Almond Crunch Soap

The last few soaps I've made have been fresh or citrus scents so I did a warm fragrance this time. Oh man... this Almond Cybilla from Bramble Berry makes my mouth water. The Bramble Berry fragrance calculator suggested only .30oz for 30oz of soap! Since I can't follow directions, I added .70oz. Spoiler, nothing bad happened! I didn't have my design plan worked out until just before. I super like how it came out.

P.S. If things look kinda pink in some of these pictures, it's because I was wearing a hot pink sweatshirt. I didn't realize how much it would reflect onto what was right in front of me!

Satin pearl mica was the only colorant I used, and crushed walnut shells for texture/exfoliation.

I split the soap half and half. One half got the .70oz of Almond fragrance, 1 tablespoon of walnut shells and 1 teaspoon dispersed satin pearl mica. The other half, just 2 teaspoons dispersed satin pearl. The fragrance discolors a caramel brown.

Walnut shells are really easy to work with. They mix in well and stay suspended, not sinking to the bottom.

I alternated white and brown in an S curve. I didn't go directly over the S with each pass, but kind of next to.

I didn't bring this to a strong trace, but by the end it was perfect. Just thick enough to create more distinct lines.

I pulled my soap comb down through the S curves. You can still see the S shape here!

Then did a wide peacock style pass with a skewer. I'm so loving this simple color scheme with the more complex pattern.

Soap poured in freezer paper is ready to unmold so much faster than soap poured in silicone liners. I love the liner for convenience, but the paper for impatience.

The side of a peacock swirl isn't usually as elegant as the top.

Cut and beveled! It came out with some rough edges so I opted to bevel. It's a sophisticated simple pattern, so I didn't think beveling was overkill.

The bottom is mostly brown and scrubby with walnut shells.

This side looks cool!

The bar on the left is turned to show the side which has been exposed to air the longest. The one on the right is from an inside cut. This is relevant because you can see how the exposure to air helps a discoloring fragrance to discolor. The soap on the right will eventually turn the warmer brown color (as will all of them) as they cure. Even though I like the almost grey-ish brown of the unexposed sides, the brown is warm and almond-y looking. Plus there isn't a whole lot I can do about it!