Intermediate Level: Melt & Pour Soap Glitter Soaps
We receive numerous email requests on how to make glitter soaps without using suspension soap base. Yes, there is an art to suspending glitter in regular melt and pour soap. With a bit of practice and a few tips, you will master the technique in no time. We used a five-point star for our project. It has been embedded in an Extra Large Rounded Oval novelty soap mold. The face of each star is embellished with glitter. A sprinkling of glitter is then suspended in the clear soap base.
Here's what you need:
Supplies can be purchased at www.GoPlanetEarth.com
Extra Large Rounded Oval Novelty Mold
Glycerine Soap- both clear (2-lbs will yield approximately seven 5.5 oz. soaps) and white (approximately 3/4-1-lb for the stars).
Fragrance Oil- If using our fragrance oils, we recommend 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons per pound of soap base. You may need to adjust the amount if using another supplier's fragrance.
Soap Colorants
Soap Thermometer- absolutely essential when working with embedded soap
Microwave
Clear Plastic Wrap, Poly Bags, or Shrink Bags - for wrapping your finished soaps.
Cosmetic Grade Glitter- we used Medium Purple and Glitzy Red for this project.
Getting Started:
Step One
Place white glycerine soap glass measuring cup. Melt in microwave in short bursts being careful to not overheat.
Step Two
Remove melted soap from microwave, allow to cool to 140 degrees before adding fragrance color and glitter to your soap. We added approximately 1 tablespoon of glitter per pound of soap. Be certain that the glitter is completely incorporated into your soap base. You do not want the glitter sitting at the bottom of the melted soap when you pour.
Step Three
Slowly pour soap into star molds. Allow the soap to cool completely before removing from molds. As the soap cools, the glitter will gravitate downward to the face of each star. Set star soaps aside as you prepare the clear soap base.
If small bubbles begin to form on the soap once it is poured, spritz lightly with rubbing alcohol or witch hazel. The bubbles and (smell of alcohol) will disappear.
Step Four
Melt clear soap base in the same manner as described above. Add fragrance. Allow the temperature of the soap to reach approximately 135-140 degrees before pouring into oval molds. IMPORTANT: You will be doing four pours into each oval mold. Your first pour is 1/4 the height of the mold. Spritz lightly with rubbing alcohol after each pour to remove any air bubbles. Center a star (glitter side down) in each oval mold. Allow soap to sit for several minutes before beginning your second pour.
After each pour, lightly sprinkle a dusting of glitter over the clear soap base. You will need to wait for the soap to cool just a bit, otherwise, the glitter will float to the sides of the mold and will not be evenly dispersed.
Step Five
Again, pouring at a temperature of 135-140 degrees, pour another layer of clear soap into each mold. The second pour should fill your mold to about the halfway point. Allow to cool and then sprinkle another light dusting of glitter over the soap. Continue in this manner for two more pours or until the soap reaches the top edge of the mold.
The art of keeping the glitter suspended in the clear soap base is timing and temperature. Don't try to speed up the process by making one pour. Your need to make several pours to keep the glitter evenly distributed throughout the soap. Additionally, you don't want your soap too hot. The star embed may melt if the clear soap is poured at too high of a temperature. USE A THERMOMETER for best results
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