Soap Making for Profit

What are the legal aspects of selling homemade soaps?

2007-04-15T16:11:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

Thankfully since you live in the United States, not many. The legal aspects covered in the course relate to the need in the European Union to have a full toxicology test carried out on all cosmetic products before they are offered for sale.

The same cannot be said for the US, where your only obligation is a moral one, to supply good quality, natural products.

There are however legal limitations over the storage of certain chemicals and Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) is one such chemical, but unless you decide to produce so much soap that you need to store large quantities, this will not be an issue for you either.

More soon.

Need a soap for skin with constant acne.

2007-04-14T13:18:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question.

The principles for theraputic soaps are covered in the course on Day 3, this is then followed up with some cold process recipes on Day 8. I believe that your question will be answered for you, but if the lessons don't provide you with a fair idea how to proceed, please let me know and I will do my best to get you an answer.

More soon.

Are the ingredients tested on animals?

2007-04-14T13:17:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question.

One of the great things about soap making is that you get to choose the ingredients you use, I have to be honest at this point and admit that aside from trying to choose natural ingredients and vegetable based ingredients where possible, I haven't focused specifically on trying to discover whether any of them have been tested on animals, but I would guess not.

However, it would be a simple matter when setting up your first order with a soap ingredients supplier to pose the question and if the answer is not convincing either way, you can take your business elsewhere.

More soon.

How can I make soap with my chemistry class?

2007-04-09T03:12:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question.

I have to make many assumptions before I can offer you an answer:

I can't tell from your question, whether you write as a teacher or a student, I'll assume as a teacher.

The age of your students makes a difference too, but I'll assume they are teenagers (my logic being that a Science class doesn't become a Chemistry class until High School).

I will further assume that you are not interested in melt and pour since there is no chemical reaction in making melt and pour.

The one assumption I really can't make is whether you will be making soap as a demonstration, or whether you will be supervising the students making their own batch of soap.

Then assuming that you don't have to prepare and deliver the lessons immediately, I would suggest that you use the course lessons as the basis for your familiarisation, I believe that during the course of the lessons the means for delivery to your class will begin to form in your mind.

I suggest that if my assumptions above have been largely correct that you will need to focus on Day 3 - Techniques, Day 6 - Cold Process and Day 8 - Cold Process Recipes.

Then drop me a quick email to ask any remaining questions that you have and if you wish to send me a brief outline of your proposed plan I would be happy to look it over for you in case I can add any useful comments or observations.

More soon.

Soap Noodles?

2007-04-03T12:49:00.000-05:00

"This will be my very first attempt at soap making. I will be using soap noodles. At what point in the process do I add fragrance?"

Here is the answer to your next soap making question.

Soap Noodles are a version of melt and pour soap. The melt and pour soap making technique is described in detail during the course.

In brief though, I suggest that you add the fragrance (and any color) once you have melted the soap noodles and are about to pour them into the mold.

More soon.

I love goat milk soap. Are there different kinds of this same soap and how is it made?

2007-04-03T12:47:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question.

Goats milk soap is cold process soap (this will be described later in the course), where instead of mixing lye crystals with water, the water is substituted with goats milk. The goats milk is only one ingredient, different combinations of fats and oils and fragrances and even colors can be used to make goats milk soap with many different qualities.

More soon.

How dangerous is lye?

2007-04-01T17:23:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question.

In the wrong hands, very!

But I don't want to scare you, if you take some sensible precautions, it's not dangerous at all.

It is a concentrated alkali (a chemical which is the opposite to an acid, but just as corrosive) and stores usually sell it as a drain cleaner because it will cut it's way through built up grease very effectively.

Here are some useful precautions which may give you a better understanding of how it should be handled:

Cover the immediate area with a few layers of newspaper, buy some cheap latex gloves or washing up gloves and if you are worried about splashes, a pair of safety glasses.

I frequently use a heatproof plastic measuring jug containing the water, the water should be cooled in the fridge to limit the amount of heat buildup when mixing.

Put the lye flakes or pearls into another small jug with a spout to help with pouring and while stirring the water with a stainless spoon slowly add the lye. Ensure the room has adequate ventilation. Stop when you want to and if the mixture heats up too much it will start to give off steam, if this happens, stop for a few minutes before continuing.

The key is slow and deliberate, it is also sensible to keep children and pets away while you are mixing.

The lye flakes draw moisture from the air, so if you do spill any on the newspaper, after 20 minutes or so you will be able to see where they are because they will appear as little damp spots on the paper, which should be carefully folded in on itself and put in the trash when you are finished.

I believe that the very fact you are concerned makes you less liable to have an accident than other people who are more complacent and remember, once you have done it a couple of times, the process will be demystified for you and hopefully it will no longer be a problem.

There are more safety tips in my free online course All About Soap Making, click here to learn more.

More soon.

Do you recommend superfatting? If so can you use plain butter?

2007-04-01T17:19:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question.

I do recommend superfatting, if you don't superfat your soaps they can be a bit astringent (drying) to the skin, in fact if you want a luxury soap? superfatting is the only way to go.

...only don't use plain butter!

I'm assuming you will be making the soap yourself and using the cold process (the combination of oils and lye), in which case you calculate the quantity of fats required, decide which of the fats will be used to superfat, an example...

Say you plan to make a soap with the following:

40% Olive oil
25% Coconut oil
20% Palm oil
15% Shea butter

You decide to superfat 5% and use Shea butter for its unique skin care properties. Simply measure out an additional 5% (making a total of 20%) of Shea butter, but keep it separate from the rest.

Do your mixing of the oils and lye and when you reach trace, then stir in the additional 5% Shea butter, incidentally this is when you add fragrances too, so you may wish to warm and mix the shea butter with the fragrances before adding to the traced mixture.

I have gone into a fair amount of detail here, but I appreciate that I have also skipped over a few important areas. I am offering a completely free online course called All About Soap Making that can fill in the blanks, depending on your skill level with soap making you may find it of interest.

Ok, I confess, the course is free, but along the way I do offer some products that aren't, but you are under no obligation to buy anything.

If you are interested, click here.

More soon.

I need a recipe for making goat milk soap.

2007-03-31T04:27:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question.

I suggest that you find a basic cold process soap recipe which has the qualities you require, i.e. olive oil for gentle moisturizing qualities, coconut oil for it's hardness and lather, then instead of using distilled water to mix with the lye, substitute it with an equal quantity of goats milk.

It is important that you add the lye flakes slowly to the goats milk, because if you add it too quickly and overheat the milk it could discolor the mixture.

There are a number of recipes included in the course, you may be able to adapt one to provide the qualities you require.

If you simply require quick access to a goats milk soap recipe, then I suggest that you do a Google search for "goat milk soap recipe".

More soon.

How do I make soap to sell?

2007-03-29T14:36:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question.

It's not clear from your question whether you want to turn soap making into a business, or simply sell a few bars that you have made, it can be very effective either way. My ebook Soap Making for Profit, goes into the detail with easy step by step instructions of how to turn this popular hobby into a profitable business, but assuming you're not yet convinced, please read on...

You have taken the first steps to making soap for a profit just by signing up for my e-course. Look out for the lesson called "The Business", it's quite late on in the course, so to give you a quick insight here is a very brief excerpt:

"There are those who open a conventional store, or sell their wares at craft shows, sell in bulk to specialty stores which feature hand crafted items, sell online using a website, sell online using eBay^TM. Then there are others who build a business around the sale of soap making ingredients, such as soap making kits, oils, fragrances etc. and those who provide tuition in the art of soap making, in the form of attended soap making courses and people who write books about soap making, sharing their expertise to all who want it.

There is one universal thing that each of the above have in common... to be successful, you must have a "unique selling proposition." This means something that causes customers to choose your product over anyone else in the market - It's critical! more about this in a minute..."

I hope this has given you a few ideas, there is more detailed advice in the lesson and much more in the ebook.

More soon.

How can I make soap that doesn't do any irritating?

2007-03-26T17:24:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

One of the main reasons people use handmade soap is because unlike commercially made soap, is that it can be made very gentle to the skin.

Whether you have medical conditions such as ezcema, or acne, or simply have sensitive skin, homemade soap can be created that won't cause irritation and can in fact assist with more formal medical treatment. Watch out for the lesson called Theraputic Soap on day 4 for more information.

More soon.

What is the best molding way to mass produce bar soaps?

2007-03-25T14:13:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

It depends on whether you intend to produce 5kg batches, or 50kg.

for a 5kg batch I would suggest plastic pipe, round bars can be made using 2.5 inch to 3 inch rainwater drains cut into 12 inch lengths, I have also discovered some 2 inch by 4 inch rectangular ducting which makes a more normal soap bar shape and can be used in the same way.

For larger batches, I would suggest you check out this website, they are a Hawaiian company who produce handmade soap on a larger scale and this page has a video which illustrates the principles very well - check out the use of an old drawer as a mold: http://hawaiianbathbody.com/story.html

More soon.

Were do you get ingredients?

2007-03-25T14:12:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

It really depends which ingredients, oils and fats such as olive oil, canola oil, rapeseed oil and lard can be obtained from your local supermarket, but if you want the less common oils such as palm oil, coconut oil, shea butter and cocoa butter etc. you need to obtain these from a soap making supplier.

Caustic soda (lye) is generally sold as a drain cleaner, so hardware stores usually have supplies, soap suppliers can sometimes help here too, but be careful to check the label to ensure it is pure Sodium Hydroxide, without any metallic additives.

Fragrances such as essential oils can be obtained from aromatherapy stores, but be careful because in soap making these are used in larger quantities and prices vary widely.

Colors are also something you need a soap making supplier for.

I offer a comprehensive list of resources at the end of the course, which is well worth waiting for.

More soon.

Need Recipes!

2007-03-23T12:26:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

I will be revealing a number of cold process and melt & pour recipes during the course, they are the most detailed I have seen on the internet, I hope you like them.

In the meantime, if you need recipes right now, try a search on Google for "soap recipe", "cold process recipe" and "melt and pour recipe."

More soon.

It's the 'caustic, chemical reaction' that has kept me from trying to make soap...

2007-03-23T12:25:00.000-05:00

It's the 'caustic, chemical reaction' that has kept me from trying to make soap. Would it be possible to do this in the kitchen of my one bedroom apartment?

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

As long as you take care, space isn't really an issue. Here are some further useful precautions:

Cover the immediate area with a few layers of newspaper, buy some cheap latex gloves or washing up gloves and if you are worried about splashes, a pair of safety glasses.

I frequently use a heatproof plastic measuring jug containing the water, the water should be cooled in the fridge to limit the amount of heat buildup when mixing.

Put the lye flakes or pearls into another small jug with a spout to help with pouring and while stirring the water with a stainless spoon slowly add the lye. Ensure the room has adequate ventilation. Stop when you want to and if the mixture heats up too much it will start to give off steam, if this happens, stop for a few minutes before continuing.

The key is slow and deliberate, it also helps if you keep children and pets away while you are mixing.

The lye flakes draw moisture from the air, so if you do spill any on the newspaper, after 20 minutes or so you will be able to see where they are because they will appear as little damp spots on the paper, which should be carefully folded in on itself and put in the trash when you are finished.

I believe that the very fact you are so concerned makes you less liable to have an accident than other people who are more complacent and remember, once you have done it a couple of times, the process will be demystified for you and hopefully it will no longer be a problem.

I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any further questions.

More soon.

Is soap making hard or does it require a lot of time and space?

2007-03-21T03:27:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

It's not really hard at all, the actual making of the soap takes an hour or two, then if you have used the melt and pour method the soap is ready to use once it has set, usually the following day. If you use the cold process then once the soap has set and been removed from the mold it needs to be left to cure for 2 - 4 weeks.

The added bonus is that most of the equipment you need is already in your kitchen, if you have the space to bake a cake, then you have sufficient space to make soap.

You have taken the first steps to learning how to make soap by signing up for my free course, the first lesson explains more fully.

More soon.

I live in New Zealand, where can I buy Potassium Hydroxide to make liquid soap?

2007-03-20T17:52:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

The following company specifically state that they supply potassium hydroxide in both liquid and solid form, their website link is below:

Aromatics & More

If you live a long way away from them, give them a call, I'm sure they would advise you if there are any suppliers closer to you.

More soon.

What would be a good soap recipe for oily skin?

2007-03-20T17:50:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

I think it best to answer this question with an excerpt from day 4 of the course:

"Oily skin requires a soap with astringent (drying) qualities, this means the use of a blend of your favorite citrus essential oils, such as Cypress, Lemon and Bergamot, and because the increased oil output from the pores, they are liable to become easily blocked, so a good cleansing soap is required, such as Coconut Oil combined with Palm Oil indicated in the recipes section."

More soon.

Demystify the use of lye?

2007-03-18T16:18:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

I think that by the end of the course the use of lye will be clear to you, but in essence, lye - which is also known as Sodium Hydroxide or Caustic Soda - is a strong alkali (the opposite to an acid, but just as corrosive and potentially dangerous to handle).

Very briefly, to make soap, the required quantity of lye pearls (also supplied as beads, crystals or flakes) are slowly mixed into the correct amount of distilled water, the solution is then carefully stirred into the oils. The lye causes a chemical reaction in the oils which turn them to soap, the reaction is called saponification.

More soon.

What are superfatting oils and are they different than the oil you start with?

2007-03-17T18:00:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

Some oils are better to use for superfatting, but in general, they are the same oils that are used for making the soap.

There seem to be two schools of thought regarding superfatting, firstly some who simply include around 5% more fats than required by the quantity of lye and others who add the superfatting oils at trace, so that not all of the fat is fully saponified (turned to soap). I tend to agree with the latter group.

More soon.

When a recipe calls for 15 oz of lye is it by weight or in a measuring cup?

2007-03-16T14:28:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

It is difficult to know without seeing the complete recipe, but I expect it means 15oz by weight, of lye flakes, or pearls.

As a guide, when I make a 3kg batch of soap (which is about 15 x 4oz bars), I use about 15oz of lye pearls.

Most soap making recipes list ingredients by weight, even for liquid ingredients. This simplifies the recipe and avoids geographical differences in liquid measurement, for example one US liquid ounce is not exactly the same as one UK liquid ounce and a US Pint is 16 ounces, whilst a UK Pint is 20 ounces. The use of dry weight is more universal and thus reduces errors.

More soon.

What's the easiest and neatest way to cut loaves of cold process soap?

2007-03-16T14:26:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

I have discovered that knives don't really work, because it is difficult to cut straight and can crumble the lower edges of the bars, by far the best method is a cheese wire. If you want to cut a small loaf you could use a cheese board with a wire attached.

More soon.

How do I add things like milk and honey to a soap recipe?

2007-03-16T14:25:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

Milk is generally used instead of (or as well as - depending on the quantity required) water when dissolving the lye. Honey can be dissolved into this mixture just before it is stirred into the oils.

It is important to introduce the milk slowly, or as the lye heats the mixture it can begin to cook the milk giving it a brown color, whilst not actually harmful to the final soap, it may be undesirable if you were aiming for a pale green or blue soap color.

More soon.

Cold process verses melt and pour?

2007-03-16T14:23:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

This topic is explained in quite some detail during the first few lessons, both techniques are very useful in the right situation. Look out for Day 3 which explains this in greater detail.

More soon.

What are the best essential oils for keeping their scent in cold process soaps?

2007-03-12T12:43:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

There are a huge range of essential oils available on the market, I couldn't possibly comment against them all, however, they are divided into three types, or "notes" - Top notes, Middle notes and Base notes, this description is usually included either on the website description for the product, or on the label.

Generally, middle and base notes are the best at keeping their scent, the top notes include the citrus oils including orange, lemon etc. they are sharper than other fragrances and are more volatile so they disappear more quickly. By contrast, base notes include the woody and earthy scents which seem to last forever, with middle note appropriately somewhere in between.

More soon.

I am looking for a soap making recipe which is good for eczema skin disease?

2007-03-11T15:36:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

Day 4 of the course explains all about theraputic soaps and eczema is one of the conditions covered in broad terms, but you'll have to wait a little longer until the recipes sections to be able to understand how the principles can be applied to a specific recipe.

If you are familiar with soap making and simply require the specific recipe, can I suggest that you do a search on Google for "eczema soap recipe" (try it with and without the quotes), there are many recipes freely available on the internet and you should have no trouble finding what you need.

If your search doesn't provide you with the answers you seek, please drop me a line and I'll try to help.

More soon.

What materials are required to make soap?

2007-03-11T06:04:00.000-05:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

All is explained during the course, in general terms though most of the equipment you require can be found in your kitchen and the basic ingredients are:

Melt and Pour Method
Soap Base
Water
Fragrance
Color
Molds

Cold Process Method
Oils and/or fats
Lye (caustic soda)
Distilled water and/or Goats milk
Fragrance
Color
Molds

You have taken the first steps to learning how to make soap by signing up for my free course, the first lesson explains more fully.

More soon.

How to make baby soap?

2007-03-10T16:01:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

You need to use ingredients which result in a mild moisturizing soap with less fragrance than you would normally use, for example a cold process soap high in olive oil and including coconut oil and/or cocoa butter would be ideal, then use a little Chamomile Essential oil to fragrance.

There is further explanation during the course of the cold process method and recipes that you could adapt to suit your requirements.

More soon.

Can you make safe laundry soap that does a good job?

2007-03-08T16:39:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

Yes you can, although this is not really a focus for the course I have developed, but I know that cold process soap can be very effectively used for cleaning clothes.

However, while homemade soap would be a very effective cleaner, it is more suited to handwashing and likely to be incompatible with modern washing machines which are designed to use powders, tablets and liquid detergents.

I have discovered a website which gives directions for laundry soap which may work in a washing machine, here is the link: http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm

More soon.

How easy is it to flavour soaps?

2007-03-07T16:28:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

Essential oils, or fragrance oils are used to add a pleasing scent to soaps, with cold process soap they are added at trace (more about this during the course), with melt and pour they are added to the melted soap and mixed in just before the soap is poured into the mold.

More soon.

How do you make cold process soap?

2007-03-06T10:39:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

There is a detailed explanation for how to make soap using this process during the course, but very (very) briefly cold process soap making involves the mixing of oils and fats with a solution of lye (caustic soda). The alkaline lye causes a chemical reaction in the fats (saponification) which produces soap.

More soon.

There seem to be so many handmade soap companies already. Is there any point setting up another one? Isn't the market saturated?

2007-03-05T14:48:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

I'm not exactly sure how much experience you have of the market, or whether your home town might be inundated with craft shops selling all types of handmade soaps, but from my experience I have discovered many gaps in the homemade soap market, depending on where you look.

For example, in the US on eBay, there are many people selling homemade cold process soaps, with not many focusing on melt and pour soap, in the UK I have noticed the exact opposite, with a wide variety of innovative melt and pour soaps being available, but not much in the way of cold process.

I guess it really depends how far you look for a market opportunity.

There is a more detailed explanation in the lesson called "The Business", hopefully this will give you a few more ideas.

More soon.

How do I make moisturizing soap?

2007-03-04T11:30:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

You need to ensure that the oils and fats you use in the soap offer moisturizing qualities, such as olive oil, Apricot kernel oil etc. It is also a good idea to superfat the soap, which involves adding some extra fat late in the mixing process, which will remain unsaponified (sorry for the technical term, but this means that the excess doesn't all turn into soap) and ensure the soap is nourishing and doesn't dry the skin too much.

More soon.

What ingredients and how much of each are needed for a batch of goats milk soap?

2007-03-03T15:12:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

It really depends on the quantity you wish to make and which fats/oils you wish to use.

I suggest that you find a basic cold process soap recipe which has the qualities you require, i.e. olive oil for gentle moisturizing qualities, coconut oil for hardness and lather, then instead of using distilled water to mix with the lye, substitute it with an equal quantity of goats milk.

It is important that you add the lye flakes slowly to the goats milk, because if you add it too quickly and overheat the milk it could discolor the mixture.

There are a number of recipes included in the course, you may be able to adapt one to provide the qualities you require.

More soon.

Does your Soap Making course include natural soap recipes?

2007-03-03T10:15:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

There are a number of recipes included in the course, whether you consider them to be "natural" really depends on your view of "natural", I have included a great deal of information about the safety aspects of soap making, which includes the use of possibly hazardous substances such as SLS and the carcionogens in some fragrance oils. I believe this information will answer your
question and enable you to decide which ingredients to use which will be both safe and natural.

How much water do you need to completely dissolve lye?

2007-03-03T10:12:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

A good general guide is to measure the total weight of fats/oils and divide it by three and use this weight of distilled water (33%).

In practice a water reduction can be used and the quantity reduced to about 30%, but reducing the amount too much can have an adverse effect on the saponification process, leaving the soap lye heavy, it can also cause the soap to be brittle.

The amount of water can also be increased to 38% but not too much more, or the setting of the soap can be affected and the curing period extended before the soap is hard enough to last well.

To calculate the precentage, simply take the weight of oil and multiply by between 0.30 and 0.38 depending on the required effect. Personally, I would use 33% and therefore multiply by 0.33.

More soon.

Does lye soap contain animal fat?

2007-02-28T16:13:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

The answer is, not unless you include animal fat in the oils used to produce your soap.

If you are making the soap yourself it is a matter of choosing vegetable based oils, such as coconut oil and olive oil etc.

If you are purchasing the soap it can be a little more difficult to determine unless you buy homemade soap which usually lists the oils used.

More soon.

How can I make soap with my kids?

2007-02-27T16:02:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

The safest way is to use the Melt and Pour method, which simply involves melting a soap base in the microwave (or a double boiler if you have one) and then simply pouring the melted soap into molds, with young children this would obviously require close supervision, but it is a great deal safer than using the cold process method which involves the use of lye (a strong alkali).

Both techniques are described in detail during the course.

More soon.

Does it take a long time?

2007-02-26T17:16:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

The actual making of the soap takes an hour or two, then if you have used the melt and pour method the soap is ready to use once it has set, usually the following day.

If you use the cold process then once the soap has set and been removed from the mold it needs to be left to cure for 2 - 4 weeks. This curing procedure eliminates all surplus lye from the soap making it milder and it also gives the soap time to dry and harden, which makes it last a lot longer than store bought soap.

If you use the hot process the actual making of the soap takes maybe 2-3 hours, but since heat is used to force the saponification process to complete, the soap is ready to be used in a day or two.

More soon.

Is soap making difficult to do?

2007-02-25T13:17:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

No, basic soap making is not difficult to do at all, I would compare it to baking a cake, if the ingredients are measured carefully and safety precautions observed (especially in the handling of lye), the actual creation of the soap is quite simple. The actual making of the soap only takes an hour or two, then if you have used the melt and pour method the soap is ready to use once it has set - usually the following day. If you use the cold process then once the soap has set and been removed from the mold it needs to be cut into bars if you have used a loaf mold and then left to cure for 2 - 4 weeks.

More soon.

How do I make pure castile soap?

2007-02-25T03:20:00.001-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

Castile soap is made entirely from olive oil and lye. It can be created using the hot or cold process, but today it is much more common to use the cold process method.

It is a very softening, moisturizing and conditioning soap, ideally suited for babies and people with sensitive skin.

More soon.

Can you buy raw soap then add to it?

2007-02-24T04:07:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

Yes you can, this techniques is known as both Melt and Pour and Rebatching, they basically refer to the same technique of using previously made soap, melting it down and adding colors and fragrances, then allowing it to set again in molds.

Both techniques are described in some detail during the course.

More soon.

Can making my own soap save me money?

2007-02-22T07:46:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

The simple answer is yes.

Most of the equipment you need to make soap are normal kitchen items, but you may have to buy a few things. Once you have this, the only cost is for oils, fats and lye and maybe a few bottles of distilled water. These items can be obtained very cheaply and the cost is far less than store bought soap, with the added bonuses that it lasts far longer than store bought soap and is a lot better for your skin too.

More soon.

Can I make soap without using lye?

2007-02-21T15:45:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

Lye is also known as Caustic Soda, it's chemical name is Sodium Hydroxide. It is the normal alkali used for making hard soaps.

Unfortunately you can't make soap from scratch without lye, the basis of soap making involves the chemical reaction between an alkali solution and oils or fats, the chemical reaction is called saponification and it is the only way to make soap from the basic ingredients.

However all is not lost, you can in fact make soap without actually having to deal with lye yourself, this is known as the Melt and Pour method, this method isn't really soap making in its truest sense, because it utilizes soap base that was previously made using lye. However, if all you wish to do is avoid using lye, then this solution is ideal.

The Melt and Pour process is described in detail during the All About Soap Making free online course.

More soon.

Is there a trick to unmold soap without breaking any parts?

2007-02-21T03:54:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

I have found that a short time in a freezer usually makes the soap bar sufficiently firm to be able to unmold easily. When I have made a batch in bread tins I have needed to leave them in the freezer for 1-2 hours, but with individual molds the time may be as short as 15 minutes, it's really a matter of trial and error, but it should only take a little practice.

More soon.

How do I make soap for a profit?

2007-02-20T11:48:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

The easy reply is - buy my ebook Soap Making for Profit (http://soapbusinessguru.com), which goes into the detail with easy step by step instructions of how to turn a hobby into a profitable business, but assuming you're not yet convinced, please read on...

You have taken the first steps to making soap for a profit just by signing up for my e-course. Look out for the lesson called "The Business", it's quite late on in the course, so to give you a quick insight here is a very brief excerpt:

"There are those who open a conventional store, or sell their wares at craft shows, sell in bulk to speciality stores which feature hand crafted items, sell online using a website, sell online using eBay^TM. Then there are others who build a business around the sale of soap making ingredients, such as soap making kits, oils, fragrances etc. and those who provide tuition in the art of soap making, in the form of attended soap making courses and people who write books about soap making, sharing their expertise to all who want it.

There is one universal thing that each of the above have in common... to be successful, you must have a "unique selling proposition." This means something that causes customers to choose your product over anyone else in the market - It's critical! more about this in a minute..."

I hope this has given you a few ideas, there is more detailed advice in the lesson and much more in the ebook.

More soon.

How do you calculate the selling price of your homemade soap?

2007-02-19T08:35:00.000-06:00

How do you calculate the selling price of your homemade soap?"

This is a very good question, put simply, it really boils down to a comparison of the price of products currently in the market you wish to sell to and the cost to produce your soap. If you are considering soap making as a viable business, then you need it to be sustainable (pays completely for itself) and competitive (you can price your products near to, or lower than the competition).

This isn't a hard and fast rule, because if you come to market with a totally unique product that no-one else is selling and it proves popular, you can maintain higher prices while the market will bear it, but be aware that if another product comes to market in direct competition, you may have to reduce prices to remain competitive.

It also depends on how you plan to progress, if you make soap for a hobby and simply wish to sell your surplus soap to pay for the hobby and obtain a little pocket money, you would only have to calculate your batch price and mark it up by a small amount to match the price being asked for similar products in your market.

I have provided much more detail on pricing in my ebook Soap Making for Profit (http://soapbusinessguru.com).

More soon,

What is Lye Soap?

2007-02-18T07:29:00.000-06:00

Here is the answer to your next soap making question:

You will learn all about the use of lye during the course, but very simply, it is the mixture of lye with oils and fats which causes the chemical reaction that produces soap, called saponification. There is actually no other way to make soap, it has to be a result of the combination of a solution of alkali (lye in this case), with one or more types of oil or fat.

As you will discover, there are many other techniques to make your own soap creations - Melt & Pour, Rebatching, Cold Process and Hot Process, but only the last two of these utilise the combination of oils and lye and can therefore be called soap making. The first two techniques involve remaking soap that has previously been manufactured using either the hot or cold process.

More soon.

How To Increase My Soap Bubbliness?

2007-02-17T17:45:00.000-06:00

The first of my burning soap making questions was this:

How can I increase the bubbliness of my soap?

My answer: I'm assuming from your question that a) you have already begun making your own soap and b) you are using the cold process method (oils and lye), in which case the obvious answer is to incorporate a higher percentage of Coconut Oil and/or Palm Oil in your recipes, which should increase the lather nicely, although avoid using much more than 20% Palm Oil, as it can have a drying effect on the skin.

Both Coconut and palm oil are known for their ability to make a big fluffy lather, which makes the soap a joy to use.

More soon.

About Anne-Marie Faiola | Teach Soap

2007-02-16T14:27:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone, I was going to leave it till later to post another blog, but I just found this great video with Anne-Marie Faiola from Bramble Berry, she does a really great job and it's a real fast demonstration of the melt and pour method.

About Anne-Marie Faiola | Teach Soap

They say a picture paints a thousand words, well in that case a video must paint about a million, because this just explains melt and pour so much better than I did in the melt and pour explanation in my free online course called All About Soap Making.

Enjoy the video!

All About Soap Making

2007-02-16T10:42:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to make a quick update to announce my FREE online course called All About Soap Making.

It took me several months to prepare and it's now available at the above link.

Many people have already signed up and offered their burning soap making questions, over the coming days I will be providing answers to their questions here, so you have a quick reference to the answers to the most popular questions asked.

More soon

Cheers

Gary

Creating your Soap Making "Brand Name"

2006-05-08T17:19:00.000-05:00

Here is another excerpt from the new ebook Soap Making for Profit, explaining all about giving your new business a name...

Branding

You need to devote a great deal of thought to selecting your company brand; this is used to describe your product range and can also be your company name.

It is the thing that will identify you and your products to your customers and it should bring to mind the flavor of your products, or in the very least be memorable enough to ensure your customers know who you are, what you do and where to find you.

As an example, think of McDonalds™, the mere mention of the name and you know exactly what product range it represents, the shape of the logo, the tag line they use to promote their latest advertising campaign and probably also where to find your local restaurant too.

It can be difficult in the beginning when you haven’t really found your market niche, to be able to think of a brand that will permanently represent your business, but there are ways to transition and update your brand, so don’t worry that the choice will be set in stone.

Start by trying to describe things that will apply to all of your products. When I think of handmade goods, it brings the word ‘Village’ immediately to mind, if your unique business angle is ‘aromatherapy’ soap products you could add that, if you intend to focus on ‘beauty’ soaps, use that instead.

You could also include your locality, so for example if you live reasonably close to a village, you could incorporate the name of the village too, so taking a completely fictitious village name (my apologies if anyone reading this actually lives there) I have come up with: Bramley Village Aromatherapy Soaps; or even Bramley Village Traditional Beauty Soap; or Bramley Village Handmade Beauty Soap.

Now the above describes the products well, but it makes the choice of a company name easier, so in the same order you could have: Bramley Village Aromatherapy; Bramley Village Traditional Cosmetics; Bramley Village Handmade Beauty Products.

Once you have a few titles in mind try an internet search, I used “company registration” and discovered that in the UK “Bramley Village Cosmetics Limited” is available for use. There are a number of companies offering to carry out the registration for your company and a number of them are willing to do so for less than £50 ($100). In the US the price to have your trademark registered is around $120 – I searched for “Trade Mark Registration”.
The point worth noting is that once you have decided on a company name and checked that there is no one else trading under the same name, reserving the trade mark will prevent your name being taken. Initially this may not be of concern to you, but once you begin to build a customer base that know and love your products, it can be quite damaging for your business if another company suddenly appears with your name and you are forced to stop trading under it.

Gary Everson is the Soap Business Guru. In his new e-book: “Soap Making for Profit” he describes in clear, step by step terms how to turn an enjoyable and creative hobby into a profitable business.

Excerpt from Soap Making for Profit

2006-04-25T17:10:00.000-05:00

Here is an excerpt from the new ebook Soap Making for Profit, explaining the need for effective processes...

PROCESSES
Systemize to maximize! - Systemize your operations and you will maximize your profits!!

You may be the most intuitive thinker on the planet, but if you’re not you will need to prepare some written processes. This will ensure that when you have spent a great deal of time and effort deciding the best way to do something, you don’t then forget how you did it next time and waste your valuable time and money finding another way. Any great ideas you have during your set up period need to be captured and documented, so they can be repeated again and again.

Your processes can be as simple or as complex as you feel you require, from a short checklist to a detailed guidance document.

As a general guide, they need to be as simple as possible, but maintain the quality of output you require.

Each of your soap recipes is in fact a process, so are the steps you go through when ordering extra supplies.

Ensure that you document these processes carefully and should the need arise to ask anyone for assistance their instructions are already prepared. You may have to ask for help during periods where you need to increase production on the approach to a craft fair, or even if you wish to leave someone else in charge while you take a well-earned holiday.

If you are having trouble coming up with a logical way to document your processes, try the following approach:

Input: Cake ingredients (the Input is the trigger that starts things off)
Actions: Mix and cook (the Actions describe tasks carried out)
Output: Tasty cake (the Output describes the result)

This is a very simplified example which outlines the process, but would not really ensure that the cake was good quality, increase the level of detail until the process can be followed simply and clearly and the final result always remains consistent and the quality is as good as you require.

Soap Making for Profit is now complete

2006-04-17T08:04:00.000-05:00

Soap Making For Profit is now completed and ready to buy, it is a totally unique ebook which outlines the principles by which you can make money from making soap, in simple, easy steps.

In the Soap Making For Profit ebook I show you in easy steps how to turn an enjoyable and creative arts and crafts hobby into a profitable business.

If you enjoy making soap already, but now feel you want to take it to the next level and generate a real income from your efforts, this e-book is just what you have been waiting for.

Over the coming weeks I will reveal some of the tips, tricks and techniques described in the book, check back regularly for the latest news.

Step by Step

2006-03-10T12:47:00.000-06:00

Today I have been focusing on adding the step by step guide to the process of turning a soap making hobby into a profitable business.

It was while I was writing my sales page *gloom* that I realised
, I had loads and loads of good information throughout the book, but nothing that grabs you by the collar and says "hey, do A, then B, then C..." and by the time you get to "F" you will be making a profit, (then do "G, H and I" and you'll be able to give up work forever!!!! ;o)).

So I am now sorting out this omission.

Oh well, back to work :o)

Oh Help!! It's the Sales Page demon!

2006-03-06T14:26:00.000-06:00

I now have most of the book written, it's coming along quite nicely, but I've reached a natural break while I get my loving partner to do a first edit.

Which means I can get on with the sales page.

Oh dear!

A sales page!

Not done one of those before...

...and the likelihood that I'll screw it up fills me with thoughts of...

...thoughts of everything else I 'should' be doing instead!

I'm obviously in denial :'(

So I have spent a lot of time today:

Reading about how to do sales copy (but that's good right?)
Checking e-mails
Doing a bit of shopping
Better check those e-mails again
Ooh, a freebie to download and read!
Oh, I'd better scan those pictures of a friends wedding
Looking for 101 ways to write a headline (that's gotta be good... isn't it?)

...and finally as if all that wasn't enough I decided I had better come and add some words to my blog!

...to tell the world that I have the sales letter version of writers block

...like the world cares?

I guess I had better pick up my "pen and paper" and get started on some sales copy eh?

Scared?

Me?

Nah! ;o)

New Soap Making for Profit ebook

2006-03-03T01:43:00.000-06:00

Hi,

I’m currently writing an ebook called Soap Making for Profit, which will describe how you can turn your satisfying and enjoyable soap making hobby into a rewarding and profitable business.

I have been working on it for some time now and it is nearing completion... here is a short excerpt on the subject of soap making business processes:

“You may be the most intuitive thinker on the planet – in which case you are unlikely to be reading this book - but if you’re not you will need to prepare written processes. This will ensure that when you have spent a great deal of time and effort deciding the best way to do something, you don’t then forget how you did it next time and waste your valuable time and money finding another way. Any great ideas you have during your set up period need to be captured and documented, so they can be repeated again and again.

Ensure that you include...”

I am writing this blog to ask you if there is anything you would like to see, any of your burning questions on business start-up, or soap making, anything that you feel is of critical importance and should not be overlooked in a book about making soap and turning it into a profitable business.

Send your suggestions to innovate05@btinternet.com and I will ensure you get to know when Soap Making for Profit goes on sale and I'll also offer you a discount on the final price.

The person with the best idea will have their ideas included in Soap Making for Profit and will also win a free copy.