Welcome to March's soap challenge! I'm going to start with the rules. Hopefully some changes in the way voting goes will help this months challenge go smoothly.
General Rules:
1. 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.
2. We will not have a list of who has voted this time. Instead, this months voting will be password locked. Passwords will be PM'ed to registered participants ONLY. So please check your PM's when the voting begins.
3. No posting your entry photos until the entry thread is made. Non entry photos are very welcome!
4. You are allowed to change your entry photo up until the entry thread closes. So if you decide after you post your entry you want another try, and you like the second better, you can change it up until the deadline.
SMF Challenge General Rules
· To enter you must have a minimum of 50 posts and been a member for a month (sorry but no exceptions on this)
· Please add your name to the sign up list if you wish to participate (however, you don’t have to enter a soap at the end if you don’t feel happy with what you have produced)
· The challenge thread should be used to upload pictures of any of your challenge attempts (but, not your challenge entry) where you can ask for advice and discuss the technique with other members.
· Constructive criticism is welcomed, but please try to keep your comments polite.
· Competition entries must be uploaded to the separate entry thread before the closing date. The thread will open on 3/12/16 (Please follow the challenge specific rules as to what you need to enter)
· After the closing date 03/26/16 the winning entry will be chosen using survey monkey and the winner announced on 3/31/16. There is no prize attached to this challenge.
· If you fail to make the challenge deadline, you are still welcome to upload your soap onto the thread, but your entry will not be eligible for voting. We still love to see anything you have produced.
· 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 then your entry will not be included in the voting.
· Newbie, Saponista, Lionproncess00, Sonya-m and GalaxyMLP reserve the right to have the final say on whether a soap is eligible for voting.
This months challenge:
Whipped soap is made by whipping your selected fats and oils prior to adding the lye. You should use a recipe that is greater than 50% hard oils (these are solid at room temperature). However, I have heard of success at as low as 30%. You may also be able to make a blend of fats that is solid at room temperature by adding stearic acid, beeswax or the like to give you a consistency similar to body butter when cooled. You can use any blend of fats/oils in any amounts. I even tried this with a 80/20% coconut oil/OO salt bar; it didn't float (from the salt) though it worked very well. If you choose to use palm oil please understand that it must be "tempered" before use. You may also use "homogenized palm" or palm shortening if you have it at your disposal to circumvent the tempering. Whipping a soap gives it the unique ability to float. That will be the goal of this challenge.
There are 2 rules for this challenge:
1. You must have some whipped soap present.
2. Your soap must float.
Pictures I need in the entry thread:
I need to see a picture of your soap floating in water in the challenge entry thread. You don't have to show me a full size piece of soap floating; it can be an end piece or a part of a bar. However, it must be representative of your soap. That means if you used a mix of soap types (whipped and non-whipped) your floating soap picture must contain both parts. If you used multiple fragrances/colors, all should be present in the floating soap picture. The reason is because even the tiniest bits of whipped soap float. Its due to density and the ability for the soap to float will not change with a bigger (or smaller) bar.
I also need to see a picture of your soap out of the water (it makes it easier to see and appreciate.)
Challenge tips
· I recommend using 75% of the oils/fats you normally do for a given mold. You will have some left over with proper whipping however, it should be minimal and may let you pipe some fun designs on top. My mold uses 32 oz of oil. I used a recipe with 24 oz for my whipped soap instead.
· For best results, use room temperature lye.
· After molding, put your mold into the fridge (best) or freezer overnight. Take it out and let it sit for a day or two before unmolding/cutting.
· Try using REALLY misbehaving FOs. I used one (the coconut) that usually separates into a unusable batter, then thickens when it finally comes together, and is a heater. I did get some visible graininess but it stayed together. I've also used whipped soap for fragrances that accelerate like mad and the soap stays fluid (like a med-thick trace). I've never had a fragrance that didn't work well in whipped soap.
· You can use any mold and any technique. You are not limited by molds, colors, pour, anything.
· You can pour non-whipped soap with your whipped soap, the soap as a whole must float at the end.
· You can use hot process for this challenge (yes, its possible). You will need to whip your soap after the cook. I do this by discounting my water up front and then adding milk (I find milk works best, but you can use water or any liquid) to bring it to "full water". I have pictures of my HP soap below. I tried it in late 2014 when I was salvaging what I thought was a lost HP batch. One of the nicest HP soaps I've made. It also allows you to pipe the HP soap. Pop this one into the freezer right after you finish it otherwise it will deflate. I purposefully recreated it a few months later.
The video is a full length 13 minute tutorial. Don't worry, I mute/speed up the blending parts! I had to put the camera in a cabinet and tape it there. I ran out of memory as I was pouring the lye (of course). I stopped, cleared some memory, put the camera back, and kept going. I wish my camera had better resolution but, it is what it is. I explain everything as I'm doing it in the video so I hope it helps. The battery also died as I was piping the last bit of soap. I didn't think it detracted from the tutorial itself so I did not record myself making another soap for this challenge.
I really love whipped soap and after this month's challenge, I hope you do too!
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6deD-IeKhvs[/ame]
Picture 1 is of the CP whipped soap in the tutorial.
Pictures 2 & 3 are of HP whipped soap. It is a castile soap and would not be able to be whipped by CP.
General Rules:
1. 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.
2. We will not have a list of who has voted this time. Instead, this months voting will be password locked. Passwords will be PM'ed to registered participants ONLY. So please check your PM's when the voting begins.
3. No posting your entry photos until the entry thread is made. Non entry photos are very welcome!
4. You are allowed to change your entry photo up until the entry thread closes. So if you decide after you post your entry you want another try, and you like the second better, you can change it up until the deadline.
SMF Challenge General Rules
· To enter you must have a minimum of 50 posts and been a member for a month (sorry but no exceptions on this)
· Please add your name to the sign up list if you wish to participate (however, you don’t have to enter a soap at the end if you don’t feel happy with what you have produced)
· The challenge thread should be used to upload pictures of any of your challenge attempts (but, not your challenge entry) where you can ask for advice and discuss the technique with other members.
· Constructive criticism is welcomed, but please try to keep your comments polite.
· Competition entries must be uploaded to the separate entry thread before the closing date. The thread will open on 3/12/16 (Please follow the challenge specific rules as to what you need to enter)
· After the closing date 03/26/16 the winning entry will be chosen using survey monkey and the winner announced on 3/31/16. There is no prize attached to this challenge.
· If you fail to make the challenge deadline, you are still welcome to upload your soap onto the thread, but your entry will not be eligible for voting. We still love to see anything you have produced.
· 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 then your entry will not be included in the voting.
· Newbie, Saponista, Lionproncess00, Sonya-m and GalaxyMLP reserve the right to have the final say on whether a soap is eligible for voting.
This months challenge:
Whipped soap is made by whipping your selected fats and oils prior to adding the lye. You should use a recipe that is greater than 50% hard oils (these are solid at room temperature). However, I have heard of success at as low as 30%. You may also be able to make a blend of fats that is solid at room temperature by adding stearic acid, beeswax or the like to give you a consistency similar to body butter when cooled. You can use any blend of fats/oils in any amounts. I even tried this with a 80/20% coconut oil/OO salt bar; it didn't float (from the salt) though it worked very well. If you choose to use palm oil please understand that it must be "tempered" before use. You may also use "homogenized palm" or palm shortening if you have it at your disposal to circumvent the tempering. Whipping a soap gives it the unique ability to float. That will be the goal of this challenge.
There are 2 rules for this challenge:
1. You must have some whipped soap present.
2. Your soap must float.
Pictures I need in the entry thread:
I need to see a picture of your soap floating in water in the challenge entry thread. You don't have to show me a full size piece of soap floating; it can be an end piece or a part of a bar. However, it must be representative of your soap. That means if you used a mix of soap types (whipped and non-whipped) your floating soap picture must contain both parts. If you used multiple fragrances/colors, all should be present in the floating soap picture. The reason is because even the tiniest bits of whipped soap float. Its due to density and the ability for the soap to float will not change with a bigger (or smaller) bar.
I also need to see a picture of your soap out of the water (it makes it easier to see and appreciate.)
Challenge tips
· I recommend using 75% of the oils/fats you normally do for a given mold. You will have some left over with proper whipping however, it should be minimal and may let you pipe some fun designs on top. My mold uses 32 oz of oil. I used a recipe with 24 oz for my whipped soap instead.
· For best results, use room temperature lye.
· After molding, put your mold into the fridge (best) or freezer overnight. Take it out and let it sit for a day or two before unmolding/cutting.
· Try using REALLY misbehaving FOs. I used one (the coconut) that usually separates into a unusable batter, then thickens when it finally comes together, and is a heater. I did get some visible graininess but it stayed together. I've also used whipped soap for fragrances that accelerate like mad and the soap stays fluid (like a med-thick trace). I've never had a fragrance that didn't work well in whipped soap.
· You can use any mold and any technique. You are not limited by molds, colors, pour, anything.
· You can pour non-whipped soap with your whipped soap, the soap as a whole must float at the end.
· You can use hot process for this challenge (yes, its possible). You will need to whip your soap after the cook. I do this by discounting my water up front and then adding milk (I find milk works best, but you can use water or any liquid) to bring it to "full water". I have pictures of my HP soap below. I tried it in late 2014 when I was salvaging what I thought was a lost HP batch. One of the nicest HP soaps I've made. It also allows you to pipe the HP soap. Pop this one into the freezer right after you finish it otherwise it will deflate. I purposefully recreated it a few months later.
The video is a full length 13 minute tutorial. Don't worry, I mute/speed up the blending parts! I had to put the camera in a cabinet and tape it there. I ran out of memory as I was pouring the lye (of course). I stopped, cleared some memory, put the camera back, and kept going. I wish my camera had better resolution but, it is what it is. I explain everything as I'm doing it in the video so I hope it helps. The battery also died as I was piping the last bit of soap. I didn't think it detracted from the tutorial itself so I did not record myself making another soap for this challenge.
I really love whipped soap and after this month's challenge, I hope you do too!
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6deD-IeKhvs[/ame]
Picture 1 is of the CP whipped soap in the tutorial.
Pictures 2 & 3 are of HP whipped soap. It is a castile soap and would not be able to be whipped by CP.
