Teach Soap

Hi folks. Im new to this site, but what a lovely wealth of information! This is way better than the other group I belong to.

I have one 4lb loaf mold. I want to try my hand at making a swirled soap. I dont want to give away my secrets on the recipe, but I am planning on making a very special scented soap, and I want to swirl it with plain uncolored, unscented soap.

Im trying to visualize the process here, and imagine that I will have to make two batches of soap and pour one into the other. But not having done this before my questions are:

if I pour the one batch into the mold, and then take the time to make the other batch to put on top, will I be able to swirl them?

will the soap that goes in first harden too much to accept the second soap?

should I have both of these soaps at the same trace?

I have seen quite a few videos on swirling where the soap batch is the same batch, but part of one is held off to add color or scent, but I havent been able to finess out of youtube a video that shows two different batches of soap.

Your comments and suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks

-Luna

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Kristen D. Vineyard
visit my blog http://washwithvegetables.blogspot.com

Welcome!
Make it easy on yourself and make the whole batch at once. At a thin trace, separate whatever you want to swirl with. Add color if desired. Then pour the main soap into your mold, then the colored portion and swirl with something like a chopstick. Or pour the colored portion back into your soap pot, give it just a couple of back and forth stirs, then pour into the mold. The soap will swirl as you pour.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Thank you, Irena, for your reply. I do realize that I should make it easier on myself, but Im a glutton for punishment! No, not really. I do want to make this easy.

But would attempting it the way I have described even be possible? Im curious as to what can happen, before I decide on how to make the final result.

Im using a special liquid in place of my water for the lye solution, that is why I was wanting to attempt this swirl with a plain batch (no special liquid) to mix with the one that will be darker by its nature.

-Luna

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Kristen D. Vineyard
visit my blog http://washwithvegetables.blogspot.com

You're welcome. Lot of the answers to your question will come from your recipe and what your liquid is. At what temp do you soap at? What additives are you adding? Any fragrance or essential oil which can accelerate trace or possibly overheat?

You can make it as two batches if you like. I've done a layered soap loaf. I poured the first layer and let it set up (but not gel). The next day I make the second layer, poured it over the first, then let the whole thing gel. The thing to remember about layers is that the bottom layer needs to support the top layer. The bottom layer needs to be set up enough before you pour anything over the top of it.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Ok. Yeah, that is really helpful. I can see for layered soaps how that can work. I can do this particular batch as a layer too, but want to attempt some swirls.

Im using coconut, olive and vegetable oils, I heat them to about 130 degrees, and flat icey beer (OK - secret is out) in place of water for my special dark layer. Im only adding dried coffee grounds to the dark layer, and coco powder to the white layer (or the other way around, Im still thinking about it). No other oils that should accelerate trace. But a vanilla PO might be nice in the dark layer - as I have heard that some vanilla oils turn brown in saponiifcation.

Maybe this is too ambitious for only my 5th batch of soap, but I want to branch out and give some things a try.

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Kristen D. Vineyard
visit my blog http://washwithvegetables.blogspot.com

There's nothing wrong with wanting to try new things!
But...You might want to try a simple in the pot (ITP) swirl with a small batch of soap before adding a bunch of other stuff just to get an idea of how to do it. When you have a bunch of things going on at once (like trying to add all the other ingredients!) it can get stressful if something doesn't go as planned. The soap gremlins love when that happens!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

So are you using the beer to mix the lye with in the dark batch?

Anita

Hi Anita. Yes, this is my plan. I will have to start days in advance tho, cause I know it has to be flat and I want all the alcohol evaporated from it. Thats OK by me, cause I just love visualizing the process!

-Luna

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Kristen D. Vineyard
visit my blog http://washwithvegetables.blogspot.com

You can speed up the process of evaporating the alcohol from the beer, by boiling it first.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Okay, you said you wanted to make the beer soap, which will be dark, and swirl in another, lighter colored soap.

Are you wanting to have equal amounts of both, or more of the dark, or more of the light? Are you wanting to have a dark soap with light swirls, a light soap with dark swirls, or an equal combination of dark and light swirls? How big of a batch are you wanting to end up with when all the soaps are combined?

How long have you been making soap?

Anita

Anne-Marie actually recently did a Black and Tan beer soap: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body- ... beer-soap/

You can see what she did to make the dark and light portions of the soap using the same batch (which will make it tons easier for you to swirl). Instead of doing the double pour like she did, you can simply do the swirling technique of your choice. I also think that which beer and which FO you use will also affect your outcome. I hope the link helps you out some!

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Tamra
New to soaping, long time crafter and artisan, avid learner of new things!

Hi Again Anita! If I attempt this batch this weekend, it will only be my 5th batch, but Ive got a really good recipe that I like that yeilds 2 lbs. I was thinking about, just to make things a little simpler on myself because I know the recipe, doing one of each, and having equal parts dark and light soap. But then today I was thinking that I just might take some time to run through the soap calc to reduce the light batch down to 1 lb. I would be hesitant of that because I have been reading that smaller recipes have less wiggle room for error. I realize this is kind of ambitious for the first attempt at a swirl for a beginner. I dont really know how I want the soap to look when Im done, I just want to make this beer soap for christmas presents, and would like to attempt a swirl.


-Luna

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Kristen D. Vineyard
visit my blog http://washwithvegetables.blogspot.com

Thanks Tamara! I did see that post, and thought it really awesome! I was thinking I wanted a brown and white, the beer is going to make the soap dark, so thats why I was wanting to do a plain batch to swirl in it. Its still a thought in process in the making! or something like that hahaha


-Luna

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Kristen D. Vineyard
visit my blog http://washwithvegetables.blogspot.com

Okay, I think I know a way you can do this.

You'll need somebody to help you, so you can basically make two batches at the same time.

If you know someone else who makes cold process soap, that would be the person I'd ask first. Second choice would be someone you can give instructions to that won't argue with you. (And maybe not someone who makes melt and pour, so you won't have to listen to them muttering, "This isn't the way we do M & P." ) But you really do need someone that will listen closely to your instructions. And if I were in your situation, I'd make the beer soap myself.

And just for the record, really dark beer doesn't necessarily equal really dark soap. I have some curing now that was made with a very dark ale, and is curing to a light tan color. The soap itself never was dark from the beer.

Anita