Great Cakes Soapworks Challenge Entry: Spin Swirls

Great Cakes Soapworks Challenge Entry: Spin Swirls

Fire and Ice

This is my entry for the Great Cakes Soapworks Challenge:  Spin Swirls

I have to tell you, I am really nervous sharing this with you all! This is only my 7th ever batch of soap and I wanted to make something that I could be proud of and that represented the challenge objective. I'm hoping that this entry does that.

This is actually my 3rd attempt doing the challenge swirl. My 1st attempt wasn't bad, but the batter traced a little fast so I couldn't get those deep swirls like you do when the batter is more liquid. My 2nd attempt was a DISASTER. I decided to add sugar and salt to the batch and I must have done something wrong because it crumbled as soon as it was cut. This batch was grated down and balled into embeds I plan to use in the future.

Onward to my 3rd and final attempt...

I used the recipe provided by Amy on the challenge board with one change. I didn't have the rice bran oil and Amy said that I could substitute the sweet almond oil for it because it's what I have. My soap recipe consists of:  Lard, Olive Oil, Sweet Almond Oil and Coconut Oil. I did 33% water and super-fatted to 5%. 

First thing I did was mix my lye water. I have learned that mixing this outside on the patio is the best option for me. My husband, kids and puppy all appreciate not breathing in the noxious fumes. Plus, I don't know about you, but even after it's fully incorporated I find that my eyes are stinging while I wait for it to cool off.

Then, I melted all my hard oils in a pot on the stove and added my liquid oils. Now this was the hard part for me. I needed to wait until my oils and lye were both at about 90 degrees. When we were just about at that temperature, it was time to mix my micas. I took some of the oils and put them into paper coffee cups. Then, I used about a teaspoon or so of 3 different mica colors from Nurture Soaps:  iris purple, raspberry red and teal green. For the 4th color I used to natural color of the batter. Here are my micas mixed and ready to go into the batters:

For scent I used Drakkar Noir fragrance oil from WSP. Drakkar is my husband's scent and I absolutely LOVE it! I have to say that this FO is true to scent (for the time being), so I'm thrilled! The FO is in the little square container in the above picture.

Okay, finally my oils and lye reached the temperature I wanted. I added the lye water to the oils and stick blended for about a minute or two until everything was incorporated. Let me tell you, it was hard to stop stick blending! I don't know about you but I find myself always wanting to give it just one more quick burst. Which for me turns into a 5 minute ordeal :) 

It was time to mix the colors. I am so lucky that my husband is creative and helpful!!! He made me a 6 x 6 flat soap box that I used for this challenge and plan to use for future batches too. He also helped me mix in the micas and pour the batter.

The batter was between light and medium trace and moving quickly. The FO really accelerated the trace a LOT. So, we did a faux funnel pour smack dab in the center of the mold. We alternated colors in a pattern - me putting in the white and purple and he putting in the red and the teal. We found ourselves giggling the whole time - it was a ton of fun!

Now it was time to spin the box and swirl the colors. Thank God my husband was there holding his hands out, because at one point I about sent the box spinning off the counter top! My theory was the more centrifugal force I used, the more the batter would mix. I also used short, jerky turns too. I sprayed the top with alcohol and took this picture just before I put on the lid.

I am so in love with this soap at this point! I love how the micas have all those shiny flex and shimmer in the sunlight!

So...fast forward to the next day. I lifted the lid and felt the top. It was just right and ready to cut. So, as I began to unmold it, I noticed some brownish liquid oozing from the sides. I took a paper town and sopped that up. I was curious what this was...did I overheat the batch? So...I got a piece of freezer paper and turned the soap over to look at the bottom.  Here's what I found:

GAHW!!!  I was so worried that this batch was ruined! I don't know if these were lye pockets or what they were. No matter, I was going to cut this sucker and see what was inside. I wiped down the bottom of the soap and began cutting. Thankfully there were no lye pockets inside - just a fun, swirly design and a heavenly scent. Plus the bottom dots scraped right off. *phew* !

Here's a picture of almost all the soap. I was still cleaning up one of the pieces when my hubby took these. I have to say, I was very proud of how this turned out! Had it not been for this challenge, I probably wouldn't have given this a try for awhile. I plan on joining future challenges so I can learn all the different swirls and CP methods. This was a blast!