SMF Challenge November 2021 - Rainbows

[Cat&Oak]

I hate to do it but I have to bow out of this one with all the changes I am going through right now I haven't even made a batch yet. But good luck! Excited too see all the wonderful talent we have on our board ❤

 

[Martha]

I can’t wait to see all the variations on rainbows for this challenge. Not sure how we’re going to pick with so many talented people entering.

 

[szaza]

I'm so sorry you won't be entering @Cat&Oak !

The entry thread for this challenge is now open. You can enter your soaps here:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/entry-thread-for-the-november-challenge-rainbows.86111/
Good luck to everyone!

 

[Cat&Oak]

I'm so sorry you won't be entering @Cat&Oak !

The entry thread for this challenge is now open. You can enter your soaps here:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/entry-thread-for-the-november-challenge-rainbows.86111/
Good luck to everyone!

Thank you @szaza ❤

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

I hate to do it but I have to bow out of this one with all the changes I am going through right now I haven't even made a batch yet. But good luck! Excited too see all the wonderful talent we have on our board ❤

Sorry Dear' Remember This To Will Pass' Hugs .

 

[Cat&Oak]

Sorry Dear' Remember This To Will Pass' Hugs .

Love you Peachy! Thank you!

 

[violets2217]

So I tried 3 times and had 2 entries to pick from. That was a tough decision for me. But I surveyed everyone I came in contact with. This was my other choice…
These last two batches I went back to cutting 1” thick bars instead of 1 1/4”. I think they are more of a normal size!?!? Plus I needed 10 bars of one soap for a trading group trade on Facebook. Now I just need to decide which batch to trade….

 

[melonpan]

So I tried 3 times and had 2 entries to pick from. That was a tough decision for me. But I surveyed everyone I came in contact with.

I really like this 2nd batch too but to be honest I prefer the one you picked as your entry

Now that I've posted my entry I wanted to share my "Nailed it!" moment... I only realised after unmolding the final soap that I should have had the rainbow inclined the other way! This made me laugh as it was literally the only thing I forgot to plan

 

[The_Phoenix]

I didn’t enter the challenge but I did make a rainbow soap. Totally by coincidence, like @violets2217 I also made a rainbow soap inspired by Nest Soapery, the nest drop whatever. Had been meaning to make this design and the rainbow challenge seemed like a good impetus.

I’ll wait to post until all of the entry soaps have posted.

 

[Guspuppy]

Here is my other try at rainbow, which is not my entry. They were actually the same batch, poured from the same layered pot, but I poured each mold differently. They are both Clyde slides, but I had watched a lady on YouTube do a Clyde Slide down the center of her mold and it came out really interesting. So I tried that here, but as I mentioned earlier I wasn't even sure my batter was at emulsion. It was WAY to thin and muddled up terribly. But I think the peeks of rainbow in-between the muddled brown is kind of cool. Also this end piece! If I could figure out how to do that throughout it would be so cool!

 

[ResolvableOwl]

Oh dudes. Don't take it personally, but I'm REALLY REALLLLLY glad that I don't have to vote this time!

 

[ResolvableOwl]

Another Might-submit-if-three-weeks-earlier-and-I-had-the-time-for-it idea: Liquid soap!

Make a simple, pale LS gel (HO sunflower/castor/CO). Dilute it to several small portions, each coloured with a soluble dye (no pigment). Carefully layer them into a clear bottle. The dispenser then pulls out one colour after another, starting from the bottom!

 

[Johnez]

Another Might-submit-if-three-weeks-earlier-and-I-had-the-time-for-it idea: Liquid soap!

Make a simple, pale LS gel (HO sunflower/castor/CO). Dilute it to several small portions, each coloured with a soluble dye (no pigment). Carefully layer them into a clear bottle. The dispenser then pulls out one colour after another, starting from the bottom!

How about this for a challenge idea-Second Chance Challenge? Maybe its time for the resurrection of the "Unchallenge"?

Pick any previous challenge you entered or not, following all the rules of that challenge. Could be a missed challenge, a flop, a technique you want to perfect under pressure.

ETA, for what it's worth I nearly wanted to contribute a shave soap lol. After reading DeeAnna's thoughts on micas I shifted gears and started trawling the natural colorant threads here hoping to find 5 natural colors. I got to 4 but could not find a satisfactory blue or purple that I was confident in producing in the timeline of the challenge. I'm still in awe of VickiC pulling out an 11 color stunner of a naturally colored soap.

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

@linne1gi
Great idea for your entry' Nailed It. Oh how I remember our T&S challenge' I have a few bars from that challenge. .

 

[Vicki C]

How about this for a challenge idea-Second Chance Challenge? Maybe its time for the resurrection of the "Unchallenge"?

Pick any previous challenge you entered or not, following all the rules of that challenge. Could be a missed challenge, a flop, a technique you want to perfect under pressure.

ETA, for what it's worth I nearly wanted to contribute a shave soap lol. After reading DeeAnna's thoughts on micas I shifted gears and started trawling the natural colorant threads here hoping to find 5 natural colors. I got to 4 but could not find a satisfactory blue or purple that I was confident in producing in the timeline of the challenge. I'm still in awe of VickiC pulling out an 11 color stunner of a naturally colored soap.

Aww thanks! I’m flattered. Pro tip: get sick and lie in bed for three days straight, with iPad in hand, to scheme and plan.
I want to tackle shave soap but I can’t find any shaving brushes (locally). May I ask - do you sell your shave soap? Do you sell with brushes? I’m sure there is a market but I don’t want to invest a lot in shave brushes that people won’t buy.
Gromwell gives a nice purple, but I got yelled at in a Facebook group because it is harvested out of the wild and is not sustainable. I have it now though, so I’ll use what I have, and hopefully find more info on how evil it is or isn’t, which I haven’t found yet.

 

[Johnez]

Aww thanks! I’m flattered. Pro tip: get sick and lie in bed for three days straight, with iPad in hand, to scheme and plan.
I want to tackle shave soap but I can’t find any shaving brushes (locally). May I ask - do you sell your shave soap? Do you sell with brushes? I’m sure there is a market but I don’t want to invest a lot in shave brushes that people won’t buy.
Gromwell gives a nice purple, but I got yelled at in a Facebook group because it is harvested out of the wild and is not sustainable. I have it now though, so I’ll use what I have, and hopefully find more info on how evil it is or isn’t, which I haven’t found yet.

I don't sell my soap (yet?) nor brushes, however synthetic brushes (super not evil lol) have come a long way. I personally use a RazoRock Plissoft synthetic brush from Italian Barber. The Chinese brand Yaqi has quite a following on some shave boards and they are very reasonably priced. West Coast Shaving has them at $10-20+ price range, most get great reviews. Various shave shops (Italian Barber, Stirling) also sell reasonably priced brushes. If you're wanting a brush for the purpose of testing, I'd say any entry level brush will do, and might actually be preferable as most new shavers aren't going to shell out $300 for a brush to start with anyway. If for the purpose of sets-those are also geared for new shavers and are excellent choices.

Regarding gromwell, heck there's clearly a dichotomy there between sellers and buyers. If you choose to use it, I don't think you'll have trouble selling it. Personally I feel it's tough to make a perfectly "eco friendly" soap, and probably every single ingredient has it's issues animal welfare, GMO, processing, harvesting, environmental concerns, ick factor, etc. Avoid one thing and you have another customer (or maker) complaining about the other. Well, they ain't paying the bills!

 

[Vicki C]

I don't sell my soap (yet?) nor brushes, however synthetic brushes (super not evil lol) have come a long way. I personally use a RazoRock Plissoft synthetic brush from Italian Barber. The Chinese brand Yaqi has quite a following on some shave boards and they are very reasonably priced. West Coast Shaving has them at $10-20+ price range, most get great reviews. Various shave shops (Italian Barber, Stirling) also sell reasonably priced brushes. If you're wanting a brush for the purpose of testing, I'd say any entry level brush will do, and might actually be preferable as most new shavers aren't going to shell out $300 for a brush to start with anyway. If for the purpose of sets-those are also geared for new shavers and are excellent choices.

Regarding gromwell, heck there's clearly a dichotomy there between sellers and buyers. If you choose to use it, I don't think you'll have trouble selling it. Personally I feel it's tough to make a perfectly "eco friendly" soap, and probably every single ingredient has it's issues animal welfare, GMO, processing, harvesting, environmental concerns, ick factor, etc. Avoid one thing and you have another customer (or maker) complaining about the other. Well, they ain't paying the bills!

Thank you! I’ll look into Yaqi.

 

[Johnez]

Thank you! I’ll look into Yaqi.

I forgot to add a good size to look for is about 24-27 mm which will give enough lather. There's some big honkin brushes, but they end up creating more wasted lather.

 

[MellonFriend]

Hey, um, just wondering how you get to be part of the voting process. Do only members participating in the challenge get to vote or is there another way?

 

[dibbles]

Hey, um, just wondering how you get to be part of the voting process. Do only members participating in the challenge get to vote or is there another way?

Yes, you have to participate in the challenge to be able to vote. Give the next one a try - it’s fun!