I have really enjoyed doing Amy's Soap Challenges! It was great fun and a good motivator for me to try something new each week. This is something I would love to do again in the future.  If you would like to see some of the other participants soap projects http://www.greatcakessoapworks.com/handmade-soap-blog/
It has been fun to see all the interpretations of the challenges!

The last weeks challenge was to create a soap that had "leopard spots". I thought about this one for a couple days before trying it. What scents should I use and what colors? I decided to go for a lemongrass and cedarwood essential oil blend and add a bit of bentonite clay along with some ground lemon peel. The lemon peel was courtesy of a friend who gets yummy lemons each year - she even dried and crushed them for me.

I watched a couple different video's on how to create the spots. Some soapers were using piping bags or ziplocs that they cut a small corner off. Knowing my abilities to make a serious mess I decided to use a couple applicator bottles to have more control but it would give the same effect.

I started out with a plain base and separated out a bit for the dark brown and  yellow colors I had chosen. With the remaining base I added a bit of titanium dioxide to keep the color light, the essential oils, the clay and the lemon peel. Oh and of course I added goat milk as I do with most of my soaps!

Then comes the fun. First a little of the base mixture. Next I began a layer of the brown, yellow and brown to create the "leopard spots". More batter, and more "spots" until the mold was filled. The remaining base and colored soap went on the top to create some contrast and add some interest.

The scent is awesome. I am really liking the citrus scents I have been working with. I am pleased with the results and have more ideas running through my head for more soap using this technique.

Thanks Amy for hosting the challenge! It was great fun!

This weeks challenge involved mica swirls. Mica gives soap a color that resembles the metallic look you see in the paint finish on cars. It has a shimmer or glittery look to it.

Mica is a term used for a group of minerals which are mined, purified and ground into fine powders for cosmetics. It's what gives that special look in eye shadows.
The micas used in soaping are sometimes coated with an iron oxide, titanium dioxide or pigments to give it a more complex or richer color. Sometimes micas used in a cold process soap will morph (change color) so soap makers experiment with different micas to achieved the color they are looking for. The shimmer is  lost in cold processed soap when used as a color but using a mica on the top of the soap will create a gorgeous shimmer and unique look. 

Below you can see the result of my challenge soap. This soap is made with a strawberry wine in a base of olive, coconut, palm and castor oils with some added shea butter and goat milk. It is scented with a Strawberries and Champagne fragrance oil (phthalate free). I used a merlot mica to create a bit of swirling in the body of the soap with two micas for the top swirls, Merlot and Gold. 

This soap will be ready about May 20th as a limited edition. 

 

Want to see some of the other wonderful challenge photos? Go to http://www.greatcakessoapworks.com/handmade-soap-blog/

Week 2's challenge called for an Elemental Swirl. The goal was to create a soap with contrasting colors while using 2/3 colors for each half with a pencil line of color between. The challenge comes with mixing all the colorants and getting the swirls going before the soap starts getting so thick it cannot be poured. Choosing a fragrance that did not accelerate that process was important. Each half of the soap would use what is called a "in the pot swirl" where the colors are poured into a base in the pot then poured into the mold.

While trying to decide what color patterns to work with I ended up making two batches. First was a blend of Blood Orange, 5x Orange and Patchouli essential oils with some Energy scent (a combo of essential and fragrance oils). The top would be a two shades of green colorants and the bottom a combo of neon yellow, neon tangerine and a brick red pigment to go with the blood orange scent. A cappachino mica was the choice for the pencil line as a divider between the two contrasting color halves.
 
The second batch was mix of lemon, lemongrass, litsea and cornmint essential oils. The color choices were neon yellow, neon tangerine and yellow oxide for the bottom and two different green pigments. For this one I used a copper mica for the pencil line.

These two soaps were fun to create and it was hard to tell if I had achieved the goal while pouring the soap batter. The next day when I unmolded I was pleased with the results. An added bonus to creating these two soaps was the wonderful citrusy aroma in my house. Wow.

Both of these soaps will be ready about May 10th!