Lemon Poppy Seed Cold Process Soap Project
This project is one of our most popular! It's full of cheer and easy to customize.
There is something about the color yellow that just screams, “happy!” If you're looking for a project full of cheer, this is the soap for you.
Scented with the bright Lemon Verbena Yankee Type Fragrance Oil and bubbly Champagne Fragrance Oil, it smells as sunny as it looks. Poppy seeds give this bar of soap gentle exfoliation, and the contrasting mica vein really makes the layers pop.
What You Need:
Coconut Oil - 1 lb
Olive Oil - Pure - 1 lb
Sodium Hydroxide Lye
Titanium Dioxide Pigment - 1 oz
Fizzy Lemonade Colorant - 1 oz
Poppy Seeds - 3 oz
Lemon Verbena Yankee Type Fragrance Oil - 1.75 oz
Champagne Fragrance Oil - 1.75 oz
Rice Bran Oil - 1 lb
Activated Charcoal - 1 oz
10 inch Silicone Loaf Mold
Palm Oil - 1 lb
Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- Coconut Oil - 1 lb
- Olive Oil - Pure - 1 lb
- Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- Titanium Dioxide Pigment - 1 oz
- Fizzy Lemonade Colorant - 1 oz
- Poppy Seeds - 3 oz
- Lemon Verbena Yankee Type Fragrance Oil - 1.75 oz
- Champagne Fragrance Oil - 1.75 oz
- Rice Bran Oil - 1 lb
- Activated Charcoal - 1 oz
- Palm Oil - 1 lb
EQUIPMENT:
- 10 inch Silicone Loaf Mold
Instructions
You will need:
- 10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
- 9.9 oz. Coconut Oil (30%)
- 9.9 oz. Olive Oil (30%)
- 9.9 oz. Palm Oil (30%)
- 3.3 oz. Rice Bran Oil (10%)
- 4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide
- 10.8 oz. Distilled Water
- Titanium Dioxide
- Fizzy Lemonade Colorant
- Activated Charcoal
- 1 Tbsp. Poppy Seeds
- 0.5 oz. Lemon Verbena Yankee Type Fragrance Oil
- 1 oz. Champagne Fragrance Oil
FRAGRANCE PREP: In a glass container, combine 1 oz. of Champagne Fragrance Oil and .5 oz. of Lemon Verbena Yankee Type Fragrance Oil. Set aside.
COLORANT PREP: Then, disperse 2 teaspoons of titanium dioxide into 2 tablespoons of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Disperse 1 teaspoon Fizzy Lemonade Colorant into 1 tablespoon of light liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get the clumps of color worked out smoothly. Optional: To ensure that the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap, 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.
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 4.6 ounces of lye to 10.8 ounces of water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. Optional: Stir 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate to help the soap harden and unmold more quickly.
2
Melt and measure 9.9 ounces of coconut oil, 9.9. ounces of olive oil, 3.3 ounces of rice bran oil, and 9.9. ounces of palm oil into a large heat-safe container. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130° F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend to a thin trace.
3
Pour about 3 cups of soap into a second heat-safe container.
4
Add 3 teaspoons dispersed Fizzy Lemonade Colorant to the newly poured 3-cup container. Mix in the colorant with a whisk.
5
Add half of the fragrance oil blend and use a whisk to fully incorporate.
6
Carefully pour yellow soap into the mold. Tap down firmly to release any bubbles and evenly disperse soap.
7
To create the mica vein, use a powder duster to sprinkle a thin layer of activated charcoal over the freshly-poured yellow soap. To help the charcoal disperse evenly, close your eyes and blow. Watch out, this part can get a bit messy!
8
In the second container, add 2 tablespoons of dispersed titanium dioxide and the remaining fragrance blend. Use a whisk to fully incorporate.
9
Add 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds and use a whisk to fully mix in.
10
Gently and slowly, pour the white soap into the mold. To prevent the white soap from breaking through into the yellow layer, you can pour the soap over a spatula into the mold. We found the yellow layer was firm enough at this point that this was not necessary.
11
Using a spatula, gently swirl the top of the soap to create a wave pattern. Allow the soap to sit in the mold for 3-4 days before unmolding. Allow the soap to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.
Tutorial credits
Photographer: Amanda Kerzman
Lemon Poppy Seed Cold Process Soap Project
- LEVEL Intermediate
- TIME 1 hour
- YIELD About 3 pounds of soap
Project Description
There is something about the color yellow that just screams, “happy!” If you're looking for a project full of cheer, this is the soap for you.
Scented with the bright Lemon Verbena Yankee Type Fragrance Oil and bubbly Champagne Fragrance Oil, it smells as sunny as it looks. Poppy seeds give this bar of soap gentle exfoliation, and the contrasting mica vein really makes the layers pop.
You will need:
- 10″ Silicone Loaf Mold
- 9.9 oz. Coconut Oil (30%)
- 9.9 oz. Olive Oil (30%)
- 9.9 oz. Palm Oil (30%)
- 3.3 oz. Rice Bran Oil (10%)
- 4.6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide
- 10.8 oz. Distilled Water
- Titanium Dioxide
- Fizzy Lemonade Colorant
- Activated Charcoal
- 1 Tbsp. Poppy Seeds
- 0.5 oz. Lemon Verbena Yankee Type Fragrance Oil
- 1 oz. Champagne Fragrance Oil
FRAGRANCE PREP: In a glass container, combine 1 oz. of Champagne Fragrance Oil and .5 oz. of Lemon Verbena Yankee Type Fragrance Oil. Set aside.
COLORANT PREP: Then, disperse 2 teaspoons of titanium dioxide into 2 tablespoons of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Disperse 1 teaspoon Fizzy Lemonade Colorant into 1 tablespoon of light liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get the clumps of color worked out smoothly. Optional: To ensure that the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap, 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.
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 4.6 ounces of lye to 10.8 ounces of water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. Optional: Stir 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate to help the soap harden and unmold more quickly.
2
Melt and measure 9.9 ounces of coconut oil, 9.9. ounces of olive oil, 3.3 ounces of rice bran oil, and 9.9. ounces of palm oil into a large heat-safe container. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130° F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend to a thin trace.
3
Pour about 3 cups of soap into a second heat-safe container.
4
Add 3 teaspoons dispersed Fizzy Lemonade Colorant to the newly poured 3-cup container. Mix in the colorant with a whisk.
5
Add half of the fragrance oil blend and use a whisk to fully incorporate.
6
Carefully pour yellow soap into the mold. Tap down firmly to release any bubbles and evenly disperse soap.
7
To create the mica vein, use a powder duster to sprinkle a thin layer of activated charcoal over the freshly-poured yellow soap. To help the charcoal disperse evenly, close your eyes and blow. Watch out, this part can get a bit messy!
8
In the second container, add 2 tablespoons of dispersed titanium dioxide and the remaining fragrance blend. Use a whisk to fully incorporate.
9
Add 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds and use a whisk to fully mix in.
10
Gently and slowly, pour the white soap into the mold. To prevent the white soap from breaking through into the yellow layer, you can pour the soap over a spatula into the mold. We found the yellow layer was firm enough at this point that this was not necessary.
11
Using a spatula, gently swirl the top of the soap to create a wave pattern. Allow the soap to sit in the mold for 3-4 days before unmolding. Allow the soap to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.
Tutorial credits
Photographer: Amanda Kerzman