Crescent Moon Tutorial – Day One

PJ generously shared her technique for making realistic Starry Night soaps at the Soap Intensive Weekend held at Otion this summer. Now, she’s sharing the love with all of you. Thanks PJ!

The following recipe makes 4 Bars of Crescent Moon Soap (pssst – don’t want to make your own? Buy one for $7 here):

You will need:

Pre-heat 4 quart pan of water on simmer (for rinsing your tools)
1 dropper full of Gardenia Fragrance Oil
6 droppers full of Lily, Lilac or Stargazer Lily Fragrance Oil
4 oz white shea butter soap
20 oz clear shaving soap
Ultramarine Blue Oxide
Black Oxide
2 microwavable containers one large 20 oz and one smaller 8 oz
1 four cavity Crescent Moon Mold
1 PJScraper tool
1 PJInjector tool
1 Misting sprayer filled with rubbing alcohol
Paper Towels (white)
Plastic wrap
1 small sized foil ball (loosely crumpled sheet)

Or just buy the entire kit here.

Step One: Heat your water to a low simmer. Place the ball of foil under the right side of the crescent moon mold (so soap will slightly pool into the moon on the left). We used a paper plate since we didn’t have the foil close at hand.

Step Two: Cut your shea butter soap into Ice cube sized chunks and place in the small microwavable container, cover with plastic wrap and zap for 30 seconds, stir; if it’s not quite melted give it another 12 seconds or ‘til just melted (do not overheat).Add one dropper of gardenia and blend in. Spray the mold.

Step Three: Stick the tip of the dropper into the melted/scented white shea butter soap and draw the plunger back ‘til the injector is full.

Step Four: Mist one moon cavity with alcohol (3 sprays) and immediately inject the white soap from the right/higher side of the mold so soap fills in the stars and completely fills in the moon on the left.

Repeat 3 more times.

Step Five: If the soap in the injector cools off before you’ve finished you can always squirt it back in its container [immediately clear the injector by drawing up hot water and squirting it back into your pan] and zap for another 6-12 seconds or whatever time is needed to reheat – then re-mist and inject any empty cavity that is still in need of the first white layer.

Let the white soap totally harden 10 min or so.

Step Six: While the first layer is hardening , cut up your clear soap into ice cube sized bits, cover with plastic wrap and microwave in the larger microwavable container for 55 seconds. Stir, cover and zap for another 30 seconds or until the clear soap is completely melted making sure to stir each time you check to avoid creating hot spots (again, you do not want to overheat your soap).

When your clear soap is melted you are going to add 3 squirts of Ultramarine blue and stir in completely. Then add 1-3 drops of black oxide to your liking. The resulting color should be a deep navy blue soap. At this point stick your pinkie finger into the soap and if it’s not hot enough to burn your finger go ahead and add your Lily Fragrance Oil and stir in completely. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

Check back tomorrow for the rest of the instructions for making Starry Night, Crescent Moon Soaps.