Soap makers are creative folk. In recent years, new techniques of soap artistry have been developing at an astonishing rate. Numerous challenges among soap makers push the boundaries of design to ever farther limits. Through blogs and video, many soap makers share what they've learned about various ingredients used to make soap or how to create a particular design in soap. Gone are the days of ugly homemade soap. Today's soap makers are true artists who use the medium of soap for their unique art work. I enjoy seeing the results of their creativity and reading about different aspects of the science behind making soap.
Handmade Luxury Soap from The Lathered Lamb
I find soap making fascinating. There is an element of surprise when colors and fragrance are mixed into the soap batter. By using tools to manipulate the fluid soap, different designs are made - layers of color, a variety of swirl designs, or a combination of both! How the soap is poured or spooned into the mold and how thick or thin it is also contributes to a particular effect. Even the shape of the mold contributes to design. Yes, serendipity in soap making is essential.
After the soap has hardened and saponified, bars are cut. Every bar is unique in its color placement and design. Ordinary handmade soap becomes extraordinary.
After the soap has hardened and saponified, bars are cut. Every bar is unique in its color placement and design. Ordinary handmade soap becomes extraordinary.
Clara Lindberg, a soap maker who lives in South Africa, recently participated in a plain soap challenge. That's right, no color or fragrance allowed. She had previously experimented with using different amounts of water in portions of her soap, as well as heat while the soap saponified in the mold, to create designs in her soap. She called this technique the, "Ghost Swirl," and her results were stunning. In reading her blog post here, I found her detailed explanations of how the process works very interesting. Kevin Dunn, the Elliott Professor of Chemistry at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, who specializes in studying soap, also contributed his thoughts in the comments section. She did a "Taiwan Swirl" to make the ghost swirl in her soap. And she inspired me to give this technique a try.
Ghost Swirl by Clara Lindberg.
So I made a simple soap using spirulina powder as the colorant. Spirulina is a blue-green algae which has nutritional benefits and can be used as a natural colorant in soap. I used a small amount to add subtle color and specks to my soap batter. Per Clara's instructions, I added more water to part of the soap batter and poured it through the middle of the wet soap in the mold. I've not attempted a Taiwan swirl yet, so I simply inserted a knife and sliced it back and forth through the mold and swirled the last bit of soap batter over the top. The higher water soap was lighter in color and made a lovely textured swirl on top of the soap.
Swirled Top of Soap
After putting the soap mold in a warm oven for several hours, and then unmolding the soap the next day, the difference in color was noticeable, especially in the pattern on the bottom of the soap loaf. When poured, the higher water soap was lighter in color. Now it was darker. The swirl wasn't too bad either.
Bottom of Soap
Another aspect that influences the design of a soap is the way the loaf is cut. A Taiwan swirl should be cut horizontally to see the full effect. I cut my soap loaf vertically, so the swirl design was lost, however, another interesting design was revealed. The tone on tone variation of the pale green reminded me of the gemstone, jade, valued for centuries in the culture of China.
Jade - Handmade Soap from The Lathered Lamb
Jade Handmade Soap from The Lathered Lamb
This unique soap will continue to harden and cure for several weeks before it will be available in my shop. Each bar is different in its subtle variation of color. The fragrance is Cypress Leaf essential oil, a fresh, green scent which will appeal to both men and women. If you would like to reserve a bar of Jade, please contact me. In the meantime, I plan to attempt another "Ghost Swirl" soon. Thanks for stopping by!
~Debbie
~Debbie
