Difficulty: Intermediate
Time: 1 hr
Yields: 500 g soap
Freestyle pouring and drop swirling can create some very pretty effects in soap. I like how the colours pop in this soap and how it showcases the contrasts between the different green micas I’m using.
The micas I’m using for this soap are Shimmer Green, Designer Green and Green Fruit, which are all available from Pure Nature. The fragrance I’m using is Sunny Herb Garden from Brambleberry, which I brought over from a trip to the USA last year.
You will also need three small containers for colour preparation, and three more pyrex jugs or pots to divide the soap up in.
If you have never made cold-process soap before, I strongly suggest you check out the basic cold process soap tutorial first.
Before starting, please read the safety and precautions post, especially since this tutorial requires the handling of caustic soda!
ONE: First, prepare your lye. Weigh out the caustic soda in a small container. Measure the water in a small pyrex or other heat proof glass jug. Then carefully add the caustic soda to the water and gently stir until all the caustic soda has dissolved. Stir one teaspoon of sodium lactate to make the soap harder. Set aside to cool.
TWO: While you are waiting for the lye to cool down, you can prepare your colours. In three small containers add 5 ml of rice bran oil or other light weight oil. In your first container add 1/2 teaspoon Shimmering Mica.
THREE: In a large pyrex jug or pot, weigh out and add your olive oil and castor oil.
FOUR: When the lye has cooled down to room temperature, it’s time to add it to the oils. Make sure you are still in protective gear (goggles and gloves), carefully pour the lye to the oils, avoiding any splashes. Using a whisk, stir briskly until you reach thin trace.
FIVE: Add the fragrance and give it another good stir to mix the fragrance thoroughly into the soap.
SIX: Next, you have to divide the soap up into different jug/pot. In two of the jugs pour 75 ml of soap each. In the other, pour 125 ml of soap. You should now have around 200-250 ml soap left in the large jug. Each jug/pot will be coloured differently in the following step.
SEVEN: First, give each of the containers containing the mica/oil mixtures another quick mix. Then, to one of the jug with 75 ml soap, add the Designer Green mica/oil mixture. The other jug with 75 ml soap will be left uncoloured and can be set aside for now. To the jug with 125 ml soap, add the Green Fruit mica/oil mixture.
And to the large jug with the remainder of the soap, add the Shimmer Green mica/oil mixture. Stir each jug thoroughly with a small whisk to mix the colour into the soap.
EIGHT: To pour the soap in the mold, start with the large jug and pour about half into the mold. Then, alternating colours, pour the soap from varying heights and moving around the mold while pouring. Be very free in your pouring – there are no set rules or guidelines here.
NINE: Once you’ve poured all the soap into the mold, tap the mold gently on the bench a few times to get rid of any air bubbles in the soap.
TEN: Using a chopstick, swirl around the soap a few times, going all the way to the bottom of the mold. Then keeping to the very top of the soap, make some swirls in the surface of the soap. Leave the soap to cure in the mold for a few days.
ELEVEN: Once the soap is firm enough, remove from the mold and let it cure for another couple of days before cutting into bars. The bars will need a further 6-8 weeks to cure.
It's a Green World Soap
Ingredients
- 375 g olive oil
- 25 g castor oil
- 50 g caustic soda
- 100 ml water
- 1 teaspoon sodium lactate
- Shimmer Green mica
- Designer Green mica
- Green Fruit mica
- Sunny Herb Garden
- rice bran oil or other light weight oil
Directions
- Prepare your lye: carefully add the caustic soda to the water and stir gently until all the caustic soda has dissolved. Add one teaspoon of sodium lactate. Set aside to cool.
- Prepare your colours: add 5 ml rice bran oil to three small containers. To the first, add 1/2 teaspoon of Shimmer Green mica. To the second, add 1/4 teaspoon Green Fruit mica, and to the third add 1/8 Designer Green mica. Mix each container well.
- Weigh out the oils in a large pyrex jug or pot.
- Once the lye has cooled down to room temperature, carefully add it to the oils and using a whisk, stir briskly until you reach thin trace.
- Add the fragrance oil, and stir well with a whisk.
- Divide the soap as follows: add 75 ml each to two containers, and 125 ml to one container. You should now have approximately 200-250 ml left in the big pot.
- To one of the container with 75 ml soap add the Designer Green mica/oil mixture, the other container with 75 ml soap will be left uncoloured. To the container with 125 ml soap, add the Green Fruit mica/oil mixture. And to the large pot, add the Shimmer Green mica/oil mixture. Mix each container well to disperse the colour throughout the soap.
- Alternating the colours, pour the the soap into the mold, varying the height of pouring and move around the mold when pouring. Very freestyle!
- Once you’ve poured all the soap into the mold, gently tap the mold on the bench a few times to get rid of any air bubbles in the soap.
- Using a chopstick, swirl around the soap a few times. And then keeping to the top of the soap only, make some swirls in the surface of the soap. Leave the soap to cure for a few days.
- Once the soap is firm enough, remove from the mold and let it cure for another couple of days before cutting into bars. The bars will need a further 6-8 weeks to cure.
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