the oils have cooled to 130° F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye solution to the oils and stick blend until thin trace.
3
Add all the Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil and use a whisk to mix in thoroughly. Split the soap into 4 containers. Two containers should contain 600 mL and the other two containers should contain 150 mL.
4
Add the following amounts of dispersed colorants to each container and use a whisk to completely combine.
- Container A – pink (600 mL): 1 tsp. Magenta Mica + 1 tsp. titanium dioxide
- Container B – orange (600 mL): 1/2 tsp. Sunset Orange Mica
- Container C – green (150 mL): 1/2 tsp. Aqua Pearl Mica
- Container D – blue (150 mL): 1/2 tsp. Mermaid Mica
5
Pour some of the pink and orange soap into the mold and use a spoon to smooth it out. Tap the mold on the counter to help settle it into the mold.
6
Hold the mold at an angle, and pour the most of the blue soap into one corner of the mold. Tap the mold firmly on the counter to settle the soap.
7
Pour more of the orange soap into the mold, then pour all of the green soap into the mold, concentrating it in one corner. Pour any leftover blue soap into the other side of the mold. Tap the mold on the counter to get rid of bubbles.
8
Begin layering the remainder of the pink and orange soap into the mold. Don’t worry what the layers look like, you’re going for an imperfect look. Continue layering until all the soap is in the mold.
9
Tap the mold firmly on the counter to help get rid of bubbles. Use a spoon to smooth out the top of the soap. Spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Cover the mold with the lid and allow to sit in the mold for about 2-3 days. Remove from the mold and cut into bars. Allow to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.
Tutorial credits
Photographer: Amanda Kerzman
Grapefruit LaCroix Soap Project
- LEVEL Advanced
- TIME 1 hour
- YIELD About 3.5 pounds of soap
Project Description
This soap is made with flat LaCroix instead of distilled water and scented with Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil.
We’ve never made soap with sparkling water before, so this was a fun experiment. Because it doesn’t contain alcohol we didn’t boil it. Instead, we opened a few cans of LaCroix and let them sit for a couple days to get rid of the carbonation.
Once we were ready to make soap, we added the lye directly to the room temperature LaCroix. Because it doesn’t contain sugar, you don’t need to worry about scalding or overheating.
You will need:
- Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold (discontinued)
- 40 oz. Swirl Quick Mix
- 13.2 oz. Flat Grapefruit LaCroix
- 5.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- 2.9 oz. Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil
- 1 tsp. Titanium Dioxide
- 1/2 tsp. Magenta Mica
- 1/2 tsp. Sunset Orange Mica
- 1/2 tsp. Aqua Pearl Mica
- 1/2 tsp. Mermaid Blue Mica
LACROIX PREP (1-2 days before): Open 2 cans of Grapefruit LaCroix and allow the liquid to sit out for 1-2 days to get rid of carbonation. The best way to test if the LaCroix is flat is to taste it. Once it no longer contains carbonation, pour 13.2 ounces of the LaCroix into a lye safe container.
COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of the titanium dioxide into 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). In separate containers, mix 1/2 teaspoon of Aqua Pearl Mica, Mermaid Mica, Sunset Orange Mica, and Magenta Mica into 1/2 tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps.
OPTIONAL: To ensure that the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. To micronize the colorant, simply use a coffee grinder to blend it. That breaks up any clumps of color and prevents streaks of white from showing in the final soap. We like to use a coffee grinder that has a removable stainless steel mixing area for easy cleaning.
FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 2.9 ounces of Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil into a glass container. Set aside.
MOLD PREP: Line the Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold with freezer paper, shiny side up.
SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, other distractions, and tripping hazards are out of the house or don’t have access to your soaping space. Always soap in a well-ventilated area.
Follow these steps:
1
Slowly and carefully add 5.5 ounces of lye to 13.2 ounces of LaCroix and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that releases faster from the mold, you can add sodium lactate to the cooled lye water. Use 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate per pound of oils in the recipe. For this recipe, you’d add 2.5 teaspoons of sodium lactate.
2
Fully melt the entire bag of Swirl Quick Mix until it’s completely clear. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 40 ounces into your soaping bowl. Once the lye solution and the oils have cooled to 130° F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye solution to the oils and stick blend until thin trace.
3
Add all the Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil and use a whisk to mix in thoroughly. Split the soap into 4 containers. Two containers should contain 600 mL and the other two containers should contain 150 mL.
4
Add the following amounts of dispersed colorants to each container and use a whisk to completely combine.
- Container A – pink (600 mL): 1 tsp. Magenta Mica + 1 tsp. titanium dioxide
- Container B – orange (600 mL): 1/2 tsp. Sunset Orange Mica
- Container C – green (150 mL): 1/2 tsp. Aqua Pearl Mica
- Container D – blue (150 mL): 1/2 tsp. Mermaid Mica
5
Pour some of the pink and orange soap into the mold and use a spoon to smooth it out. Tap the mold on the counter to help settle it into the mold.
6
Hold the mold at an angle, and pour the most of the blue soap into one corner of the mold. Tap the mold firmly on the counter to settle the soap.
7
Pour more of the orange soap into the mold, then pour all of the green soap into the mold, concentrating it in one corner. Pour any leftover blue soap into the other side of the mold. Tap the mold on the counter to get rid of bubbles.
8
Begin layering the remainder of the pink and orange soap into the mold. Don’t worry what the layers look like, you’re going for an imperfect look. Continue layering until all the soap is in the mold.
9
Tap the mold firmly on the counter to help get rid of bubbles. Use a spoon to smooth out the top of the soap. Spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Cover the mold with the lid and allow to sit in the mold for about 2-3 days. Remove from the mold and cut into bars. Allow to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.
Tutorial credits
Photographer: Amanda Kerzman