Faux Swirl Melt and Pour Cubes
- Difficulty:Easy
- Time:40 minutes
- Yields:6 Cube Soaps
Yes, there is an easy way to swirl melt and pour soap. All you have to do is get your soap to the sweet spot temperature and it couldn’t be easier. We call it the “Faux Melt and Pour Swirl”. Check out the original melt and pour swirl on Soap Queen TV. If you make this soap (or a variation of it) I want to see it. Post pictures on the BB Facebook Fan Page!
Ingredients
32 oz Clear Soap Base
16 oz White Soap Base
1 Teaspoon Electric Bubble Gum Colorant
1 Teaspoon Tangerine Wow Colorant
1 Teaspoon Fired Up Fuchsia Colorant
3 Tablespoons Liquid Glycerin
1 oz Cherry Blossom Fragrance Oil
Tools
3 heat safe containers
Spray Bottle of rubbing alcohol
Buy everything you need in the click of a button!
Color Prep
Orange Colorant
1 Tablespoon Liquid Glycerin
1 Teaspoon Tangerine Wow
Bubble Gum Pink Colorant
1 Tablespoon Liquid Glycerin
1 Teaspoon Electric Bubble Gum
Fired Up Fuchsia Pink Colorant
1 Tablespoon Liquid Glycerin
1 Teaspoon Fired Up Fuchsia
Mixing the Colorants: Blend the colorants and the liquid glycerin together with a mini mixer. Be sure to stir a little bit with the mixer before turning it on, otherwise you’ll be standing in a pink cloud of colorant. If you’re unsure about pre-mixing colorants, there’s a “SoapQueen Short” video about it here.
Faux Swirls
ONE: Melt 32 ounces of clear soap in the microwave on 30 second burst until fully melted. Then mix in .25 oz of Cherry Blossom Fragrance Oil.
TWO: Once the fragrance is mixed in, separate the soap into two heat-safe containers. Mix in 10 drops of your glycerin and tangerine colorant mixture to the first container of clear soap . I dropped the colorant in with a mini scoop (I’ve been using it a lot lately for my colorants- loving it). Mix well and cover the orange soap with plastic wrap to keep it warm. Add 8 drops of your glycerin and bubble gum colorant mixture to the second container of clear soap. Mix well and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside.
THREE: Melt 16 ounces of white soap base in the microwave on 30 second bursts until the soap is completely melted. Add .75 oz of Cherry Blossom Fragrance Oil and 8 drops of the glycerin and fired up fuchsia colorant mixture. Mix well.
FIVE: Pour a little layer of orange soap into 6 cavities of the cube mold, about 1/8th inches thick. Next, a little of the clear pink soap on top of the orange soap. Try pouring each layer into a different corner of the cube cavity for more color variation in the final soap. Next, pour a little opaque pink soap on top of the pink and orange layers. Again, pour the soap into the opposite corner of the mold cavity to create color variation and swirl. Keep rotating soap pours until all six cavities are full.
Tip: We’re not doing layers so you don’t need to spray each layer. But I kept my spray bottle of rubbing alcohol on hand and sprayed a layer or two on occasion to get rid of any air bubbles. Just remember to move quickly so the layers don’t set up. The magic temperature is between 130-135 degrees.
SIX: Let the soap cool for 4-6 hours before attempting to unmold.
LOVE Soap Mold Debut Tutorial
Holiday Ribbon Candy Melt and Pour Style
Tips for layering melt and pour
Faux Funnel Pour: Advanced Cold Process
Bramble Berry Supplies
ELF Soap Molds
Otion – The Soap Bar
Soap Queen Blog
Soap Queen TV
Teach Soap
LOVE!
I LOVE THESE! Have been looking for a design idea for a citrus soap I’ve been wanting to do and this is perfect. Thank you!!!!
Citrus would be a great fragrance oil for these colorants!
Courtney from Bramble Berry
I love the way they look. So pretty. Thanks.
These are just gorgeous!!! lovely colours…
SO pretty, but then I do love pink. I think I need that mold a little more every time you use it in a tutorial…
You’re going to love this mold! We can’t stop doing tutorials with it! And it’s great for MP and CP =)
Courtney from Bramble Berry
These are so beautiful! And I love those cubes. I’ll have to get that mold!
I’m sure you’ll come up with something super duper creative- like always =)
Courtney from Bramble Berry
So clever!
Awesome! I’ve been wanting to know how to do this. I’ve been obsessed with swirling with MP ever since I started soap crafting one year ago. I’ve only learned how to do it by layering, like in your Soap Queen video using the loaf mold. I like this look a lot but all of the layering is very labor intensive. I love the look and immediacy of this! Excellent! Also makes me want to buy the cube mold, pronto!
I totally agree. Layering can be labor intensive. This recipe is quick and easy!
Courtney from Bramble Berry
These are so fun!
Only 1 oz Cherry Blossom Fragrance Oil for 56 ounces of soap base? Is this a typo?
Thank you for the tutorial.
Pam
Yes. One ounce is the correct quantity for the Cherry Blossom. Don’t worry, they still smell pretty strong =)
Generally we recommend 1/4-1/2 ounce of fragrance oil per pound of melt and pour soap base.
Courtney from Bramble Berry
Those are really pretty. I love the colors.
What is the purpose of the liquid glycerin and why do you start off using 10 drops and then you use 8 drops and 8 drops?
I love the look of these soaps, I will definitely have to try them!!
The liquid glycerin is to mix up the colorants so they don’t clump in your melt and pour soap. Check out the video that we linked to above http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/soap-queen-short-how-to-use-neon-pigments/
The usage rates are different for each colorant. Feel free to add as much or as little colorant as you want to really make this project your own. Anne-Marie wanted a brighter orange which is why she used 10 drops. But the pink colors didn’t seem to need that much, which is why she only used 8 drops.
I hope that helps explain the process!
Courtney from Bramble Berry
Can I keep the left over glycerin/color after the soap is made?
So I made these wonderful little cubes yesterday. I waited until all the soaps were under 134 degrees. When I went to pour them they set up to quickly and I got layers instead of swirling and I was working quickly. The soap in the container also got a skin on it and I had to reheat the whole batch so I could pour it. I just bought a new fancy temperature gauge also. Do you have any suggestion? Pour at a higher temperature? Keep plastic on the containers? Ugh, help!!!!
Which base were you using? The Bramble Berry ‘house’ bases (http://www.brambleberry.com/Bramble-Berry-Bases-C11.aspx). Other bases will have different melt points to work with. It’s probably just a matter of using a slightly higher temperature if it’s another base.
I used Brambleberry’s bases.
Which ones specifically? We have the bulk bases that have a higher melt point and the house bases (which shouldn’t give you any trouble at those temps). I’m guessing it was the bulk bases? If it was the bulk bases, yes, work with those at a slightly higher temp and that will solve your woes =)
I bought the 10 lbs block of the clear and this time I used the 1 lb goats milk. I am going to try it at a higher temp this afternoon. I’ll let you know how it turned out. Thx for your info. By the way I am following you on PInterest. What an awesome site!!!!
Hi Tanja! Did you stir the soap as it cooled? That’s the trick to avoiding the skin. I made this soap too (because it’s sooooo cute) and poured at 135 degrees and it worked perfectly. I also kept an eye on all three soaps and stirred them as they cooled. Keep us posted!
Courtney from Bramble Berry
Mission accomplished. Yes, I stirred and stirred. Kept my eyes on them and got them all to about 139 degrees. I also kept the plastic on them as I poured (except for the spout of course). I didn’t want another mishap. They came out awesome. Thank you Courtney and Anne-Marie for your help and expertise. My next adventure is cold-processed soap.
can the glycerin/color mixture be saved if there are leftovers?
Yes, definitely! =)