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    Chinoiserie Dragon Decorative Soaps

    Crafting, Homemade Beauty

    collage showing how to make diy chinese dragon soap
    collage showing pink and white and blue and white Chinese dragon soap bars
    pink and white and blue and white chinoiserie soap bars
    two tone dragon chinoiserie soap in a silver dish on a marble counter
    blue and white dragon soap in a silver dish
    blue and white and pink and white decorative soaps with dragon motif
    blue and white and pink and white decorative soaps with dragon motif
    pink and white and blue and white chinoiserie soap bars
    pink and white and blue and white chinoiserie soap bars

    Add some chinoiserie style to your bathroom by making these two-tone bas relief decorative hand soaps. This intermediate projects uses melt-and-pour soap and an inexpensive silicone mold.

    If you’re all about chinoiserie and grandmillennial style, then you need to make these peony-scented decorative soaps.

    two tone chinoiserie hand soaps in silver bowls

    These beautiful two-toned soaps feature an intricate dragon motif, like something you might find on a vintage blue-and-white ginger jar. They make wonderful gifts and also are great to use as guest soaps in a powder room.

    blue and white chinoiserie dragon soap in a silver dish

    Since I love all things chinoiserie. I knew I needed this mold for my soapmaking hobby obsession..

    pink and white chinoiserie soap in a decorative dish

    While the design on these decorative soaps is detailed, you don’t have to be an expert soapmaker to make them. I strive to keep my homemade beauty projects simple and accessible. If want don’t want to go to the trouble of making two-tone soap bars, just make all-white, all-blue or all-pink bars.

    More Chinoiserie Crafts

    • silver dish with chinoiserie dragon soap
    • blue and white chinoiserie Christmas ornaments in gilded frames hung on a Christmas tree
    • Chinoiserie Decoupaged Easter Eggs
    • blue and white chinoiserie oyster shell jewelry dish with a pearl necklace resting on it

    Chinoiserie Dragon Soap | Metallic Foil Christmas Ornaments | Blue & White Easter Eggs | Chinoiserie Oyster Shells

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    Supplies to Make Chinoiserie Soap

    You’ll need the following supplies and ingredients to make these two-tone, bas relief guest soaps.

    This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. If you make a purchase based on my referral, I earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Read my full disclosure policy here.

    melt and pour soap cubes, mold, fragrance and mica powder
    • small and medium-sized glass measuring cups or microwave-safe bowls
    • kitchen or postal scale
    • rubber spatula
    • microwave
    • Silicone dragon soap mold
    • melt and pour soap base
    • soap fragrance (I used Pink Peony and Cactus Flower from Brambleberry)
    • Soap colorant (you can use liquid colorant, mica powder or a color block)
    • spoon and small bowl if using mica colorant
    • knife
    • graduated plastic droppers
    • isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle
    • toothpick
    • Infrared thermometer (optional, but really helpful when you’re layering soap or using mix-ins like glitter)

    How to Make melt-and-pour Decorative Soaps

    For this particular soap recipe, you will need soap-making ingredients in these amounts:

    • 11 ounces of white shea melt-and-pour soap base
    • 6 to 8 milliliters of soap fragrance
    • soap colorant (I used blue mica, a Caribbean blue color block and a raspberry color block to make the soaps shown here.) You can also use liquid colorant. The actual amount of colorant needed will depend on how vibrant you want the soap to be.)

    Tips for Making multiple bars of soap

    This recipe makes two chinoiserie dragon soaps of the same color combo. I only have one dragon mold, so I have to let one bar cure, unmold it and then remelt the soap to make the second bar.

    blue and white and pink and white decorative soaps with dragon motif

    If you’re planning to make large quantities of this soap, it makes sense to invest in multiple molds. (I love this butterfly and lily soap mold and this butterfly and bamboo mold definitely has chinoiserie vibes.)

    Please note: if you use a different soap mold than the one I’ve linked here, you may have to adjust the recipe proportions.

    Helpful Tips Before You Begin

    If you’re using a fragrance with any vanilla in it, be sure to use an equal amount of vanilla color stabilizer so the soap doesn’t change color over time.

    Also, be aware that some melt-and-pour soap bases harden quicker than others. Because this soap requires detail work and layering, I do not recommend using one of the quick-curing soap bases, such as Stephenson’s Ultra Clear Soap Base. It sets too quickly to fill in the dragon design on the soap, and it also doesn’t remelt as well as some other varieities of soap.

    step by step photo collage showing how to make chinoiserie dragon decorative soaps

    Creating the dragon detail on the soap

    Cut the soap base into small cubes. Place two ounces of soap into the small measuring cup and microwave in 5 to 10 second bursts, until completely melted.

    using an infrared thermometer to check the tempeature of melt and pour soap

    Use the infrared termometer to check the temperature of the melted soap. Let it cool to around 135 degrees, stirring to prevent a film from forming on top. If the soap is too hot, it may melt the dropper.

    Spritz the silicone mold with alcohol.

    silicone soap mold with dragon motif

    Workling quickly and carefully, fill the dropper with melted soap. Use the dropper to fill in the details of the dragon and the circle around the edge of the soap. Spray alcohol to pop any bubbles that form as you work.

    Use a toothpick or a wooden skewer to clean up any mistakes. If the soap in the measuring cup starts to cool and harden while you’re working, you can reheat in the microwave in 3 to 5 second bursts. Don’t overheat the soap, as it could burn.

    The dragon details on the soap will begin to set and harden quickly, so you can move onto preparing the soap for the colored part of the bar.

    Adding Fragrance and Color to Melt and Pour Soap

    Place the remaining chopped soap in the medium-sized measuring cup or microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second increments, stirring with a spatula, until the soap is completely melted.

    Add colorant to the soap, stirring until the color is completly incorporated. If youre using liquid colorant, add a few drops at a time until you achieve the desired color.

    If you’re using a color block, add small pieces, one at a time, stirring to incorporate, until you reach the desired color.

    adding mica colorant to soap

    If you’re using mica colorant, mix mica powder in a small amount of alcohol, stirring until dissolved, before adding to the melted soap.

    Should the soap solidy or develop a skin while adding in the color, return the mixture to the microwave and heat in 10 to 15 second bursts until remelted.

    Use a graduated pipette to add 6 to 8 ML of fragrance to the melted soap, stirring to combine. If necessary, add an equal amount of vanilla color stabilizer to the melted soap, stirring to combine.

    Vanilla fragrances can discolor or darken soaps over time. The vanilla color stabilizer will prevent this from happening. It should be used in equal proportion to the fragrance oil.

    Continuing stirring the colored, scented soap until it reaches a temperature of 125 to 130 degrees.

    Spritz the silcone mold and the dragon detail with alcohol.

    pink soap mold filled with blue melt and pour soap

    Pour melted, scented, colored soap into the mold, Pour almost to the top of the mold without overflowing.

    Spritz the soap with alcohol to pop any bubbles on the surface.

    pink soap mold filled with blue melt and pour soap with a metal spray bottle

    Set aside the two measuring cups and reserve any leftover soap to remelt to make the second bar.

    Allow to cool and harden for several hours before moving the mold.

    Repeat steps above to make a second bar of decorative hand soap. Wrap finished soaps in plastic to prevent sweating or glycerin dew from developing on the surface.

    pink dragon hand soap in a silver dish

    Variations

    If you don’t want to make two-tone soap, you can just pour the colored, scented soap into the mold and allow to cure.

    But I really like the look of the blue and white soap bars and the pink and white soap bars. With practice, youll be able to expertly fill in the dragon details to create the two-tone effect.

    With soapmaking, you can also use any fragrance you like, or you can leave the bars unscented.

    You can make these soaps any color you like, and you can also experiment with different two-tone combinations.

    More Homemade Soap Projects

    If you enjoyed making chinoiserie soap, soap, try one of these other homemade soap recipes:

    • succulent soap in a white pot with gemstone soap crystals
    • homemade cactus soap in glass terrarium jars filled with coffee body scrub
    • homemade lemon soap bar on a wooden countertop with Happy Joy essential oil blend, a lemon, a yellow gingham cloth and a lemon bowl
    • Kids will go wild for this fruity-scented popsicle-shaped easy homemade soap. You can make a batch in just 10 minutes using your microwave! These popsicle soaps are great party favors or a summertime craft with kids. #kidscrafts #homemadesoap #soapmaking #popsicles #summercrafts
    • These Easter Peeps sugar body scrub soaps look good enough to eat. Add your favorite confectionery scents and pastel colors to make bathtime super sweet. And you can make a batch in less than 5 minutes! These would be great to include in a child's Easter basket. Just make sure they don't try to take a bite.
    • Learn how to make melt-and-pour homemade oatmeal soap. This recipe includes step-by-step instructions for making eight layered bars of natural, exfoliating soap.
    • If you've always wanted to know how to make soap, start with these glitter-flecked and lusciously scented homemade soap sand dollars with a relaxing fragrance that will transport you to the beach #celebrationsofhome
    • silver dish with chinoiserie dragon soap

    Succulent Soap | DIY Soap on a Rope | Cupcake Soap | Cactus Soap Terrariums | Homemade Lemon Soap Bars

    Fruity Popsicle Soap | Easter Peeps Soap Sugar Scrub Soap | Layered Oatmeal Soap | Sand Dollar Soap | Chinoiseie Soap

    Pin This! Chinoiserie Decorative Soaps

    collage showing pink and white and blue and white Chinese dragon decorative soaps

    Filed Under: Crafting, Homemade Beauty Tagged With: chinoiserie, gift giving, handmade gifts, homemade soap

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    1. Decoupage Easter Eggs Decorated with Napkins, Paper & Other Items says:
      January 21, 2021 at 4:58 PM

      […] Chinoiserie Dragon Soap | Metallic Foil Christmas Ornaments | Blue & White Easter Eggs | Chinoiserie Oyster Shells […]

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    Welcome! I'm Amy, your teacher and sassy southern sidekick, sharing easy crafts, home projects and delicious recipes you'll love to make.

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