What You’ll Need:
6 Cavity Honeycomb Silicone Mold
19.5 oz. Honey Melt and Pour Soap
0.3 oz. Pure Honey Fragrance Oil
King’s Gold Mica
Cappuccino Mica
Black Oxide Color Block
Shimmer Yellow Color Block
Droppers
99% Isopropyl Alcohol in Spray Bottle
Optional: Clean Up Tool
ONE: Chop and melt 4 ounces of Honey Melt and Pour Soap in the microwave using 5-10 second bursts. Because you’re melting such a small amount of soap, be careful to not burn it. Read more about burnt melt and pour and how to prevent it here. Once completely melted, divide the soap evenly into two small containers. To one container, add shavings of the Black Oxide Color Block until you achieve a dark black color. Don’t be afraid to add plenty of color; you want the black to be quite dark. To the other container, add shavings of the Yellow Shimmer Color Block until you achieve a bright and rich yellow color.
TWO: Using a dropper (you can also use a Injector Soap Tool), fill in the head of the bee with black soap. It’s helpful to tilt the mold slightly to help the soap stay in the “head cavity” of the mold, without dripping into the body. If it does, allow the soap to cool and harden for a few minutes, and use the Clean Up Tool to perfect the design, as shown below. After dropping the soap in the mold, spritz the soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol to get rid of any bubbles.
THREE: Use the dropper or Injector Tool to fill in two small stripes of the bee. Just a drop or two of soap in each stripe usually does the trick. Use the Clean Up Tool to perfect the stripes if necessary. During this process, you may need to reheat the black soap in the microwave to become liquid and workable. Use 3 second bursts to reheat the soap in order to prevent scorching. Allow the details in the mold to cool and harden for several minutes.
FOUR: Reheat the yellow soap in the microwave using 3-5 second bursts. If necessary, allow it to cool until it is below 130° F. If the soap is too hot, it may melt the small black details. Once it is the correct temperature, spritz the mold with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Then, use a dropper (or carefully pour) the yellow soap into the bee cavity. If necessary, clean up any drips or imperfections with a Clean Up Tool. Spritz with alcohol to remove bubbles, and allow to fully cool and harden for several minutes.
FIVE: While the soap cools, it’s time to prep your colorants. Disperse 1/8 teaspoon of Cappuccino Mica into 1/4 teaspoon of 99% isopropyl alcohol and 1/2 teaspoon King’s Gold Mica with 1 teaspoon 99% isopropyl alcohol. Then, chop and melt 15.5 ounces of Honey Melt and Pour in the microwave using 20 second bursts. Once completely melted, add all of the dispersed King’s Gold Mica and use a spoon to fully mix in.
SIX: Add the Pure Honey Fragrance Oil and use a spoon to fully mix in.
SEVEN: At this point, I thought my soap was looking a little light. So, I added Cappuccino Mica and it created the most gorgeous gold color! Add all of the dispersed Cappuccino Mica and mix to fully incorporate. Isn’t that color dreamy? =)
EIGHT: Check the temperature of the soap. If it’s hotter than 130° F, allow it to cool. If the yellow soap is poured while it’s too hot, it will melt the bee details. Once the soap is between 120-129° F, spritz the mold with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Pour the gold soap into each cavity.
NINE: Spritz each cavity with 99% isopropyl alcohol to help disperse bubbles. Allow the soap to fully cool and harden for several hours before attempting to remove. Once fully hardened, remove the bars from the mold and wrap in plastic wrap to help prevent glycerin dew. Learn more about storing handmade products here. Enjoy!
