Cold Process Soap Swirling Tips
by Amanda Gail, www.lovinsoap.com
TEMPERATURES
Higher temps during the mixing stage of
soap making cause the soap to move
faster to trace. So to slow down
trace…lower the temps of your lye
solution and melted oils. Depending on
my recipe, I like to soap at about
85-100°F.
Low Temps = Slow Moving Soap
High Temps = Fast Moving Soap
OILS
Use oils that are slow to trace.
Usually liquid unsaturated fats (high
oleic acid) are slower moving and
include oils such as olive, almond,
avocado, apricot kernel, rice
bran…etc.
Pomace olive oil traces faster than
regular olive oil. I personally always use
Refined A Olive Oil from Soapers
Choice.
Castor oil will speed up trace, so only
use it in smaller quantities.
Shoot for a recipe with 50-60%+ in
olive oil and other liquid oils.
Swirling Tips for Cold Process Soap by Amanda Gail, www.lovinsoap.com
WATER
Using a higher amount of water can
sometimes help to slow down trace.
However, there is a balancing act with
a fine line. If you have a recipe with
high amounts of olive oil, using too
much water can make the recipe
actually separate or make it
uneccesarily soft upon unmolding.
If I have a high amount of olive oil and
unsaturated fats (50%+), I will use 2
times my lye for water.
If I'm soaping with palm, tallow or lard,
I might use 3 times my lye for water.
FRAGRANCE & ESSENTIAL OILS
Fragrance oils can cause a recipe to speed
up. Make sure the FO that you choose has
been tested with CP soap and does not
cause acceleration. Watch out for floral
and spice fragrance oils.
Some essential oils can speed up trace.
These mostly include spices such as
cinnamon, cassia, bay and clove.
Add your fragrance oils or essential oils to
your melted oils BEFORE mixing with your
lye solution. Diluting them can sometimes
slow things down.
 Cold Process Soap Swirling Tips
EMULSION VERSUS TRACE
Especially if you’re new to soaping, you’ll
see the word trace pop up in soap making
books, online guides and forums. You’ll
hear, “Mix your lye solution with your oils
and stick blend (or stir by hand) until you
reach trace. It is then safe to pour your soap
into your mold,” …or something along
those lines. Most resources don’t discuss
the importance of a stable emulsion and
lead new soapers to believe they have to
get to this occurrence called trace…or
they won’t have soap. Emulsion is just as
important as trace.
At one time or another every new soap
maker wants to try their hand at swirling.
Usually when you swirl, you divide up your
soap batter, color each one and swirl into
your mold using different swirling
techniques.
Mixing until emulsified and then dividing
up your batter gives you much more time
to color, scent and execute your swirl.
If you were to divide at trace, color and
attempt to swirl…you’ll end up glopping
the mixture into the mold instead of
swirling.
Swirling Tips for Cold Process Soap by Amanda Gail, www.lovinsoap.com
Emulsion is when you have mixed your
oils and melted fats with your lye
solution until your mixture appears
homogeneous.
We look for a stable emulsion in that if
you pause for a second or two…it does
not separate out. It stays emulsified. You
should not have any oil floating on top and
your soap batter should be consistently
creamy in appearance. Depending on your
oils, it should still be quite thin.
Trace is when a mark made on the
surface of the soap remains or when soap
drizzled on top of the surface remains for
a noticeable amount of time before
falling back into the mixture.
Soap that has been brought to trace is
quite thick. To test for trace simply lift
your stick blender out of your mixture and
drizzle a bit on top. If this drizzle sits on
the surface then you have trace.
Learn to stop mixing before you reach
trace.
 Cold Process Soap Swirling Tips

A VISUAL OF EMULSION VERSUS TRACE
I’ve just added my lye solution to the oils.
The lye sinks and is starting to emulsify
with the oils. The top layer is all oil.

The soap below still has visible oil

separated from the mixture. Keep mixing!

At this point, you can even turn your stick

blender off and just mix by hand so that
you don't mix to far.

Swirling Tips for Cold Process Soap by Amanda Gail, www.lovinsoap.com

 Cold Process Soap Swirling Tips

A VISUAL OF EMULSION VERSUS TRACE
Here is perfectly emulsified soap. There is no oil floating in
streaks or on top of the mixture. We’re not quite to trace,
which is good. This is the point at which you would want to
to separate your soap out to color for a swirl.

When soap falls off of the spoon it goes right back into the
batter and doesn't sit on top.

Here the soap has traced. If you’ve gotten to trace, then

you have usually gone too far for creating intricate swirls.

Swirling Tips for Cold Process Soap by Amanda Gail, www.lovinsoap.com

 Cold Process Soap Swirling Tips

MY FAVORITE SWIRLING RECIPE

Coconut Oil - 306 grams (34%)

Shea Butter - 45 grams (5%)
Olive Oil - 360 grams (40%)
Avocado Oil - 54 grams (6%)
Rice Bran Oil - 135 grams (15%)

Sodium Hydroxide - 128 grams

Distilled Water - 256 grams

Essential Oil - 30-60 grams

Swirling Tips for Cold Process Soap by Amanda Gail, www.lovinsoap.com