Made with Stephenson Suspending Melt & Pour Soap Base and the Sculpted Layer Set (6) + Mini Tall Skinny Silicone Loaf Mold.
Create adorable animal-themed soaps featuring sculpted ears, a dreamy swirled sky background, and hand-carved facial details. Using the Sculpted Layer Set (6) + Mini Tall Skinny Silicone Loaf Mold, simple layers of melt and pour soap are transformed into charming animal faces that can be customized into dogs, cats, hamsters, bears, and more.
The project combines sculpted layering techniques with hand detailing to create unique character soaps without the need for specialty stamps or molds. Facial features are carved directly into each bar and highlighted with mica paints, allowing every soap to have its own personality and expression.
Makes ~ approximately 6 x 1” bars
Recommended Equipment:
- Digital Scale
- Heat-safe Measuring Cups
- Microwave
- Stirring Spatula
- Small Mixing Cups
- 0.15 cc Measuring Spoon
- Spray Bottle with Isopropyl Alcohol
- Sculpted Layer Set (6) + Mini Tall Skinny Silicone Loaf Mold
- Knife or Soap Cutter
Formula:
| Ingredient | Usage Rate (%) |
Weight (g) |
| Stephenson Oatmeal & Shea Melt & Pour Soap Base | 84.2 | 585 |
| Stephenson Suspending Melt & Pour Soap Base | 14.4 | 100 |
| Mango Fragrance Oil | 1.4 | 10 |
| Gold Shimmer Mica | 7x 0.15CC Scoop | |
| Rocky Mountain Sky Mica | 3x 0.15CC Scoop | |
| Frost Mica | 3x 0.15CC Scoop | |
| Onyx Mica | as needed | |
| Rosy Red Mica | as needed | |
| Isopropyl Alcohol | as needed |
Featured Ingredients:
Stephenson Oatmeal & Shea Melt & Pour Soap Base
Stephenson Oatmeal & Shea Melt & Pour Soap Base forms the foundation of the animal faces and sculpted ear layers in this project. The creamy opaque appearance provides excellent contrast for the carved details and mica accents while the suspended oatmeal adds natural visual texture throughout the bars. Enriched with shea butter, glycerin, and skin-loving vitamins, this vegetable-derived soap base produces a rich lather and a pleasant skin feel while serving as an ideal canvas for creative soap designs.
Stephenson Suspending Melt & Pour Soap Base
Stephenson Suspending Melt & Pour Soap Base is blended into the sky layer to help keep mica particles evenly dispersed throughout the soap. Its unique formulation allows colourants to remain suspended rather than settling, creating a soft, dreamy background effect behind the sculpted animal faces. The translucent appearance also adds depth and dimension while providing excellent lather and fragrance lift.
Mango Fragrance Oil
Mango Fragrance Oil adds a bright, cheerful scent that perfectly complements the playful nature of this project. Juicy notes of tropical mango, peach, grapefruit, coconut, musk, and vanilla create a sweet, fruity aroma that appeals to both children and adults. While Mango Fragrance Oil was used for this project, the design can easily be customized with any fragrance oil to suit a particular theme or season.
Gold Shimmer Mica
Gold Shimmer Mica creates the warm golden tones used for the animal head and ear layers. Its soft shimmer helps highlight the sculpted details while adding a subtle touch of sparkle to the finished bars. The rich gold colour works particularly well for animal-inspired designs, creating fur-like tones and enhancing the whimsical character of the soaps.
Rocky Mountain Sky Mica
Rocky Mountain Sky Mica colours part of the swirled sky background and provides soft blue tones that help frame the animal faces. Its vibrant sky-blue hue creates contrast against the warm golden soap layers while contributing to the playful, storybook-inspired appearance of the finished bars.
Frost Mica
Frost Mica adds light, shimmering highlights to the sky layer. When swirled together with Rocky Mountain Sky Mica, it creates the appearance of soft clouds drifting through the background. The subtle sparkle helps brighten the design and adds visual depth without overpowering the sculpted details.
Onyx Mica
Onyx Mica is used to highlight carved facial features such as eyes, noses, mouths, and whiskers. The deep black colour creates strong contrast against the lighter soap base, helping fine details stand out and bringing each animal character to life.
Rosy Red Mica
Is used to add cheerful blush accents to the finished animal faces. Its soft pink-red tone creates adorable rosy cheeks and decorative highlights that enhance the playful personality of each soap while adding a touch of colour to the design.
Isopropyl Alcohol
Isopropyl Alcohol serves several important functions throughout this project. It is used to disperse mica colourants, helping create smooth and even colour incorporation, and is also sprayed between layers to promote adhesion and reduce the risk of separation. In the finishing stage, isopropyl alcohol is combined with mica to create a simple paint for decorating the carved facial details.
Instructions:
- Step 1: Cut 265 g of Stephenson Oatmeal & Shea Melt & Pour Soap into small cubes and melt using short bursts in the microwave until fully liquid. Add 5 g of fragrance oil and stir gently. Disperse 7 scoops (0.15 cc each) of Gold Shimmer Mica in a small amount of isopropyl alcohol and mix into the melted soap until evenly coloured. Pour the soap into the Mini Tall Skinny Silicone Loaf Mold. This layer will form the main portion of the animal head. Allow the soap to cool and harden completely.
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Step 2: Cut 120 g of Stephenson Oatmeal & Shea Melt & Pour Soap into cubes and melt until fully liquid. Add 1 g of fragrance oil.
Disperse 7 g of Gold Shimmer Mica in a small amount of isopropyl alcohol and stir into the melted soap until uniform in colour.
Spritz the first layer with isopropyl alcohol and carefully pour the darker soap layer on top. Allow the soap to cool and harden completely.
- Step 3: Install the desired scraper into the Sculpted Layer Set guide bar and adjust the height so the scraper contacts the highest portion of the top layer. Gently pull the scraper through the soap from one end of the mold to the other, removing thin layers of soap until the ear shape becomes visible. Continue adjusting and scraping as needed until the animal head profile is fully sculpted. Remove all soap shavings before proceeding.
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Step 4: Cut 200 g of Stephenson Oatmeal & Shea Melt & Pour Soap and 100 g of Stephenson Suspending Melt & Pour Soap into cubes. Melt together until fully liquid.
Add 4 g of fragrance oil and stir well. Divide the soap equally between two heat-safe containers.
Disperse Rocky Mountain Sky Mica in isopropyl alcohol and add it to one container. Disperse Frost Mica in isopropyl alcohol and add it to the second container. Mix both portions until the colour is fully incorporated.
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Step 5: Spritz the sculpted soap layer with isopropyl alcohol.
Slowly pour both colours into the mold at the same time, alternating the pouring direction occasionally to create a soft swirled sky effect. The suspending soap base helps keep the mica evenly distributed throughout the layer.
Allow the soap loaf to cool and harden completely, approximately 2–3 hours.
- Step 6: Remove the soap loaf from the mold and cut into approximately six 1-inch bars.
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Step 7: Using a soap detailing tool, carefully carve facial features into each soap. Eyes, noses, mouths, whiskers, ears, and other details can be customized to create a variety of animal characters. Mix small amounts of mica with isopropyl alcohol to create a paint-like consistency.
Use: - Onyx Mica for outlines and facial details
- Gold Shimmer Mica for accents
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Rosy Red Mica for cheeks and decorative highlights
Allow the mica paint to dry briefly before gently wiping away any excess colour using a paper towel lightly dampened with isopropyl alcohol.
- Step 8: Allow the finished soaps to dry completely before packaging. Melt and pour soap is ready to use as soon as it has hardened and does not require curing. If the soaps will not be used immediately, wrap them in shrink wrap or plastic wrap to help prevent glycerin dew.
Need a little inspiration?
Tips for Success
Create Unique Expressions
Small changes to the placement of eyes, noses, and mouths can dramatically change the personality of each animal face. Experiment with different expressions to create a collection of unique character soaps.
Allow Layers to Fully Harden
Each layer should be completely firm before sculpting or pouring additional soap. This helps maintain crisp details and prevents distortion.
Use Isopropyl Alcohol Between Layers
A light spritz of isopropyl alcohol promotes adhesion and helps reduce the risk of layer separation.
Work Slowly When Carving
Use gentle pressure when carving facial features. Removing small amounts of soap at a time provides greater control and cleaner lines.
Advanced Maker Notes
Using Mica as Paint
Mixing mica with isopropyl alcohol creates a simple decorative paint that settles into carved details. Once dry, the mica highlights fine features and increases contrast within the design.
Benefits of Suspending Melt & Pour Soap
The addition of Stephenson Suspending Melt & Pour Soap helps keep mica particles evenly distributed throughout the sky layer, creating a softer and more uniform appearance.
Preserve Fine Details
When wiping away excess mica paint, use minimal pressure to avoid removing colour from the carved recesses.
Preventing Glycerin Dew
Melt and pour soap naturally contains glycerin, which attracts moisture from the air. Wrapping finished bars shortly after cooling can help minimize surface moisture and maintain a cleaner appearance.
Note:
These formulations are provided as a guide and may be used for personal or commercial applications. Voyageur Soap & Candle Company Ltd. accepts no liability for the performance, effectiveness, or outcomes of products made using these formulations. Users are responsible for proper testing, safe formulation practices, and compliance with all applicable regulations.
If you have any questions regarding this recipe, please email us at customerservice@voyageursoapandcandle.com or call us at 1-800-758-7773.