FINAL ENTRY AT THE END OF THE POST

Welcome back for another Soap Challenge Club entry! My marble entry just barely didn’t make it into the top slots, but it got quite a few votes! I’m also offering them as add-ons for my Artisan Soap Making Workbook Kickstarter campaign, so do check it out!

For this challenge, we are supposed to come up with a color palette that uses complimentary colors. I’ll be entering the advanced category again, so that means I’ll be using 4 colors and doing the One Pot Wonder technique. For an example, here is one I did years ago, called “The Future is Orange.”

We couldn’t use black and white, so I had to get more creative with the combinations. My favorite color combination is blue and orange, and I don’t know why. But it makes me want to attempt it again! However, first I tried something different, with a blue/orange, purple/yellow combo.

Attempt #1:

Then I realized I was too ambitious with this, so I just went back to vibrant blue and orange, with toned down hues for each color (light blue and cream).

Attempt #2

I ended up submitting attempt #2, but I didn’t have much hope for it. I think it looks cool, but it’s smeary and the muted tones look more like white than what they actually are.

Either way, it was a fun challenge, and I have more soap, which can never be a bad thing!

Which one did you like best? Let me know in the comments!

FINAL ENTRY AT THE END OF THE POST

Hosted by Amy Warden, the Soap Challenge Club has been around for quite a while. I remember submitting an entry for the very first one, which was the peacock swirl challenge (I don’t remember the year, but possibly early 2010’s). After all the votes were tallied, mine came in 2nd after a bar that was lovely, but wasn’t nearly as ambitious as mine:

Back then, there was only one winner, and no consolation prizes or any other tiers. I remember being so upset that I lost by ONE vote… and I believe it was peer judged, so my thought was that all the first place winner’s friends came in to vote. Not sure if that’s true to be fair, but at the time social media was still getting its legs, and I had next to no presence there, but the winner did.

I thought it would have been nice to have a consolation prize for 2nd and 3rd place at least… maybe a free entry into the next competition or something…

Especially considering the difference was one. measly. vote.

I was mad enough to not enter the competition again until now. When I saw that the technique was going to be a marble one, I wanted to try again. The goal is to follow the technique tutorial to get a soap that looks like a block of marble. I’ve done this before, and really loved how my first ever marbled soap turned out. You may have seen my video on it here:

Some bars turned out better than others, but the process was fun, and I was surprised at the results. I say this because…

Anyway, the challenge has changed a lot over the years, with recognition in several different categories, and a tiered award system. There are also a lot of entries, and it’s been neat to see all the amazing entries from previous challenges.

Attempt #1:

I was inspired by slate blue and rose gold, so I crafted my color scheme as such. However, in typical Liz fashion, I went with a fragrance that I was not familiar with (a blend of Barbershop from Wholesale Supplies Plus and a Men’s fragrance from Essential Depot). While it didn’t create soap on a stick, it did accelerate trace a touch, leaving me to resort to the in the pot technique (as in the video above), rather than the ombre technique. It’s still lovely, and smells great, but it wasn’t competition worthy in my opinion:

I had already plastic wrapped the bars before taking pictures, so that’s what those shiny spots and “wrinkles” are.

Attempt #2

Opting for a fragrance that I was sure decelerated trace, I continued with an untraditional color scheme. One of my favorite color combinations is purple and gold. There’s a sort of “royalty” in it that just grabs me.

The fragrance I used here is called Capri Olivo from Nature’s Garden Candles.

Attempt #3

I wanted to try again just to see if I could push my limits a little. Here, I used another decelerating fragrance, Pink Grapefruit from Wholesale Supplies Plus, and did not just one, but TWO gradients in black and pink:

Attempt #4

For this one, I was going to try emulating my countertop, where it has some interesting shimmery inclusions of silver within. I used just one ombre (bronze), with black for more veining as well as gold and black mica lines. I used another slow fragrance in Lemongrass Green Tea from Wholesale Supplies Plus:

I love the look of this, but the bronze was warmer than my goal. I love how the black did what I wanted it to, but the gold also didn’t pop as much as I had hoped.

Attempt #2!

Which one did you like best? Let me know in the comments!

Soap-making fragrances are quirky. They can cause several issues in your batch, including acceleration, ricing, separation, tunnels, glycerin rivers, and discoloration (amo…

Read more

First things first…

1. I love THIS CALCULATOR.

   1. Most of my recipes are made through SoapCalc. If you need a walkthrough on how to use it, just answer the poll at the bottom of this post. I can film something and post it on YouTube and Substack!

2. I also use citric acid in my lye. I do this because it adds a natural soap scum preventer (a.k.a. a “chelator”), as well as being incredibly effective in reducing the dreaded orange spots. In soap lingo, that’s D.O.S. This happens when one or more of the oils used in your recipe go rancid. Your soap forms orange blemishes, and the smell is kinda gross and zappy. I don’t know how else to describe it, so I made up a word.

3. FYI - most links listed in this post will earn a small commission (keyword small, ha)

Now, on to what you came here for…

Budget Soap Recipe (makes 2 lb.):

Tools Needed:

NO ALUMINUM FOR ANY REASON!!!1

• Heat and chemical-resistant containers for oils (at least 2)

• Heat and chemical-resistant container for lye

• Dixie cups (optional for weighing lye - glass, and plastic are fine, just don’t use them for food after)

• Heat and chemical-resistant funnel (sturdy plastic is fine)

• Scale that reads in grams and ounces

• Heat and chemical-resistant spatulas for stirring

• Coconut oil, canola oil, lard

• Lye (sodium hydroxide)

• Distilled water

• Optional: citric acid, silk fibers, sodium lactate, fragrance

1. 7 (oz) distilled water

2. 4.4 (oz) lye, or 4.1 oz if *not* using citric acid
   (the price in the link is for bulk - it’s cheaper this way)2

3. 16 (g) citric acid (optional)
   See how to calculate below.

4. 1 tsp sodium lactate (optional)

5. 1 pinch silk fibers (optional)

6. 1 (oz) fragrance oil (optional)

1. 8.4 (oz) coconut oil (if you have a Costco/Sams) membership, it’s cheaper)

2. 8.4 (oz) canola oil (also cheaper with Costco/Sams)

3. 11.2 (oz) lard (cheap at local grocery store. Alternate recipe without lard)

For Part 1:

1. Add the distilled water to a heat-resistant vessel (ideally a closable chemistry bottle, or plastic pitcher) with plenty of ventilation nearby. It is important to use distilled water. You can get a gallon of this at the supermarket for around $1-2.

2. Mix in everything but the lye and make sure it is dissolved (except silk fibers, if using - they will only dissolve after adding lye).

3. Using eye and hand protection, weigh the lye into a separate chemical-resistant container (I use Dixie cups).

4. Pour lye slowly into the chemistry bottle or plastic/glass pitcher (use a funnel if pouring into a bottle.)
   **The solution will get very hot, near boiling!**
   Mix with a heat and chemical-resistant spoon or spatula under the ventilation.3
   NEVER pour water into the lye. ALWAYS pour the lye into the water.

For Part 2:

1. Add hard oils (coconut and lard) to a heat-resistant container.

2. Warm oils in a water bath until melted.

3. Weigh liquid oils (canola) in a separate container.

4. Once hard oils are melted, take note of the temperature, then pour in your liquid oils. Test the temperature again. It is a good idea to make sure your temps are between 90-95°F, or ideally below 90°F (or 32°C), especially if using a fragrance you’re unfamiliar with.

5. Add fragrance (optional, and if you know how it behaves) and mix well.

6. Gently pour in the lye solution and stir to get a feel for how fast your fragrance moves the recipe. If not using fragrance, then:

7. Blend with a stick blender until the batter is about the thickness of heavy cream (thinner if you want to try swirling).

8. Pour into a 2lb. mold. My favorite is THIS ONE from Wholesale Supplies Plus, although you’ll probably find it cheaper on Amazon.

9. Allow soap to sit overnight.
   If forcing the batch to go through gel, you can do *one* of the following:

   1. Place mold on a junk cookie sheet (not aluminum, not for food) in a preheated oven at 170°F for about 15-20 minutes. Turn the oven off and let it sit overnight without opening the door (don’t forget about your soap!)

   2. Place in an old and unused crock pot on low heat for 15 minutes while covered. Turn off the heat and let sit overnight.

   3. Use an old and unused heating pad in some insulated container and warm soap on med or high for about 2 hours (more or less depending on how fast your batch gels). Turn off the heat and let sit overnight.

10. The next day, once the soap feels like hard cheese, it’s ready to cut! If it’s still soft, it may not have gone through gel completely. Let it sit another day or two.

    ---

What do you think about Soap Calc?

Visit my Link Tree

Fancy a unique T-shirt, quirky socks, or a swirly clock? Visit my Red Bubble Shop.

I was never into poetry, but I might start. Buy Me a Coffee and see what I do with it.

Get my books: METAXYSM | HILLBILLY VAMP | REAPER’S GAMBLE

Footnotes:

First things first…

1. I love THIS CALCULATOR.

   1. Most of my recipes are made through SoapCalc. If you need a walkthrough on how to use it, just answer the poll at the bottom of this post. I c…

Read more

Hello! If you’re seeing this post, maybe you wandered over here at random, or you’re here because you were subscribed to my soap newsletter.

Well, I have merged the newsletters because Substack has a cool feature where you can host multiple newsletters on the same site. While I could have done that with the other provider, there was a lot of crossover between my book people and my soap people. So here we are!

Secondly…

If you don’t know, in addition to writing, I also have been making soap for over 20 years. How weird is it to think that 2002 was over 20 years ago? I usually make videos on YouTube, but have found my stamina for filming and editing to be waning as of late, so I plan to be more active on here for a little while.

Something new: I’ll start posting recipes from time to time! A lot of you subbed to the newsletter from my YouTube channel, but sometimes it’s nice to read something rather than watch. I’ll post said recipes, and occasionally write up some techniques.

Just like the book side of things, I’ll offer some free recipe/technique posts and ones that are only available with a (cheap) paid subscription.

Here are some of the popular soaps from this year:

Lastly…

I’m glad you’re here! It’s been quite the year for me to say the least, and your support and kind words have meant the world to me.

In just under a year, I started a new job, written and published 3 books, and made about 20 batches of soap. In between, I’ve started a business for my books, built 2 websites (SOAP) and (BOOKS), and have crammed several classes worth of marketing lessons in my aging brain.

While I’m still not at the point where I envision myself, I’m already this far because of you, and I thank you for that!

Here’s to year 1, and many more to come :)

Outro…

Visit my Linktree

Fancy a unique T-shirt, quirky socks, or a swirly clock? Visit my Red Bubble Shop.

I was never into poetry, but I might start. Buy Me a Coffee and see what I do with it.

Get my books: METAXYSM | HILLBILLY VAMP | REAPER’S GAMBLE