It seems now that it is a yearly tradition of mine to make a peacock feather soap.
Last year’s attempt taught me to be more selective with the fragrance. So I looked for fragrances that were not only “well behaved” but also for fragrances that slowed trace down. So I checked fragrance descriptions and reviews for terms such as “works great for intricate swirls”, or “decelerates trace”. I was also a bit bored of working with the same well behaved ones I had, so I decided for Apples and Oak from Nature’s Garden. I am happy to report that it did behave well!
I also used my slower moving recipe which has about 45% of fluid oils (the best I can do without compromising bar longevity too much). In the end, I feel I am getting closer to the design I have in my mind, but I do not think I am quite there yet. But I am almost certain I am giving up on the secret feather swirl technique for it (it takes so long! though probably it was my fault by trying to make thin layers). Anyway, it is very likely that I will try a different technique next time.
Recipe Oils, Fats and Waxes
| Oil | % | Ounces | Grams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 39 | 13.26 | 375.91 |
| Tallow Beef | 26 | 8.84 | 250.61 |
| Coconut Oil, 76 deg | 23 | 7.82 | 221.69 |
| Castor Oil | 6 | 2.04 | 57.83 |
| Shea Butter | 6 | 2.04 | 57.83 |
| Total | 100 | 34 | 963.88 |
Recipe Totals
| Liquid Required | 9.66 oz | 273.97 g |
| NaOH Weight | 4.76 oz | 134.94 g |
| Oil Weight | 34 oz | 963.88 g |
| Fragrance Oil Weight | 2.04 oz | 57.83 g |
| Superfat | 5% | |
| Total Batch Weight | 50.46 oz | 1430.62 g |
| Lye Concentration | 33% | |
| Liquid : Lye Ratio | 2.03 :1 | |
| Saturated : Unsaturated | 43:57 |
Equipment and Supplies:
Here is a linkg to the standard equipment I use.
Mold:
Colorants:
1 tsp Lily pad green mica dispersed in light colored olive oil prior
1/4 tsp Shamrock Gold Enviroglitter (for the swirl on top)
Fragrance:
2 oz of Apples and Oak Fragrance
And here is a link to the video of the peacock feather eye embed from last time:
