Crafters- What are you making???

[eggorthechicken]

I buy from wholesalesuppliesplus.com. decent prices for stuff I cant find around here.

 

[yinepu]

I'll be making cold process soap in a few weeks,.. along with candles. Most of the relatives have let me know which fragrances they want.. (still waiting on a couple)

i can't wait to get started. I love making soap and candles!

 

[yinepu]

Looked into soap here and the stores are really PROUD of their product it would cost me $30+ just to make 4 bars of soap guess ill have to look on line

$30+ for 4 bars?.. those are either really BIG bars or you are shopping for supplies at the wrong places!
I make it by the "loaf" then slice it into bars.. even an entire loaf doesn't cost me $30 to make (and I get about 10 bars per loaf depending on how thick I slice them)

 

[TexasJ]

The box I looked at was 1lbs and said it will make 4 bars of soap?

 

[itsmechrissy]

Y'all are making me want to make soap! I was just getting ready to toss my double boiler...sigh

 

[Conchis]

Hehehe I'm a full time glassblower....making these kinds of things.

 

[yinepu]

The box I looked at was 1lbs and said it will make 4 bars of soap?

was it a "kit" for making cold process.. or a melt and pour base?


You can get a good recipe, use oils and butters that aren't too expensive plus lye, herbs (optional) and fragrance (essential or fragrance oils which are soap friendly and skin safe) and still come out cheaper for a lot more bars. You can also just forgo any herbs or fragrance if all you want is a bar of soap with nothing special added to it.

I've seen people use "Pringles" cans (yeah the potato chip), card board boxes and similar things for molds. I have wooden molds that were made for soap making.. but then again I tend to make a lot of soap when I get going!
Some of the oils can be bought at the grocery store (especially for first time, small batches).. to help you get past the learning process. Once you have mastered that then you can invest in some of the nicer or "more exotic" oils and butters and buy in bulk if you decide you want to continue making soap. You can make bars of soap from just olive oil, or a blend of olive, coconut oil .. even lard.. (I knew a girl who was a member of an online forum I was in who made soap from bacon grease)!

The hardest thing for most people to find is lye. It used to be that you could go to the grocery store or some place like Ace Hardware and get it.. then they started limiting sales. I usually get mine online (though i have a stockpile of it right now). But even lye isn't expensive.

One of the reasons I suggest getting supplies locally (for small batch first timers) is so that you can avoid shipping costs. But there is nothing wrong with ordering online if you don't mind paying the higher prices for small amounts and shipping. Personally I prefer online buying for myself simply because that does enable me to buy in bulk which saves money in the long run.. but for someone who only wants to make a little soap they can get by ok with oils from the grocery store. In all honesty though.. I have never met anyone who made their first batch and then decided they never wanted to make it again.. like hatching birds, soap making can be pretty addictive!

 

[yinepu]

Hehehe I'm a full time glassblower....making these kinds of things.

PRETTY!

I am so jealous.. that's one thing I always wanted to learn and haven't yet!

 

[itsmechrissy]

PRETTY!

I am so jealous.. that's one thing I always wanted to learn and haven't yet!

I've always wanted to try glass blowing too, but fear becoming addicted and having to buy all the equipment ...sigh. I did recently buy a glass bead making kit, it wasn't too expensive and was a birthday gift to me (back in November) but I've not tried using it yet, I'm in need of more time!

 

[Bleenie]

Quote:

I recently bought essential oils from a seller on Etsy, I was SUPER pleased with what I got and the prices are good too. They're 100% oils, nothing added and smell AWESOME. I don't make soap but used them for rice bags i made as gifts this christmas. Lemon & peppermint smelled yummy but I used Eucalyptus for the rice bags. She sells spruce also(and many others) and i thought that one would be a really good smell for a guys soap... i haven't found too much selection for mens (goat milk) soaps from sellers online.

http://www.etsy.com/people/WildHerb?ref=owner_profile_leftnav# (seller is on vacation til the 31st)