The Soap Challenge Club is finally back and just as fun, educational, and challenging as ever. The September 2018 challenge was to create a mini drop swirl. If entering the advanced category, soap makers were to suspend drops of soap inside the base soap. After watching the instructional videos, I decided to attempt a soap that reminded me of a rainy day, with clouds above, raindrops falling, and a bluish, dark sky for the background. In my first attempt, the rain drops and ombre sky actually looked okay, but the top mini drop swirl part was lacking the drop…and the swirl. I only had time for one more batch and ended up with the soap you see here. The little drops were really fun to make, and I’ll definitely incorporate them into more soaps in the future. In my post below, I go into more detail about my recipe, my thin base batter causing a cool effect with the drops, and show more photos of the finished bars. I also made a video in case you’d like to see my entire process. :) Continue reading
Essential Oil Blends
Charcoal & Clay Cold Process Soap
I recently had a request from one of my friends to make a charcoal and clay soap. I decided to try and create an old design of mine from a soap challenge where I used dividers and a hanger swirl. Well, I thought I did everything exactly the same way, but that’s the way it goes in soap making. Trying to recreate a swirl (especially one that was an accident in the first place) is almost impossible. Not that I’m giving up. :) If you’d like the recipe or want to see the video I made, just keep reading. Continue reading
Rainbow Layered Soap
I’ve always really enjoyed making a layered soap. It’s one of the first designs I learned as a new soap maker, and I love coming up with different color combinations. This cold snap we’ve had lately had me wanting to make something bright and cheerful that smelled of spring. So I made a rainbow layered soap using various clays, alkanet, and indigo. In the process of creating this soap, I came up with an essential oil blend that I absolutely love. I also put together a video on my whole process. If you’d like to see that or my new favorite essential oil blend, just keep reading. :) Continue reading
Rose Clay Feather Swirl with Hearts on Top
Last year, one of my friends requested a Valentine’s Day themed soap. We eventually decided on this simple rose clay feather swirl soap with hearts on top. I made the soap again this year but used a slightly different essential oil blend (actually my favorite blend ever). I also made a video on how I created this soap. If you’d like to watch the video or see the recipe, just keep reading. :) Continue reading
Chocolate Oatmeal Stout Beer Soap
I decided to make a beer soap for Fall using my favorite beer, a dark stout. I added oatmeal and cocoa powder to create my chocolate oatmeal stout beer soap. I also created a video showing how I prepared the beer, removing the carbonation and lowering the alcohol content. :) Continue reading
Kápia Méra 