Welcome to the SMF December 2024 Un-Challenge – Dipping Technique. For this Un-Challenge, you may either use soaps that you have already made or make a new batch to dip. This is another way to give a new look to a plain, one color soap or to change the look of a ‘learning experience’. I think the origins of this technique came from fluid acrylic or resin art. I first became aware of it being used in soap making from Instagram posts by Tatiana Serko (BySteso) and Jelena (Sapionarts).
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1. Any SMF member may participate in this Un-Challenge, regardless of length of membership or number of posts.
2.The soap must be made after the Un-Challenge announcement is posted (so do not post pictures of soaps that were made before December 1, 2024).
3. Make and post pictures of as many soaps as you would like. There will not be a separate entry thread and there will not be a vote. You may post pictures of your creations in this thread at any time. Photos of failures are just as welcome as photos of successes.
4. If your design is inspired by another maker, please give them credit.
5. A sign up list will be posted, however, if you make a soap and want to share it but haven't officially signed up, please feel welcome to post a picture! Un-Challenges are meant to be relaxed and fun!
6. Experiments are always interesting. If you learned something, please share. Likewise, if you would share anything about your process we’d all be interested in learning more.
7. As always, please keep comments kind and have fun!
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Any finished soap can be used for this technique, but a one color surface, or some swirls in the same colors as the dipping batter has worked best for me. I used a slab mold for the example below and poured a thin layer of solid color soap and swirled the rest so there would be a design element once the thin, dipped layer is gone. I used about 5 ounces of batter to dip and had plenty to dip 12 soaps.
Leave your dipping batter unscented. Fragrances that slow trace can be problematic in that they are often prone to ash. Even though this is a pretty quick technique, fragrances can be unpredictable and you want to give yourself plenty of time.
One of the reasons I gel my soaps is to reduce the formation of soda ash. Since this technique doesn’t lend itself to gelling, I used a 40% lye concentration and sprayed the soaps once they were no longer shiny a few times (maybe 3 times over the next 1-1.5 hours) with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I put the soaps in an air tight container and left them in there for a couple of days before moving to the curing rack.
Wait for a light-medium to medium trace before you begin dipping. I normally pre-disperse my colorants in oil, but I hand stir them in for this technique because I don’t want to add more oil to the very small amount of batter. Do whatever works best for you.
Pour your colors however you like on a small plate or similar. It is your choice to swirl the colors before dipping or leave them separated. I think less is more, and I over-swirled my batter in the photo below. A mica in oil drizzle can also create a very pretty effect.
After dipping your soap bar, lift from one or two corners rather than pulling straight up. If you need to wipe any excess batter from the sides of your soap, do it right away.
Have a small mold ready to scrape your dipping batter into when it starts to get muddy. If you aren’t happy with your dipped soap, scrape it off, wipe it down and dip it again.
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The soaps I made for this un-challenge.
Inspiration videos and photos
From I Dream in Soap
From Oh! Yvonne
BySteso
By Sapionarts
By Iborganics Skincare
By Good Vibes Soap (good.vibes.soap on InstaGram with lots of examples)
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1. Any SMF member may participate in this Un-Challenge, regardless of length of membership or number of posts.
2.The soap must be made after the Un-Challenge announcement is posted (so do not post pictures of soaps that were made before December 1, 2024).
3. Make and post pictures of as many soaps as you would like. There will not be a separate entry thread and there will not be a vote. You may post pictures of your creations in this thread at any time. Photos of failures are just as welcome as photos of successes.
4. If your design is inspired by another maker, please give them credit.
5. A sign up list will be posted, however, if you make a soap and want to share it but haven't officially signed up, please feel welcome to post a picture! Un-Challenges are meant to be relaxed and fun!
6. Experiments are always interesting. If you learned something, please share. Likewise, if you would share anything about your process we’d all be interested in learning more.
7. As always, please keep comments kind and have fun!
****
Any finished soap can be used for this technique, but a one color surface, or some swirls in the same colors as the dipping batter has worked best for me. I used a slab mold for the example below and poured a thin layer of solid color soap and swirled the rest so there would be a design element once the thin, dipped layer is gone. I used about 5 ounces of batter to dip and had plenty to dip 12 soaps.
Leave your dipping batter unscented. Fragrances that slow trace can be problematic in that they are often prone to ash. Even though this is a pretty quick technique, fragrances can be unpredictable and you want to give yourself plenty of time.
One of the reasons I gel my soaps is to reduce the formation of soda ash. Since this technique doesn’t lend itself to gelling, I used a 40% lye concentration and sprayed the soaps once they were no longer shiny a few times (maybe 3 times over the next 1-1.5 hours) with 99% isopropyl alcohol. I put the soaps in an air tight container and left them in there for a couple of days before moving to the curing rack.
Wait for a light-medium to medium trace before you begin dipping. I normally pre-disperse my colorants in oil, but I hand stir them in for this technique because I don’t want to add more oil to the very small amount of batter. Do whatever works best for you.
Pour your colors however you like on a small plate or similar. It is your choice to swirl the colors before dipping or leave them separated. I think less is more, and I over-swirled my batter in the photo below. A mica in oil drizzle can also create a very pretty effect.
After dipping your soap bar, lift from one or two corners rather than pulling straight up. If you need to wipe any excess batter from the sides of your soap, do it right away.
Have a small mold ready to scrape your dipping batter into when it starts to get muddy. If you aren’t happy with your dipped soap, scrape it off, wipe it down and dip it again.
****
The soaps I made for this un-challenge.
Inspiration videos and photos
From I Dream in Soap
From Oh! Yvonne
BySteso
By Sapionarts
By Iborganics Skincare
By Good Vibes Soap (good.vibes.soap on InstaGram with lots of examples)
