Soap Makers Help!
- Thread starter Jenlyn9483
- Start date
Hope yall don't mind me asking a few questions cause yall sure got me wanting to make soap for family. How much money does one batch of soap cost to make? Does the wood mold need anything special put on it before you use it? How long does it take to make the soap? Thank yall in advance for your help.
Quote:
Well, I'm sure that others can chime in with their experience. I can only tell you what my first batch cost me. Using 112 ounces of oils plus the distilled water, the lye, fragrance, and lavender buds, my first batch cost $28.77 including the cost of shipping. I cut my bars today and while they're not perfectly even in size, I got 33 bars of soap plus 9 soap balls that I created out of the trimmings. Each soap ball is about 1 ounce. Keep in mind that your bars of soap will lose some weight as they cure. Next time, I'll probably cut my bars a little bigger to account for the trimming that I had to do.
Keep in mind that your cost will depend on the price you pay for your oils and whether you use basic oils or add luxury oils as well. If you buy in bulk, you'll pay less per pound but more money up front for those supplies.
I just used an old desk drawer for my mold with a heavy cardboard box lid as a cover. I lined the drawer first with plastic wrap and then with waxed paper, taping down the sides to keep it as flush as possible. Old towels were used to insulate the mold.
As far as how long it takes, the actual working time was pretty short since I had a stick blender. 24 hours after pouring my soap, it was ready to be cut. Now I wait for several weeks for it to harden.
If you haven't done so, read through this thread. There are recommended books, websites, and videos that'll give you a good idea of what to expect.
And, let us know how it goes!
Well, I'm sure that others can chime in with their experience. I can only tell you what my first batch cost me. Using 112 ounces of oils plus the distilled water, the lye, fragrance, and lavender buds, my first batch cost $28.77 including the cost of shipping. I cut my bars today and while they're not perfectly even in size, I got 33 bars of soap plus 9 soap balls that I created out of the trimmings. Each soap ball is about 1 ounce. Keep in mind that your bars of soap will lose some weight as they cure. Next time, I'll probably cut my bars a little bigger to account for the trimming that I had to do.
Keep in mind that your cost will depend on the price you pay for your oils and whether you use basic oils or add luxury oils as well. If you buy in bulk, you'll pay less per pound but more money up front for those supplies.
I just used an old desk drawer for my mold with a heavy cardboard box lid as a cover. I lined the drawer first with plastic wrap and then with waxed paper, taping down the sides to keep it as flush as possible. Old towels were used to insulate the mold.
As far as how long it takes, the actual working time was pretty short since I had a stick blender. 24 hours after pouring my soap, it was ready to be cut. Now I wait for several weeks for it to harden.
If you haven't done so, read through this thread. There are recommended books, websites, and videos that'll give you a good idea of what to expect.
And, let us know how it goes!
chiknwhisperer - Wonderful! Keep us informed on how it is going!
cheeptrick - Thanks for all your thoughts and ideas. I'm sure I'll be reimbursed for at least some of the costs that I absorbed to make this happen. The details are still to be worked out but either way, there are a lot of people who are excited about the soap. We're a bit of a 'green' church and many of us have read books by Salatin, Pollan, and Kingsolver which is how the garden idea started. It was very successful in its first season and we were able to keep the local homeless shelter in lots of fresh veggies. Plus, folks came along and donated $$ to take some veggies which helped us reimburse the church for the extra water we're using.
What a great idea to add the soap to the craft show and to other organizations! I'm sure that'll be very much appreciated. Thanks for that idea.
Are you mixing the citrus and the lavender or were those two separate bars? Hubby likes the smell of the lavender so far, so I'm sure he won't complain when he has to use it!
cheeptrick - Thanks for all your thoughts and ideas. I'm sure I'll be reimbursed for at least some of the costs that I absorbed to make this happen. The details are still to be worked out but either way, there are a lot of people who are excited about the soap. We're a bit of a 'green' church and many of us have read books by Salatin, Pollan, and Kingsolver which is how the garden idea started. It was very successful in its first season and we were able to keep the local homeless shelter in lots of fresh veggies. Plus, folks came along and donated $$ to take some veggies which helped us reimburse the church for the extra water we're using.
What a great idea to add the soap to the craft show and to other organizations! I'm sure that'll be very much appreciated. Thanks for that idea.
Are you mixing the citrus and the lavender or were those two separate bars? Hubby likes the smell of the lavender so far, so I'm sure he won't complain when he has to use it!
Thanks Backyard Buddies cause now I know that is affordable for me to do at least one batch to give family for Christmas with the crocheted rags I am working on now. I have read the whole thread and that is why I am so interested in trying it myself. I hope to get to the library soon so I can read the Soapmakers Companion.
cockadoodlemom - If you're wanting to do only a small number of bars to keep your costs down, the challenge will be in finding your supplies locally. There were some great suggestions you've probably noted from this thread, but I didn't have any luck finding those things here. Perhaps it's a regional distribution thing. So, I had to mail order mine and I did buy in bulk which is part of the reason my cost per batch was fairly low. While that kept the costs down, it did mean a bit of money up front. If you want to save some up front money, check out your local sources first. Which direction you decide to go with depend on your ultimate goal and how many bars you hope to make.
I can't wait to hear about your project! Be sure to post and let us know how it went!
I can't wait to hear about your project! Be sure to post and let us know how it went!
OK Soapers . . .
Now that I've tried my first batch (Soap Essentials from TSC), I'd love to do something with the other oils I have (Avocado and Castor specifically). How do I go about that?
I seems that I shouldn't cut down on the Coconut ratio, because that's the only one with cleansing properties.
One source suggested superfatting with Avocado by adding 1 T per 3 lbs of oil at trace. Castor was recommended at no more than 5 - 10% of the oils.
Yes, I will run it all through a SAP calculator, but I wonder if you can provide some guidance so that I'm not just shooting in the dark.
Thanks!
Now that I've tried my first batch (Soap Essentials from TSC), I'd love to do something with the other oils I have (Avocado and Castor specifically). How do I go about that?
I seems that I shouldn't cut down on the Coconut ratio, because that's the only one with cleansing properties.
One source suggested superfatting with Avocado by adding 1 T per 3 lbs of oil at trace. Castor was recommended at no more than 5 - 10% of the oils.
Yes, I will run it all through a SAP calculator, but I wonder if you can provide some guidance so that I'm not just shooting in the dark.
Thanks!
Coconut oil is drying to skin. It is used most often to make a harder bar and will produce suds. I never use more than 10% coconut oil. I want to moisturize skin not dry it.
Quote:
Thanks MP. The Soap Essentials bar calls for 31% Coconut Oil (figuring oils only, not the water, lye, etc). So, according to both you and the other source I read that recommended no more than 20% of the Coconut Oil, it could be safe to replace part of that with the castor? Castor will also provide the suds, but would add some conditioning that is lacking in the coconut.
What would a bar look like that had coconut, palm, olive, castor, and the avocado oil? Is that a doable bar or would I be creating a mess?
And, what percentage of superfatting for all of this? I see that TSC does 10% but others think that's too much.
Thanks MP. The Soap Essentials bar calls for 31% Coconut Oil (figuring oils only, not the water, lye, etc). So, according to both you and the other source I read that recommended no more than 20% of the Coconut Oil, it could be safe to replace part of that with the castor? Castor will also provide the suds, but would add some conditioning that is lacking in the coconut.
What would a bar look like that had coconut, palm, olive, castor, and the avocado oil? Is that a doable bar or would I be creating a mess?
And, what percentage of superfatting for all of this? I see that TSC does 10% but others think that's too much.
Quote:
Depends on the ratios you you, but I think you could make a lovely recipe like that. Depending on what else you have in there, you can use up to a third coconut oil without the result being too drying. You're just gonna have to do some trial and error and find out what you like! Make some really small batches, let 'em cure, then take LOTS OF SHOWERS!
And you know how *I* feel about superfatting, but I'm in the minority.
Depends on the ratios you you, but I think you could make a lovely recipe like that. Depending on what else you have in there, you can use up to a third coconut oil without the result being too drying. You're just gonna have to do some trial and error and find out what you like! Make some really small batches, let 'em cure, then take LOTS OF SHOWERS!
And you know how *I* feel about superfatting, but I'm in the minority.
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