Go Vertical!

Hi everyone, it's Kat, and I'm playing with some fun cold process layering techniques that are simple and very striking. You can do this a couple different ways; (1) Use a vertical loaf mold, or (2) customize your regular loaf mold with an insert piece. Above shows results from both methods. The yellow and pink swirl was made using yellow mica and fuchsia labcolor in a vertical mold.

A vertical mold is designed to stand up like a tower and you pour into it from the top. It is lined with hard plastic side pieces and has a removable divider insert that goes down the center, which you pull out after pouring colored soap on each side to create a layer. To swirl, simply dip a long stir stick to the bottom of the mold and give it a gentle turn. I really love how each side came out perfectly flat and uniform with zero soda ash.

The other bar is made using a blend of emerald and blue mix labcolors layered next to fuchsia again. This time, I used my regular loaf mold (lined of course!) and cut out a piece of cardboard that fit the length of the mold. I covered my cardboard piece with some freezer paper, which may or may not have been necessary, and placed it in my mold as a divider. Then I poured my two colors evenly at the same time on each side of the divider, gave it a shake to settle the soap and removed the insert. I ended up with a very crisp layer and it was super quick and mess-free. I used a tester fragrance in this batch and found out that it discolors very dark, which created that funky coloration on the outside where it oxidized. Wish I could say I planned for that!