Re-Creating Cold Process and Melt & Pour Soap Designs

Have you ever wondered if you could take a melt and pour technique and use it in cold process batch?  The answer depends entirely the design and technique of the project.  So basically, some CP techniques can be recreated with melt and pour and some cannot, and vice verse. Why?  Because the texture and behavior of CP and melt and pour are completely different.  If you want to learn more, I would recommend reading the post from The Soap Queen called Re-creating Cold Process and Melt and Pour Soap Designs.

How to Make Soap with an Impression Mat

I worked at Michaels for a year and I always saw the mats in the Wilton baking aisle.  Since I do not bake, I was thinking what else they could be used for.  Here is a great idea using it as an impression for soap.  The Soap Queen recent post called How to Make Soap with an Impression Mat.

Swirling Melt and Pour Style

The soap in this demo reminds me of crashing waves from the ocean. What do you think? If you would like to see a way cool demonstration on how to do the Swirl method for the Melt and Pour verision of soap making then here is a instructional clip from the Soap Queen TV (brought to you by Brambleberry).   Make sure to check out all of the other neat soapmaking videos from Soap Queen TV because there happens to be alot of great ideas that you may not have thought of before.


Soap Queen TV Episode 3: Swirling M&P from Soap Queen on Vimeo.

What Is Triple Milled Soap?

Are you wondering what triple milled soap is?  According to Julie Peyton, eHow Contributing Writer, Triple-milled soap is a high-quality type of soap that is commercially made by a repeated machine-rolling process.

Specialty soaps are a big business and can be found pratically all over the place nowadays.  Would you like to learn more about the process, benefits and this history of the type of soap?  Then check out this article on what is triple milled soap. 

I have never made soap by this process, but it sounds facinating.  I wonder could one tell the difference between a triple milled soap and a cold process soap.  Anyone know?

How to Carve Soap Into Shapes

I remember as a kid, the Avon Lady stopping by every once in awhile.  There was one time she stopped by and in her catalog there was this moldable soap product.  I remember getting some and having alot of fun with it. Now, this project is not anything like since there is the use of sharp objects we do not want anyone to get hurt.  But home could surely carve out some fun shapes for the next time the kids need to take a bath.

So if you would like to create some fun soap shapes for your kids to use in the bath then check out this article that appears on ehow - How to Carve Soap Into Shapes.  If your kids are old enough to help you out, then let them because they may want to take more baths.

FUNNEL SWIRLS by Lomond Soap

How they're done!

1. Set up your mould, fully lined. You will need to rig up a device to hold your funnel in place. Mine is 4 chopsticks tied together with bag ties! So long as it doesn't fall over whilst pouring, anything will do. For this technique I find that soaping cool to cold gives you the time to separate, colour & fragrance your batch. You can always put it on the radiator once you're done to kick start the gel.

2. Make up your soap base as normal. Stickblend enough to combine your oils & lye. You want thin trace not thick! (If it's too thick it won't flow through the funnel).

3. Split your soap batter into 2 halves, colour & fragrance each one. Again, only stir enough to combine the additives well. You do not want a thick batter. If you are adventurous you could try 3 or 4 colours. In the pic below I'm adding Titanium Dioxide powder to this half. For pictures go to http://fresholi-bites.blogspot.com/2008/10/funnel-soap-tutorial-by-lomond-soap.html. In the next I'm adding a green colour to the other half.

4. Ok, so now you've got 2 pots of coloured batter. Pour those into 2 jugs ready for pouring. Don't hang around whilst doing this. Have everything ready before you start.

5. Start pouring first one colour, into the funnel, then the other. The amount you pour of each colour will affect the final look, it's trial and error in this part. The pic below shows the mould about half full, you can see how the swirls are building up ( http://fresholi-bites.blogspot.com/2008/10/funnel-soap-tutorial-by-lomond-soap.html).

6. Pour till all your batter is used up. And you're finished! The one I made above is called "Yo! Limey" and turned out like this...It's fun, no 2 bars look the same. For those like me who are swirly challenged, give it a try!

Source: http://fresholi-bites.blogspot.com/2008/10/funnel-soap-tutorial-by-lomond-soap.html

Rock Crystal Soaps

Through the melt and pour process of making soap, there are many unique techniques. One that I found to be quite interesting is making your soaps look like Rock Crystals. These soaps are simply marbled bars of soap that been cut into crystal-shaped pieces. You can make your soap look like a milky quartz, opal agate, malachite, jade, amethyst or rose quartz.

The basic techniques for Rock Crystal Soaps are

Molds: Use any molds that can be be poured to a depth of approximately 2". A food container is a good shape to use.

For marbled soap: Melt clear glycerin soap base and white glycerin soap base in different containers. These bases can be colored or left in their original statee. Pour melted soaps into an appropiate mold at the same time. When using this technique your soap will look like malachite.

For a chunk style soap in a marbled base: Mold scented and color soap. Cut into crystal-shaped pieces 1/2" to 1". Place in mold before pouring in the two melted soap bases to marbleize. If you do this techinque your soap will look like milky quartz.

To create metallic veins through your soap: Brush a little metallic mica powder on the pieces before the second pouring to get the look of Opal Agate. Or brush some powered spices for a natural looking vein that may appear in Jade soap.

For layered looking gems: Pour melted clear glycerin soap base and melted white coconut oil bases over the cut crystal-shaped pices in order to get a amethyst look.

Cutting soaps: The most important step is cutting the soaps after they are molded so they look like gems. Cut the soap into 2" to 3" pieces and trim them by cutting random sharp, straight angles. This imitates the facets and clean cleavages of crystals.

Scenting: Use your favorite scents. The best choices inclue ylang-ylang, amber frankincense, cinnamon, and vanilla.

If you are looking for other recipes, check out some of the links in the side bar or check in my archive. There are alot of recipes in both places. I am always looking for new recipes to post on my blog, so please return in the future.



Source: Melt and Pour Soapmaking by Marie Browning, Sterling Publishing Company, New York, 2001. Page 64.

Colors Bleeding

I've heard other soapers talk about "color bleeding" in soap making . What does this mean? Anyone new to soap making has likely heard the term "color bleeding". Contrary to what you might think, the term "bleeding" does not mean that a color will come off onto your skin during bathing or showering.

The type of colorant used in a soap base determines whether a color will eventually bleed. An example of bleeding: You embed a royal blue heart in a white soap base. After several days, you notice that the blue heart has started to bleed (migrate) into the surrounding white soap. The white area around the heart has now taken on a pale blue color. Over time, the blue color eventually penetrates and bleeds (migrates) into all of the white soap making the edges of the embedded heart fuzzy and indistinct.

This scripted letter "A" was painted with sapphire blue liquid gel color. It is a "bleeding" color. As you can see, after several days the blue color has started to migrate into the cream color soap.

The color pigments we use for our vertical shaped embedments are non-bleeding. They do not fade or bleed. The only type of bleeding you may encounter is pouring at too high of a temperature. This may cause the embedment to melt slightly and bleed. This is not the color bleeding, it is the soap (embedment) that is bleeding due to excessive pouring temperatures.
If you want non-bleeding soap colors, you will need to use our Liquid Gel Colorants ( neon , ultramarines and mineral/oxides , metallics , and certain jewel tones ). Most, though not all, are non-bleeding. All are non-fading and color intensity is exceptional.

* Denise Marks is the president of Nouveau Designs LLC which offers one of the most extensive selection of quality soap supplies and soap molds on the Net. She is an experienced soap maker and owner of one of the largest soap mold manufacturing companies worldwide. Visit GoPlanetEarth.com for a complete listing of soap making supplies, soap molds , or more FREE reprint articles.

Source: http://www.goplanetearth.com/color_bleeding_in_soap_making.html

Swirling Technique for Hot Process Soap Making

While searching the internet for hot process (crock pot) soap making recipes, I found these instructions on how to swirl and layer different colors in the hot process method. The author of both recipes does it in the oven rather in a crock pot. And recently I learn how to make soap in the crockpot. So I was wondering if anyone has tried this technique in a crock pot? If you did, how did it turn out? I would like to hear about your experience. On the other hand if you did it in the oven like the instructions call for, I would still like to hear from you.

Swirling:
http://www.lovenaonline.com/soapmaking/OHPswirl1.html

Combo (Swirling/Layering):
http://lovenaonline.com/soapmaking/OHPs_l.html

How to Swirl Colors in Soap by Sinclair A. Sheers

Oct 18, 2001

This article describes how to swirl two or more colors of soap in a single bar. There are several different ways to do this depending on the type of soap you are making, the type of mold you use, and what you want the final product to look like.

Melt and Pour

Use water-based colorants with melt and pour soap. There are two different methods to swirl melt and pour soap colors. The first method is to melt two separate containers of soap, color each one separately, and then carefully pour them into the mold. The second method is, if you have liquid colorant, to fill the mold with uncolored soap and then drop a different color into the soap at opposite ends of the mold. Then, no matter which method you used, gently swirl the colored soap with something like a toothpick or a craft stick. If the mold is deep, remember to swirl the soap at the bottom, too.

Cold Process, Hot process, or Rebatching

There is a certain time in the soapmaking process when you add the additives like scent. In cold process, this time is right after you reach trace. In hot process or rebatching, this time is after the cook. When you reach this point, mix in all the additives except the colorants. Divide the soap into stainless steel containers, one for each color. The original pot can be one of your containers. Mix each oil-based colorant with a little oil and then add it to the soap in one container. When it is mixed in, put that soap into the mold.

If you are using one large mold, put all of one colored soap into the mold then add the other colored soap. When all of the colors are in the mold, gently slice a spatula or spoon through the soap until you get the swirl you want. Try to pull some soap off the very bottom of the mold and replace it with a different color. Slice up and down as well as from side to side.

If you are using several small molds, pour a bit of each color into each mold until each mold is full. Try to put about the same amount of each color in each mold. Then stir the soap gently until the colors swirl.


Source: '>http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/soapmaking/82789">

Melt and Pour Soap Making Techniques

In the world of Melt and Pour Soap Making, there are many different techniques you can use to create your own unique soaps. I really like this style of soap making because of the variety and simplicity of techniques.

There are chuck style, soaps with defined colored areas, marbled, layered, tubed molded, soap beads, stacked shapes, soap in soap, decorative accents, bagged soaps, fizzy soaps, embossed soaps, fossil soaps, rubber stamped embossed soaps, painted soaps, carved and cut soaps. decoupaged soaps, decals on soaps, and laminated soaps,

If you want to learn these different techniques of making soap, I recommend adding the book by Marie Browning, "300 Handcrafted Soaps" to your library. In this book, there is alot of information and beautiful color photos.

In the class that I teach, you will be learning soap within soap. What is best about my class is that is it hands on which gives you the best experience to learn the melt and pour process.