January 2023 SMF Challenge – Pick a Color, Any Color

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It’s awfully quiet over here so I thought I would pop in to provide a reminder that the entry thread opens in four days. I hope everyone is loving their tone.
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I was panicking trying stuff I've never done before and had a failed attempt and was pretty bummed out trying this slow moving recipe that accelerated on me and just barely saved my soap on time and just when I was ready to give up I got a great Idea to turn my favorite recipe that seems to always work for me and turned it into a slow moving recipe decreasing the hard oils and adding a bit more slow moving oils and guess what happened, magic, my recipe worked and I completed my first swirl plus incorporated my on own style of bar into it and it's perfect for the challenge cant wait to show everybody I cant believe I did it. Down below is a picture of my failed attempt that I saved in the nick of time.
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@CLMP those are beautiful! 🥰

I'm curious as to which hard oils you felt made the recipe move fast. Coconut, and any of the butters, are the fast movers for me. But lard, tallow, and palm are all pretty well behaved in my recipes, with lard being the slowest of all of them.
I had used 20%coconut oil, 20%palm oil, 20%canola, 20% olive oil, 15%almond oil, and 5%castor oil. I don't know if it was the recipe or me maybe I over blended, usually I count to 20 and my recipe I love always turns out perfect but this recipe got thick so fast I also used a mixture of lavender fragrance with peppermint fragrance and put it in my oils first before adding lye usually I add my fragrance at the end right before I pour it so maybe that did it. As I seen it get thicker by the second I dumped all my colors in and poured lol at least I saved 😅 it. It was my first time trying to swirl lol. But I got it on my second try with my happy recipe and I'm extremely excited right now. I think I have learned from this experience that I think I dont like using canola oil but we will see in the future lol.
 
@Mobjack Bay I have a question: If I have some embeds from a previous project, that use the exact same hue that I'm already in the main bars of the soap, can I add those to the top?

One of the general rules for the challenges is that the soap must be made after the monthly challenge has been announced. Since I haven’t made an exception to that rule, e.g. for a confetti soap, I have to say no unless the embed was made after the challenge was announced.
 
I'm just curious about posting 2 bars of soap for the challenge. Do I need to make 2 different bars of soap for the challenge or do I post 2 bars from the same batch? Or can we post 2 different bars of soap?
 
Poor planner here with a question - should each bar have all the colors, or would it be acceptable to have three bars that collectively have all the colors? (I think it’s the former, and I need to try again, just confirming.)
 
I had used 20%coconut oil, 20%palm oil, 20%canola, 20% olive oil, 15%almond oil, and 5%castor oil. I don't know if it was the recipe or me maybe I over blended, usually I count to 20 and my recipe I love always turns out perfect but this recipe got thick so fast I also used a mixture of lavender fragrance with peppermint fragrance and put it in my oils first before adding lye usually I add my fragrance at the end right before I pour it so maybe that did it. As I seen it get thicker by the second I dumped all my colors in and poured lol at least I saved 😅 it. It was my first time trying to swirl lol. But I got it on my second try with my happy recipe and I'm extremely excited right now. I think I have learned from this experience that I think I dont like using canola oil but we will see in the future lol.
Two possibilities I see here:

1. My batch would be at medium to thick trace if I blended for 20 seconds. I usually do 2-3 bursts of 2-3 seconds each, with stirring in between as I check for emulsion. Maybe try that?

2. Lavender EO can speed up my trace sometimes. It’s not consistent but clearly happens sometimes. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Good luck with this! 😊
 
Two possibilities I see here:

1. My batch would be at medium to thick trace if I blended for 20 seconds. I usually do 2-3 bursts of 2-3 seconds each, with stirring in between as I check for emulsion. Maybe try that?

2. Lavender EO can speed up my trace sometimes. It’s not consistent but clearly happens sometimes. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Good luck with this! 😊
Oh thank you I will try this!

Attempt #3. I was pretty sure I had created a new color - "pond scum". Thankfully it morphed a little. I also tried my first pull through and entirely lost one of the 4 colors. Lol. Oh well. Abstract art at its best. :) I may go for attempt #4 before I run out of time. View attachment 70494
Pond scum that's pretty funny they kinda do look like that lol. But I still think it's a nice color of green.
 
I'm just curious about posting 2 bars of soap for the challenge. Do I need to make 2 different bars of soap for the challenge or do I post 2 bars from the same batch? Or can we post 2 different bars of soap?
You should post 2 or more bars cut from a single loaf or slab - or -, if you poured your batch of soap into individual cavity molds like I did for the hearts in my first post, you can post two or more of those individual bars.
Poor planner here with a question - should each bar have all the colors, or would it be acceptable to have three bars that collectively have all the colors? (I think it’s the former, and I need to try again, just confirming.)
From Specific Challenge rule 5. “In addition to the list of color proportions and types of colorants used, you must present at least two bars of soap for the competition and each of the bars must contain the hue color and all tint, tone and shade variations used in the soap.”
 
You should post 2 or more bars cut from a single loaf or slab - or -, if you poured your batch of soap into individual cavity molds like I did for the hearts in my first post, you can post two or more of those individual bars.

From Specific Challenge rule 5. “In addition to the list of color proportions and types of colorants used, you must present at least two bars of soap for the competition and each of the bars must contain the hue color and all tint, tone and shade variations used in the soap.”
Oh, sorry, should have read more carefully. Thanks.
 
Well I said I was one and done with this challenge. It didn't work out as planned. It looks and smells nice, but it unfortunately did not meet challenge rules.

Still happy with it though so I am going to post it here.

View attachment 70495
I’m curious what rule it doesn’t meet, just cuz I’m curious and nosey like that LOL. What’s the scent? It’s so pretty, @Catscankim 🌸
 
Well I said I was one and done with this challenge. It didn't work out as planned. It looks and smells nice, but it unfortunately did not meet challenge rules.

Still happy with it though so I am going to post it here.
Those are gorgeous! I was actually considering an ocean-ish soap theme for this challenge, so if I do get time to make it, I guess I'll need to come up with something else.
 
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