Oatmeal, Milk and Honey Melt and Pour Soap

• Digital Scale
• Regular Loaf Silicone Soap Mold
• Honeycomb Silicone Mold
• 2 Heat-Safe Measuring Cups
• Small Mixing Cup
• 0.15 cc Measuring Scoop
• Spray Bottle with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol
• Stir Sticks, Spoons or Silicone Spatulas
• Soap Cutter or Knife
• Microwave or Double Boiler
• Gloves

Stephenson Oatmeal & Shea Melt & Pour Soap
Stephenson Oatmeal & Shea Melt & Pour Soap gives this fall-inspired soap its creamy, rustic appearance and gentle exfoliating texture. This vegetable-derived base is made with natural oatmeal and nourishing shea butter, with oatmeal suspended throughout the soap for visible texture in the finished bars.
Its high glycerin content contributes to a smooth, pleasant skin feel, while the oatmeal and shea butter complement the warm, comforting character of the finished soap. The naturally creamy colour also creates a beautiful contrast against the translucent golden honey portion of the loaf.
Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Fragrance Oil contains vanillin and may cause this portion of the soap to develop a light tan colour over time. This subtle colour change works naturally with the warm oatmeal-inspired appearance of the finished bars.

Stephenson High Clarity Vanilla Stable Melt & Pour Soap
Stephenson High Clarity Vanilla Stable Melt & Pour Soap is used to create the beautiful translucent golden honey portion of this loaf. Its excellent clarity allows the Gold Shimmer Mica to shine through the soap, creating warm amber-gold tones that contrast beautifully with the creamy Oatmeal & Shea base.
HCVS is specially formulated to dramatically reduce the darkening commonly associated with vanilla and vanillin-containing fragrances. Stephenson notes that the base is stable with up to 2% of most vanilla or vanillin-containing fragrances.
The honey portion of this project contains approximately 2.9% fragrance, which is above that stated 2% level. While HCVS can help reduce fragrance-related darkening, some colour change may still occur and complete colour stability cannot be guaranteed.

Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Fragrance Oil
Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Fragrance Oil brings a warm and comforting gourmand scent to this cozy fall soap. Top notes of pumpkin, hazelnut and apple lead into a heart of nutmeg, cinnamon and whipped butter, followed by a sweet base of caramel, vanilla and brown sugar.
The fragrance contains 1–5% vanillin and may cause Melt & Pour soap to develop a light tan colour over time. This natural colour shift complements the warm, rustic oatmeal portion of the design, while High Clarity Vanilla Stable Melt & Pour Soap is used for the translucent honey portion to help reduce darkening.
This formula contains approximately 2.9% Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Fragrance Oil, well below its current 8% IFRA maximum for soap.

Gold Shimmer Mica
Gold Shimmer Mica gives the translucent honey portion its warm, sparkling golden colour. In a clear soap base, this mica produces a richer, truer gold that beautifully mimics the appearance of honey while adding subtle shimmer and dimension.
Gold Shimmer Mica is approved for use in Melt & Pour soap. It is non-migrating and can be dispersed in alcohol, making it easy to incorporate evenly into the HCVS base.

99% Isopropyl Alcohol
99% Isopropyl Alcohol is used throughout this project to disperse the Gold Shimmer Mica, remove surface bubbles and improve adhesion between separate soap pours, making it a useful tool when creating detailed Melt & Pour designs.

• Step 2: Melt the HCVS base in the microwave using short 10-second intervals, stirring gently between each interval until just melted. Avoid overheating or boiling the soap. In a small mixing cup, combine 3 × 0.15 cc scoops of Gold Shimmer Mica with a small amount of 99% Isopropyl Alcohol and mix until evenly dispersed. Add the dispersed mica to the melted HCVS and stir gently until evenly incorporated. The soap should have a warm, translucent golden colour reminiscent of honey.

• Step 3: Add 20 g Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Fragrance Oil to the melted golden honey soap and stir gently until thoroughly incorporated. Slowly pour the soap into the Honeycomb Silicone Mold and spritz the surface lightly with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to remove any bubbles. Allow the embeds to set for approximately 15 minutes, or until firm enough to unmold. Repeat as needed to create a total of 5 honeycomb embeds for decorating the top of the loaf. Reserve the remaining golden honey soap for the main loaf and decorative top.

• Step 4: As the final honeycomb embed begins to set, melt the Oatmeal & Shea Melt & Pour Soap in short 10-second intervals. Add the remaining 20 g Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Fragrance Oil and stir gently. Briefly reheat the golden honey soap if needed. Alternate pouring the golden honey and oatmeal soaps into the loaf mold until approximately ½ inch of space remains at the top. Reserve some of both bases for decorating, including a small amount of golden soap for the final drizzle. Spritz with Isopropyl Alcohol to remove bubbles and allow the soap to set for approximately 20 minutes.

• Step 5: Carefully remelt the remaining golden honey and oatmeal soap bases if necessary. Spritz the surface of the partially set loaf with Isopropyl Alcohol to help the fresh soap adhere. Allow the remelted soap to cool slightly before pouring so it does not melt through the layer underneath. Slowly pour the golden honey soap along one side of the loaf and the oatmeal soap along the opposite side, allowing the two bases to meet near the centre. Keep your measuring cups close to the surface while pouring to minimize the chance of the fresh soap breaking through the partially set layer below.

• Step 6: While the freshly poured top is still soft, arrange the 5 honeycomb embeds along the golden honey side of the loaf. Sprinkle the 25 g rolled oats along the oatmeal side, keeping the golden honey portion and honeycomb embeds exposed to maintain the two-part design. Gently press the embeds and oats into the soft soap as needed to help secure them.

• Step 7: Using a small amount of the reserved golden honey soap, drizzle the soap in a zigzag pattern over the rolled oats. This helps secure the oats to the surface while adding another decorative honey-inspired detail. Allow the finished loaf to harden for approximately 24 hours.

Reserve Enough Soap for Decorating
Before filling the main loaf completely, remember to reserve some of both soap bases for the two-tone top and a small amount of golden soap for the final drizzle.

Allow the Soap to Cool Before the Final Pour
The reserved soap should still be fluid but should not be excessively hot when poured over the partially set loaf. Soap that is too hot can melt through the surface and reduce the definition of the design.

Use Isopropyl Alcohol Between Separate Pours
Spritz the set soap lightly with 99% isopropyl alcohol before adding fresh Melt & Pour soap. This helps improve adhesion between separate pours and reduces the chance of the sections separating later.

Keep the Oats on the Oatmeal Side
Concentrating the rolled oats along the creamy portion keeps the two-part top visually distinct. The final drizzle of golden soap helps anchor the oats to the surface so they are less likely to loosen during cutting and handling.

Expect Some Colour Change
Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Fragrance Oil contains 1–5% vanillin and may cause the Oatmeal & Shea portion to gradually develop a light tan colour. This warm colour complements the oatmeal and honey-inspired design.
The HCVS used for the translucent honey portion is designed to reduce vanilla-related darkening. However, this project uses the fragrance at approximately 2.9%, which is above Stephenson's stated stability level of up to 2% for most vanilla or vanillin-containing fragrances, so some colour change may still occur.