Soap Challenge Week 7 - Ombré Soap (Gradient Layers)

I am participating in the Soap Challenge on Great Cakes Soapworks blog (see previous post).

Soap Challenge Week 7 - Ombré Soap

Skipping forward again to week 7 of the challenge.  I want to make sure I can actually post this in the link-up on Amy's blog.   The challenge was to create ombré soap or gradient layers (also known as dip-dyeing in the fashion industry).  While my mind raced with the color possibilities, I needed to get some of my scents stocked for customers and decided to use the ombré technique on my Mint and Nettle soap.

It is made with goat's milk and essential oils.  It has powdered nettle in it giving it a slight textured look, so first I set aside 1/5 of the uncolored soap for the top, then I added the nettle.  I took another portion of soap, colored it in chromium green to tone down the earthy green that the nettle turns the soap and layered it with lighter versions until I ran out of green.  I then added a sprinkled layer of nettle powder and then topped the soap with the white I had set aside earlier.  Finally I topped the soap with a sprinkle of mint leaves.

Voila!  The finished ombré soap:

You can see the other challenge participants' Ombré Soaps by clicking here.

I'll post the next challenge tomorrow... Piping soap.

Bath Alchemy by The Bonnie Bath Co.

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Soap Challenge Week 5 - Custom Scent Blend

I am participating in the Soap Challenge on Great Cakes Soapworks blog (see previous post).

Soap Challenge Week 5 - Custom Scent Blend

It's on to week 5's challenge.  I am almost caught up with the rest of the group.  This challenge was to create a custom scent blend for a soap.  All of my natural soaps are a custom blend, and although I do this myself (and sometimes with my mother who has a knack for fragrances), I always find it a challenge to get things just right. 

For this challenge, I am featuring my Frasier Fir soap.  I first made a melt and pour tree.  Then I made a green and ivory swirled soap in a slab mold, placed my dividers and then inserted the tree into each divided soap.  The melt and pour trees sweated when in the slab mold, and then crystallized as the soap cooled creating a really neat frosted look to the trees, which I love.  It smells like a forest - pine, but with some freshness and earthiness to it as well.  It's very good for men or for the kitchen.  I usually make this around the holidays, but since men like it, I started making it year round. 

I used the following essential oils to create the scent:

• Scotch Pine
• Spruce
• Amyris
• Clary Sage
• Lavender
• Grapefruit

Some of these essential oils may seem weird, but when combined, you don't notice them but do get a much fuller-bodied fragrance.  For example, you cannot detect the lavender and grapefruit at all, but it brought in a soft clean scent with the pine.

You can see the other challenge participants' Custom Scent Blend Soaps by clicking here.

I'll post the next challenge soon so keep reading.

Bath Alchemy by The Bonnie Bath Co.

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