This tallow soap came out great! It combines layers and a pencil line technique using charcoal. I chose to use the Nourishing Tallow Recipe from this blog post.
Photo by Busy Bee Creative – Product Photography
Nourishing Tallow Recipe
Tallow – 8 oz. (25%)
Coconut Oil – 8 oz. (25%)
Olive Oil – 16 oz. (50%)
Sodium Hydroxide – 4.54 oz.
Water – 9 oz.
Orange Illite Clay – 1 teaspoon
Sea Clay – 1 teaspoon
Red Brazilian Clay – 1 teaspoon
Charcoal – About 1 teaspoon for dusting
Lemongrass Essential Oil – 1 oz.
Litsea Essential Oil – 1 oz.
Bramble Berry 12″ Tall Skinny Loaf Mold
Let’s make this soap!
Safety Warning: This recipe is for soapmakers who have a basic knowledge of the soapmaking process and know the correct safety procedures to use when handling lye. If you are new to soapmaking, visit our beginner instructions. Be sure to wear safety goggles and gloves while soaping.
Step 1 – Make your lye solution. Weigh out your lye and water into two separate containers.
Step 2 – Pour your lye into the water while stirring slowly. Be sure to mix your lye solution in a well-ventilated area.
Step 3 – Weigh out the tallow and coconut oil and melt. Melt just until melted, no more.
Step 4 – Add the olive oil to the melted oils. This will help cool the temperature down.
Step 5 – Add essential oils and oatmeal to the oil blend. Mix.
Step 6 – Once the oils and lye solution have gotten to below 90 degrees F, pour the lye into the oils and mix until emulsion. Don’t mix to trace.
Step 7 – Divide the mixture out evenly into three containers. Color one with sea clay, one with red clay and one with orange clay. Stir each until well blended. It is okay if things are getting thick since we are layering this soap.
Step 8 – Using your stick-blender, mix each color to a thick trace. (If needed.)
Step 9 – Plop half of the red soap into the mold. Tap to flatten.
Step 10 – Sprinkle with a bit of charcoal. DO NOT create a solid line of charcoal or your soap will separate. Sprinkle sparingly. As you pour the next layer, the liquid in the soap will spread out the charcoal.
Step 11 – Plop half of the sea clay soap into the mold over the red soap. Sprinkle another charcoal layer.
Repeat until the mold is full. Don’t worry if your soap starts getting thick. Plop and then tap the mold down onto a hard surface to level.
Allow your soap to sit overnight and unmold the next day. Cut your soap and let is cure for a minimum of 4 weeks.
When cutting a soap with a pencil line, lay the soap on it’s side to cut so you don’t drag the line down the soap. Like this!
Happy Soaping!
-Amanda Gail
I finally tried this recipe, after months of planning… it didn’t come out perfectly, I didn’t have exactly the same colors of clay, and I didn’t let the first layer firm up enough, and I made a mess with the charcoal, but, they are still beautiful and unique. This recipe is a real inspiration to me! I tried it twice with two different color palates, and the second was better than the first. I have no doubt I’ll keep getting better at it. Thank you!
Just wanted to say how much I loved this post- I’ve referenced it, printed it off and modified the layering somewhat to create my own versions. Love your site and appreciate your beautiful creations!
I’m about to make this soap, but see it calls for oatmeal. The picture looks like it has been ground to a powder- is that true? Also, how much should I add? I’m excited to try this!!
Wow, eye popping colours! Just love the look. The bars are quite tall -no short and squat bars. Must give it a go, and I might try cocoa instead of the charcoal. Thanks for the ideas -we are very limited here in NZ
These are just gorgeous! You managed to get the perfect lines and layers; I love the colors you chose!
This soap looks amazing! I cant wait to try it out. I have been shopping for the ingredients and found a lot of help at bulkapothecary.com/categories/soap-making-supplies.html fingers crossed that i don’t mess this up. thanks for the info.
Any suggestions on where to purchase those types of clays? I have not heard of them before.
I love the varied heights of pencil lines – so much more interesting than straight across!
Hi Amanda! 😉 I have used cocoa powder to create a pencil line and covered the whole layer without separation- why does the charcoal do this? Thx! Happy soaping!