What are the best oils for swirl technique soap

by Linda Anderson
(Texas)

My homemade lavender soap

My homemade lavender soap

I would like to learn the swirl technique soapmaking. What are the best oils to use in this soapmaking method.


Answer:

Most recipes are fine to use when attempting to use the swirl technique (more commonly known as marbling soap).

Here are a couple of tips that will make it easier when you are first starting out:

Your recipe should not be too high in quick tracing oils like pomace oil, cocoa butter and shea butter to name a few. Palm oil should be around 30% or less.

Avoid using essential oils that tend to speed up the trace time.

Marble soap when the base is at a light to medium trace. Do not attempt it with soap that has thickly traced.

Good luck,
Cathy

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starstarstarstarstar 		Oils that quicken trace
by: Maggie

I just did a great shampoo bar last night with my teenage daughter.

It was very high in castor oil, which turns out to be one of those quick-tracing oils...who knew! Such a weird oil, castor is...

Anyhoo, I very nearly had my first soap seize while attempting a swirl! Turned away from the light/medium traced main base to mix the color in the reserved batter (like 30 seconds), and when I turned back...wham! The stick mixer almost got stuck!

I ended up with more of a "color blob-spread" than a swirl...but we got it into the mold!

Very ugly...I mean earthy...and it's probably going to have air pockets, despite my best efforts to spread it well, but it's gonna wash hair beautifully!

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