Official Entry Thread for the December Challenge

[newbie]

Please enter your pictures here.

Also, please keep comments off this thread but you are welcome to post any comments on entries on the other challenge thread. We want concentrated soap pics!

Only rule for entry is a picture of your soap. However, any other information you want to give about your FO/EOs, your colorants, your process, your gelling temps/technique, and/or how prior batches went and how they changed (or didn't) what you did would be most welcome. We can learn a lot from the collective information- one of the joys of the forum.

Thank you for participating. I know December can be a very busy month and challenges can be a bit time consuming so I appreciate that people signed up and gave it a go.

Entry thread closes at midnight on the 24th.

 

[Saponomancer]

The only attempt I was able to do: Crome green oxide, peppermint and eucalyptus EOs, I preheated the oven to 170 with a pan of water in it, then let it cool, and put my soap in there for two hours, heating the stove back up once. This was a simple drop swirl at thin trace.

 

[Judiraz]

Three tries and I think this is it. I used a divider and poured low water base on one side and high water base on the other. I dropped the high into the low and vice versa. Then I did a hanger swirl. This was put on a heating pad for about 4 hours.

 

[Steve85569]

I am inclined to agree that Judiraz nailed it.
Here are my two attempts that are worth posting.

 

[dibbles]

I split my batter 50/50 high and low water. 2/3 of the low water was colored purple at the same rate as the high water purple, both were a mix of Iris and Wisteria purple from Nurture. The white is the other 1/3 of the low water, colored with Snow White mica from Mad Oils. The EO is a blend of lavender, 10x Orange and litsea, with a smidge of peppermint. The high water batter was all used as a base with the low water parts dropped in and a light hanger swirl. After studying the cut soap, I am now convinced that the pinkish color is the result of changes where the low water surrounds the high water (last picture).

 

[DeeAnna]

I started by making the entire batch of soap as a "low water" batter. Additives were NG Sweetgrass FO and sodium EDTA. At emulsification, I divided the batter into four equal-weight portions and one smaller portion. The small portion was colored a dark grey using black oxide and left as "low water". Two of the four remaining portions were colored with the equal amounts of ultramarine blue plus a dab of titanium dioxide. The other two were colored with equal amounts of chromium oxide green. I stirred a measured amount of water into one blue and one green portion to turn them into "high water" soap. I poured the batter in layers into an empty bowl, putting like colors next to each other, separated by the gray accent. By the time the bowl was full, the batter was at medium trace (warm pudding heading quickly toward thick gravy!) so I quickly poured it into my mold. I CPOPed the soap for 2 hours at 145 F (63 C), turned off the oven, and left the soap in the oven to cool slowly overnight.

The blue parts of the soap range from almost white to a medium blue. The darkest streaks seem to be next to the lightest blue areas. I wonder if this is an example of the halo effect that others have mentioned. The green doesn't have as much variation, but it still has two distinct shades.

 

[CaraBou]

I was shooting for a "ghost-like" appearance so went with a smokey blue base (low water) and an ITP swirl. 62% low water, 38% high. Colors were exactly the same in both batches: a mica/AC blend, and a portion uncolored. I had a pattern in mind for how lay the colors into the pot thinking it could improve my chance of capturing ghosts, but of course I messed it up. I don't see any traditional ghosts but I did get two animal spirits: a bear holding a crystal ball and plumed, large beaked bird.

I like how this technique steals time required for unmolding and gives it to the initial stage of emulsion. It's a much better balance if you ask me!

 

[Saponista]

Here is my entry for this month. I used 1/3 low water batter and 2/3 high water. I coloured with equal amounts of carrot puree used as part of my water allowance, I also added a small amount of titanium dioxide to part of the high water portion to make three differnent portions of batter. I filled the mould with the high water batter then dropped in the low water and titanium dioxide portions and swirled with a skewer. I used a basic recipe of palm, olive, sunflower and coconut oils and scented with tagetes minuta and carrot seed essential oils. I can't decide if I like the smell of carrot seed, it certainly is distinctive. My husband thinks it smells of mouldy garage floors. I wanted to try it though!

 

[BlackDog]

I was shooting for a "ghost-like" appearance so went with a smokey blue base (low water) and an ITP swirl.

Very "Starry Night"-esque! Lovely!

Edited to add: Sorry mods - realized after I pressed post that I was on the entry thread! Please delete if necessary!

 

[BlackDog]

My entry! #2 out of 3 tries was my favorite.

This is a 50-50 split of HW/LW. The order goes: black (hw), then two equal amounts of purple color (1st lw, 2nd hw), white (lw). Poured in rows using dividers, then did a circling Taiwan swirl.

Overall I'm happy with it and I like the little halos where the colors meet. Scented with BB Blackberry Sage.

*edited becuz me spell no gud.

 

[houseofwool]

Wow, such lovely soaps! I had hopes of another attempt today, but no such luck.

These were made in a new custom mold that I had made for guest size soaps that are 2x2x1.

Scented with Rosemary and Spearmint EO's colored with chromium hydroxide.

Gel happened quickly.


Sides of the logs:


And final cuts

 

[QueenBeeSoap]

Here's my entry. I used 3/4 high water for the base coloured with black oxide, and 1/4 low water coloured with a mix of red oxide, gold mica and crimson sparkle mica, which I drop swirled into the base. Scented with Dragons Blood FO. The fragrance oil discolours quite a bit, so the base colour should end up a lot darker over time. I didn't "clean up" the bars after cutting them so that you can see the interesting texture on their surface. There's some colour variation where where the low and high water soap meet.

 

[newbie]

Closed for the holidays.

 

[newbie]

Not too many entries this month but we will carry on no matter how many there are!

You have three votes. Please vote if you signed up, whether you submitted an entry or not. You may still partake! If you did not sign up, please do not vote.

Voting will close on at midnight on the 30th.


https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QZBPSLK

 

[newbie]

We still need seven people's votes. If you haven't voted yet, please do so we can wrap this up and make way for an early release of January's challenge.

 

[newbie]

Looking for the last three people who need to vote. Come out, come out, where ever you are!

 

[houseofwool]

How many left to vote yet?

 

[newbie]

Still waiting for three. I have to let it run out until tomorrow night since we are still needing those. If they never show up to vote, they had their full chance.

 

[newbie]

Okay folks, we had someone who didn't sign up place votes; I shall assume someone was trying to help us wrap this up but it wasn't helpful at all because it negates the final tally in a way. We can't tell who it was so can't track back and take out their votes. However, even with 25 people voting, the placing didn't change.

First place goes to Judiraz, who has placed quite frequently and is a soaper to reckon with!

Second place goes to Blackdog with the very beautiful outlining.

Third place is a tie, which has stood since at least the 17th voter and goes to Carabou, with her cool dream-like ghost soap, and to Dibbles, with her luscious purple soap.