Great Cakes Soap Works Challenge #7

The challenge that Amy set us this week in her weekly challenges was to make a gradient coloured soap. I think that the only time I had seen this done was on Soap Queen with M&P soap. But after watching all the youtube videos available to me I was keen to take on the challenge. 

All my soap supplies are down a bit so the first challenge was to work out what colour and scent to use. After looking at what supplies I had and what soap I am running out of I decided to work with brambleberrys Turkish Mocha fragrant oil and coloured with cocoa powder and ground coffee.I kept my recipe exactly the same as last week as it seemed to trace at just the right speed that I thought I would need. I haven't done a Turkish Mocha for a while and I was hoping that it wouldn't speed things up too much. But after watching Amy take 1 1/2 hours to complete her pour. I didn't want to stand around for that long either. 

I had a photographer this time, so now I don't have the trouble of not having photos, I have the trouble of picking out which ones I want out of the 98 that were taken.

I added ground coffee thanks to the kids at Corryong College hospitality class and cocoa to the mix for colour and exfoliant.

I kept some of the batter to the side so I would have a white top.

The fragrance did speed up the trace a bit, but not too much. It did discolour though.

So I added titanium dioxide for good measure. Yes I know I am naughty for not wearing gloves but I forget, and when I start to feel burning spots on my fingers it is too late anyway.

Pouring the first layer, looks just like chocolate ganache.

I have a thing about making the coffee soap in cups and cupcakes,so I couldn't resist doing the layers and seeing how they would turn out.

Adding the second layer. I was impatient and could see it sinking a bit, so I tried to be more careful.

Adding more plain batter to the colour.

Adding another layer

Finally the white top.

I had some brown mica infused in oil from another soap so I mixed it with some of the plain batter too, and had the opportunity to use the sauce bottle I had paid 20c for at the op shop just for this purpose.

To this point I am very happy with the results, but the proof is in the cutting.....

The butterflys were from the last scrapings of the bowl. I hate to waste any soap. And I think these have real practical joke potential. Even my husband almost picked one up thinking it was a chocolate.

Over all I am very happy with the end result. But I can see how it would have been heaps better had I been more patient between layers, and taken the time to do things like wipe the side of the mold. I will definitely be doing a gradient soap again. Thanks again Amy for setting these challenges each week, they are such an inspiration, as is looking at what everybody else around the world has done for their challenge. Check them all out here.