Soap Makers Help!

[Morgaine]

What about printing some labels and putting them the on the back of your biz card? Or getting some cheap biz cards and using those? Nothing fancy or colorful, just text.

Something like this
Thank you for purchasing my soap. There are a few things you can do to extend the life of your handmade soap. Keeping the soap dry is the number one rule. A soap dish that lets the water drain away is good. If the soap sits in water, it gets soft and gets used faster. Do not store in the shower where the spray hits it, the water will slowly melt it away. A nylon or bamboo puff helps too.

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Quote:
Draining soap dishes are a wonderful addition! If you're at all crafty with wood, you could even make your own quite easily!

Go to your lumber yard and pick up a length of grooved molding (like the stuff you put up for a chair rail). Cut it into lengths to fit your soap, sand the edges, give it a good marine finish (something that is used for boats - you can get it in a spray can).

Viola! instant soap dishes for mere pennies a piece!

 

[cheeptrick]

MLF...I might do that!! I was thinking just a piece of wood with holes drilled thru with the drill...in shapes etc..like hearts for country customers, yen and yang, etc. My mother is deaf and we went to the cutest craft fair with only deaf crafters!! There was this little couple who made tiny LOBSTER cages...how adorable were THEY with only $5 each. I was thinking about a bar of soap in the cage with a natural sea sponge...for one of my craft fairs. BUT they (the deaf couple) did not put their name on their lobster cages and I'm so bummed because I cannot find them anywhere!! I've searched...think I'll call the town hall in Maine where it was held and maybe they can tell me. I'll have to post the cages...very cute and WELL made! I loved it...because while tallying up my purchases they argued the whole time in sign language...deaf people assume we are all hearing...and do not know what they are saying!! LOL He called her bossy...she told him to shut up! It was the greatest purchase ever....MOm and I just paid and acted dumb!! I left smiling...with a great cage and story to share with you all.

PS Do any of you have a coupon/discount code for TNS??

 

[cheeptrick]

Quote:
I'd make it quirky, silly...say something like...Please let this soap dry out between showers...YOU would melt away too if you were wet for that long!
Short and sweet...and less paper/ink/space on label. Let me think....I can come up with something better.

 

[AK_Button_Mama]

where do you all get the fragrances and the colorant that you add to your soap? I would really like to find some place that I cant get those two things and some soap trays/molds.... I feel like I am so behind the power curve since I dont have any yet... ben using muffin cups so far!

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Quote:
OK, it turned mauve, so I'm hopeful that I'll get as beautiful of a color as you did, Morgaine.

I do have one concern. Like I said I was going to do, I split my batch in half. I enlisted my hubby to help. First I stick blended the plain batch to a very light trace and let him stir while I stick blended the second batch - the Yellow Dock one. When it turned mauve I was amazed because it sure didn't look like it's going to do that when it was freshly infused. We added fragrances and I made sure all was blended, then we poured our batches and I did a little swirling.

But, here's my concern . . . When I went to clean out my containers, one of the lye pitchers had a hardened layer of lye on the bottom of the container. I mean hard like a rock. Cold water wouldn't remove it, nor could I chip it off. I had to use my Insta-Hot water to get it to come out. I've never had that happen before so I wasn't looking for it when I poured. I had stirred both containers very well and neither had difficulty coming to trace. Both containers cooled to the same temp in about the same time, so it doesn't seem that one wasn't incorporating the lye. I'll be curious to see if one of my colors is softer than the other. Have any of you had this happen before? If so, what was the outcome of your soap?

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Quote:
Morgaine has posted a resource list for all kinds of things needed or wanted for soapmaking. I have to run, so I'll let someone else link you to that list, but I did want to comment on a few things.

You CAN get fancy with your molds and such, but you don't HAVE to. My current mold is a 10" X 13" desk drawer that I line with trash bags. You can't get more basic than that! You can build your own or buy something fancy. What you decide to do will determine how much money you'll put into this. If you're planning to sell, then it makes sense to spend more money. If you're planning to make soap for family and friends, then fancy matters less.

As for colors, there are lots of options, from natural to synthetic lab colors. Again, this is a preference thing. For me, I'm trying to stick to colors created by nature - oils infused with botanicals, added herbs, and clays, etc. These tend to be much more diffuse colors whereas the lab colors can be more vibrant. Again, it's up to you. Most of the places that carry fragrances also carry colorants. If you can double up what you're ordering, you can save in shipping, something that's probably especially important since you're shipping to Wasilla!

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Quote:
I get a lot of my EO/FO (Essential Oil/Fragrance Oil) from online suppliers ... usually Tony's (now Southern somethingsomething or MMS) as well as in co-ops for the higher priced EOs.

I got in on a ultra marine & oxide co-op a few years ago for my colorants.

 

[AK_Button_Mama]

I just ordered my first mold and I ordered some bergamont/mandarin fragrance oil and EO. I also ordered red, purple, green, blue and yellow liquid pigments.

any one have any suggestions for the use of these pigments?

also I could sure use some help with a recipe for the use of the EO and fragrance oils..... perhaps some one could suggest a recipe for coconut oil, lard, goat milk and the EO/ fregrance oils along with the liqiud pigments? I am so new to this stuff that I dont wanna burn the house down if you know what I mean!!!!

the mold I got is for a pretty large batch of soap.... and I have about 3 lbs of lard, and a pound of coconut oil. but could always get more of them for a larger batch!

My friends are also excited to buy some home made soap from me.

Thanks guys your the best!!!

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

What mold did you get? How large is it?? (My large mold will hold 9 lb of oils plus the milk and lye).

I you plan on making milk soap first, be sure you freeze your milk and use it frozen.

You can freeze it in ice cube trays, then pop out the cubes into a plastic bag. Or what I do is fill a gallon size ziploc bag about half full, lay it on it's side, put it on a cookie tray and freeze it that way. You will have to break up the frozen milk into about 1" chunks though.

Special instructions for making milk soap (if you want to use full milk and not a water & milk)

Melt and combine all your oils first!! Have them ready.

weigh out your frozen milk, set it in a pan in the sink with cold water.

Weigh your lye.

Pour about 1/3 of your lye into the milk and stir so the milk starts to melt. Stir in about half the rest of the lye. Stir well. Stir in the rest of your lye. Stir real well!!

pour immediately into your waiting oils.

Let me know how large our mold is and I can get you a basic recipe fixed up