This cold process soap is made with grapefruit LaCroix and a skin-loving mix of oils.
Ingredients
Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold
40 oz. Swirl Quick Mix
13.2 oz. Flat Grapefruit LaCroix
5.5 oz. Sodium Hydroxide Lye
2.9 oz. Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil
Titanium Dioxide
Magenta Mica
Sunset Orange Mica
Aqua Pearl Mica
Mermaid Blue Mica
Instructions
LACROIX PREP (1-2 days before): Open two cans of Grapefruit LaCroix and allow the liquid to sit out for 1-2 days to get rid of carbonation. The best way to test if the LaCroix is flat is to taste it. Once it no longer contains carbonation, pour 13.2 ounces of the LaCroix into a lye safe container.
COLOR PREP: Disperse 1 teaspoon of the titanium dioxide into 1 tablespoon of sunflower or sweet almond oil (or any other liquid oil). In separate containers, mix ½ teaspoon of Aqua Pearl Mica, Mermaid Mica, Sunset Orange Mica, and Magenta Mica into ½ tablespoon of lightweight liquid oil. Use a mini mixer to help get rid of any clumps. OPTIONAL: To ensure that the titanium dioxide blends smoothly into the soap batter, we recommend micronizing it before dispersing it in oil. To micronize the colorant, simply use a coffee grinder to blend it. That breaks up any clumps of color and prevents streaks of white from showing in the final soap. We like to use a coffee grinder that has a removable stainless steel mixing area for easy cleaning.
FRAGRANCE PREP: Measure 2.9 ounces of Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil into a glass fragrance oil safe container. Set aside.
MOLD & TOOL PREP: Line the Tall Narrow Wood Loaf Mold with freezer paper, shiny side up. For tips on how to line the mold, click here.
SAFETY FIRST: Suit up for safe handling practices. That means goggles, gloves, and long sleeves. Make sure kids, pets, other distractions, and tripping hazards are out of the house or don’t have access to your soaping space. Always soap in a well-ventilated area.
Slowly and carefully add the lye to the LaCroix and gently stir until the lye has fully dissolved and the liquid is clear. Set aside to cool. If you’d like a harder bar of soap that releases faster from the mold, you can add sodium lactate to the cooled lye water. Use 1 teaspoon of sodium lactate per pound of oils in the recipe. For this recipe, you’d add 2.5 teaspoons of sodium lactate.
Fully melt the entire bag of Swirl Quick Mix until it’s completely clear with no cloudiness. Shake the bag to mix up all the oils. Measure 40 ounces into your soaping bowl. Once the lye solution and the oils have cooled to 130 degrees F or below (and are ideally within 10 degrees of each other), add the lye solution to the oils and stick blend until thin trace.
Once you reach a thin trace, add all the Grapefruit Bellini Fragrance Oil and use a whisk to mix in thoroughly. Split the soap batter into four containers. Two containers should contain 600 mL and the other two containers should contain 150 mL.
Add the following amounts of dispersed colorants to each container and use a whisk to completely combine. Container A – pink (600 mL): 1 tsp. Magenta Mica + 1 tsp. titanium dioxide Container B – orange (600 mL): ½ tsp. Sunset Orange Mica Container C – green (150 mL): ½ tsp. Aqua Pearl Mica Container D – blue (150 mL): ½ tsp. Mermaid Mica
At this point, the soap batter began to thicken and take on a grainy texture. We found stick blending each container for a few seconds got rid of the graininess and thinned the trace. This graininess is probably caused by the ingredients in the LaCroix. However, because the ingredients are rather mysterious, it’s hard to say what exactly caused the grainy texture. We also soaped with lime flavored LaCroix and didn’t experience the graininess, so how LaCroix behaves in soap may vary flavor to flavor.
Pour some of the pink and orange soap into the mold, and use a spoon to smooth it out. Tap the mold on the counter to help settle it into the mold.
Hold the mold at an angle, and pour the most of the blue soap into one corner of the mold. Tap the mold firmly on the counter to settle the soap.
Pour more of the orange soap into the mold, then pour all of the green soap into the mold, concentrating it in one corner. Pour any leftover blue soap into the other side of the mold. Tap the mold on the counter to get rid of bubbles.
Begin layering the remainder of the pink and orange soap into the mold. Don’t worry what the layers look like, you’re going for an imperfect look. Continue layering until all the soap is in the mold.
Tap the mold firmly on the counter to help get rid of bubbles. Use a spoon to smooth out the top of the soap. Spritz the top with 99% isopropyl alcohol to prevent soda ash. Cover the mold with the lid and allow to sit in the mold for about 2-3 days. Remove from the mold and cut into bars. Allow to cure for 4-6 weeks and enjoy.
Recipe by Soap Queen at https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/grapefruit-la-croix-soap-tutorial/