September 2022 SMF Soap Challenge – Hybrid soaps, pouring CP and MP together

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szaza

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Welcome to the September 2022 SMF Soap Challenge! For this month’s challenge, we will make hybrid soaps combining Cold Process (CP) soap with Melt and Pour (MP) soap. There are many different kinds of ways MP and CP can be combined and this month we’ll specifically be trying to pour both soaps together. This may sound a bit scary, but you can create awesome effects with this technique and it’s actually a lot easier than it sounds.

Here's a beautiful example by Handmade in Florida:
1662309606949.png

Please read the general rules and the challenge specific rules below and let’s have some soapy fun!


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 interrupt our plans, 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.
  • Note all times listed are Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and it is your responsibility to convert times to your own time zone.
  • The entry thread will open on September 22 by 11:59pm GMT (Please follow the challenge specific rules as to what you need to enter).
  • After the closing date on September 27 at 11:59pm GMT the winning entry will be chosen by a voting survey. Voting will be open until September 29 at 11:59pm GMT and the winner will be announced on September 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 to the general challenge 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 this Challenge

1. The challenge this month is to make a hybrid soap, combining CP and MP soap. The soaps should be poured together (so both need to be fluid at the pouring stage – no embeds).

2. You can use any pouring/swirling technique you’d like. Keep in mind MP hardens as soon as it cools, so I’d recommend basic pours like drop swirl, layers,… but if you want to give yourself a challenge, go for it!

3. You can pour CP into MP or MP into CP or alternate or pour both together or,….

4. You can swirl your soap after pouring if you are so inclined, but it’s not mandatory.

5. You can use any mould you like and any cut you like (I think with MP silicone might be a little easier than a lined wood mould).

6. For the very brave, combining hot process (HP) and MP soaps will also be allowed.

7. If you prefer homemade translucent soap, this will also be accepted instead of MP soap.

8. If you prefer opaque MP soap this will be accepted. I personally think the beauty of this technique is the combination of traslucent MP and opaque CP soap, but maybe you have an amazing idea for combining opaque MP and CP that I never thought of!


Tips:

I’m sorry, I haven’t been able to find a lot of useful tips since this isn’t a very widely used technique. If you find more, please share in the challenge thread!

1. The densities of the different types of soaps are a little different. Grace from ‘From Grace to you’ uses salt in her CP soap to make it sink into the MP better. I have found that pouring height also makes a big difference.

2. I’d advise using a little less water in your recipe to prevent warping (MP doesn’t shrink during cure, CP does).


Examples:

Here are some examples of the awesome effects you can create with hybrid soaps.

Handmade in Florida (drop swirl with MP poured into CP soap)



Saponaceoussoap (Layered soap with MP and CP soap poured on top of each other)


From Grace to you (pouring CP into MP soap)





My own first try:
DSC_0824.JPG


Please sign up below if you are planning to participate in this month's Challenge. (Next Post)
 
Please copy & paste the list into a new post, then add your name along with the next appropriate number.


Sign up list:
1.
2.
 
I'm so sorry for letting you wait for the challenge to be posted. I was on a holiday, I left totally prepared with my challenge idea, a picture of my own soap and my laptop, but there just wasn't any time to post the thread. I understand most of you soap on the weekend, so I hope you can still find time in the next 3 weekends to try this technique.

I still don't have a lot of time to soap, but I thoroughly enjoyed trying this technique (which has been on my bucket list for years) and I hope you guys & gals will too! :)
 
Oh, be been wanting to do this! It has been so long since I’ve made M&P soap. I don’t recall which colorants can be used to maintain translucence with colors. I don’t ’t recall if I can use micas or something else.

I do want to make my own translucent soap but figure I’ll experiment with the M&P buried in my cabinet first.
 
Oh I wish I could do this one! I'm out of town starting next weekend, then siblings are visiting and we're hosting my parents 50th anniversary party the week after I get home. If I had some melt and pour on hand, I'd squeeze a batch in before I leave, but I'd have to order it. I'll have to do so and make some later!
 
Please copy & paste the list into a new post, then add your name along with the next appropriate number.



Sign up list:
1. The Phoenix - This will be a fun experiment!
2. earlene - a project for my roadtrip! Thank you
3.
 
Sign up list:
1. The Phoenix - This will be a fun experiment!
2. earlene - a project for my roadtrip! Thank you
3. dibbles - I hope I have some M&P stashed away somewhere.
 
Please copy & paste the list into a new post, then add your name along with the next appropriate number.

Sign up list:
1. The Phoenix - This will be a fun experiment!
2. earlene - a project for my roadtrip! Thank you
3. dibbles - I hope I have some M&P stashed away somewhere.
4. melonpan - I'm finally able to soap again and this looks like a fun project!
 
1. The Phoenix - This will be a fun experiment!
2. earlene - a project for my roadtrip! Thank you
3. dibbles - I hope I have some M&P stashed away somewhere.
4. melonpan - I'm finally able to soap again and this looks like a fun project!
5. Serene - I am sure that if I don't have melt and pour Dibbles will encourage me to put an order in. Enabler!!
 
Please copy & paste the list into a new post, then add your name along with the next appropriate number.

Sign up list:
1. The Phoenix - This will be a fun experiment!
2. earlene - a project for my roadtrip! Thank you
3. dibbles - I hope I have some M&P stashed away somewhere.
4. melonpan - I'm finally able to soap again and this looks like a fun project!
5. Serene - I am sure that if I don't have melt and pour Dibbles will encourage me to put an order in. Enabler!!
6. Mobjack - I only just made M&P for the first time this summer, so, sure, why not!
 
I’m going to need to order M&P since all I have is the white type. Any recommendations? Is the no sweat kind a good option to go with CP soap?
It might be, but the no sweat base that I had was very finicky to work with. I have only used MP in CP once that I can recall, and it was an embed. I don’t think I had a problem with sweating. Not that it isn’t a valid concern.
 
Made my first attempt. Hmmm. Went back and looked at the rules and need a little clarification.

@szaza Rule #1 states that the M&P and CP soap should be poured together. That “should” seems to leave room for possibly pouring them NOT together. Can I pour a layer of CP. then M&P, another CP? Or is that against the rules?

If it is against the rules, that would mean that the CP and M&P must be poured together. Yes?

Thank you!
 
Made my first attempt. Hmmm. Went back and looked at the rules and need a little clarification.

@szaza Rule #1 states that the M&P and CP soap should be poured together. That “should” seems to leave room for possibly pouring them NOT together. Can I pour a layer of CP. then M&P, another CP? Or is that against the rules?

If it is against the rules, that would mean that the CP and M&P must be poured together. Yes?

Thank you!
Sorry if my wording was confusing. Yes, you can pour a layer of cp then mp then cp again, but you need to pour each time before the soap hardens (or at least that was the intention of the challenge). If you want to create straight lines it's easier just to make a straight mp embed and that feels like a different challenge. Is this helping or are the rules still unclear?
 
Sorry if my wording was confusing. Yes, you can pour a layer of cp then mp then cp again, but you need to pour each time before the soap hardens (or at least that was the intention of the challenge). If you want to create straight lines it's easier just to make a straight mp embed and that feels like a different challenge. Is this helping or are the rules still unclear?
It does. Thank you!
 
I don’t recall which colorants can be used to maintain translucence with colors. I don’t ’t recall if I can use micas or something else.
I was wondering about this too. It looks like the recommended usage rate for mica in M&P is .5 tsp per pound of base, but I'm not sure how transparent it is. Did you try it? FWIW, I used liquid colorants that I bought at a craft store to use when I made soap with my grandson. I let him add the color himself and the green was almost black 🤣 🤣🤣 (he was under 3 at the time). Needless to say, I helped add color to the others, which was what went home with him.
 
I only have very limited experience with MP soap, but my first try (in 2020) was with food coloring and that worked surprisingly well (might depend on the type of food coloring though).

Right before making the soap for this challenge I tried indigo dispersed in alcohol (mix well to avoid clumps, otherwise great) and alcohol infusions of spirulina (green, turning amber/gold), alkanet (greyish turning purple) and coccineal (bright purpleish pink), so natural colorants are possible.

I also tried a store bought liquid MP colorant, which was a bit brighter than the natural colorants (except coccineal). I can't say anything about mica, because I don't have it, but there are options if you don't have special liquid MP colorant😉
 
From Grace to You has made a number of hybrid soap videos that are available on her YouTube channel. As far as I can recall, she uses only mica when she colors M&P and the soap remains translucent.

I discovered some transparent gold M&P in my refrigerator. I’m sure I bought it thinking I would drip it on honey soap a la Irish Lass. I guess my first color scheme will involve gold.
 

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