In My Soap Pot

Posted on July 9, 2019August 1, 2019 by Jackie — 2 Comments

Apricot Scrub Soap

Difficulty: Advanced
Time: 1 hr
Yields: 1200 g soap or approximately 10 bars

I came up with this soap when I was browsing through the exfoliants section of my local supplier, Pure Nature. I’ve always left the special kind of exfoliants, like walnut shells and apricot kernel flours, for facial and body scrubs, and haven’t really used them in soaps before. I still had some carrot juice left from the soap challenge last month, and I thought those two would make for a nice combination. And since I was focusing on natural ingredients, I didn’t want to go for an apricot fragrance. Instead, I asked my good friend, Shaz, who’s always an absolute inspiration when it comes to soap making and has great nose when it comes to essential oil blends, what she would suggest. So the credit for this delicious blend of orange, bergamot and ylang ylang goes to her!

The reason this is an advanced tutorial, is because I’m replacing all the water in the lye solution for carrot juice. Because carrots contain sugar, extra precautions must be taken when preparing the lye solution, because it can get quite hot. The sugars will also speed up trace, so it’s essential you have everything prepared and ready beforehand and can work quickly.

In addition to the carrot juice, ylang ylang essential oil is also known to accelerate trace. Just to make things even more exciting for you! But don’t worry, if you make sure you keep your temperature down and work quickly, you’ll be fine. And it’s definitely worth it. The soap smells amazing and leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth!

Before starting, please read the safety and precautions post, especially since this tutorial requires the handling of caustic soda!

If you have never made cold-process soap before, I strongly recommend you check out the basic cold process soap tutorial first.

ONE: I’m using a store-bought 100% organic carrot juice, mainly because I couldn’t be bothered juicing carrots myself. Make sure the carrot juice is fridge cold, before you add the caustic soda to it. I also added two teaspoons of sodium lactate to it, to make sure the soap hardens quickly, which makes it easier to unmould. Once you’ve prepared the lye, place the container with the lye solution in an ice bath – a bigger container filled with cold water and ice. This helps to keep the temperature down.

TWO: Weigh out the coconut oil and shea butter in a microwaveable jug or bowl, and heat in the microwave until the oils have melted.

THREE: And then add the liquid oils to the melted coconut oil and shea butter.

FOUR: Add the essential oil blend to the oils and stir them through. Adding them to the oils, rather than at trace, helps dilute the essential oils and may slow the acceleration. I’ve never tested if this really works, but I think it’s better to be safe than sorry, and this way, at least, I don’t forget to add the fragrance. You have no idea how often that has happened to me!

From here on, you’ll need to work quickly. Make sure you have your apricot kernel flour on hand and your soap mould ready. You don’t want to go looking for ingredients or moulds once have poured the lye to the oils!

FIVE: Check if your lye solution has cooled down to room temperature, and add the lye to the oils. Stick blend only briefly for about 3-5 seconds, and then use a whisk to stir until the oil/lye mixture has emulsified and there are no more oil streaks visible.

SIX: Add the apricot kernel flour. I’m using a little more than 1/2 tablespoon. If you want a more scrubby soap, you can go up to 1 full tablespoon, but I wouldn’t add more. Use your whisk to stir it in. Doesn’t the soap look a pretty orange?

SEVEN: Pour the soap into your mould, and gently tap the mould on the bench a few times to release any air bubbles caught up in the soap and to even out the surface.

EIGHT: Use your spatula to add a bit of texture to your surface. And sprinkle a little of the apricot kernel flour along one side of the soap.

ELEVEN: Let the soap cure for a couple of days before unmoulding, and then let it harden for another few days before cutting it into bars. The bars of soap will need a further 6-8 weeks to cure before they are ready for use.

Apricot Scrub Soap

Time: 1 hr
Difficulty: intermediate
Print

Before starting, make sure you wear protective goggles and gloves and work in a well-ventilated area, free from any distractions!

Ingredients

320 g olive oil
200 g coconut oil
80 g shea butter
160 g sunflower oil
40 castor oil
110 g caustic soda
220 g pure carrot juice
2 teaspoons of sodium lactate
20 ml sweet orange essential oil
10 ml bergamot essential oil
10 ml ylang ylang essential oil
1/2 to 1 tbsp finely ground apricot kernel flour

Directions

Measure out the caustic soda and the water. Then add the caustic soda to the water (not the other way round!) and stir until the caustic soda has completely dissolved.
Add 2 teaspoons of sodium lactate to the lye solution and set aside to cool down.
Weigh out the coconut oil and shea butter and melt in the microwave or on the stove top until completely melted.
Add the olive, sunflower and castor oils to the now liquid coconut oil and shea butter.
Add the essential oil blend to the oils and give it a good stir.
Check if the lye has cooled down to room temperature, and making sure you are still wearing protective gear, carefully pour the lye to the oils and, using a stick blender for 3-5 seconds only. Use a whisk, and stir by hand until the oil/lye mixture has emulsified.
Add and stir in the apricot kernel flour using your whisk.
Pour the soap carefully into the mouldr.
Use your spatula to texture the top of the soap, and sprinkle a little of the apricot kernel flour along one side.
Leave the soap to cure a couple of days before unmoulding, and then let it stand for another few days before cutting into bars. The soap bars will need to cure for a further 6-8 weeks until ready for use.

Posted on September 16, 2017September 11, 2019 by Jackie — 2 Comments

Pumpkin Spice Soap

Difficulty: Advanced
Time: 1 hr
Yields: 500 g soap or 4 bars of soap to fit the small square soap mold
To use the larger loaf mold, which gives you 10 bars, multiply the recipe by 2.5

Pumpkin Spice is one of my favourite soaps to make, because the colours associated with pumpkin and spice (orange and brown), means I don’t have to worry about vanillin discolouring, and I can create a beautifully swirled soap with a delicious I-want-to-eat fragrance. The discolouration from the vanillin in the fragrance, only enhances the colour. In addition, I love the idea of adding fresh produce into my soaps, and pumpkin adds both colour and a bit of texture to the soap. The only downside is that by adding fresh puree, you risk getting glycerine rivers in your soap (see the example below), and to avoid this you have to calculate a water discount into your recipe. I usually do a simple 1:1 ratio – 1 tablespoon of puree equals 15 ml less water in my lye.

The recipe has an advanced level due to the various techniques and potential problems involved, and if you are unfamiliar with any of them, or have never made soap before, I suggest to look at the basic tutorial here, and make a few beginner and intermediate level soaps first.

For this tutorial I used a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove essential oils and Creme Brûlée fragrance, which are all available from Pure Nature. The scent from this blend is a delicious, yummy vanilla with spicy overtones – and I think the soaps need to have a ‘Beware! Do not Eat!’ label on them!

BEFORE YOU START, MAKE SURE YOU ARE WEARING PROTECTIVE GOGGLES AND GLOVES AND HAVE READ THE SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS HERE!

ONE: Prepare your lye as usual and set aside to cool. I’ve added sodium lactate to mine to ensure a harder bar.

TWO: Weigh out and melt your coconut oil and cocoa butter.

THREE: Weigh out and add your liquid oils and set aside.

FOUR: To prepare your pumpkin, peel and cut into cubes and cook in microwave until soft. With a stick blender, blitz until you have a smooth consistency.

Measure out your fragrance and essential oils blend. Also prepare your cocoa powder, by adding 1 teaspoon of powder to 1 teaspoon of lightweight oil.

Lastly, prepare your mica oils. Add 1/4 teaspoon of mica to 1/2 teaspoon of lightweight oil. Do this for both mica colours. I’m using Coffee mica and Lustre Brown mica from Pure Nature.

Set everything aside until you need them.

FIVE: When the lye and oils have cooled down to room temperature, add the lye to the oils and using a whisk, stir briefly until emulsified. MAKE SURE YOU ARE WEARING PROTECTIVE GOGGLES AND GLOVES!

SIX: Add the pumpkin puree and either using your stick blender or the whisk, stir until the pumpkin has been well incorporated into the soap mixture.

SEVEN: Add your fragrance blend. The essential oils will accelerate trace, so you will have to work quickly from this point on.

EIGHT: Separate approximately 1/3 of the soap mixture into a separate bowl and colour this with the cocoa/oil mixture. Add no more than 1 teaspoon per 500 ml of soap mixture.

NINE: In the pot swirl. Pour the now brown coloured soap back into the other pot with the uncoloured soap. With your spatula, swirl the soap around a few times, but don’t over-stir! You don’t want the colours blended too much.

TEN: Pour or scoop the soap into the mold and tap it a few times on the bench to release any air bubbles trapped in the soap mixture.

ELEVEN: Drizzle the mica oils on the surface of the soap, and, using a chopstick, swirl the surface of the soap (only the top 0.5-1 cm layer of the soap).

TWELVE: Leave the soap to cure overnight before unmolding, and then let it sit for another day or two before cutting it into bars. The bars will need to cure for about 6-8 weeks before they are ready to use. Note, the colours will darken over time due to the vanillin content of the Creme Brûlée fragrance.

Pumpkin Spice Soap

Time: 1 hr
Difficulty: advanced
Print

Before starting, make sure you wear protective goggles and gloves and work in a well-ventilated area, free from any distractions!

Ingredients

150 g olive oil
130 g coconut oil
100 g sunflower oil
30 g cocoa butter
20 g castor oil
60 g caustic soda
100 ml water
1 teaspoon sodium lactate
12 ml Creme Brûlée fragrance
3 ml ginger fragrance
3 ml cinnamon fragrance
1 ml nutmeg fragrance
1 ml clove fragrance
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon prepared pumpkin puree
1/4 teaspoon lustre brown mica
1/4 teaspoon coffee mica
lightweight oil

Directions

Prepare your lye as usual and add the sodium lactate. Set aside to cool.
Weigh out and melt your coconut oil and cocoa butter.
Weigh out and add the liquid oils and set aside to cool.
Preparation:
1. Pumpkin puree: peel and cut into cubes, and cook in microwave until soft. Using a stick blender, blitz until smooth consistency. Set aside.
2. Fragrance: measure out the fragrance and essential oils. Set aside.
3. Cocoa powder: mix 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon of oil. Set aside.
4. Mica oils: mix 1/4 teaspoon of mica with 1/2 teaspoon of lightweight oil. Do this for both mica colours. Set aside.
When both lye and oils have cooled down to room temperature, add the lye to the oils and stir until emulsified using either a whisk or a stick blender.
Add 1 tablespoon of pumpkin puree and blend until puree has been fully incorporated into the soap mixture.
Add the fragrance blend and stir to mix the fragrance through the soap. Be aware that the fragrance blend may cause acceleration.
Separate 1/3 of the soap into a separate bowl and colour this with the cocoa/oil mixture until you have reached the desired colour.
Pour the brown coloured soap back into the pot with the uncoloured soap and with a spatula, swirl the soap a few times (in the pot swirl).
Pour or scoop the soap into the soap mold and tap the mold a few times on the bench to release any air bubbles trapped within the soap.
Mica painting: drizzle the mica oils over the surface of the soap, and swirl the top 0.5-1 cm of the soap with a chopstick or other utensil.
Leave the soap in the mold overnight before removing, and let it harden for another few days before cutting the soap into bars. Leave the bars to cure for a further 6-8 weeks.

Posted on August 21, 2017September 11, 2019 by Jackie — 9 Comments

Cleansing clay soap

Difficulty: Beginners
Time: 1 hr
Yields: 500 g soap

French pink clay is known to clarify and improve skin softness, but in a gentle way, which makes it ideal for all skin types. A shower soap made with pink clay will gently exfoliate without irritating your skin, and will help smooth and draw out impurities. If you have oily skin or blemished skin, for example on the upper arms, backs of thighs and/or stomach, you can substitute the pink clay for red clay, which has a stronger drawing effect.

Exfoliation is an important part in the skin care routine, and should be used on the whole body and not just on the face. Exfoliation removes dead skin cells, opens clogged pores and stimulates circulation, which improves both skin texture and tone, leaving the skin looking radiant and rejuvenated.

Added a rose geranium, sweet orange, and lavender essential oils maximise the benefits of the clays and help balance and soothe the skin.

Rose geranium is used for a wide range of skin disorders, such as eczema, acne, rashes, because not only does it reduce inflammation, it also helps balance the secretion of sebum, which makes it ideal for dry, oily or combination skin.

Sweet Orange essential oil is antiseptic and anti-inflammatory which makes it an ideal ingredient in your skin care routine. This oil isn’t just for acne-prone skin though: It’s been shown to increase the ability to absorb vitamin C, collagen production, and blood flow, all of which are essential for anti-aging.

Lavender essential oil, is one of the best known skin oils, for its properties. It is an antibacterial, helps reduce redness, inflammation and blemishes, and is soothing and calming on both body and mind.

All the ingredients are available from Pure Nature. The soap mold I’m using is the small square silicon mold, which is my favourite soap mold, perfect for small batches and test soaps. It makes 4 bars of soap.

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. Optional: stir in one teaspoon of sodium lactate, which will make the soap harder. Set aside to cool.

While you are waiting for the lye to cool down, ….

TWO: Get your fragrance ready, by measuring out the essential oils in a measuring beaker. If you don’t have a measuring beaker: 20 drops of essential oil are approximately 1 ml.

Next, it’s time to get the oils ready.

THREE: Weigh out the coconut oil in a pyrex jug and heat in microwave on high for one minute or until melted.

FOUR: Add the other oils and give it a little stir to blend them.

When the lye has cooled down to room temperature…

FIVE: Make sure you are still in protective gear (goggles and gloves). Add the clay to your lye and give it a careful but good stir to make sure all the clay is suspended in the water and there are no more clumps. Be careful of splashes! Note the pink clay goes a reddish orange when added to the lye and soap, but once it’s cured it will be a beautiful soft pink. If you are using the red clay, it will cure to a rich orange/red colour.

SIX: Carefully pour the lye to the oils and whisk until the mixture has emulsified.

SEVEN: Add your fragrance.

EIGHT: Keep stirring with the whisk or give it a few pulses with a stick blender until you reach trace (the mixture has emulsified and starts to thicken). It doesn’t matter if you stir/pulse too much and the mixture becomes thick, but make sure it has emulsified. The image below shows thin trace, so you want it like this or thicker!

NINE: Pour the soap into the mold. Tap the mold gently on the bench a free times to get rid of any air bubbles.

TEN: Sprinkle the top with poppy seeds and leave it to cure in the mold for a few days, before carefully removing. Leave to cure for another day before cutting it into bars. The bars will need to cure for a further 4-6 weeks until they’re ready.

Cleansing Clay Soap

Time: 1 hr
Difficulty: easy
Print

Before starting, make sure you wear protective goggles and gloves and work in a well-ventilated area, free from any distractions!

Ingredients

250 g olive oil
120 g coconut oil
30 g castor oil
56 g caustic soda
110 ml water
1 teaspoon sodium lactate
1 teaspoon pink clay
10 ml rose geranium essential oil
5 ml sweet orange essential oil
5 ml lavender essential oil
poppy seeds

Directions

Prepare your lye: carefully add the caustic soda to the water and stir gently until all the caustic soda has dissolved. Optional: add one teaspoon of sodium lactate. Set aside to cool.
Prepare your fragrance.
Weigh out the coconut oil in a pyrex jug and heat in the microwave on high for 1 minute or until melted.
Add the other oils and give it a good stir.
When the lye has cooled down to room temperature, add 1 teaspoon of clay and whisk well (but carefully to avoid splashes) until all the clay has dispersed and there are no more clumps.
Carefully add the lye to the oils and stick blend briefly until the mixture has emulsified.
Add the fragrance and keep stick blending until the mixture has reached trace (thickened).
Pour in mold, and sprinkle poppy seeds on top.
Leave to cure in the mold for a few days, before removing and cutting. The bars of soap will need another 4-6 weeks of curing.

Posted on June 30, 2017September 11, 2019 by Jackie — Leave a comment

Amethyst crystal soaps

Difficulty: Beginners
Time: 1 1/2 hr
Yields: Several clusters and single crystals

I have always had this thing for crystals, and I have a shelf full of pretty, shiny rocks. So it’s no surprise then that I had to have a go at making soap crystals. Surprisingly, they are a lot easier to make than you think and I had the most fun two days preparing this tutorial. Mind you, I probably could have done it in one day, but hey, it’s not every day a girl gets to play with crystals!

Melt and pour soap bases are the perfect material to make these crystals. I used melt and pour soap base in both clear and white. For the soap crystals I recommend to use the sweat-free melt and pour bases from Pure Nature, because of the high humidity here in New Zealand. The sweat-free soap will allow you to keep the crystals only lightly packaged, for example in a pretty cellophane bag. Here are the links to the sweat-free white soap base and the sweat-free clear soap base. To colour the crystals, I used the Silken Violet mica from Pure Nature.

ONE: To start, gather all your materials and prepare your colour. Pour about 10 ml of 99% isopropyl alcohol into a small container and add 1/4 teaspoon of mica. This will be used to colour the soap. I’m using alcohol to premix the mica, because it will disperse better in the melt and pour soap base.

TWO: Next, cut up roughly one cup of clear melt and pour soap into cubes and put it in a solid heat-proof glass jug, such as a Pyrex jug. Heat on high for about 20 seconds or until all the soap has melted.

THREE: Add a teaspoon of fragrance. I’m using Candlescience Sage and Pomegranate fragrance from Pure Nature, which is safe to use in soaps and lotions.

FOUR: Now it’s time to colour the soap. Pour a little of the alcohol/mica into your soap and stir. You want a nice dark violet colour. If it’s too light, add a bit more until you are happy with the colour. Remember, you can always add more but you can’t take any away. So start with a little colour and keep adding in small amounts until you reach the right shade.

FIVE: Pour the soap into your mold until you have filled it to about 1 cm, and then leave it to cool down. We’ll be using the remainder of the soap for the next layer. The mold I’m using is the small square mold, available from Pure Nature. It holds 500g of soap (volume is approximately 630 ml), and will give you four bars of soap. It’s my favourite and most used mold, and it’s so versatile. I use it for testing soap batches, making small volumes, including the many tutorials here on my blog, and as a handy mold for special projects like the soap crystals here.

SIX: Cut up some more clear melt and pour soap, about 1 cup again, and add it to the remainder in the jug. This layer will be lighter in colour than the previous layer, so don’t add any more colour to it. Again heat it in the microwave until all the soap has melted. Add 1 teaspoon of fragrance and stir.

SEVEN: Check if the layer is solid enough to support the next layer, and spritz the surface with 99% isopropyl alcohol, so that the next layer will adhere to it. Then, gently pour the soap over the previous layer, being careful as not to let the soap break through the surface. And again leave the soap to set and harden before the next step.

EIGHT: Cut up some white melt and pour soap base and melt it in the microwave. Once the previous layer has hardened, spritz the surface with alcohol again, and then pour the white soap on top of it. I didn’t fragrance this portion, because it’s only a small portion.

NINE: The next step is to carve the soap into crystals. But, before you start cutting, make sure that the soap has completely cooled down and solidified. First cut the soap into vertical rectangles, and then carve each rectangle into crystals. The easiest way was to cut the four edges first to make an octagon, and then carve the top into a rough unequal pyramid (with four sides). If that makes sense.

Btw you can watch TV while doing this part. I put my little soap rectangles in a 2L (empty) ice cream container and sat carving my soaps while binge-watching Blacklist. Just watch your fingers!

TEN: Once you have all your crystals, it’s time to start assembling your cluster. I used a soap mold with round cavities but you can use any shape. As long as it’s something to hold your cluster together. Melt a little more of the white melt and pour soap and pour thin layer into the mold.

ELEVEN: Then stick the crystals one by one into the layer of soap, arranging them into a tight cluster, as shown in the picture below. In some clusters, I used tooth picks to hold them in place. I cut some of the bases to make some of them shorter and others to make them lean into a particular direction. Leave to set and cool before removing the crystal cluster. You might want to tidy the cluster up using a knife, or you can leave it as it is.

VARIATIONS: The above method is just one way of colouring the block of soap for making crystals. I also made one block with only two layers, one dark violet and one only slightly lighter and carved these into crystals. Another block I made I added little bits of cut offs from my previous crystal carvings into the soap. And in yet another, I drizzled white melt and pour into the still liquid violet coloured clear melt and pour soap.

Instead of arranging them into cluster, you can also carve bigger crystals and leave them as single crystals. Particular the soap blocks with the white drizzled into it and the ones with the cut offs made some stunning crystals!

Amethyst crystal soap

Time: 1 1/2 hr
Difficulty: beginners
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Ingredients

white melt and pour soap base
clear melt and pour soap base
Sage and Pomegranate fragrance
Silken Violet mica
99% isopropyl alcohol

Directions

Pour 10 ml of 99% isopropyl alcohol into a small container and add 1/4 mica. Stir well and set aside for later use.
Cut up approximately one cup of clear melt and pour soap and add it to a heat-proof Pyrex jug. Heat in microwave until all the soap has melted.
Add 1 teaspoon of fragrance and stir.
Add the alcohol/mica mix in small amounts until you have the colour you desire.
Pour an approximately 1 cm layer of soap into the mold. Leave to cool and set.
Cut up another cup of clear melt and pour soap and add to the remainder in the jug. Again, heat in the microwave until melted and add 1 teaspoon of fragrance.
Check if the soap in the mold has hardened sufficiently to support the next layer. Spritz the surface with 99% isopropyl alcohol and gently pour the soap over the previous layer. Leave the soap to cool and set.
Cut up some white soap and melt it in the microwave. Again, check if the soap has hardened, spritz the surface with alcohol and pour the white soap over the clear layers. Leave to harden and cool down completely.
Remove the soap from the mold and cut up into vertical rectangles. Carve the rectangles into crystal shapes.
Next, take a soap mold with circular or other small cavities. Melt a little more of the white melt and pour soap base and pour a thin layer into one of the cavities.
Then, stick the crystals into the layer one by one, arranging the into a crystal cluster form. Leave to set and cool before removing from the mold.

Posted on June 23, 2017August 1, 2019 by Jackie — Leave a comment

Fish in a bag with a jelly twist

Difficulty: Beginner
Time: 30 min
Yields: 4 soaps

If you’ve used melt and pour soap before, I’m sure you’ve come across the ‘Fish in a Bag’ soap. It’s basically clear melt and pour soap base, which has been tinted blue, with a little plastic fish, poured in a plastic bag. I’ve made these quite a few times, mostly for kid’s birthday parties and as treats, but today I wanted to do them in a slightly different way, using jelly soap.

Jelly soap is a melt and pour base, which you can purchase from Pure Nature, and is very easy to use and hugely popular with kids. My son loves jelly soap and can’t get enough of it. Jelly soap is exactly what the name suggests: a soap with a jelly like consistency. It wobbles and jiggles and is a lot of fun to play and wash with. Moreover, it’s very easy to work with and turn into fun soaps.

For this soap, you will also need four plastic fish, which are available from most $2-stores, and preferably a mold with cube cavities, although you could use any other shape as well. You will also need 99% isopropyl alcohol and some blue mica. I used Blue Lustre mica from Pure Nature, which is one of my favourite blue micas.

ONE: Estimate how much jelly soap you need. I usually eyeball it, but if you know the volume of the cavities, you can measure it out. If you are using a similar mold as I am – Pure Nature has the 25 cube cavity mold equivalent of mine, which is only a 9 cube cavity – you will need 500 g of jelly soap to fill 4 cavities. Cut the jelly soap into small cubes and place in a heat-proof pyrex jug.

TWO: On a low setting on the microwave, melt the jelly soap. The low setting is crucial. If you have the setting too high, you will risk boiling the soap, which not only leads to overflowing of the soap, but also creates lots of bubbles that are hard to get rid of in the viscous jelly fluid. On my microwave, I use the second to lowest setting, just one up from the defrost setting, and it takes about 10-15 minutes to melt. I take the jug out every 3-5 minutes or so, and give a careful stir, trying not to create any more bubbles, and that’s how I can keep an eye out on how far it is with the melting.

THREE: While the soap is melting in the microwave, measure out 10 ml of 99% isopropyl alcohol in a little container and add 1/8 of a teaspoon of the Blue Lustre mica. Give it a quick stir. I’m using alcohol here, because it will disperse the mica evenly throughout the melt and pour base and, at the same time, the heat of the melted soap will evaporate the alcohol, leaving only the mica behind. It’s a quick fail-proof method of adding mica to melt and pour bases!

FOUR: Once your jelly soap is melted to a thick viscous liquid, measure out and add your fragrance to the soap, and stir well. I’m using 8 ml of Coconut Lime soap fragrance from Pure Nature, which is a nice fresh fragrance and well-liked by kids (and adults). Other popular kids fragrances are pink grapefruit essential oil or a watermelon fragrance. Make sure that the fragrance you are using is a skin-safe (cosmetic approved) fragrance.

FIVE: Add the mica/alcohol mixture and give it a good stir. You might want to pop your soap back in the microwave again for a minute or so, if a skin has begun to form.

You will have to work quickly from now on and be careful, the soap is VERY HOT AND STICKY!

SIX: Pour the soap evenly into 4 cavities of the soap mold and spray with 99% isopropyl alcohol to get rid of the bubbles. Although, some people have said that the bubbles add to the effect in this soap, so it’s up to you if you want them there or not!

SEVEN: With a toothpick or skewer, push a little plastic fish into the centre of the soap. You might have to break through the skin of the soap, if it has begun to form. The soap should be thick enough for the fish to stay in place. If not, use the toothpick to hold it in place and use a new one for the next fish.

EIGHT: Leave the soaps to cool down for several hours before carefully removing them from the mold. Because jelly soap is a melt and pour base, containing a higher amount of glycerin than cold process soap, you will need to wrap the soaps in glad wrap (cling foil) to store.

Please note that this soap has a small toy embedded in it, so it is not suitable for babies and small toddlers – CHOKING HAZARD!

Fish in a bag with a jelly twist

Time: 30 mins
Difficulty: beginners
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Ingredients

500 g jelly soap base
8 ml Coconut Lime fragrance
Blue Lustre mica
4 plastic toy fish
99% isopropyl alcohol

Directions

Cut 500 g of jelly soap base into small cubes and place into a Pyrex jug.
On a low setting, melt the soap in the microwave, careful not to bring it to boil.
In a separate small container add 10 ml of 99% isopropyl alcohol and mix in 1/8 of mica. Mix well.
When the soap has melted, add fragrance and stir.
Add the alcohol/mica mixture and stir until all the colour has evenly dispersed throughout the soap. If necessary, place the soap back into the microwave to melt again.
Pour the soap evenly into 4 cavities of the soap mold.
Using a toothpick, carefully push in the plastic fish until it is completely submerged.
Let the soap cool down completely before removing from the mold. Store the soap in a plastic bag or wrap in Gladwrap.