I call this a floating tiger stripe swirl design because the design doesn’t take up the whole soap. It is almost as though it is floating on top of a white base. 🙂

I really loved this color combo and how sharp the colors came out. So here is how I did it.

You’ll need a slow-moving recipe perfect for swirling. Check out our freebies page and grab the Swirling Tips Guide.

I used a 12″ silicone tall and skinny loaf mold from Bramble Berry.

Floating Tiger Stripe Swirl Design Recipe

  • Coconut Oil – 306 grams (34%)
  • Shea Butter – 45 grams (5%)
  • Olive Oil – 360 grams (40%)
  • Avocado Oil – 54 grams (6%)
  • Rice Bran Oil – 135 grams (15%)
  • Sodium Hydroxide – 128 grams
  • Distilled Water – 256 grams
  • Slow-Moving Essential Oil or Fragrance Oil – Per manufacturer
  • Caribbean Blue, Mermaid Blue and Kermit Green Mica from Bramble Berry (about a teaspoon each) 
  • Charcoal Powder – 1 teaspoon

Step 1: Make your lye solution. Weigh the water and lye into separate containers. Pour the lye into the water while stirring. Be sure to mix your lye solution in a well-ventilated area. Set aside to cool down.

Step 2: Weigh the hard oils/butters and melt, just until melted.

Step 3: Add the liquid oils to the melted hard oils/butters. Add the essential oil to the base oils.

Now, you should have your lye solution and base oils ready to go.

Step 4: Once the lye solution and oils have both cooled down to about 90-100 degrees F, pour the lye solution into your oils and mix to emulsion.

Step 5: Pour about a cup of soap into four containers and color using micas and charcoal powder.

Step 6: Bring the base mixture to a light trace.Pour about 2/3 of it into the mold.

Step 7: Use a pencil under one side of the mold to tilt it (like when you’re doing a Tall and Skinny Shimmy.

Step 8: Pour using a tiger stripe technique along one side of the mold. Simply rotate through your colors until you’ve pours all of your colored soap. Save a tiny bit of each color to swirl on the top.

Step 9: Let everything sit around for a bit to thicken. Once the soap in the mold is thick enough to support the top layer, spoon on the rest of your white base. I had to literally wait about 30 minutes for it to thicken enough.

Step 10: Spoon on the top layer.

Step 11: Swirl the rest of the colored soap onto the top.

Step 12: After 24 hours you can cut your soap. Let it cure for 4 weeks.

Happy Soaping!

-Amanda

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