Watermelon Soap Tutorial

Looking for a fun summer soap project? Here is a recipe from Amy from Great Cake Soap Works that appears on The Bonnie Bath Company's site.

This soap is made using the cold-process method on an intermediate level. It requires that you have a soap recipe (water at about 28% of oil weight) and the know-how to use SoapCalc, It takes three days to make all the layers and get it ready to cut and cure.

Equipment needed

Plastic pitchers for lye solution
Stainless steel soap pot
Mixing bowls
Mixing spoons
Ladle (optional)
Electric stick blender
lined log mold – holds 4 lb. of soap
small (disposable) plastic container – holds at least 2 cups
bamboo skewer

Ingredients list

Your regular cold-process soap recipe ingredients
Glycerin (optional)
Black oxide
Chromium green oxide
Titanium dioxide
Red soap dye – red 40
Watermelon fragrance from Oregon Trails
Day One

Make black soap for seeds: Figure out your normal soap recipe using a total of 8 oz. of oils and water at 28% of oil weight. (This is done most easily by plugging your numbers into SoapCalc.) Add 0.25 oz. of watermelon fragrance and about 1/8 tsp. of black oxide mixed in about a teaspoon of glycerin, if you have it (works best if you let it sit overnight). Otherwise you can mix the black oxide with a little bit of reserved oil from your soap. Pour into a small disposable plastic container.

Make green rind: Make another small batch of soap, this time using 6 oz. of oils. Add a pinch of chromium green oxide mixed in a small amount of glycerin to the entire batch. Take out about half of the soap and add another pinch or two of chromium green and black oxide for a darker green. Pour thin strips of alternating colors in the bottom of the log mold at light trace. Take the bamboo skewer and skwiggle it back and forth across the darker green stripes. Cover lightly over the top of the mold with some plastic wrap (doesn’t need to touch the soap).

Day Two, AM

Make a layer of white rind: Mix up another small batch of soap using 6 oz. of oils. Add ½ tsp. of titanium dioxide and 0.25 oz. of watermelon fragrance. I used a toothpick to make a bunch of small holes in the green rind to help the layers stick together. May not have been necessary. Pour white soap over green rind at light trace.

Next, it’s time to melt the oils & butters for the main pink part of the soap, and get your water ready in the refrigerator. Figure up your soap recipe with 30 oz. of oils for the pink part.

Day Two, PM

Time to chunk up the black soap, and start making the pink soap. Add 1 tsp. titanium dioxide and a pinch or two of red soap dye (mine is a powdered red 40), plus 1.25 oz. of watermelon fragrance to make the pink soap. Stir in the “seeds” at light trace, right before the pink soap is ready to pour into the mold. After pouring, I covered the top of the soap with plastic wrap and wrapped it in towels to set overnight.

Day Three

Cut the soap and marvel at your beautiful creation!!!!

Now you can't hate Amy for making mouth-watering delights, with perfect swirls and yummy scents. You just can't hate a person for sheer talent when they are so stinking nice and gave you instructions for an awesome bar of soap. In fact, I assure you, you will like her very much. Be sure to follow her blog and fan her on facebook.

Where can you find Amy and Great Cake Soapworks? Follow any of the links below.

Website: http://www.greatcakessoapworks.com/

Blog: Great Cakes Soapworks Blog (Soaping info and free tutorials are listed here)

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/greatcakessoapworks

Twitter: http://twitter.com/greatcakesoap