Lavender Test Batch

Testing, testing! I'm really excited about this new lavender fragrance oil we're trying out. So far it has performed beautifully in cold process soap and the fragrance is incredible-- I can't tell it apart from the real thing! I used ultramarine violet oxide and left the rest of the soap uncolored (notice how white without the use of titanium dioxide!).

Many customers have come to me asking for help with the ultramarine violet pigment, saying it won't change colors or that it goes gray. I have experienced that as well, but only when I hand-mix the color in. I really recommend stick-blending the pigment in the raw soap to activate the color. It needs a little extra force to break it up, but then you'll see it burst into violet.

Quick Swirl Tip!
For a basic yet striking swirl pattern, I only colored about 1/4 of the batch and left the rest neutral (if you have a fragrance with vanilla in it, you will need to add titanium dioxide to lighten it, otherwise the soap will brown). Begin by pouring a layer of white, then pour a small amount of violet in an "S" pattern from one end to the other, go back with a layer of white, and repeat with the violet pattern until the mold is full. Leave it or do a figure-eight with a spoon or knife for further detail.

Above is a shot of the cold process batch going through "gel phase." You can tell by the darker center that has a transparent appearance. This happens when you insulate your soap and the heat rises, which quickens the saponification process. Many soapmakers prefer un-gelled soap for its silky and velvety texture. Also, keep in mind not to insulate milk soap because the high temperatures will burn the milk. The soap was about 120F degrees at this point.

Private Swirling Class at Otion

Yesterday was so much fun! Sally from Redmond, WA came up to Otion for a private class to learn the art of cold process swirling. She was such a pleasure to teach, and I can't wait to see her future projects!


We used the popular 18 bar birch mold (my favorite), and a blend of Energy, Strawberry and Lime fragrance oils for a delicious summer scent. Since she had never swirled before, we went all out and used yellow mica, hydrated green chrome oxide, ultramarine violet, ultramarine blue, and titanium dioxide pigments.



The soap came out great, but more importantly, Sally left with a ton of information, some simple tricks to make the soaping process go more efficiently and safely, a list of must-have tools that will save her time and energy, and a new found confidence and excitement for her colorful soap making endeavors. Thanks again Sally!

Swirling Exercise

Saturday was a blast! We had Kim from Pepo Park take some private classes with us before the full liquid soap session at 2pm. She was very energetic and prepared with awesome questions. Being an experienced soap maker for 10 years, we went right into some advanced swirling techniques.

In this cold process batch, we used a blend of Orange Valencia and Lemongrass essential oil. About half of the base was lightened up with a little titanium dioxide, which created the perfect cream color to go with the deep cappuccino mica and yellow oxide swirl. I'm glad we didn't fragrance it with Chipotle Caramel or I would have taken a bite right into it! We used a rubber spatula and reeds to make the swirl pattern and it hardened up enough by the end of the day for her to take it home. Thanks Kim, you did a great job!

For a list of our classes and opportunities for you to create your own day or class with one of our instructor's including Otion and Bramble Berry founder, Anne-Marie from Soap-Queen, please check out this page on our website.