Beach Inspired Sea Salt Cold Process Soap

In today’s cold process soap DIY, I use a sea salt fragrance oil that was the inspiration for this Sea Salt Cold Process Soap DIY. I like to plan for the seasonal cold process soaps. While cold process soaps take four to six weeks to cure, I prefer to cure mine for eight weeks. This beach-inspired sea salt cold process soap is perfect for the summer. I am planning to take this one to all of our summer adventures.

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The scent is lovely, it reminds me of a clean breeze in front of the beach.

Pinterest pin how to make sea salt cold process soap using the clamshell technique.

For this beach-inspired soap, I decided to use the clamshell technique. I used teal and a light pink color micas that reminded me of sea glass. I love these colors!

The clamshell technique creates beautiful and intricate swirls that give each soap unique and gorgeous sea-inspired clamshell designs. The clamshell technique is a more advanced technique and requires a batter that stays fluid longer. As you can see in the video, this scent accelerated a bit for me towards the end but I was able to still get gorgeous soaps. I had to improvise a bit there at the end but since the soap is beach-inspired, I think the abstract design of a couple of soaps is still gorgeous and fits with the theme.

The notes on the soap indicated it does not discolor and behaves well in cold process soap. While I understand it behaves well with the formulation the vendor uses for their testing, I always like to test with my favorite formulations as well. I use a large amount of hard butters which can impact how fast the soap moves.

My favorite cold process soap additives

Two of my favorite cold process soap additives are kaolin clay and colloidal oatmeal. I add them to almost all of my soaps because of the wonderful properties they add to the soaps.

Kaolin clay

Kaolin clay is a very gentle clay used in many cosmetics and face masks. It is not only gentle on the skin but it is also great for anchoring the scents in the soaps. I also think it gives a great slip to the soaps that make the soap super luxurious.

Colloidal oatmeal

Colloidal oatmeal is also used in several skin care products and is considered a skin protectant. It helps retain moisture on the skin. It is very soothing and is usually recommended for people with dry skin. You can skip it but I like it in my soaps because of its excellent skin properties.

Another additive that I tend to add to the soaps is tussah silk. I love how it makes the soap so much smoother and with a lovely silky glide.

The clamshell technique for cold process soaps is more advanced. With this technique, you want to pay good attention to the trace and move quickly to make sure you have enough time to pour all the batter. This soap design technique is one of my favorites, even though it is considered advanced it is fairly simple. Each soap will be unique in its design.

Another thing to pay attention to when making this soap is to make sure you use good micas. Sometimes mica colorants can accelerate the batter. For this soap, I used synergy mica and love poem mica colors from Nurture Soap. However, the ones I recommend below are great for soapmaking.

Making soaps using the clamshell technique for cold process soaps

Additional equipment needed for cold process soap making at home

Four sea salt cold process soap close up picture.

Recipes and techniques for making cold process soap at home

Check out the posts linked below for several free cold process soap recipes and techniques. I hope you find one that is perfect for you.

Clamshell Technique Cold Process Soap DIY

Handmade Cold Process Soap Making

All Natural Aloe Vera Cold Process Soap

In this Kiss Pour and Handmade Mold DIY I not only give you a recipe and another fun technique to use, I also share how to make a mold using a cardboard milk box.

Summer Vibes Double In the Pot Swirl Cold Process Soap DIY

Coconut Milk & Coconut Water Cold Process Soap

Mahogany & Amber Cold Process Soap

Hibiscus Guava Fresca Cold Process Soap Layers – Tiger Stripe Technique

Four sea salt cold process soaps top view.

Ready to start making your own cold process soaps? Then this eBook with 25 different cold process soap formulations is the perfect resource. With so many formulations, you will have lots of inspiration to experiment and find the perfect one.

This eBook also includes best practices to modify the formulations to your liking.

I want the 25 recipes!

Step by Step cold process soap DIY – using the clamshell technique for cold process soaps

Weigh out the butters and coconut oil and melt them in the microwave
Add the liquid oils to the melted butters
Weigh out the water in a separate container
Weigh out the sodium hydroxide (lye) needed for the soap in a separate container
Sprinkle the sodium hydroxide (lye) into the water and mix well, then allow to cool to 85-90 degrees F
Add the lye water solution to the melted oils and butters
Mix using the immersion blender for only a few seconds until you achieve a light trace
Split the batter into two containers and mix in the mica colorants
Pour the batter of the two containers into a separate container making sure the soap batter stays side by side and do not mix
Pour into the mold using small side-to-side movements starting in one corner of the mold, then on the opposite corner, and then in the center. Repeat this step until all the soap is poured into the mold.
Decorate the top
Allow the soap to go through the saponification process for at least 24 hours
Cut the soap and allow it to cure for four to six weeks

I hope you enjoy making this beach-inspired, sea salt soap using the clamshell technique for cold process soaps.

Learn more about cold process soap making in Cold process soap making most common questions answered in one place. This post summarizes all the questions I get about cold process soap making.