Apricot Oatmeal Glycerin Soaps

Apricot Oatmeal Glycerin Soaps: sweet cinnamon scented glycerin soaps made with Melt & Pour Soap Base and embellished with a whimsical apricot design.

One of the coolest things about working with Melt & Pour Soap is being able to create fun designs in loaf molds. This technique involves strategically placing logs of differently colored soap into a melted base. The designs created by layering the soaps are unveiled when the soap bars are sliced. While this technique can also be used in cold process soap making, the flexible and predictable nature of Melt & Pour Soap makes it very easy to plan and execute.

Our Apricot Oatmeal Glycerin Soap Bars are inspired by chilly winter mornings with a favorite hot breakfast treat. The sweet aroma of our Plant-Based Apricot Fragrance Oil is paired with a hint of warm, spicy cinnamon, making the soap bars smell just like a hearty bowl of oatmeal. Speaking of which, each bar is packed with soothing Whole Oat Flour and a sprinkling of whole oats, adding some extra scrub-power to the mix. The brown color comes from a dusting of powdered cinnamon.

Try swapping out the colorants and aromatics used in this recipe to make another kind of fruit or flower soap. For example, pink circles would make great roses! Or, leave out the cinnamon for a brighter white background and scent the soap with Orange Essential Oil instead.

About the Ingredients

Melt & Pour Soap Base

This ready-to-use glycerin soap melts easily and can be colored and molded with ease. Unlike cold or hot process soaps, melt & pour soap base does not require handling lye or sticking to extremely precise measurements. This makes melt & pour soap making an excellent introductory soap method.

Organic Whole Oat Flour and Oatmeal

Oats are a classic ingredient for soothing and calming sensitive or irritated skin. Often used in milk baths and scrubs, oat flour can also be incorporated into more complex formulations such as lotions, soaps, cleansers, or bath bombs. Oat flour can also act as a thickening agent or a binder in complex formulations such as emulsions or liquid soaps.

Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil

The sweet and warming aroma of cinnamon brings a spicy note to aromatherapy blends and (when well diluted) soaps and skincare products. This intensely aromatic essential oil should be used in small doses and is recommended for a dilution of 0.07% or less in skincare formulations. Aromatherapists call upon cinnamon oil to help encourage energy and a positive attitude.

Plant-Based Fragrance Oil

Our line of plant-based fragrance oils use components derived from natural essential oils and plant isolates and extracts. Our carefully curated selection of plant-based fragrance oils offers up an exciting variety of scents including fruit, floral, and spice inspired blends.

Pearlescent Mica

Pearlescent Micas are used to add color and sheen to beauty, cosmetic and personal care products. They are primarily used in the formulation of lipsticks, blushes and eye shadows. They are also widely incorporated into loose mineral make-up since colors can be combined to create virtually any shade. Micas are also used to color a huge variety of cosmetics including lip balms, bath products, lotions, soaps, and body powders.

Oxides

Oxides is a mineral-based colorant that disperses in oil. Oxides can provide rich, matte color to soaps and cosmetics. They are often used to tint mineral makeup, lip color, eyeshadow, and other makeup products.

Makes about twelve 100-gram (3.5-ounce) bars

Ingredients

2 pounds Coconut Clear Melt & Pour Soap Base
15 grams Organic Whole Oat Flour
8 grams Whole Oats
1 teaspoon Water Dispersible Titanium Dioxide
5 drops Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil
15 ml Apricot Plant-Based Fragrance Oil, divided
1/8 teaspoon Tangerine Mica Powder
1/8 teaspoon Chromium Oxide Green

Suggested Equipment

40 ounce silicone loaf mold
10″ silicone circular log mold
Double Boiler
Kitchen Knife

Directions

Dice soap base and measure into three sections; 450 grams (16 ounces), 140 grams (5 ounces), 315 grams (11 ounces).
Melt the 450 gram batch of soap base in a double boiler. Meanwhile, combine 10 ml of apricot plant-based fragrance oil with the tangerine mica in a small vessel. Stir well to break up any clumps.
Remove melted soap from heat and let sit for 2 minutes. Stir to distribute remaining heat, then add the mica and fragrance oil mixture. Stir well to distribute ingredients.
Carefully pour melted soap base into long, cylindrical molds to create a round tube. Chill tube in fridge or freezer, if possible, to speed up hardening. When the soap is fully cooled and hardened, remove from mold and repeat with remaining melted soap base.
Clean the double boiler and reset it on the stove for the next batch of soap. Add the 140 gram batch of soap to the double boiler and heat until fully melted. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 5 ml apricot plant-based fragrance oil with the chromium oxide in a small vessel. Stir well to break up any clumps.
Remove melted soap from heat and let sit for 1 minute. Stir to distribute remaining heat, then add the mica and fragrance oil mixture. Stir well to distribute ingredients. Pour melted base into the bottom of a loaf mold, coating the bottom to create a thin layer of soap. Allow this soap to cool and harden at room temperature while you prepare the next batch of soap.
Clean the double boiler and reset it on the stove for the last batch of soap. Add the 315 gram batch of soap to the double boiler and heat until fully melted. Meanwhile, combine the oat flour, titanium dioxide, and ground cinnamon in a small vessel and mix well.
Remove melted soap from heat. Sift in oat flour mixture to the melted soap base followed by the whole oats, and stir well to distribute ingredients. Return mixture to the double boiler with heat on low or turned entirely off.
Remove the orange and green soap blocks from their molds. Using a sharp knife, trim each block to match the length of your loaf mold. A snug fit is ideal.
Slice the green layer of soap into three long strips, then bevel the edges to give the strips a diamond shape (as pictured below).
Pour a thin layer of melted soap into the bottom of the loaf mold, then place two orange blocks inside. Cover the blocks with more melted soap, then place two green diamonds next to them, gently pushing them into the melted soap. Where you place these green pieces will determine the placement of the “leaves” in your final design.
Pour the rest of the melted soap into the mold, then place the last orange and green pieces, letting them stick out of the top of the loaf. You may want to push them down just a little to make sure they are deep enough in the melted soap to stay well connected.
Allow the soap to cool until completely hardened. This could take up to an hour or two depending on the room temperature and the temperature of the soap when it was poured.

Usage & Packaging

When the soap is completely cool, remove it from mold, slice into bars, and package in airtight plastic right away to avoid sweating. Our Small Cello Bags are great for packaging glycerin soaps.
To use, simply moisten with water and rub into a rich lather. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Shelf Life & Stability: Please note that the formulations featured here on The Natural Beauty Workshop have not been challenge tested for stability or shelf life, and may not be suitable for commercial use as-is. For more information on shelf life, stability, and working with preservatives, check out the following article from our Information Library.

Looking for more creative Melt & Pour Soap ideas? Check out our recipes for Loofah Fruit Slice Soaps, Mimosa Bloom Glycerin Soap, and Eucalyptus Spearmint Shaving Soap.