I have done my share of gemstone inspired soaps. Perhaps it is because of my background of making jewelry (I still make jewelry, but mostly as a hobby now).
So, when I put together this collaboration, I wanted to challenge myself to do something slightly different. In this case it would be doing an opaque gemstone, with stripes. This meant that instead of transparent embeds like the amethysts, rose quartz, emeralds or geodes, the malaquite would be more along the lines of the turquoise, lapis lazuli, and agates, except without any gold mica on them. In the end, because of the failed colors, I did add some crystals to a couple of the soaps though.
I think I had better results a couple years ago, when I was trying to make a heart soap with a pull screen disc, and instead ended up with this:
Recipe Totals
If you are a beginner, a recipe like this one might be better. This would be more of an intermediate project, once you have several batches under your belt. Below I am using a water discount, and a dual lye blend.
| Liquid Required | 3.45 oz | 97.89 g |
| NaOH Weight | 2.2 oz | 62.46 g |
| KOH Weight | 0.1 oz | 2.8 g at 90% Purity |
| Lye Weight | 2.3 oz | 65.26 g |
| Oil Weight | 16 oz | 453.59 g |
| Fragrance Oil Weight | 1 oz | 28.35 g |
| Superfat | 3% | |
| Total Batch Weight | 22.76 oz | 645.33 g |
| Lye Concentration | 4 |
Recipe Oils, Fats and Waxes
| Oil | % | Ounces | Grams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 37 | 5.92 | 167.83 |
| Coconut Oil, 76 deg | 25 | 4 | 113.4 |
| Cocoa Butter | 15 | 2.4 | 68.04 |
| Shea Butter | 15 | 2.4 | 68.04 |
| Castor Oil | 8 | 1.28 | 36.29 |
| Total | 100 | 16 | 453.59 |
Custom Additives (Optional)
| Add with the Fats | |
|---|---|
| Rosemary oleoresin | 0.01 ounce |
| Add at trace | |
| EDTA mixed with distilled water (50/50) | 0.20 ounce |
For more information on these additives you can click in the links below, please note above links are affiliate ones
- Rosemary oleresin (My oils already had this added when I masterbatched the oils)
- Tetrasodium EDTA
My affiliate links:
Several of the links above/below are affiliate links, as the ones below. If you would like to support this blog, you can use them to buy any item from those stores, it will not cost you any more, and I would get a tiny % commission on it. As amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
NURTURE SOAP
AMAZON
MAKE YOUR OWN
Colorants:
- Sliced green kiwi mica from Crafters 1/4 tsp for 1/4 of total soap batter
- Lily pad green mica, 1/4 tsp of total soap batter
- Savage Green Mica from Nurture Soap 1/2 tsp for 1/4 of total soap batter
- This last mica combination resulted in what I think is an ugly green, at least for this soap: 1/8 tsp of silver shimmer black mica + 1/4 tsp of Lily pad mica
Mold:
Oval cavity Molds from Nurture Soap
Fragrance:
Bergamot and Mandarin from Wholesale Supplies Plus (accelerated some for me)
Embeds
I made the crystals on top with Crystal Clear MP and colored them with Savage Green Mica from Nurture Soap and Shamrock Gold Enviroglitter
Equipment
- List of regular equipment
- To pour the soap:
- Divider cup
- To prepare colorants:
- 3.5 Cup funnel pitchers
- 2 Cup funnel pitchers
Safety Equipment:
- Nitrile gloves
- Facial Shield (I use either a facial shield or the goggles below)
- Safety Goggles
- Respirator (I use this when mixing the lye, I mix the lye in the window sill, window opened, with a pedestal fan blowing the fumes away, better yet, freeze your distilled water prior) I also try to wear long sleeves, pants and closed shoes. In my personal experience, most of my near misses (when I feel my skin itching or a slight burning sensation), or when I come contact with the soap batter, have happened when I am wiping down the containers, when I am almost done.
MAKING THE SOAP
You can watch the making of the soap here:
Soaps by Glenda 