Birchwood Oud Cold Process Soap

I love this Birchwood Oud scent I used in this cold process soap. This fragrance oil I used in today’s soap was released in the hygge fragrance collection from Brambleberry and since it came out I always like to have it on hand. I love that the soaps are great for both males and females. Although it is considered a masculine scent, it is not overly masculine. It is just perfect. In this Birchwood Oud cold process soap DIY, I used the hanger swirl technique you can try at home. This wonderful soap has a scent of a mix of wild cypress, ozone, makrut lime, sea salt, oud, elemi, leather, amber, ocean moss, and frankincense. If you are looking for a gift for Dad, this may be a great idea. This scent is just outstanding and wonderfully complex.

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Pinterest pin with four birchwood oud cold process soaps look from the top.

The technique I used for this soap design is called the hanger swirl technique. The goal is to create beautiful and intricate swirls inside the poured soap with various complementing colors. For hanger swirl designs, a medium trace is best. It is important to use a fragrance oil that behaves well and gives you enough time to pour and do the swirls.

A few notes about the scent and additives

The Birchwood Oud fragrance oil does not contain any vanillin therefore it will not discolor the soap. This is great because the colors selected will remain as designed. It can be hard to design soaps with high vanillin content scents. I love using coffee scents in my soaps and most of them have a high vanillin content. To minimize discoloration’s impact, you can add titanium dioxide to the lye water solution. This will make the colors more pastel and also reduce discoloration. Keep in mind that the soap will still turn a bit darker over time but it will not be as dark as it would normally be without it.

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.

Four birchwood oud cold process soaps in light blue/green color with inside swirls in dark green and orange colors.

The hanger swirl technique is a fairly simple technique to use in soap making. With time you will feel more comfortable with how many turns and the type of trace needed. Each soap will be unique in its design.

In this soap, I used a base of light blue/green color mica. The swirl colors are “Always a Bridesmaid” (orange/pink) and “Snake Island” (dark green). All the micas are from Mad Micas. I love how the dark green contrasts with the light green/blue color base.

How to make the Birchwood Oud Cold Process Soap

Four birchwood oud cold process soaps in light blue/green color with inside swirls in dark green and orange colors. View from the front and top.

Additional equipment needed for cold process soap making at home

Four birchwood oud cold process soaps in light blue/green color with inside swirls in dark green and orange colors. View from the top of the soaps to see the swirls.

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.

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 birchwood oud cold process soaps in light blue/green color with inside swirls in dark green and orange colors. View from the top focused on the corner soap for a close up.

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

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 also 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 until you achieve a trace
Split the batter into separate containers and mix in the mica colorants
Pour the base color layer (light green/blue color) into the mold approximately to the midpoint of the soap mold
Pour the orange color soap into the base soap in the mold in a line motion going side to side on the long side of the mold
Pour the green color soap into the base soap in the mold in a line motion going side to side on the long side of the mold
Use a hanger or a hanger swirl tool and use circular motions and infinity sign motions going from the bottom of the soap to the top
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 comforting birchwood oud cold process soap.

Learn more about cold process soap making in a post where I’ve summarized several questions that I always get asked: Cold process soap making most common questions answered in one place. Head over to my all cold process soap making questions answered post to learn so much more!