5 Colour ITP Swirl - Cold Processed Soap

What is ITP? This is a Soapers abbreviation for "In the Pot". This means you don't actually swirl the colours manually or physically through the soap, the colours are simply poured into the main pot and the colours mix themselves as you pour the batch from the main soap pot into the mould. A slab or log Mould are best for this kind of soap.

The most important thing with using so many colours is to avoid overtracing the soap. If it is too thick, it won't swirl well and will clump instead of flowing. The soap is barely traced when you divide up your batch into five portions. Also important is to use a Fragrance or Essential Oil that doesn't accelerate trace, so if using a different scent than Lovespell make sure you know how it will react in this recipe. Don't forget to avoid Fragrances that discolour (the Vanilla based scents) as this will spoil the look of this soap.

100g Cocoa Butter
600g Olive Oil
250g Coconut Oil
250g Palm Kernel Oil
174g Sodium Hydroxide (Caustic Soda/Lye)
320 - 450 mls/g of Distilled Water (Use larger quantity if you are a beginner)
I used 30ml (approx 6 teaspoons) of Lovespell Fragrance to give this batch its Fragrance, though I was considering 50:50 Pineapple Cilantro and Kumquat as they don't accelerate either.

Scented with Lovespell Fragrance , I coloured this batch with Brites for CP and Liquid Dispersion Colours at medium concentration to achieve a good depth of colour without being "fluoro", and used 1/2 tsp Titanium Dioxide into the entire base to assist with a neutral base colour.

The Five Colours I used are:

For the main background colour - Brites for CP Yellow
For the Deep Aqua/Teal Swirl colour - Deep Seagreen Liquid Dispersion
For the Orange Swirl colour - Brites for CP Orange
For the Lime Green Swirl colour - Brites for CP Lime Green
For the Purple Swirl colour - Royal Purple Liquid Dispersion

Method:

For how to make soap from Scratch, please see our Cold Process Soapmaking Instructions Page

If you are a beginner, we recommend you make a few batches before attempting this soap as it can be a little overwhelming using so many colours when just starting out. If you are more advanced, you can follow the instructions below.

Prepare all ingredients and line the mould as usual
Set aside four x 1 - 1 1/2 cup plastic measure jugs for individual colours
Prepare your workspace and set out the liquid colours ready to go
I use a small coffee frother to mix colours in 1 cup portions, so as to avoid over tracing
Fragrance: It is best to portion this between the five amounts of traced soap - add it after the initial colour is mixed into each container
Bring soap to thin trace, mix through the Titanium Dioxide and then pour approximately 1 cup of soap into each of the four containers
Colour each of the smaller portions of soap in the small jugs to a medium shade (I used approximately 15 - 20 drops per cup - but this will vary
Colour the main pot of soap with a medium shade of the Brite Yellow
Now add the fragrance and stir through thoroughly, but don't increase the trace
Now work quickly - tip each colour in turn into four pools into the main soap pot - I use 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock
DO NOT MIX THIS
Still working quickly, pour the soap into the log mould – the colours will mix as you do this creating the effect as shown in the pictures
By slightly moving the soap pot as you pour you can alter the pattern a little if desired
See full instructions for In the Pot Swirling Technique here).
If you want a textured top, or don't wish to cover the top to avoid ashing, spritz liberally with Isopropyl Alcohol, then insulate for gel, or you can cover with acetate once firm enough to lie this over the top without it sticking
Unmould and slice as usual

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