Team Bramble Berry and I were brainstorming Halloween soap ideas and this was the project that we got most excited about. It’s a very simple technique that adds that extra special (spooky) touch for Halloween. Give these away as a hostess gift or put them in your guest bathroom to impress your friends.
Ingredients
1.04 oz Castor Oil
7.5 oz Coconut Oil
17.2 oz Olive Oil
8.6 oz Palm Oil
4.8 oz Lye
11 oz Distilled Water
Spiced Apple Cider Fragrance Oil
Tools
Stick Blender
2 non-reactive Mixing Bowls
Whisk
Toothpick or Skewer
Gloves
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If you have never made cold process soap before, I strongly suggest getting a couple of basic recipes under your belt before diving in. Check out Soap Queen TV on Cold Process if you want to get started with cold process. It’s a 4 part series that will take you through the basics (and be sure to watch the episode on Lye Safety). If you’re a book worm, Bramble Berry also has some helpful reading on the cold process technique.
ONE: Suit up! Make sure you’re wearing long sleeves and put on your goggles and gloves. Carefully add the lye to the water (never the other way around!) and mix until the water is clear. Set aside to cool.
TWO: Melt and mix the Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Olive Oil and Castor Oil. Slowly add the lye water to the oils, stick blending for about 10-15 seconds or until you reach a light trace. Not sure what trace is? See it in the SoapQueen.TV basic CP episodes!
THREE: Add 3 ounces of Spiced Apple Cider fragrance oil and whisk until it’s fully mixed in. Then split the batch in half.
FOUR: Add 2 teaspoons of Super Pearly White Mica to one half of the batter and 1 teaspoon of Activated Charcoal to the other. Mix the white colorant first using a stick blender and the Charcoal second using the same stick blender (mixing from light to dark saves dishes and time!). Be sure not to over mix. We still want the soap batter at a light trace so we have time to work with the soap batter.
FIVE: Next pour about 1/2 cup of each color into a squirt bottle (like a ketchup or mustard bottle). We found ours at the local restaurant supply store. You may need to snip off the end to make a wider hole for your soap batter to easily flow out.
SIX: Fill up one cavity of the mold with white soap leaving a little room at the top. Then use the black soap to create 2 circles within each other and a dot in the middle and visa versa for the white on black design.
Tip: I did one at a time and worked quickly, pouring the soap and then the “spider web” with the squirt bottle. Looking back, I think I would have poured all of the soap first, then made the spider webs. Let me know what technique you decide to use.
SEVEN: Place the skewer in the center of the circles and drag the soap out. The tip of the skewer just barely goes in the soap, it does not go all the way down into the batter.
EIGHT: Spritz the top of the soap with 91% rubbing alcohol to prevent soda ash. Cover with a “lid” (cardboard in my case) and place a towel on top to insulate and put the soap to bed. Wait 2-3 days until unmolding the soap. This recipe needs an extra day or two to harden up.
I tried this out for the second time today and finally had success! The first time, I used Brambleberry’s Spiced Apple Cider FO and it accelerated trace IMMEDIATELY and I couldn’t do the spider webs because it was thick and gloppy. Today, I used Anise EO and it worked great.
How would you recommend labeling these? I want the front to show the spider web. Do you think it would hurt to cover with plastic wrap and have the label on the back? I know you’re supposed to let CP soap “breathe,” but I was thinking since it’s seasonal it wouldn’t be in the packaging all that long. Advice would be appreciated!
Thanks!
Hi Jami! If you are wanting to wrap it in plastic wrap, we suggest letting it cure for it’s full 6 weeks and then you can wrap it up in plastic! 🙂
-Becky with Bramble Berry
My grandma has several “molds” that were 2 inch pvc pipe. The pipe was cut down into several small molds to make one bar each inside of them and I planned on using this technique to make these. Still haven’t settled on a fragrance though 🙁
That sounds great! We can’t wait to hear how your grandma’s molds turn out. But, if you are looking for Halloween type fragrances, I’d try out a few of these:
Energy Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Energy-Fragrance-Oil-P3861.aspx
Orange Valencia Essential Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Orange-Valencia-Essential-Oil-P3831.aspx
Pumpkin Pie Cybilla Fragrance: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pumpkin-Pie-Cybilla-Fragrance-P3394.aspx
Pumpkin Spice Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pumpkin-Spice-Fragrance-Oil-P3917.aspx
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Hi everyone! I’ve been so keen to try this out all week! I finally got to make it tonight by pouring out all the base first, adding the circles and then dragging the soap out. Here’s a pic: http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/sheryl_bobbins/2011-10-21194916.jpg
I’d definitely recommend aiming to do less than I did as the soap was well and truly setting towards the end. I can’t wait to unmould =)
I’m the same way…when something is super cute I want to keep going and going and going! Thanks for the link to the picture. I think you did a great job! I’m excited for you to unmold too =)
Courtney from Bramble Berry
Can’t wait to try this this weekend; just received my order and am so excited to try it.
By the way, where can I get a cupcake apron like Anne-Marie is wearing in the pictures? LOVE IT! 🙂
Here is where I got the apron: http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/item/Cupcake-Apron/3305_001/439688.html
=) Thanks for your business. I appreciate it =)
It’s like a latte art ;).
Well done Anne-Marie, you’re always trying to use interesting ideas.
It’s a really a fun technique. Anne-Marie always has something up her sleeve =)
Courtney from Bramble Berry
I need this mold! I have never had a silicone mold and it looks like the perfect size!
It’s seriously the best mold. We have trouble keeping it in stock!
Courtney from Bramble Berry
Waiting on my mold so I can try this! Thanks for the recipe!
You’ll love the mold. It’s such a great shape and size. =) Thank you for your business.
It is a great size mold- not too big, but chunky enough.
I am not so patiently awaiting unmolding… 🙂
I made spirals after I dripped soap with the first circle attempt and it went pretty fast that way.
Be patient because if you unmold too quickly, the back of the soap pulls and gets all gummy looking. It’s not a nice look for a perfectly executed bar =)