It’s time for the first Inspiration Soap Challenge tutorial! Hurray!
Kellyann from Tranquility Bay Bath was one of the lucky receivers of the fifteen ISC kits, and made this stunning tiger stripe soap to wrap her challenge. In return, Kellyann sent me her challenge request:
I would love to see a rainbow mantra swirl. Your rainbow soaps make me feel so good, and a lovely citrusy blend would be my very favorite!
Y’all know me, I’m a rule breaker. I just can’t color in the lines! So, I decided to take her challenge and run with it. Are you ready?
Layered Rainbow Mantra Soap Recipe
This formula is sized for the Brambleberry 10″ silicone mold, like most of my formulas here on Modern Soapmaking.
Soap Recipe Used
This recipe is courtesy of Majestic Mountain Sage, they have a fabulous blog where they share all kinds of soap recipes and tutorials!
- 12 ounces Coconut Oil (MMS)
- 14 ounces Hydrogenated Soybean Oil (MMS)
- 9 ounces Olive Oil (MMS)
- 2 ounces Macadamia Nut Oil (MMS)
- 5.15 ounces Sodium Hydroxide
- 10.3 ounces Distilled Water
Fragrance Oil Used
- 40 grams Pluot Fragrance Oil (MMS)
The Pluot FO has sweet notes of plum and apricot, with a twist of citrus, rich vanilla, and sensual sandalwood. Pretty delish!
Colorants Used
- 1 teaspoon Pink Lemonade Mica (TC)
- 1 teaspoon Tangerine Mica (TC)
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Mica (TC)
- 1 teaspoon Green Apple Mica (TC)
- 1 teaspoon Blue Kamikaze Mica (TC)
- 1 teaspoon Cosmo Martini Mica (TC)
- 1 teaspoon Water Soluble Titanium Dioxide (MMS)
A note on water soluble TD: I typically use oil soluble TD as I find I have less issues with glycerin rivers and streaking. There are some light areas of glycerin rivers in this formula from the TD. If you are having issues with glycerin rivers and use water soluble TD, try oil soluble TD!
Extra Soap Tools Used
PREP WORK: Weigh out your soaping oils. I like to add my fragrance to my main soap pot so I can’t possibly forget it later! Make up your lye solution, too! Add the micas to their own respective squeeze bottles with 1 tsp of oils from your soap pot, and swirl it around to mix the mica in with the oil (instead of trying to mess with colorants when the soap is ready to go!)
GET STARTED: Add your lye solution to your soaping oils. Stick blend until emulsified.
Once you have reached an emulsified state, split your batch in half. Color one half with titanium dioxide. Split the other half of your batch into the ready and waiting squeeze bottles. Pop the lids on your squeeze bottles. With a gloved hand, cover the tip of the squeeze bottle and shake to mix in the micas. Lift your finger off the end of the nozzle AWAY from you, as a little bit of soap will likely bubble out. 😉
Pour half of your titanium dioxide colored soap in the bottom of your soap mold.
READY FOR RAINBOWS: Starting in the middle with your yellow soap squeeze bottle, squirt a line of soap down the length of your mold. Next, place a line of orange soap next to it, and continue until you have your first layer of rainbow stripes. Continue switching colors and layering lines on top of lines until you have used most of your colored soap. This was about four passes for me.
Use a hanger swirling tool to swirl the rainbow stripes into a fake mantra. My hanger swirling tool is simply a piece of steel rod from the home improvement store, bent to fit my mold. I love Brambleberry’s silicone molds because you can see inside well enough to know where the hanger is going!
FINISH IT UP: Pour the remainder of the white soap out on top of the rainbow-y goodness in the middle.
Use the remainder of the colored soap in the squeeze bottles to place lines of each color across the top. Using a skewer, barely inserted into the top of soap, swirl from side to side down the length of the mold in a squished ‘S’ pattern. Spritz the top with rubbing alcohol to help keep the ash monsters away.
After 24 hours, remove from the mold, slice it up, and give it a good cure. Enjoy!
This layered rainbow modified mantra soap recipe featured in this tutorial is courtesy of Majestic Mountain Sage. It is palm-free and vegan friendly formula. It uses a 7% superfat and a 33% lye solution strength. Feel free to adjust as necessary!
Have you ever made rainbow soap? You know they’re my favorite soaps to make!
If you fancy giving a different rainbow soap a try, check out these other tutorials: Rainbow Peacock Swirl Soap, Rainbow Drop Swirl Soap, Rainbow Tiger Stripe Soap, Rainbow Leopard Spots Soap, Rainbow Oil Mica Swirl Soap, Rainbow Elemental Swirl Soap.
Want some non-soapy rainbow goodness? Whip up some rainbow cupcakes!
Thank you! Love, love, love it!
Gorgeous! I love how happy this makes me feel!
Beautiful!!!!
Oh yeah!!
Love this design, I going to use this method on one of my soaps
Love this soap and your colors are awesome, thanks for sharing
This looks wonderful. What could I sub the hydrogenated soybean oil with as I don’t have that?
Hydrogenated soybean oil is somewhat of a unique oil, but it’s common for soapmaking because it’s cheap. I’m not sure what Crisco is made of nowadays because it’s been ages since I used it in soapmaking, but it used to be a blend of hydrogenated soy, cottonseed, and/or palm. 😉
Tried it but misread a step and tried to hanger swirl the middle rainbow after the mould was full! Silly girl! Mine reminds me of my crayolas from childhood 🙂
LOL 🙂 I bet it still turned out pretty, though!
Hi Kenna,
Beautiful soap, as always. I recently saw a post on auntie Clara’s website/blog, that was fascinating. It was about glycerin rivers. She photographed and posted the following: using the same recipe, same batch, same mold, splitting batch into two. One half was made using 1:2.4 lye to water ratio, and the other using 1:1.4 ratio. Soap was gelled. When cut, you could see that the side using the 1:1.4 ratio had no rivers, while the side contains the 1.24 ration had them. The conclusion being the steeper the water discount, the less chance of rivers. Not seeing the ratios in between, it’s hard to notate where that river to no river ratio stopped. Just thought I’d share as you mentioned rivers in this post. Thanks again for all the wisdom you impart. You’re like a soap sensei
Hi Amy! Yes, I’ve seen Clara’s blog post. 🙂 I wrote a post about glycerin rivers here last year, and Clara’s post is a good example of some of the variables that affect the development of rivers, but there’s more than just water. (Especially since I personally soap with a 40% lye solution most of the time, so I shouldn’t get glycerin rivers, but I still do.) I post tutorials with a 33% lye solution, as most soapmakers are uncomfortable with a higher solution concentration. 😉
Beautiful!!!!
I am in love with your swirls, beautiful, clean , neat, I see mica gives a nice color, maybe I should try it too. I use only iron oxide,
In Canada the labeling is so complicated, :((
Could you tell me what is a proper substitute for the mica colorants?
P.S I love the end result. ^-^
A fan from Bhutan