Riverlea Soap: Coffee Bean and Vanilla M&P

Monday, 26 March 2012

Coffee Bean and Vanilla M&P–A tutorial

A while ago I bought a book Called Soapylove and made one of her soaps for a Valentine post. I loved the soap projects so much I decided to do another one.

Last year I saw some chocolate transfer sheets and thought I should be able to use them for something soapy. I am no baker, so not knowing what to do I tried to rub the transfer onto the soap. Not a great result but it did work. It seemed like a lot of work for a mediocre result. So I put the sheet away and figured I would give it to a friend of mine who does chocolate workshops, and that was the end of it. Or so I thought. Debbie Chialtas from Soapylove creations has a really neat and easy way to use the transfer sheets.

You will need:

A mould – I used a silicone one
Clear Glycerine soap base – M and P. The amount is determined by how many you will make and the size of your moulds
Spraying alcohol
Fragrance oil – I used a Coffee bean and Vanilla combination
Jugs, stirrers and or spoons, transfer sheets

Method:

Melt your clear base in a jug in the microwave in short bursts, making sure it is not too hot
Prepare your transfer sheet by cutting it to fit the base of your mould
Place the transfer in the mould, shiny side must be facing down. i.e. you will pour the soap onto the rough side. If you run your finger over the sheet it will feel slightly rough. Debbie attached her sheet to the mould with sticky tape. I did not as it is quite difficult to tape a round mould
Add your fragrance oil to your melted, cooled soap
Pour the soap carefully onto the transfer sheet
Spritz the soap with rubbing alcohol to remove bubbles
Now you wait - approximately 30 – 40 minutes, depending on how large the soap is
Once the soap is hard remove it carefully from the mould