The soap challenge this month involved learning a technique created by Clyde Yoshida of VibrantSoap called the Clyde Slide. I think this is probably my favorite challenge so far, mainly because it introduced me to Clyde’s YouTube channel. From the color tutorials he provides to the various pouring and swirling techniques he uses and the wonderful way he explains everything, I just couldn’t stop watching his videos. I tend to have a hard time with the creative part of soap making, because I’m so left-brained. But after watching Clyde’s videos, I bought myself a color wheel and even got a water color set to help me coordinate colors in the future. My entry doesn’t have all of the beautiful feathering like Clyde’s soaps, but it was a lot of fun trying the Clyde Slide technique. :)

As with my previous soap challenge club entries, I decided to try using all natural colorants. Given that this challenge required pouring the soap at a thin trace, I was really concerned my clays and infused oils just wouldn’t work out. But I used a recipe with a high percentage of olive oil (see my Embracing Opposites blog for the recipe) and had no issues at all with tracing too quickly. In fact, you can see in the video below that I probably could have blended a bit more to thicken up the soap a bit. Thankfully, the final soap turned out well with no separation issues.

My Colorants
White – Kaolin Clay hydrated in distilled water
Green – Moringa Powder Infused Olive Oil
Dark Blue – Indigo Powder Infused Olive Oil plus Activated Charcoal
Black – Activated Charcoal in Sunflower Oil

My Essential Oil Blend
Eucalyptus (4 parts)
Peppermint (1 part)

The Clyde Slide Technique
In Clyde’s videos, he pours the soap in various places in the bowl and gets the most beautiful results. I used his technique of pouring the soap into the back of the bowl (faux funnel method), then pouring/sliding the the entire bowl of soap into the mold (moving front to back until the bowl is empty).

I made a video of my entry.  I apologize for the bad lighting and the angle of my camera. I have a new overhead boom, so hopefully I’ll at least get a better angle next time. The lighting may always be bad with the fluorescent bulbs in my soap making room. :)

I actually attempted the Clyde Slide twice. The soap described above was my second attempt (and the soap I chose to enter). In my first attempt, I used Clyde’s method of pouring on the sides of the bowl with 2 colors and the back with another color. I used Indigo Powder infused oil, Kaolin Clay, and Paprika infused oil for my colorants. Orange & Blue are the colors of my alma mater. :)

Thanks for reading about my Soap Challenge Club entry!