It's no secret that succulents are hot right now! We've always loved them and thought it was high time we made our own little soapy succulent garden! These sweet soapy succulent pots make for a seriously cute gift too. :)
Ingredients:
SFIC Clear Melt & Pour Soap Base or Stephenson Crystal ST Melt & Pour Soap Base
SFIC Cocoa Butter Melt & Pour Soap or Stephenson TBS Melt & Pour Soap - only if making the pastel green soaps
Cactus Blossom Fragrance or your preferred Essential Oil
Black Lustre Colour Block
Grasshopper Green Colour Block
Athena Green Mica
Fluffy Clouds Mica - for dusting
Midas Gold Mica - for dusting
Flexible Mould - Succulent (4 Cavity)
Isopropyl Alcohol and Spritzer Bottle
These other fragrances are also perfect for this recipe: Lush Succulent Fragrance Oil and Lemongrass & Exotic Lime Fragrance Oil
Equipment:
2 x 1 Litre microwave safe jugs - needs to hold 1 Litre or more (if Pyrex, you'll need a pot mitt too as it can get very hot)
1 x Small microwave safe jug
Silicone cupcake mould(Kmart)
Stirring Spoons or Spatulas
Knife to cut the soap base
Pipettes for Fragrance or Essential Oil and for fine detailing
Small cup for mixing powdered colours
This project is made in several stages, soap amounts and techniques, so this is the overview:
Cupcake Mould (Clear Base): 100g x 6 cavities. Use Cactus Blossom Fragrance at 1.6%, so for six cupcake bases = 600g soap base = 10g/ml fragrance
Succulent Mould (Clear Base): 85g x 4 cavities. Use Cactus Blossom Fragrance at 1.6%, so for four succulents = 340g soap base = 6g/ml fragrance
Succulent Mould (White Base): 85g x 2 cavities. Use Cactus Blossom Fragrance at 1.6%, so for two succulents = 170g soap base = 3g/ml fragrance
Colours!
We have used a few colours for our succulents, so you can decide on the techniques you prefer to use (we made two of each style).
To Make The Concrete Pots: Black Lustre Colour Block in clear base
To Make Pearlescent Succulent Soaps: Athena Green Mica in clear soap base. Dry brush with Fluffy Clouds or Midas Gold Mica once unmoulded.
To Make Dual Coloured/Tipped Succulent Soaps: Athena Green Mica for the tips and Grasshopper Green Colour Block for the remainder in clear base.
To Make Pastel Green Succulent Soaps: Athena Green Mica in white soap base. Dry brush with Fluffy Clouds or Midas Gold Mica once unmoulded.
Method:
Set out equipment and ingredients and place the Cupcake Mould onto a board or baking tray so that it can be moved if necessary.
Dice 600g clear soap base and place into one of the jugs (this is for the concrete pots).
Lightly cover the jug and heat in short bursts in the microwave, ensuring it does not boil, until liquid.
Dice just over ¾ of the Black Lustre Colour Block – depending on how deep you would like the grey colour.
Add this to the soap jug and stir until the colour pieces are completely melted.
Now scent this soap with 10g/ml Cactus Blossom Fragrance and stir well to combine.
Spritz with Isopropyl Alcohol if required to remove surface bubbles.
Now pour into the six mould cavities and spritz again to remove any surface bubbles.
Set aside to set up; this is why you are working on a tray
Now it’s time to make the Succulents!
Instructions for the Pearlescent Style Soaps
Combine ¼ teaspoon of Athena Green Mica with ½ teaspoon of Isopropyl Alcohol in a small cup.
Dice 170g of clear soap base and place into one of the jugs (this is for 2 of the succulents).
Lightly cover the jug and heat in short bursts in the microwave, ensuring it does not boil, until liquid.
Combine the colour, melted soap and 3g/ml Cactus Blossom Fragrance.
Pour into two of the cavities and then spray with Isopropyl Alcohol to remove surface bubbles.
Dry brush with Fluffy Clouds or Midas Gold Mica once unmoulded.
Instructions for the Colour Tip Soaps
Combine ¼ teaspoon Athena Green Mica in ½ a teaspoon Isopropyl Alcohol in a small cup.
Melt approximately 40g clear soap base and mix in the colourant.
Cut the tip off a disposable pipette.
Fill the pipette with soap, and carefully fill the deepest parts of 2 cavities with soap.
If the soap begins to set up in the pipette or the jug, 5 seconds in the microwave will melt it. Once this is done, you can prepare the overpour.
Combine ¼ of a Grasshopper Green Colour Block, 130g melted of clear soap base, and 3g/ml Cactus Blossom Fragrance.
Spray the set coloured tips of soap in the mould with Isopropyl Alcohol.
Take a spatula and pour the coloured, scented soap over the back of the spatula into the mould cavities so you don’t melt the little coloured tips.
Spritz with Isopropyl Alcohol to remove surface bubbles.
Instructions for the Pastel Green Soaps
Melt 170g white base.
Combine ¼ teaspoon Athena Green Mica with ½ teaspoon Isopropyl Alcohol in a small cup.
Combine the colour, melted soap and 3g/ml Cactus Blossom Fragrance.
Pour into two mould cavities, spritz with Isopropyl Alcohol to remove surface bubbles.
Once the bases are completely set up and cold these can be unmoulded and set aside.
To add the Mica sheen to unmoulded soaps
If using a paintbrush, dip the tip of the brush into dry mica and carefully apply to the soap.
Take care not to inhale particles.
If using a Powder Sprayer to add your preferred mica colour to the surface of the soap, simply pump the mica over the surface.
Take care not to inhale particles.
We like to give our brushed mica soaps a quick spray with some hair spray to keep the Mica in place – this is personal preference.
Now to join the top and bottom soaps together!
It is best to join the two halves of the soaps together when they are freshly made.
How to Join the Succulent Soaps to the Pots
Assemble the soaps, a knife, and Isopropyl Alcohol.
Take the knife and score (or cross hatch) across the surfaces of the soap that you will join together.
Melt 50g of Clear Melt & Pour Soap in 5 second bursts - it doesn't take long!
Remelt if required.
Spritz the scored surfaces of the soap halves liberally with Isopropyl Alcohol.
Now cover the surfaces with some of the melted soap base.
Quickly place the two halves together (before the soap has a chance to cool and set) and voilá!
Allow to set up and then wrap to avoid any sweating.
| Difficulty: | Experienced Beginner |
| Yields: | 6 bars |
| Time: | 1½ - 2 hours |
| save: | No |
| sale: | No |
