When you make soap in a log mold (like I do for most of the Sirona Springs soaps), a new way to decorate that top edge of the bar is always welcome. The mica oil swirl is something that I’ve been watching other soapmakers do all of last year, with some great results! (Just Google “mica oil swirl soap” and you’ll see what I mean).
I gave it a try recently and found that, like most new skills, it takes a bit of practice. And that (also like most new skills) once you get it, the results are totally worth it!
Using micas to swirl soap
Micas are a class of soap colorants that soapmakers use because they blend easily and come in lots of vibrant colors. They also have a lovely sparkling look to them. Think “shimmery eyeshadow” and you’ll have a good idea of what I’m talking about. Micas are what make eyeshadows sparkle the way they do. But in cold process soap, the shimmer is lost when the mica is mixed into the soap. The color is still vibrant, but no sparkle.
This technique is so exciting because it keeps the shimmer of the mica in cold process soap.
Mixing the oil and the mica
The first step is to mix some mica with a bit of light oil. I used olive oil. Other kinds of oils that could be used are sweet almond, rice bran, or safflower. I used 2 parts oil to 1 part of mica. That ratio gave a pretty good consistency: not too runny and not pasty. I mixed them up in these little glass custard cups that I use to mix all my soap colors. But little Dixie cups or small plastic portion cups would work well, too.
Once the mica oil is ready, the soap is made in the usual way and poured into a mold. I was using some little wood molds that each hold one pound of soap.
Swirling the mica oil
The mica oil is drizzled on top of the soap right after pouring it, while it’s still loose enough to be swirled around. You can use a spoon or plastic pipette to drizzle the oil. Then choose a tool like a skewer or chopstick to swirl the oil around.
I was really surprised at how thin the mica oil is. I’m used to swirling with soap batter that is colored, but this flows and spreads out so much more easily. I quickly figured out that only a few drops are needed to get a nice wispy swirl.
In my first tries I drizzled on more mica oil and the soap ended up more heavily colored. That’s not necessarily a bad thing (especially with this beautiful copper mica), but it was good to learn.
One of my favorite swirls was with the gold and pearly white micas. I chose those colors for this soap because I had scented it with a vanilla fragrance oil, which I knew was going to turn the soap brown. It can be so difficult to make brown soap look pretty, but this mica oil swirl really fit the bill perfectly!
With this technique, you only need a little bit of mica and a little bit of swirling to have a really big impact.
Have you tried this yourself yet? Leave me a link in the comments and show off your own beauty! 🙂
I just love how beautiful the vanilla soap looks!
I agree, sharrielynn! The contrast is stunning.
This looks like a fun and interesting way to add contrast. I’m going to try this next time I am making soap. Wonder how it will look with my bar shape….. might be very cool! Thanks for the lesson Ruth!
You’re welcome, Janice. I can’t wait to see how it turns out for you.
I’m somewhat addicted to mica oil swirls! Well done Ruth 🙂
Thanks, Tanya! I know exactly what you mean: it’s too pretty to resist.
Thanks for the info on less is best. Great pictures with this blog.
Thanks, Charmayne!
Wow that vanilla bar turned out really stunning! The “reveal” at the end is pretty cool when contrasted to the “just poured” white version.
Thanks, Cassie! I’d forgotten how dark that soap would get. It’s even a bigger difference than I expected.
I love doing a mica swirl!!!
http://cabinofbows.blogspot.com/2013/11/sleigh-ride.html
http://cabinofbows.blogspot.com/2013/09/chamomile-soother.html
It really makes a beautiful bar of soap!
Those look great, Lois. Thanks for sharing!
Intriguing! I’m going to have to finish my list of “Must Do” so I can work on my “Want to Do” as this soap is now right at the top of my list!
That’s why it took me so long to try it, Andee! I can’t wait to see how it turns out for you.
Wow, all so pretty (especially the brown one)! Thanks for the tips!
You’re welcome, Molly! I hope you get to try it soon yourself.
Thanks for the technique tutorial! I just made a batch of soap yesterday and wish I saw this before then. I’ll have to give this s try for the next batch.
You’re welcome, JV! I’ll be checking your blog for the results. 🙂
Very Nicely done~ !
Thanks, Sindy! It’s so easy and quick, I’m sure I’ll be doing it on a regular basis with some of my soaps.
Beautiful mica swirls, especially the green one!
I’ve tried it twice, and i really enjoyed it. This has got to be one of the prettiest techniques. 🙂
I agree, Silvia! Keeping that sparkle makes it so pretty.
I’ve been wondering how to do the mica oil swirl. This tutorial is just what I needed, thanks!
That’s great, Claudia! I’m so happy to help. I’d love to see how it turns out for you. Feel free to post a link here or post photos on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SoapmakingTeacher
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Great tutorial Ruth, and the vanilla soap is so beautiful!! It was reading this post that reminded me that I’d not posted about my mica swirl – thank you! This technique give such a lovely effect, I think I’ll be doing it a lot more often too, and I definitely agree that less is more – I’ll be following that principle next time 😀
http://thesoapmine.wordpress.com/2014/01/27/i-missed-one/
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your own mica swirl, Vicki! It looks great!
Beautiful swirls! I especially love the green one. It looks so delicate 🙂
Thanks, Roxana! That’s my favorite, too. It took a few tries to get there, though.
Dear Ruth,
Really-really beautiful soaps, mica is my favourite too. I have tried the mica plus glycerine mix for a 3D pattern once. But I would try this mica and oil combination next time!
http://szappanszertar.blogspot.hu/2014/01/joghurtos-soszappan-salt-soap-with.html?showComment=1391105709377
Greetings,
Eszter
… Sorry, the previous one was a wrong link… (but that salt soap was a succesful project, too…) 🙂
The 3D mica swirl was this one:
http://szappanszertar.blogspot.hu/2014/01/levendula-szappan-citrom-illoolajjal.html
Thanks for sharing those, Eszter! I see that you used glycerin instead of oil for your mica swirl. It’s so interesting how different it is: more of an etched look. But still nice and shiny.
This is awesome thanks so much for sharing. What happens when you get the dreaded soap ash on this beautiful swirl? any ideas to be sure not to get it? thanks
I haven’t had to deal with ash and this technique. Yet. 🙂 But I think your best bet would be to steam it off. I just blogged about that: http://sironasprings.wordpress.com/2014/02/04/dont-like-the-ash-steam-it-off/ Thanks for stopping by and asking the question, Joanna!
Thank you for this great technique. I was so excited to try the swirl on top, that I forgot to add fragrance. I took it out of the mold this morning, after 2 days. I used merlot mica from brambleberry and it looks great! I don’t even miss the fragrance.
Oh, I have done that SO many times! But I’m glad you’re happy with the final result. That merlot mica is one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing your comment!
I thought I would show you the finished product. Thanks Ruth for sharing this technique, I absolutely love it! I think I will make another batch today, but will try to remember to add fragrance this time:)
http://ilovesoap.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=377&action=edit&message=6&postpost=v2
Oops sorry I think that was the wrong link…try this one
http://ilovesoap.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/
Oh, that looks lovely! Thanks so much for sharing it with me!
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Those are really pretty. I will have to try this soon.I will also have to go through the links above. 🙂
Thanks so much, Diana! I’d love to see what you come up with. Feel free to come back and add a link to a photo of your soap.
Just come across your site and love the swirling. Im trying to learn/perfect my swirling at the moment so your advice has come just at the right time. Love your colours and explanantion. Thank you.
When I tried it I notice during the curing process if you pass anything on the bright coloured swirls, it rubbed off…is this normal