Creative Soap Making: Design Soaps with Color, Texture, and Molds
A course by Kia Utzon-Frank, Multidisciplinary Designer
Create stunning soaps using hot and cold processes, explore soap sculpting, natural pigments, and custom molds
Dive into the vibrant world of soap making and discover the art of creating beautiful, functional pieces for your home. Learn the secrets of both hot and cold process soap making, transforming simple ingredients into stunning soap masterpieces. Explore the unique textures and patterns inspired by natural stones and surfaces like marble and terrazzo. Unleash your creativity by crafting your own molds from everyday household items, allowing you to design custom shapes that stand out from the typical bathroom staple.
Master techniques to reuse soap scraps, turning off-cuts into eye-catching terrazzo soaps. Gain insights into sculpting and molding soaps into one-of-a-kind creations. Embrace the opportunity to experiment with natural pigments for color, and essential oils for fragrance, ensuring your soaps are as delightful to use as they are to display. Whether you're new to the craft or looking to refine your skills, this soap making journey offers a perfect blend of practical instruction and creative freedom, encouraging you to embrace the joy of handmade soap artistry.
What will you learn in this online course?
18 lessons & 27 downloads
What's included in this course?
Discover the art of crafting stunning soaps using both hot and cold processes. Gain insights into working with soap as a versatile material, allowing you to shape and sculpt it into unique designs inspired by the intricate patterns found in stones, marble, and terrazzo. Learn essential techniques to create beautiful, original soaps that go beyond the ordinary, elevating them into sculptural masterpieces for your bathroom countertop. Dive into the details of soap making, from understanding the basic components and safety measures to using household materials for mold creation.
Explore the creative potential of soap scraps and off-cuts by transforming them into new terrazzo-inspired soaps. Develop the skill to save faulty batches, ensuring nothing goes to waste. Get equipped with the know-how to make handmade molds, and experiment with carving techniques to achieve custom shapes. Embark on a journey of exploration and creativity, unlocking new possibilities for soap crafting, and discover the joy of turning simple ingredients into captivating works of art.
- 100% positive reviews (3)
- 330 students
- 18 lessons (2h 34m)
- 27 additional resources (10 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, German, Spanish (Latam), French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Turkish
- English · Portuguese · French · Italian · German · Polish · Turkish
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Create two cold process soap designs using distinct techniques, craft one hot process design, and develop at least three unique designs by creatively reusing scraps, surplus, and faulty soaps from the initial processes, culminating in stunning soap masterpieces.
Who is this online course for?
This course suits beginners eager to explore soap crafting, creative DIY enthusiasts, and those passionate about artistic soap designs. It caters to individuals seeking new hobbies, eco-conscious creators, and anyone interested in making unique, eco-friendly soap masterpieces at home.
Requirements and materials
No extensive prior knowledge is required. Basic necessities include household materials like containers, kitchen utensils, protective gloves, eye protection, essential oils, natural pigments, and caustic soda. Access to a digital scale, stick blender, and thermometer is helpful.
Reviews
Kia Utzon-Frank
A course by Kia Utzon-Frank
Kia Utzon-Frank is a Danish designer and founder of KUFstudios, a creative lab where she explores materials, processes, and disciplines ranging from jewellery to product design, interiors, and experimental objects. Trained as a goldsmith with an MA from the Royal College of Art, she has developed a multidisciplinary practice rooted in hands-on experimentation.
A key part of her work focuses on material exploration through everyday objects—such as soap—where she transforms simple mediums into sculptural, sensory design pieces. Through her method, KUFidea, she develops ideas by creating daily models and prototypes, allowing unexpected results and “mistakes” to become part of the final design.
Her approach to soap design combines texture, form, and process, turning functional objects into aesthetic experiences that invite curiosity and awareness. Alongside her practice, she teaches ideation and creative processes, collaborating with institutions and companies around the world.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Soap Making Basics
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Understanding Soap Components
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Cold vs. Hot Process: Choosing Your Path
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Preparing Molds and Choosing Containers
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Lye Calculator and Superfatting
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The Recipe and Traces
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U3
The Art of Hot Process
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Hot Process Soap Basics
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Design
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Sculptural Soap Techniques
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U4
The Cold Process Method
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Cold Process Soap Basics
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Two-Color Design
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The Dancing Funnel Technique
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Unmoulding
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U5
Re-using the scraps
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Terrazzo Soap from Scraps
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Soap Discs
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Mix of Soaps Techniques
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Re-designing faulty soaps
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FP
Final project
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Soap Design
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for intermediate learners who already have some basic knowledge of soap making and want to advance their skills with artistic techniques and material experimentation.
You’ll need common soap making ingredients like oils, lye, colorants, and fragrance, as well as tools such as a stick blender, molds, safety equipment, and measuring tools. The course also explores recycled materials, clay powders, and household mold alternatives.
You’ll learn advanced soap making techniques including cold and hot process methods, terrazzo effects, marble and stone pattern simulation, soap inclusions, carving, and upcycling scrap soap into new designs.
Yes, the course covers both hot and cold process soap making, comparing their workflows, visual effects, curing times, and how to combine them for unique artistic results.
The course provides detailed safety protocols for handling caustic soda and lye solutions, including proper measurement, mixing, and the use of personal protective equipment to ensure safe soap making.
Yes, you’ll learn how to repurpose soap scraps and offcuts using terrazzo techniques, binding them with clay powders and alcohol to create unique, sustainable soap bars.
You’ll master techniques for creating marble, stone, and terrazzo patterns, swirling designs, thin lines, layered effects, and intricate soap inclusions inspired by natural and architectural textures.
Wow!!!! Stunning course, so creative, Speechless!!!! Thank you❤️
Muy inspirador y bien explicado.
¡Excelente curso! Muy clara la explicación y hermoso todo lo que se puede crear.