Rainbow Bright Soap Project
This bright and colorful swirl soap is made with Over the Rainbow Fragrance Oil and luxurious Swirl Recipe Quick Mix.
This is an advanced soap project. It requires a good understanding of trace, because you need plenty of time to pour all the colors into the mold and swirl. To help, we recommend adding the dispersed colorants into each container before emulsifying the soap. Adding the fragrance to each individual container right before pouring also helps keep the soap fluid longer.
If the soap starts to thicken as you pour, don't panic. Keep whisks nearby to stir each container throughout the pouring process. This helps keep the soap fluid and pourable. Toward the end when the soap is at its thickest, you can drizzle with a spoon if pouring gets tricky.
Once all the soap has been poured into the mold and you're happy with the swirl, insert the dividers. They create 9 perfectly-shaped bars of soap. We recommend promoting gel phase by covering the mold and placing it on a heating pad for 1-2 hours.
What You Need:
Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- Over the Rainbow Fragrance Oil - 4 oz
- Swirl Recipe Quick Mix - 54 oz
- Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- Sodium Lactate - 4 oz
- Crimson Red Mica - 1 oz
- Pumpkin Orange Mica - 1 oz
- Marigold Yellow Mica - 1 oz
- Hunter Green Mica - 1 oz
- Cobalt Blue Mica - 1 oz
- Purple Rain Mica - 1 oz
- Luna UltraSparkle Mica - 1 oz
EQUIPMENT:
- 9 Bar Unfinished Birchwood Mold
- Silicone Liner for 9 Bar Mold
Instructions
You will need:
- 9 Bar Birchwood Mold
- Silicone Liner for 9 Bar Mold
- 42 oz. Swirl Quick Mix
- 6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- 13.4 oz. Distilled Water
- Sodium Lactate
- Over the Rainbow Fragrance Oil
- Super Pearly White Mica
- Crimson Red Mica
- Pumpkin Orange Mica
- Marigold Yellow Mica
- Hunter Green Mica
- Cobalt Blue Mica
- Purple Rain Mica
- Luna UltraSparkle Mica
FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 2.5 ounces of Over the Rainbow Fragrance Oil into a small glass container and set aside.
COLORANT PREP: In separate containers, disperse 1 teaspoon of each mica (except Luna UltraSparkle Mica) into 1 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get rid of any clumps.
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 6 ounces of lye to 13.4 ounces of water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. Add 2.5 teaspoons of sodium lactate and stir throughly.
2
While the lye cools, set out 6 containers. Add all of the dispersed colorant to each container - one colorant in each (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and Super Pearly White).
3
Fully melt the entire bag of Swirl Recipe Quick Mix in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts until the oils in the bag are clear. Shake and measure 42 ounces of Quick Mix into a large heat-safe cotnainer. Once the lye water and oils have cooled to about 110° F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and whisk together to combine. Use the stick blender to pulse the soap a few times - do not bring it to a full trace. It will get blended more later.
4
Be careful to not over-emulsify the soap - it should be very thin. Distribute the soap batter evenly into the 6 containers - you will have about 300-400 mL per container. Stir in the colorants completely.
5
Add the Over the Rainbow Fragrance Oil proportionally between the containers (it’s okay to eyeball it). Use a whisk to thoroughly incorporate. The soap should still be very thin. Quickly stick blend it in each container (lightest to darkest) - just a short pulse will do the trick.
6
Pour some of the first color (it doesn’t really matter which) into the mold in long S-curves lengthwise. Pour a different color in the mold, still going lengthwise. Continue pouring alternate colors lengthwise into the mold. Note: As you pour, the soap will continue to thicken. Work quickly. Every now and then, whisk the soap to keep it fluid.
7
For the first few passes of color, the order doesn’t really matter. Once the mold is about halfway full, take more care to pour thinner lines of soap and differentiate the colors to make a more distinct pattern when you swirl them. Once you get to the top, pour so that each color is showing. Note: If the soap gets too thick to pour, use a spoon to drizzle it in the mold.
8
Once all the soap is in the mold, tap it firmly on the counter to settle the soap. Insert a chopstick or dowel into the very top of the soap and drag the tool so that it crosses the lines you created. Continue this S-curve pattern down the length of the mold until the entire soap has been swirled. Swirl loops across the entire mold. Continue to swirl until you're happy with the effect. Sprinkle Luna UltraSparkle mica over the entire top.
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. Gel phase helps the colors pop and it helps the bars release from the dividers faster and more easily.
11
Allow the soap to stay in the mold for at least 3 days. Because this is a soft recipe and the soap was poured at a thin trace, it may take a little longer to unmold.
After 3 days, check to see if the silicone mold pulls away easily. If it does, remove the soap. If it doesn’t, 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
Rainbow Bright Soap Project
- LEVEL Advanced
- TIME 2 hours
- YIELD About 3.5 pounds of soap
Project Description
This is an advanced soap project. It requires a good understanding of trace, because you need plenty of time to pour all the colors into the mold and swirl. To help, we recommend adding the dispersed colorants into each container before emulsifying the soap. Adding the fragrance to each individual container right before pouring also helps keep the soap fluid longer.
If the soap starts to thicken as you pour, don't panic. Keep whisks nearby to stir each container throughout the pouring process. This helps keep the soap fluid and pourable. Toward the end when the soap is at its thickest, you can drizzle with a spoon if pouring gets tricky.
Once all the soap has been poured into the mold and you're happy with the swirl, insert the dividers. They create 9 perfectly-shaped bars of soap. We recommend promoting gel phase by covering the mold and placing it on a heating pad for 1-2 hours.
You will need:
- 9 Bar Birchwood Mold
- Silicone Liner for 9 Bar Mold
- 42 oz. Swirl Quick Mix
- 6 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
- 13.4 oz. Distilled Water
- Sodium Lactate
- Over the Rainbow Fragrance Oil
- Super Pearly White Mica
- Crimson Red Mica
- Pumpkin Orange Mica
- Marigold Yellow Mica
- Hunter Green Mica
- Cobalt Blue Mica
- Purple Rain Mica
- Luna UltraSparkle Mica
FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 2.5 ounces of Over the Rainbow Fragrance Oil into a small glass container and set aside.
COLORANT PREP: In separate containers, disperse 1 teaspoon of each mica (except Luna UltraSparkle Mica) into 1 tablespoon lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to get rid of any clumps.
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 6 ounces of lye to 13.4 ounces of water and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. Add 2.5 teaspoons of sodium lactate and stir throughly.
2
While the lye cools, set out 6 containers. Add all of the dispersed colorant to each container - one colorant in each (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and Super Pearly White).
3
Fully melt the entire bag of Swirl Recipe Quick Mix in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts until the oils in the bag are clear. Shake and measure 42 ounces of Quick Mix into a large heat-safe cotnainer. Once the lye water and oils have cooled to about 110° F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye water to the oils and whisk together to combine. Use the stick blender to pulse the soap a few times - do not bring it to a full trace. It will get blended more later.
4
Be careful to not over-emulsify the soap - it should be very thin. Distribute the soap batter evenly into the 6 containers - you will have about 300-400 mL per container. Stir in the colorants completely.
5
Add the Over the Rainbow Fragrance Oil proportionally between the containers (it’s okay to eyeball it). Use a whisk to thoroughly incorporate. The soap should still be very thin. Quickly stick blend it in each container (lightest to darkest) - just a short pulse will do the trick.
6
Pour some of the first color (it doesn’t really matter which) into the mold in long S-curves lengthwise. Pour a different color in the mold, still going lengthwise. Continue pouring alternate colors lengthwise into the mold. Note: As you pour, the soap will continue to thicken. Work quickly. Every now and then, whisk the soap to keep it fluid.
7
For the first few passes of color, the order doesn’t really matter. Once the mold is about halfway full, take more care to pour thinner lines of soap and differentiate the colors to make a more distinct pattern when you swirl them. Once you get to the top, pour so that each color is showing. Note: If the soap gets too thick to pour, use a spoon to drizzle it in the mold.
8
Once all the soap is in the mold, tap it firmly on the counter to settle the soap. Insert a chopstick or dowel into the very top of the soap and drag the tool so that it crosses the lines you created. Continue this S-curve pattern down the length of the mold until the entire soap has been swirled. Swirl loops across the entire mold. Continue to swirl until you're happy with the effect. Sprinkle Luna UltraSparkle mica over the entire top.
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. Gel phase helps the colors pop and it helps the bars release from the dividers faster and more easily.
11
Allow the soap to stay in the mold for at least 3 days. Because this is a soft recipe and the soap was poured at a thin trace, it may take a little longer to unmold.
After 3 days, check to see if the silicone mold pulls away easily. If it does, remove the soap. If it doesn’t, 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