Minty Fresh Indigo Soap Project
The recipe features the beauty of natural indigo powder and fresh scent of spearmint essential oil. The palm-free formulation is made easy with the Gentle Quick Mix - a combination of coconut, olive, canola, shea butter, and castor oil.
The formulation is great for swirls, which require a thin trace. Be careful to not over stick blend. With palm-free formulations, we recommend using sodium lactate to aid in unmolding. Placing the mold onto a heating pad for several hours will also aid in unmolding, and make the colors more vibrant. Speaking of colors, we used a small amount of Ultramarine Blue Pigment to boost the blue of indigo powder, which can appear more gray in cold process soap.
What You Need:
6 Cavity Silicone Circle Mold - 1 Mold
Gentle Quick Mix - 54 oz
Sodium Hydroxide Lye
Sodium Lactate - 4 oz
Titanium Dioxide Pigment - 1 oz
Natural Indigo Powder - 1 oz
Ultramarine Blue Pigment - 1 oz
Spearmint Essential Oil - 1.75 oz
Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- Gentle Quick Mix - 54 oz
- Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- Sodium Lactate - 4 oz
- Titanium Dioxide Pigment - 1 oz
- Natural Indigo Powder - 1 oz
- Ultramarine Blue Pigment - 1 oz
- Spearmint Essential Oil - 1.75 oz
EQUIPMENT:
- 6 Cavity Silicone Circle Mold - 1 Mold
Instructions
You will need:
- 6 Cavity Circle Silicone Mold
- 16 oz. Gentle Quick Mix
- 2.3 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- 5.1 oz. Distilled Water
- 1 tsp. Sodium Lactate
- 1 oz. Spearmint Essential Oil
- Indigo Powder
- Titanium Dioxide
- Ultramarine Blue Pigment
ESSENTIAL OIL PREP: Measure 1 ounce of Spearmint Essential Oil into a glass container and set aside.
COLORANT PREP: In separate containers, mix 1 teaspoon of titanium dioxide and 1 teaspoon of indigo powder with 1 tablespoon of a lightweight liquid oil. Then mix 1/2 teaspoon of ultramarine blue pigment with 1/2 teaspoon of lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to combine the colorants with the oil and get rid of clumps. Set aside.
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 2.3 ounces of lye to 5.1 ounces of distilled water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. Optional: Add 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate to help the bars harden more quickly.
2
Microwave the bag of Gentle Quick Mix until it’s completely clear. Shake to mix up all the oils. Measure 16 ounces into your soaping bowl. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130° F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend the mixture to a thin trace. Set this container aside for step 5.
3
Split the soap equally into two containers. To one container, add 1 tablespoon of dispersed titanium dioxide. To the other container, add 1 tablespoon of dispersed indigo powder and 1/4 teaspoon of ultramarine blue pigment. Whisk in colorants completely.
4
Add half of the spearmint essential oil to each container - it's okay to eyeball it. Whisk in thoroughly. If your soap is still extremely thin, very quickly pulse with the stick blender to ensure full emulsification.
5
Pour about 1/4 of the white soap into your original soaping bowl, allowing the soap to run down the inside of the container. Then pour about 1/4 of the blue soap down the inside of the container, on top of the white. Continue alternating pouring the two colors into the bowl - the colors will begin to create "stripe" layers in the bowl.
6
Pour the soap into each cavity of the 6 Cavity Silicone Circle Mold. Tap the mold on the counter to help the soap settle. Spritz with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Place the mold on top of a heating pad set to medium heat for 1-2 hours. If you live in a cold slimate, cover and insulate with a small box.
7
Allow the soap to harden in the mold for 2-3 days. Release from the mold and allow to cure for 4-6 weeks. Enjoy!
Minty Fresh Indigo Soap Project
- LEVEL Intermediate
- TIME 2 hours
- YIELD About 24 ounces of soap
Project Description
The recipe features the beauty of natural indigo powder and fresh scent of spearmint essential oil. The palm-free formulation is made easy with the Gentle Quick Mix - a combination of coconut, olive, canola, shea butter, and castor oil.
The formulation is great for swirls, which require a thin trace. Be careful to not over stick blend. With palm-free formulations, we recommend using sodium lactate to aid in unmolding. Placing the mold onto a heating pad for several hours will also aid in unmolding, and make the colors more vibrant. Speaking of colors, we used a small amount of Ultramarine Blue Pigment to boost the blue of indigo powder, which can appear more gray in cold process soap.
You will need:
- 6 Cavity Circle Silicone Mold
- 16 oz. Gentle Quick Mix
- 2.3 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- 5.1 oz. Distilled Water
- 1 tsp. Sodium Lactate
- 1 oz. Spearmint Essential Oil
- Indigo Powder
- Titanium Dioxide
- Ultramarine Blue Pigment
ESSENTIAL OIL PREP: Measure 1 ounce of Spearmint Essential Oil into a glass container and set aside.
COLORANT PREP: In separate containers, mix 1 teaspoon of titanium dioxide and 1 teaspoon of indigo powder with 1 tablespoon of a lightweight liquid oil. Then mix 1/2 teaspoon of ultramarine blue pigment with 1/2 teaspoon of lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to combine the colorants with the oil and get rid of clumps. Set aside.
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 2.3 ounces of lye to 5.1 ounces of distilled water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. Optional: Add 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate to help the bars harden more quickly.
2
Microwave the bag of Gentle Quick Mix until it’s completely clear. Shake to mix up all the oils. Measure 16 ounces into your soaping bowl. Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130° F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend the mixture to a thin trace. Set this container aside for step 5.
3
Split the soap equally into two containers. To one container, add 1 tablespoon of dispersed titanium dioxide. To the other container, add 1 tablespoon of dispersed indigo powder and 1/4 teaspoon of ultramarine blue pigment. Whisk in colorants completely.
4
Add half of the spearmint essential oil to each container - it's okay to eyeball it. Whisk in thoroughly. If your soap is still extremely thin, very quickly pulse with the stick blender to ensure full emulsification.
5
Pour about 1/4 of the white soap into your original soaping bowl, allowing the soap to run down the inside of the container. Then pour about 1/4 of the blue soap down the inside of the container, on top of the white. Continue alternating pouring the two colors into the bowl - the colors will begin to create "stripe" layers in the bowl.
6
Pour the soap into each cavity of the 6 Cavity Silicone Circle Mold. Tap the mold on the counter to help the soap settle. Spritz with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Place the mold on top of a heating pad set to medium heat for 1-2 hours. If you live in a cold slimate, cover and insulate with a small box.
7
Allow the soap to harden in the mold for 2-3 days. Release from the mold and allow to cure for 4-6 weeks. Enjoy!