Green Tea Smoothie Cold Process Soap Recipe

A nice fun project, ready and curing for Festive gifting!  We love the scent of Green Tea Lemongrass Fragrance combined with the rich Matcha Green Tea colour of the base with a blend of colourants.  We used mainly Chrome Green Oxide and brightened it up with Brites for CP Yellow and Green.

This is an intermediate level Cold Process Soap Loaf Recipe though experienced beginners will be able to make this too if you are confident with managing trace.

Ingredients:

•   100g Avocado Oil
•   150g Olive Oil
•   100g Castor Oil
•   100g Cocoa Butter
•   300g Coconut Oil 
•   300g Rice Bran Oil
•     25g Sodium Lactate Plus

•   147g Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)
•   320g Distilled Water

•   50g/ml Green Tea Lemongrass Fragrance - this is a minimum, I prefer a stronger scent for tea soaps, so I use 70g/ml of this Fragrance
•   Chrome Green Oxide Powder
•   Brites for CP Yellow
•   Brites for CP Green *Optional, you can omit this and just work with the Brites for CP Yellow

•   Optional:  Medallion Gold Mica or Holographic EcoGlitter

•   1 x Flexible Loaf Mould - Tall
•   1 x 12 Lime Green Paper Straws

Equipment:

All your regular Cold Process Soap making equipment and Safety Gear including Goggles and Gloves
Jug to hold 500ml to 1 litre traced soap
Scissors to cut the straws
Ruler
Cups to mix and hydrate the colours
Small beaker to hold the Essential Oils - helpful, not essential
Isopropyl Alcohol and Sprtizer Bottle – optional – to prevent soda ash if you decide on a textured top

• Add the Sodium Lactate to the Lye Water once you are ready to begin your soap.

• Trim the straws to approximately 130mm to 140mm.

Now to make the soap!


The instructions below are edited down, as full instructions which MUST BE READ FOR SAFETY, are on these links:  see our Cold Process Soapmaking Instructions.  You can also watch Soap Queen's YouTube Series on Cold Process Soapmaking.

• Prep the colours - hydrate the Chrome Green Oxide in either a little oil or distilled water. I hydrated 1 level teaspoon in water and if I don't use it all allow it to dry out and store it for the next batch. of soap.

• Wearing your safety gear, combine the cooled lye water and the warmed oils and bring to light trace.
• Remove approximately 300 - 400g of uncoloured soap into a separate jug - this is for the white top.
• Now add the colour to the remainder of the soap - the depth of green can be altered with a higer or lower Chrome Oxide to Brites for CP ratio.
• Add the Fragrance Oil and combine well - if trace is thickening, mix this in manually.

• I tweaked my green a little!
• Now bring the soap to medium trace, a little thicker than usual.

• Pour immediately into the mould.
• Manually move the uncoloured base around to ensure it doesn't begin to set up.

• Tap the loaf mould on the bench to ensure the green layer is level in the mould and move on to the topping.

• The top should be a little like the consistency of thick Greek Yoghurt, use a spoon or spatula to place on the soap.

• It will be nice and thick so you can manipulate it into a semi-textured top.

• Place a ruler or measure along the far edge of the mould and begin to place the pre-cut straws.  I like to place the cut end into the soap.
• Try and place them evenly; the middle mark between the straws will be your cutting guide.  *If using a tank style cutter, you will need to measure the gaps to match your cutter.

• Done!  If you want to use mica or glitter on the surface of the soap now is the time to apply it.  For the New Gold Mica I used a Powder Sprayer, and for the Glitter I sprinkled it on by hand.  You can also use your preferred method of application!
• To avoid a partial gel, or tide line, I put this straight into the fridge - so this is an 'ungelled' soap.  If you prefer to gel it, continue with your usual method of heat and insulation.
• Leave for at least a week before unmoulding.  To ensure this deep, full water soap came out of the mould cleanly, I used the freezer method to unmould without issue.
• Slice and then leave another 5 weeks to cure and dry out.  The longer you leave it to dry out, the harder the soap will be.

 Note:  If using the trolley there is no Olive Oil, Sodium Hydroxide included. Glitter or Mica included.  You can purchasee Olive Oil and Distilled Water from the supermarket.