Green Tea with Jasmine Soap

Green Tea with Jasmine

 This soap is a new one for me.  I had never used a floral fragrance oil before and I wasn't sure how it was going to behave in this batch of soap.  However it behaved itself very well.

Top detail

I started by measuring out my water/tea, adding a small amount of silk fibers, and measuring and adding the lye to the water.  After measuring out the oils, I started by mixing the oils to break up any lumps.  Next I added the lye water to the oils.  Before mixing though I added the fragrance oil to the oils.

After reaching trace, I separated the soap into three portions.  One portion I colored with beet powder, I was hoping for a pink, but the tea color was too strong.  One portion I colored with comfrey oil and a pinch of green pigment.  The last portion I colored with titanium dioxide.

After all of my colors were mixed, I started layering the colors.  I did two layers of each color.  Then I used a skewer to do a circular swirl to swirl the layers.  This gives a nice swirl through the layers that is beautifully visible when the bars are cut.  After swirling the layers I put down a solid layer of white and then topped with a thin layer of green.  After I had the layers in the mold, I mixed a little bit of ivory mica with a little bit of vitamin E oil.  I dripped the mica mixture over the top of the soap and started swirling the very top layer of the soap with the sharp end of a skewer.  I swirled it in little 3/4" circles back and forth across the soap mold.  I tried to keep from swirling the white in to a bare minimum.

After giving the soap 24 hours to gel and solidify, I unmolded it.  I love the swirl.  I haven't seen anyone else use it that I can remember, so I may have to come up with a name for it just to make it easier to blog the soaps I use it in.  I am not a huge fan of florals, and this one is still a little strong for me, but I expect that it will probable fade a bit over the next month.

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http://back2basichealth.blogspot.com                                http://www.bystephanielynn.com
http://blackfoxhomestead.com/                                          http://www.iamannekehn.blogspot.com
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http://www.campwander.com/                                          http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/
http://coloradolady.blogspot.com                                      www.aboverubies.net
http://abidingwoman.com/                                               http://www.besimplybetter.com/
http://www.deeprootsathome.com/                                   http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/
http://raisinghomemakers.com                                          http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/
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http://www.create-with-joy.com                                       http://teachingwhatisgood.com/
http://www.the36thavenue.com/                                       http://seevanessacraft.com/
http://katherinescorner.com/                                           http://cupcake-n-bake.blogspot.com
http://alifeinbalance.net                                                   http://www.hopestudios.blogspot.com
http://thediydreamer.com                                                 http://www.the-chicken-chick.com
http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com                       http://www.flusterbuster.com
http://www.time-warp-wife.blogspot.com                        http://www.adelightsomelife.com/
http://www.growinghomeblog.com                                 http://nourishingjoy.com
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