'How to' - Make a Galaxy Soap

✨ HOW TO MAKE GALAXY MELT & POUR SOAP

Create beautiful, cosmic-inspired soap bars with swirls of sky blue, soft grey and biodegradable silver shimmer suspended in crystal-clear melt & pour soap.

This is a fun and easy project for beginners and makes gorgeous handmade gifts.

🌌 The finished soap

Clear Melt & Pour + Sky Blue Mica + Light Grey Mica + Biodegradable Silver Mica + Fragrance Oil

The combination creates a beautiful galaxy effect, with flashes of silver shimmer running through the blue and grey.

🛒 WHAT YOU'LL NEED

Ingredients

All ingredients can be purchased from Aussie Candle Supplies.

• Clear Melt & Pour Soap Base
• Sky Blue Mica
• Light Grey Mica
• Biodegradable Silver Mica
• Fragrance Oil, 4% of the soap base weight or the maximum permitted rate for your specific fragrance, whichever is lower

Equipment

• Plastic pouring jugs
• 60 mL measuring cups
• 4-cavity Rectangle Silicone Mould
• Isopropyl Alcohol in a spray bottle
• Microwave or suitable method for melting the soap base
• Digital scales
• Heat-resistant gloves or appropriate protection
• Spoon or spatula for stirring
• Knife for cutting the soap base

Optional: thermometer, particularly useful when making layered or multi-coloured melt & pour soap.

🧼 STEP 1: PREPARE YOUR WORKSPACE

Before you begin, make sure your workspace, equipment and mould are clean and dry.

Have everything ready before melting your soap.

Melt & pour soap begins cooling relatively quickly, so having your colours and fragrance prepared beforehand makes the process much easier.

🔪 STEP 2: CUT YOUR SOAP BASE

Cut the clear melt & pour soap base into small, even cubes.

This helps the soap melt more evenly and reduces the chance of overheating.

Place the required amount into a plastic pouring jug suitable for your melting method.

Tip: Don't overheat your soap base. Excessive heat can cause problems with the finished soap and can also cause fragrance to evaporate. ACS recommends keeping melt & pour temperatures under approximately 60°C.

💙 STEP 3: PREPARE YOUR GALAXY COLOURS

Divide your mica colours into separate 60 mL measuring cups.

You'll need:

☁️ Light Grey

Add a small amount of Light Grey Mica.

💙 Sky Blue

Add a small amount of Sky Blue Mica.

✨ Silver

Add your Biodegradable Silver Mica.

Add a small amount of isopropyl alcohol to each mica and mix until you have a smooth, lump-free paste.

Pre-mixing mica helps prevent clumps and gives you a much smoother colour distribution through your soap.

Remember: Start with a small amount of mica. You can always add more, but you can't take it out!

♨️ STEP 4: MELT YOUR SOAP

Place the cubed clear soap base into your pouring jug.

Microwave in short bursts, stirring gently between each burst.

A good starting point is 20–30 second bursts, depending on your microwave.

Continue until the soap is completely melted.

Avoid boiling or overheating the base.

🌸 STEP 5: ADD YOUR FRAGRANCE

Once your soap has melted and cooled slightly, add your fragrance oil.

For this project:

Fragrance Oil = 4% of the soap base weight, OR the fragrance's permitted soap/rinse-off rate if lower, check the IFRA which is found in the product page description on the website for the safe amount to use.

Example:

For 500 g of soap base:

500 g × 4% = 20 g fragrance oil

However, do not automatically use 20 g unless the specific ACS fragrance's permitted rate allows it. Check the fragrance's IFRA certificate/product information first.

Fragrance is best added once the soap has cooled somewhat rather than while it is extremely hot, helping to minimise fragrance loss.

Stir gently but thoroughly.

🌌 STEP 6: CREATE YOUR GALAXY COLOURS

Now divide the fragranced clear soap between your three prepared colour cups.

You don't need equal amounts.

For a beautiful galaxy effect, try:

💙 Sky Blue - largest amount
☁️ Light Grey - medium amount
✨ Silver - smaller amount

Gently stir each colour until completely combined.

🌠 STEP 7: CREATE THE GALAXY EFFECT

This is where the fun begins!

Take your silicone mould and lightly spray the cavities with isopropyl alcohol.

Pour a little of your sky blue soap into each cavity.

Then add small amounts of light grey.

Follow with tiny streams or drops of the silver.

Continue alternating the colours.

For a more dramatic galaxy effect:

Pour the colours from different heights and directions, allowing them to naturally move into each other.

You can also use a skewer or similar tool to gently swirl the colours.

Don't over-swirl!

A few gentle movements will create beautiful galaxy-style patterns. Too much swirling can turn your colours into one muddy shade.

✨ STEP 8: ADD THE SILVER SHIMMER

For that extra "starry sky" effect, add a little of your biodegradable silver mica into selected areas while the soap is still liquid.

You can also gently swirl the silver through the blue and grey.

Think of it as creating stars and galaxies through the soap, rather than evenly colouring the entire bar.

💨 STEP 9: SPRAY WITH ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL

Once you've finished pouring, lightly mist the surface with isopropyl alcohol.

This helps to break surface bubbles and gives the finished bars a smoother appearance.

Don't saturate the soap, a light mist is all you need.

❄️ STEP 10: ALLOW TO SET

Leave the mould undisturbed at room temperature until the soap has completely hardened.

Avoid moving the mould while the soap is setting, as this can disturb your galaxy pattern.

Once fully set, gently pull the silicone away from the soap and release your bars.

🌌 YOUR GALAXY SOAP IS READY!

You should now have four beautiful Galaxy Melt & Pour Soap Bars, each with its own unique combination of:

💙 Sky Blue
☁️ Light Grey
✨ Biodegradable Silver Shimmer
🌟 Clear translucent soap
🌸 Beautiful fragrance

Because of the pouring technique, no two bars will be exactly the same, that's part of the beauty of handmade soap!

⭐ TOP TIPS FOR THE PERFECT GALAXY EFFECT

Don't overheat your soap

Keeping the base at a moderate temperature helps protect the clarity of the soap and reduces fragrance loss.

Less mica is more

Start small and build the colour gradually.

Pre-mix your mica

This gives you smoother, more even colours and helps prevent speckles and clumps.

Don't over-swirl

A few gentle swirls create a galaxy. Too many can create a muddy colour.

Use clear base

The transparent base is what allows the silver shimmer and layered colours to create that beautiful depth.

Always check your fragrance rate

Fragrance oils have different permitted usage rates for cosmetic products. The specific supplier/IFRA information for your fragrance takes priority over a general recipe percentage.

🧴 IF YOU ARE SELLING YOUR SOAP

If these soaps are being sold rather than made purely for personal use, the finished product needs to be assessed and labelled appropriately for the market in which it is sold.

Make sure your final label and product documentation reflect all ingredients actually used, including the specific fragrance and colourants.

I'd also recommend keeping a batch record showing:

• soap base used;
• batch quantity;
• fragrance name;
• fragrance percentage;
• fragrance batch/lot number;
• mica colours used;
• mica quantities;
• date made; and
• final batch/lot number.

That makes it much easier to reproduce the soap consistently and trace a particular batch if necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions

What temperature should melt and pour soap be?

Keep the base moderate and avoid boiling or overheating it, as excessive heat can affect the finished soap and cause fragrance to evaporate. A good guide is to keep the temperature under around 60 degrees Celsius, melting in short bursts and stirring between each.

How do I stop mica clumping in the soap?

Pre-mix each mica with a small amount of isopropyl alcohol until you have a smooth, lump-free paste before adding it to the melted base. This gives a much more even colour and helps prevent speckles and clumps.

How do I get a good galaxy swirl without a muddy result?

Pour the colours in small amounts from different heights and directions and let them move into each other naturally. A few gentle swirls with a skewer is enough, as over-swirling blends everything into one muddy shade.

How much fragrance can I add to melt and pour soap?

A common starting point is around 4 percent of the soap base weight, or the fragrance's permitted rinse-off rate if that is lower. Always check the specific fragrance's IFRA information first, as each oil has its own safe usage rate that takes priority over any general recipe percentage.

What do I need to do if I want to sell my soap?

If you are selling rather than making for personal use, the finished product needs to be assessed and labelled appropriately for the market it is sold in. Make sure your label lists all ingredients actually used, including the specific fragrance and colourants, and keep a batch record.