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.