Pumpkin Souffle Cold Process Soap Project
If you love pumpkin but you're looking for something a little different, the Pumpkin Souffle Fragrance Oil will be right up your alley. It inspired this project.
We were inspired by the Pumpkin Souffle Fragrance Oil and this Chai Latte Love Tutorial by Amanda of Lovin’ Soap to create souffle soap cupcakes.
To give them a tall, souffle-esque shape, we used disposable paper cups for the mold. The base of the cupcakes are colored with the fragrance, which turns a dark brown. Learn more about fragrance discoloration here. The frosting is unscented and colored with titanium dioxide for a contrasting color. We sprinkled used coffee grounds on top for a finishing touch. We recommend used coffee grounds, as dry ones bleed into the soap.
If your holiday tradition is baking, these Pumpkin Souffle Soaps would be a great way to start a new holiday tradition! The lack of mold and minimal colors make it an affordable project. It’s also suitable for beginners, because it requires a medium to thick trace. If you have family members who have never made soap before, this is the project to get them hooked.
What You Need:
Coconut Oil - 1 lb
Olive Oil - Pure - 1 lb
Sweet Almond Oil - 1 lb
Sodium Hydroxide Lye
Titanium Dioxide Pigment - 1 oz
Palm Oil - 1 lb
Pumpkin Souffle Fragrance Oil - 1.75 oz
Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- Coconut Oil - 1 lb
- Olive Oil - Pure - 1 lb
- Sweet Almond Oil - 1 lb
- Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- Titanium Dioxide Pigment - 1 oz
- Palm Oil - 1 lb
- Pumpkin Souffle Fragrance Oil - 1.75 oz
EQUIPMENT:
Instructions
You will need:
- 8 Paper Disposable Cups (cut to hold 4 ounces)
- 8 oz. Coconut Oil (25%)
- 9.6 oz. Palm Oil (30%)
- 8 oz. Olive Oil (25%)
- 6.4 oz. Sweet Almond Oil (20%)
- 4.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- 10.5 oz. Distilled Water
- 1.7 oz. Pumpkin Souffle Fragrance Oil
- Titanium Dioxide
- Disposable Frosting Bag
- Used Coffee Grounds
MOLD PREP: It’s important that the cups you use are lined with a wax film. That will prevent the soap from sticking. Ours were 9 ounces and about 4 inches tall. We cut the top of the cups to be about 4 inches tall. We weighed how much water the cup could hold to give us an idea of how much soap to make. The cups held 4 ounces of water. We cut 8 cups, which meant we needed about 32 ounces of soap to fill the cups.
COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of the colorant into 1 tablespoon of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps. Have used coffee grounds nearby. If the coffee grounds are not used, they will bleed on the soap. Optional: To ensure the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Use a coffee grinder to break up any clumps of color and prevent 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 OIL PREP: In a glass, fragrance oil safe container, measure 1.7 ounces of Pumpkin Souffle Fragrance Oil in a glass, fragrance oil safe container. 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 soaping space. Always soap in a well-ventilated area.
Follow these steps:
1
Slowly and carefully add 4.5 ounces of lye to 10.5 ounces of water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool.
2
Fully melt and combine 8 ounces of coconut oil, 8 ounces of olive oil, 9.6 ounces of palm oil, and 6.4 ounces of sweet almond oil (remember to fully melt then mix your entire container of palm oil before portioning). Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130° or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. 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 teaspoons sodium lactate.
3
Split off 12 ounces of soap into a separate container. To the remaining soap, add the Pumpkin Souffle Fragrance Oil. Use a whisk to stir in, then pulse the stick blender several times to thicken the batter to a medium trace..
4
Pour the soap into the disposable paper cups. Fill them all the way to the top. Tap them lightly on the counter to help get rid of bubbles and even the top. They will be covered with soap frosting, so don’t worry too much about what the top looks like.
5
To the remaining soap, add all the dispersed titanium dioxide. Use the stick blender to mix in the colorant and get rid of clumps, while thickening the soap to a medium trace.
6
Once the soap is thick enough to hold a shape but still fluid enough to pipe and manipulate, place it in a piping bag. Cut off a decent amount of the tip of the bag, in order to pipe thick layers of soap.
7
Begin piping the soap frosting in a circular motion, creating a peak in the center.
8
Originally, we planned on keeping the soap frosting smooth from the piping. But, we thought our piping skills were a little lacking and decided to use a smooth to create more of a “messy” and “foamy” look. This is optional, go with whatever look of frosting you prefer.
9
Once you’re happy with the look of the frosting, sprinkle the used coffee grounds on top of the soaps, concentrating the grounds in the center of each. Spritz each soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to help prevent soda ash. If you live in a hot climate, place the soap in the fridge to prevent the soap frosting from “melting” and losing its shape.
Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 2-3 days. We found that the soap constricts and pulls away from the cup as it hardens, which makes tearing the paper cup off the soap easier. But be careful when removing the bottom of the cup. The top peels away easily, but we found the bottom of the cup tore the bottom of the soap slightly. If the bottom of the soap is giving any resistance, allow the soaps to stay in the mold for another couple days. After about a week, the bottom of the soap will discolor to a deep, rich brown. Allow the soaps to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!
Tutorial credits
Photographer: Amanda Kerzman
Pumpkin Souffle Cold Process Soap Project
- LEVEL Beginner
- TIME 30 minutes
- YIELD About 3 pounds of soap
Project Description
We were inspired by the Pumpkin Souffle Fragrance Oil and this Chai Latte Love Tutorial by Amanda of Lovin’ Soap to create souffle soap cupcakes.
To give them a tall, souffle-esque shape, we used disposable paper cups for the mold. The base of the cupcakes are colored with the fragrance, which turns a dark brown. Learn more about fragrance discoloration here. The frosting is unscented and colored with titanium dioxide for a contrasting color. We sprinkled used coffee grounds on top for a finishing touch. We recommend used coffee grounds, as dry ones bleed into the soap.
If your holiday tradition is baking, these Pumpkin Souffle Soaps would be a great way to start a new holiday tradition! The lack of mold and minimal colors make it an affordable project. It’s also suitable for beginners, because it requires a medium to thick trace. If you have family members who have never made soap before, this is the project to get them hooked.
You will need:
- 8 Paper Disposable Cups (cut to hold 4 ounces)
- 8 oz. Coconut Oil (25%)
- 9.6 oz. Palm Oil (30%)
- 8 oz. Olive Oil (25%)
- 6.4 oz. Sweet Almond Oil (20%)
- 4.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- 10.5 oz. Distilled Water
- 1.7 oz. Pumpkin Souffle Fragrance Oil
- Titanium Dioxide
- Disposable Frosting Bag
- Used Coffee Grounds
MOLD PREP: It’s important that the cups you use are lined with a wax film. That will prevent the soap from sticking. Ours were 9 ounces and about 4 inches tall. We cut the top of the cups to be about 4 inches tall. We weighed how much water the cup could hold to give us an idea of how much soap to make. The cups held 4 ounces of water. We cut 8 cups, which meant we needed about 32 ounces of soap to fill the cups.
COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of the colorant into 1 tablespoon of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps. Have used coffee grounds nearby. If the coffee grounds are not used, they will bleed on the soap. Optional: To ensure the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. Use a coffee grinder to break up any clumps of color and prevent 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 OIL PREP: In a glass, fragrance oil safe container, measure 1.7 ounces of Pumpkin Souffle Fragrance Oil in a glass, fragrance oil safe container. 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 soaping space. Always soap in a well-ventilated area.
Follow these steps:
1
Slowly and carefully add 4.5 ounces of lye to 10.5 ounces of water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool.
2
Fully melt and combine 8 ounces of coconut oil, 8 ounces of olive oil, 9.6 ounces of palm oil, and 6.4 ounces of sweet almond oil (remember to fully melt then mix your entire container of palm oil before portioning). Once the lye water and the oils have cooled to 130° or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and stick blend until thin trace. 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 teaspoons sodium lactate.
3
Split off 12 ounces of soap into a separate container. To the remaining soap, add the Pumpkin Souffle Fragrance Oil. Use a whisk to stir in, then pulse the stick blender several times to thicken the batter to a medium trace..
4
Pour the soap into the disposable paper cups. Fill them all the way to the top. Tap them lightly on the counter to help get rid of bubbles and even the top. They will be covered with soap frosting, so don’t worry too much about what the top looks like.
5
To the remaining soap, add all the dispersed titanium dioxide. Use the stick blender to mix in the colorant and get rid of clumps, while thickening the soap to a medium trace.
6
Once the soap is thick enough to hold a shape but still fluid enough to pipe and manipulate, place it in a piping bag. Cut off a decent amount of the tip of the bag, in order to pipe thick layers of soap.
7
Begin piping the soap frosting in a circular motion, creating a peak in the center.
8
Originally, we planned on keeping the soap frosting smooth from the piping. But, we thought our piping skills were a little lacking and decided to use a smooth to create more of a “messy” and “foamy” look. This is optional, go with whatever look of frosting you prefer.
9
Once you’re happy with the look of the frosting, sprinkle the used coffee grounds on top of the soaps, concentrating the grounds in the center of each. Spritz each soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to help prevent soda ash. If you live in a hot climate, place the soap in the fridge to prevent the soap frosting from “melting” and losing its shape.
Allow the soap to stay in the mold for 2-3 days. We found that the soap constricts and pulls away from the cup as it hardens, which makes tearing the paper cup off the soap easier. But be careful when removing the bottom of the cup. The top peels away easily, but we found the bottom of the cup tore the bottom of the soap slightly. If the bottom of the soap is giving any resistance, allow the soaps to stay in the mold for another couple days. After about a week, the bottom of the soap will discolor to a deep, rich brown. Allow the soaps to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy!
Tutorial credits
Photographer: Amanda Kerzman