For the November Challenge, we're going to explore Rainbows! I don't know about where all you guys & girls are, but the weather's been pretty dreary around here and I thought we could all use some color in our lives 
Image by modern soapmaking
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PLEASE READ ALL RULES for the challenge.
SMF Challenge General Rules
1. To enter you must have been a SMF member for at least one month and have a minimum of 50 posts at the time the Challenge is posted (sorry but no exceptions on this). Supporting Members can enter immediately, the time and post requirements are removed.
2. The only members eligible to vote are those with their names on the sign-up list - regardless of whether or not you have submitted an entry. The sign-up list will be posted in this thread.
3. This month’s voting will be password locked. Passwords will be sent by private message (via SMF conversations) to registered participants ONLY, so please check your messages when the voting begins.
4. A separate entry thread will be created and this is where you will post photos of your entry soap. Please do not post photos of your entry until the entry thread is opened. Post pictures of your entry soap only in the challenge entry thread.
Non-entry photos are always welcome and may be posted in the general challenge thread. The challenge thread should be used to upload pictures of any of your challenge attempts (other than your entry) where you can ask for advice and discuss the technique with other members, and provide helpful hints you learned along the way.
5. Your soap must be made after the monthly challenge has been announced.
6. In the spirit of advancing our soap making skills, all members who sign-up for a SMF Challenge do so with the expectation that they will make every attempt to make a soap for the challenge. Writing about your experience in the challenge is encouraged. By doing so, each participant has a better knowledge of your process when voting. We do understand that sometimes things come up in our lives and throw our plans out of whack, however signing up with no intent to participate and only to vote is not in the spirit of the challenges and is not allowed.
7. Please add your name to the sign-up list if you wish to participate (you don’t have to enter a soap at the end if you don’t feel happy with what you have made), but please do post your experiences in the main Challenge thread and be prepared to be encouraged to continue trying.
8. Constructive criticism is welcomed, but please keep your comments polite.
* * * *
Specific rules for the Rainbow challenge:
- For this challenge you will create a soap with rainbow colors. Please choose at least 5 colors for your rainbow color scheme (obviously you can use more than 5 colors if you want).
- Black and white can be used as accent colors, but don't count for the 5 colors.
- You're free to use any technique or any process you'd like (CP, HP, MP,....)
- Please enter a singe picture of at least 2 bars of colorful soaps
* * * *
Tips for this challenge:
- Since we're working with many different colors, make sure you have enough time to divide your batter and mix in the colors. I'd suggest using a relatively slow moving recipe and well-behaved FO/EO. If you use a naughty scent, add it after mixing in your colors. Dividing at emulsion can also help you save time. It's better to divide too early than too late. Even if you're not at emulsion just yet, you can still mix more after dividing.
- Make sure you're at light trace (or thicker) when you start pouring, so the colors don't blend together and get muddy (if you divided at emulsion, mix until trace after adding the colors)
- It helps to make slightly bigger batches of soap, so you can easily measure out your batter (doing 7 colors with a 300g batch is terrible, I speak from experience..)
- Use a white base recipe, to make sure the colors stay true.
Modern Soapmaking has some awesome tutorials and video's of soaps with rainbow colors:
Spin swirl
Clyde slide
Elemental swirl
Ombre
Modified Hanger swirl
Petal soap
Modified Mantra swirl
Drop swirl
Peacock swirl
Tiger stripe soap
And here are some more videos:
I attempted some rainbow soaps with natural colors in previous soap challenges. A combination of paprika, annatto, spirulina, indigo and alkanet seamed to work pretty ok. I once added pink clay but that kind of threw everything of. Making intermediate colors also helps (but then you end up with a lot of colors..)
Image by modern soapmaking
* * * *
PLEASE READ ALL RULES for the challenge.
SMF Challenge General Rules
1. To enter you must have been a SMF member for at least one month and have a minimum of 50 posts at the time the Challenge is posted (sorry but no exceptions on this). Supporting Members can enter immediately, the time and post requirements are removed.
2. The only members eligible to vote are those with their names on the sign-up list - regardless of whether or not you have submitted an entry. The sign-up list will be posted in this thread.
3. This month’s voting will be password locked. Passwords will be sent by private message (via SMF conversations) to registered participants ONLY, so please check your messages when the voting begins.
4. A separate entry thread will be created and this is where you will post photos of your entry soap. Please do not post photos of your entry until the entry thread is opened. Post pictures of your entry soap only in the challenge entry thread.
Non-entry photos are always welcome and may be posted in the general challenge thread. The challenge thread should be used to upload pictures of any of your challenge attempts (other than your entry) where you can ask for advice and discuss the technique with other members, and provide helpful hints you learned along the way.
5. Your soap must be made after the monthly challenge has been announced.
6. In the spirit of advancing our soap making skills, all members who sign-up for a SMF Challenge do so with the expectation that they will make every attempt to make a soap for the challenge. Writing about your experience in the challenge is encouraged. By doing so, each participant has a better knowledge of your process when voting. We do understand that sometimes things come up in our lives and throw our plans out of whack, however signing up with no intent to participate and only to vote is not in the spirit of the challenges and is not allowed.
7. Please add your name to the sign-up list if you wish to participate (you don’t have to enter a soap at the end if you don’t feel happy with what you have made), but please do post your experiences in the main Challenge thread and be prepared to be encouraged to continue trying.
8. Constructive criticism is welcomed, but please keep your comments polite.
* * * *
- Competition entries must be uploaded to the separate entry thread before the closing date.
- The entry thread will open on November 21 at 8PM GMT (Please follow the challenge specific rules as to what you need to enter).
- After the closing date on November 27 at 11:59 PM GMT the winning entry will be chosen using Survey Monkey. Voting will be open from November 27-29 and the winner will be announced on November 30. There is no prize attached to this challenge.
- If you fail to make the challenge deadline, you are still welcome to upload pictures of your soap onto the thread, but your entry will not be eligible for voting. We always love to see anything you have created.
- Even though there is no prize, this is still a competition. If your entry is deemed not to fulfill the general rules or the rules specific to the challenge in any way, then you will be given the opportunity to amend your entry. If this is not possible, your entry will not be included in the voting.
- All the challenge mods reserve the right to have the final say on whether a soap is eligible for voting.
Specific rules for the Rainbow challenge:
- For this challenge you will create a soap with rainbow colors. Please choose at least 5 colors for your rainbow color scheme (obviously you can use more than 5 colors if you want).
- Black and white can be used as accent colors, but don't count for the 5 colors.
- You're free to use any technique or any process you'd like (CP, HP, MP,....)
- Please enter a singe picture of at least 2 bars of colorful soaps
* * * *
Tips for this challenge:
- Since we're working with many different colors, make sure you have enough time to divide your batter and mix in the colors. I'd suggest using a relatively slow moving recipe and well-behaved FO/EO. If you use a naughty scent, add it after mixing in your colors. Dividing at emulsion can also help you save time. It's better to divide too early than too late. Even if you're not at emulsion just yet, you can still mix more after dividing.
- Make sure you're at light trace (or thicker) when you start pouring, so the colors don't blend together and get muddy (if you divided at emulsion, mix until trace after adding the colors)
- It helps to make slightly bigger batches of soap, so you can easily measure out your batter (doing 7 colors with a 300g batch is terrible, I speak from experience..)
- Use a white base recipe, to make sure the colors stay true.
Modern Soapmaking has some awesome tutorials and video's of soaps with rainbow colors:
Spin swirl
Clyde slide
Elemental swirl
Ombre
Modified Hanger swirl
Petal soap
Modified Mantra swirl
Drop swirl
Peacock swirl
Tiger stripe soap
And here are some more videos:
I attempted some rainbow soaps with natural colors in previous soap challenges. A combination of paprika, annatto, spirulina, indigo and alkanet seamed to work pretty ok. I once added pink clay but that kind of threw everything of. Making intermediate colors also helps (but then you end up with a lot of colors..)
