Decorating Soap Tops

For me, part of the fun of making soap is decorating the soap tops.  I try to give each of my soaps a different look. Goat Milk soap has a flat top, and Patchouli Clove has peaks. Lavender Lemongrass has calendula sprinkled on top, and Peppermint Scrub is topped with crushed apricot seeds. What you might not notice, is all my soaps have my signature swirl under the botanicals.

I started out doing the swirl as a way to even out the soap in the mold.  Sometimes when I pour, one side is a little higher than the other. I found it soothing to play with the soap batter, and decided to do the swirl on all my soap tops.

Someone asked me why I don’t sprinkle lavender on the top of my Lavender soap. It’s the same reason I use ground lavender in the soap instead of using the bud.  Uncured soap is caustic and has a high pH and turns the beautiful purple lavender bud black. I find even if I put the buds on top, the part of the lavender touching the soap turns an ugly color.

These soap tops have my swirl and botanicals.

The Laney Line soaps are topped with glitter. I was never into glitter until I started doing parties and classes with elementary girls. They adore glitter! It sparkles and it’s fun and it makes me smile.

Another fun soap top to make is a lace top. Only this soap top is actually the bottom.  I fill a fondant mat with one color soap and pour another color over it.

The lace soap makes a really nice favor for a bridal shower.

The thing that makes me sad is when you use my soap, the top is the first part to wash away.  Just know how much fun I had creating it for you.

Yours in Gratitude,

Angela