Making Lavender Drop Swirl Cold Process Soap

We recently made a video of a popular Cold Process Soap called Lavender Drop Swirl.

We used Violet Blue Mica, Violet Luster mica, Olive Yellow Mica, Titanium Di Oxide 

You can see the video here

 

 

Using Cosmetic Micas in Cold Process Soap – Colorant Guide–Modernsoapmaking

This is a very interesting guide from Modern Soapmaking that I thought might be useful….

Cosmetic micas can be used to create beautifully vivid and bold cold process soaps. I’m always asked how I get my colors so bright, and one part of that is using cosmetic micas in cold process soap (and the other part is applying color theory to create beautiful color schemes that contrast and pop!)

While mica itself is a natural product, cosmetic micas are coated with other colorants such as pigments and FD&C colorants. Check the INCI of your micas, and you’ll know what’s in there! The dual sided colorant particles are what create the shimmer and sheen of cosmetic micas. They are most commonly found in various cosmetics, such as lipstick, eye shadow, and blush.

Cosmetic micas are absolutely stunning in clear products, like melt and pour soap, because the light can refract off the mica particles. Unfortunately, micas lose most of their shimmer in cold process soap because soap is opaque in nature. (There is still a slight sheen to cold process soap colored with mica.) However, the range of colors achievable and the ease make using cosmetic micas to color cold process soap entirely worthwhile. Read more…

Rimmed Soap– March soap Challenge

I have wanted to learn how to do this for a while so I jumped at the chance to learn this technique when Amy from Great Cakes soap Works offered it for the March 2016 challenge.  I have not made a video nor done a tutorial but will do at some stage soon.

Learn How We Made Winter wonderland soap - a soap challenge entry

This month Amy from Great Cakes soapworks set the challenge for the soap club as a winter themed soap with 2 options – all natural or synthetic.

I chose to do the all natural option as I really want a chance to win the prize: Anne Marie Faiola’s new book Natural Soap making!!

My idea was to have a Christmas tree with pretty coloured baubles floating on the branches…..

I used French green clay, Rose clay, paprika, and cocoa powder to make the baubles.

This was a disaster. Not quite sure what went wrong but I think I mixed too much oil with the colours. The soaps were hard and crumbly and I was unable to make little baubles out of them, but I pressed on all the same. Fortunately I had some of the pink soap in a larger batch, made for Roses which did not go crumbly (I am guessing this is because there was so much more so and less oil?)

The idea was to use Coconut oil, Canola, Palm, Olive for the Baubles and insets and then Coconut, Palm, Avocado, Canola for the "snow" and Verbena essential oil.  

Fortunately the cocoa powder soap worked well and I had my tree trunk.

Once I had the bables made up I put them in my mould that had two sides positioned at angles to create the tree.

I poured layers of french green clay soap ontp each other to try and make an ombre tree. I don’t think it work too well.

Once I had my layers done I put the trunk into the green soap and then poured more soap over it!! Sutpid. It is supposed to be a trunk and stick out! So I had to do a bit of quick thinking.

The rescued tree trunk help in place with wooden skewers.

Day two – soap base poured into the mould and the christmas tree inserted into it. Left over night to harden

More soap base poured onto the tree.

The finished soap. Cut and beveled. Not quite what I wanted but cute all the same.The Verbena oil reacted with one of the oils and made the base a little yellow but it is okay. Looks pretty good.

You can see the video on YouTube here.

#Riverlea Soap 

Taiwan Modified Swirl - A Soap Challenge

It has been a VERY long time since I last posted. This has been due to a combination of factors, but mainly Christmas. It was much busier than I expected (YAY).

  

This month Amy had a technique that I have been wanting to try for ages - The Modified Taiwan Swirl. As always it was a lot of fun.

This is my second attempt . The pinks, green and white. I used Apple Green Mica, Titanium Di oxide, Rose red Mica and a mixture of Rose Red and Titanium. I am really happy with the results.

Above is my first attempt. Here I used Titanium Di oxide, Peacock green and Shine Red mica.

You can view the video on YouTube or click this link

#Riverlea Soap

Butterfly Swirl - perfected.

I think I finally got this swirl right.

#Riverlea Soap

Piped Rose and Lavender Soap

#Riverlea Soap

Custom Soap For Style Engine

A client of mine, Kim Clark, approached me and asked if I could make her some customer soaps. Kim is brimming with ideas and is so creative. She came up with the colours and fragrances and I did the rest.

#Riverlea Soap

Making Laundry Soap A tutorial

What to do with lye-heavy soap

It is not often that I have a batch that goes wrong. When it does I am usually chasing my tail and am really busy making too many batches at once. This was the case with this batch of soap. It was supposed to be Verbena and I have made it many times before so I knew the minute I took it out the mould that something was wrong.

I just knew it was lye heavy. When I sat down to think what went wrong I remembered using the wrong lye mix. Oh well I did not toss the soap, I decided to make Laundry soap. I have wanted to do this for such a long time so this was the perfect opportunity. Laundry soap is a great way to use up a soap that you may have normally thrown away. Remember your soap does not have to be lye heavy to make laundry soap it is just a great way to use it rather than throw it away.

1 Cup Sodium Bicarbonate

½ Cup Washing Soda (see how to make it here)

1 Cup Shredded/ grated soap (wear gloves if the soap is lye heavy)

 

This is the easy part  - Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

#Riverlea Soap 

Drop swirl soaps - A video

This is one of my most popular soaps for client Ruby Orchard.

We used Aqua Pearl Mica and Titanium Di oxide 

You can see how it is made in this video on YouTube 

 

#Riverlea Soap

International sponsorship with Great Cakes Soapworks

I am very pleased to announce that Riverlea Soap will be the International sponsor for Great Cakes Soapworks July contest. Amy has graciously allowed me to supply gift vouchers for the winner, second and third place plus the sponsors choice. Thanks so much Amy.

I am so excited to see what lovely entries you all create.

Have fun.

#Riverlea Soap

Ebru Soap - A Soap Challenge entry

This month Amy from Great cakes Soapworks decided on the Ebru technique for our challenge. This was quite difficult actually. It requires the skill of free hand drawing, something I don't have.

This was my inspiration for the soap I made but as you can see it did not turn out quite like that. I figured if I chose something really simple that did not require too much drawing I think the thing I noticed most about the differences between the two mediums is the consistency. I think doing this technique with soap is really hard as your soap is setting while you work but with the marbling ingredients they remain fluid all the time.

I used  a slow moving fragrance and did not put any fragrance in the colours BUT what I found was the base started to set up while I was dragging/ drawing my pattern. I think that I may have had my oils too cold but I was afraid if they were too warm they would set up faster. Decisions, decisions!

Despite the difficulties encountered it was a fun technique to try and I will definitely attempt it again. I might have to do a little more research though and see what the other contestants tried.

#Riverlea Soap