Swirling Handmade Soap

by Lili
(Europe)

First I would like to say that I really appreciate your time and advice you share with us!


I have few questions that are running through my mind lately:

1. Is there a possibility to put titanium dioxide in small amount of oil and mix in, just before putting mineral pigments? Because sometimes I do not want to put it directly in oils in order not to let titanium dioxide bleach all my colors.

2. I use unrefined coconut oil in my recipes, but if want to use refined, what to click on SoapCalc - Coconut oil 76 deg or 92 deg?

3. I usually follow basic homemade recipe, is it suitable for swirling? It seems to me that I cannot find light trace, it is either very very light trace and I am not sure is it too early for swirling or I get very thick trace and end up in coloring whole batch in one color.

Thank You!

Answer:

1. Either method of adding in the Titanium Dioxide will result in the same effect.

2. Refined only means that the oil has been bleached and deodorized. Both types can be refined or unrefined. You will have to figure out which type you have and select that one on SoapCalc.

3. The basic recipe works very well with swirling but you have to be sure not to stick blend too much before hand.

Try dividing the soap at a very thin trace. Add colour to your larger amount and bring to a medium thin trace using a whisk, pour into the mold. Then do the same with the smaller amount. Pour over the base and swirl.

Good luck,
Cathy

Comments for Swirling Handmade Soap

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		THANKS!
by: LIli

Thank You very much for your advice, it will help when I do the swirling next time!!

Dee H. how do you manage to evenly color few cups od HP soap? And when you pour it back to the main batch, do you just stirr few times through the pot to get the swirl?

Lili
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Swirling
by: Dee H

I would only try to swirl a recipe that you have used a few times and the end product has been successful.

Then when you separate a few cups out to add color to them you don't have to worry that it will fail in the end. (Most times).

I have a few measuring cups to remove some of the base, I add my colors in the cups and then ITP swirl. I pour them "in the pot" at different heights to get them all through the final product and I save a little in the cups to make a nice swirl on the top of my mold.

I must add that I even swirl HP soap. You have to be patient. It comes out beautiful. Good Luck!
Dee
Yada Soaps
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Swirling Soap
by: Miriam Fields

I have used 4 to 5 different recipes over the past year and a half and eventually produced a beautifully swirled bar after 8 or 9 batches.

I found that a recipe of 50% olive oil, 30% coconut oil, 15% palm oil and 5% shea butter; 5 % super fatted at room temp worked best. I held out @ 3 tbls of olive oil to disperse my different colors of mica in. I was most successful with only 3 or 4 colors.

The ONLY time I used the stick blender was to disperse my color in about 1 cup of soap just barely to trace and ONLY for 5 to 10 seconds. then I added the remaining balance of the batch once it was at light trace and poured and swirled my soap.

If you use the stick blender more, the soap becomes too thick to swirl. I used 1/3 goats milk added at trace. This recipe takes a lot of patience.....

Click here to add your own comments

Return to Submit a Question.

Like This Page?