It actually sounds easy, right? Well, to get the perfect swirl there are many factors that you need to account for and it is not that easy overall. I ended up creating 4 different soaps and am still not completely satisfied with any of them. IT IS NOT EASY!
The soap batter needs to be fluid and liquid without setting up so you can swirl it. The batter needs to go all the way to the bottom of the mold - also not easy as it starts to get solid rather quickly.
Then finally, choosing a combination of colors and scent to accompany the color while keeping the batter thin and fluid is an art unto itself. But I did it!
I did do it FOUR TIMES!
This is my initial attempt. Done in a very small batch just to get the hang of the swirl.
So onward and upward!! I will get this done correctly and finally pulled out the slab mold, which really isn't a mold at all but simply a tray that I use as a mold, lined with flexible shelf liner.
I used a variety of natural clay colorants because they are mixed in water which helps keep the batter thinner and since it was earthy I mixed some vetyver,,apple and rain fragrance and essential oils together to get a combination of earthy and crisp sweetness fragrances. I knew these would not accelerate or rice the soap. Then I began pouring using blocks to hold the mold at a slight angle so I could get straight lines of batter.