When I was a beginner soaper, it seemed like all the tutorials online were only interested in teaching in-the-pot swirls, hanger swirls, and drop swirls — so basically, swirls.
As someone who had enjoyed baking for years, I wanted to do more than mix something in a bowl and dump it into a mold. There's nothing wrong with a simple swirl, but I wanted a challenge.
If you feel comfortable with basic soap recipes and don't mind messing up while you learn, I highly recommend trying one of these fun, non-swirl techniques for your next batch.
If you love the ease of a traditional ITP or drop swirl, but you'd like more control over the placement of the colors, you'll love the funnel pour.
What you'll need:
How it's done:
Stick to somewhere between light and medium trace for this technique. If your batter is too fluid, it will just swirl together.Depending on how you cut it, you’ll get a different look too. My batter was at medium trace, and I cut it in slices (the way you usually cut a soap loaf). So the design came out more like zebra stripes. I like this technique because it gives you more control over the placement of the colors than a traditional drop swirl.
This is my most used technique and one of the first non-swirl designs I created. All of my Kitty Collection soaps are made using this technique.
What you'll need:
How it's done:
My number one tip for this technique is to separate your lye and oils into smaller batches. Pour each layer and allow it to set up enough to hold a shape. If you've ever made meringue, it will be similar to stiff peaks. Once the batter is set, it's scrapin' time! Fair warning, scraping can get a bit messy. I recommend keeping a smaller mold nearby for your scraped bits.
This is my favorite technique on the list because it’s both easy to execute and easy to clean up. It’s also the first soap I tried from one of Teri’s tutorials.
What you'll need:
How it's done:
The keys to getting this one right are the fluidity of your batter (light to light-medium trace) and the height of your pitcher (stay close to the mold when you pour). If your pitcher is too far away, you’ll end up with a drop swirl, and we want pointy layers.
The great thing about horizontal stripes is they're incredibly simple to do if you have the patience. And you have to be willing to do some math. Sorry.
You can also do vertical stripes, but you'll need a multi-pour tool. Or you can cheat and just turn your soap the other way. 😝
What you'll need:
How it's done:
My advice for perfectly straight stripes: treat each layer as its own mini batch. Divde the total weights of your lye and oils by the number of stripes you want. Mix your first mini batch and pour. Allow it to set enough that your next layer won't break the top of the soap. We don't want pointy layers; we want stripes. You can also prevent breakthrough if you pour close to the mold and use the back of a spoon or spatula to break the fall of your batter. Repeat until the mold is full.
Unless your fragrance unexpectedly accelerates, ye olde spoon plop doesn't get talked about much in soap-making tutorials. But that's a shame because it's really fun and easy to do. I use it to make cow cats and calico cats.
What you'll need:
How it's done:
Mix your batter as usual and divide it into the number of colors you have. Then use your immersion blender to take your colored batters to medium trace. You want batter that will mostly hold its shape, but will still settle into the mold. It may take some practice to get the consistency you like. Then, grab your spoon and plop that soap into the mold. Alternate your colors until you run out of batter. Tap the mold down periodically to remove any air pockets.
Cane molds allow you to create a uniform design throughout an entire loaf of cold process soap. The finished result looks super complex, but the technique is beyond easy. The hardest part about cane embeds is remembering you need to make the canes the day before you want to make the finished soap.
What you'll need:
How it's done:
Fill your cane mold with batter and allow it to set as usual. The next day, make your main batch of soap batter as you usually would. Swirls, stripes, solid colors — they're all good here. Just wait until your batter is at a medium trace. That way your cane embed won't sink to the bottom of the mold. Don't wait more than 24 hours to cut your loaf into bars, otherwise your cane may be too hard and you could break your wire cutter!
If zero waste is your jam, you've probably already used your soap scraps to rebatch or make confetti soap. But if you don't already save your scraps, broken bits, shavings, and beveled edges, you need to start now. Because that's how we make confetti, friends.
What you'll need:
How it's done:
Make a batch of soap in any color and mix it to somewhere between light and medium trace. This will help suspend your "confetti." Then, grab a couple of handfuls of your soap scraps and dump them into your soap batter. You don't even have to measure. Fill your mold as usual, et voila! You have a party in your shower.
Tip: the more colors you have, the more your scraps will look like confetti.
Stamping really adds a professional finish to intricate soap designs. I use a 3-D printed stamp to make the cat faces for my Kitty Collection. And I use an impression mat for the honeycomb patterns on Oh, Honey!
What you'll need:
How it's done:
Stamping is usually done on firm soap after it is cut, while impression mats can be used while the soap is still in the mold. In fact, you can place the impression mat in the bottom of your mold before you fill it. I've done it both ways, and I prefer to press the mat into the top of the soap while it's still relatively soft, but your mileage may vary. When I use a stamp, I unmold and cut my soap after 24 hours. Then I let the soap cure for another 24 hours before I stamp it.
A gradient was the very first technique I ever tried without a tutorial. It didn't turn out perfectly, but it was a lot of fun, and I've gotten better at it.
What you'll need:
How it's done:
Mix your batter to a light trace and add your color. With one side of your mold propped up on a book or towel, begin slowly pouring your batter down the side of the mold. Move from one end of the mold to the other about four or five times. Then stop and add a few drops of your TD solution to your batter and stir just enough to incorporate it. Repeat this process until your mold is full.
You may have noticed this list contains a lot of my Kitty Soaps. That's because I use almost all of these techniques to make them.
The great thing is that you can use any combination of these ideas. You can mix stripes and swirls, sculpted layers and spoon plops, confetti and funnel pours, or any other combination you can think of. Have fun. Experiment. And please find me on Instagram @thegildedbubble so you can show me what you make!