# Wrapped or Unwrapped?



## melissa826

So since I've been making soap I've always done the cigar band wrapped around my soap with the info printed on it.

I'm looking at ordering some new materials and my husband thinks I should shrink wrap instead with a label on the front and back.

My whole marketing is simple and natural.  So typically I've used kraft colored paper as my band.  

I feel like doing a shrink wrapped band will take away from the old fashioned simple look....and maybe make the soap not look so "uniform" since you'd see  the whole bar instead of just the ends?

My husband however thinks people can't possibly like buying soap that is not completely wrapped.  I don't even think I would want to fully wrap in shrink wrap if i did, I think i would just do bands with that as well.

My question is, do you have a preference? and why.  Has anyone tried both? better results with either one?

Thanks!


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## Donna

Hi Melissa,
I think it depends on what soap you are making. For CP soap, I prefer the cigar bands or something that lets it "breath" and continue to cure. Also, it allows potential buyers to see the soap. Having a sample bar for people to touch and smell might solve the problem of people handling your soap. Also, there are bags for soap that allow the air to flow. I haven't ventured into MP soap, so if that is what you are making, someone else might be better to advise you on the best way to wrap that.


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## melissa826

Yes, it is mainly CP..I do do some MP, but it's not my main concern.  I like the idea of the sample bar, but I have displays in various stores/businesses and It just seems like a lot of bars out there to have a sample for every kind in every location.

If I did a cigar band that wrapped around the bars leaving only the very end on the two sides open, do you think that would suffice?  I can't imagine myself thinking peoples hands have been all over it if just the very ends are open.  But I'm not sure how others think.  Maybe that type of person isn't in my client base anyways. haha  I mean, I'd be way more concerned about who handled the produce you just bought at the grocery store...but maybe thats just me.

I'm thinking of buying a roll of kraft paper and just sticking labels on the bands.  Have you tried kraft paper?


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## pamielynn

Personally, I don't care for the shrink-wrapped look; but that's just me, and many soapers use it. I also really don't like open bars of soap - collecting dust, getting shoved up people's noses. LUSH stores disgust me for this reason (well, other reasons too, but that's a big one). 

There are lots of options - boxes, a piece of fabric under the cigar band, wrapping the soap completely (like a gift box). Spend a bit of time on Pintrest and see all the packaging and maybe something will catch your eye.


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## kikajess

I'm going by what I see and like in the stores. Shrink wrap looks too plasticky to me, but, strangely, I like the look of a bar wrapped in cellophane, like the Pre de Provence display I saw at a grocery store recently. Bars that only have horizontal cigar bands collect a lot of dust. The dust grosses me out more than the thought of how much handling the bars have gotten from strangers. Those cut-it-yourself Zum bar soap displays are horrifyingly dusty and grungy. No, thank you. The soap section at my local whole foods is quite an impressive array. The most eye-catching soaps are in boxes. But there is a line of soap called Good Soap (made exclusively for WF by Alaffia) without any wrapping at all! No ingredients listed anywhere. That is a mystery to me how that is allowed. I like the look of those naked bars. They've got a really nice shine to them. So, in conclusion, this doesn't help you at all, and probably adds complication to your decision making process. Here are some pictures to distract you from that.

Pre de Provence (cellophane):






Good Soap (naked):



Zum bars (a little grungy):


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## InNae

If you're selling an all natural soap, the plastic wrapper really is kind of against that. A recycled paper or tissue paper might look good and would allow the soap to cure. You could use a sticker with a logo or ingredients to hold the paper closed.

InNae


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## Susie

I have an Amish store(and other stuff, so not all Amish goods) nearby.  Those soaps are wrapped in Saran Wrap type stuff.  The pieces are square and the bars are placed diagonally and all 4 points pulled to the back.  Then a simple sticker label is placed on front and back.  The rear label holds the wrap closed.  I was thinking tissue paper handled the same way would be a great idea.  If you want people to be able to smell the soap, just use a single hole punch on what will be the front before wrapping.

Or, you could use the tissue paper to make a fancier bag with frou-frou ties for each bar.  But transporting and keeping it looking nice when you are not supervising the display might be more difficult.


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## cmzaha

I sell at a lot of open air markets and every soap I take including my little flower sample soaps are shrink wrapped. When you have to pack and unpack 4 times a week packaging gets quite beat up and dirty. When my get to looking tacky I simple pull them from the crate and rewrap. I get the thin bags from Papermart and the soap will still breathe through them. I have had many customers tell me they will never buy an un-wrapped soap. My labels are 2x4 and wrap nicely around the soap and the soap design still shows on the edges. In fact I am just finishing up shrink wrapping about 300 soaps for a craft fair this weekend. Soap is sticky and it would just get to dirty sitting around on shelves or packing and unpacking. Boxes are very nice but add a substantial cost to the product at least if you cannot buy by the case or better yet pallet. My soaps also do not fit in the standard soap boxes


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## anani

I also really don't like open bars of soap - collecting dust, getting shoved up people's noses. LUSH stores disgust me for this reason (well, other reasons too, but that's a big one). 

Ditto!! For this reason you couldn't pay me enough to use a LUSH product. The thought of using a product that a hundred people or more have done a noseplant on makes my stomach churn. How is it they can sell their products completely un-packaged and un-labeled?? I've watched their manufacturing videos and most workers are wearing street clothes, no hairnets, goggles or gloves.... blows my mind. BOMB Cosmetics is another company that sells many their products unwrapped.
I do however love the look of the stacks of un-wrapped products (soaps and bathbombs etc.) and wish I could display some of my things that way, but I wrap most everything in cellophane or shrink wrap for sanitary reasons.


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## pamielynn

"noseplant", LOL!


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## MsLisa

*To Wrap or Not to Wrap*

I'm with a few others regarding unwrapped soaps and people handling and sticking their noses in them.  It's soap, I get that part but still, it's kind of gross to have someone sticking the soap almost in their nose.

I did see soaps that were wrapped in a nice burlap, tied with a simple piece of yarn or jute.  I thought that was nice.  And it's breathable and people can still smell through it.  Just a thought.


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## Jencat

I don't have a problem with buying soaps that just have a band around them as long as they don't look grungy.  If I ever do start selling, I'm not sure what I'll use.  I'd rather not use plastic because of the environmental impact.


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## DeeAnna

Selling when I'm personally there (farmer's market, craft fair, etc.) ... I'd be okay selling unwrapped bars with cigar band labels, because I can control things. 

Selling when I'm not personally there ... my soap is going to be fully enclosed with some kind of packaging that shows the product. I like Kikajess' cello wrapped example. I cannot control what the customers will be doing so I need to make sure the product is going to be as clean, sanitary, and not "shop worn" as possible.

Don't automatically assume plastic is always less "green" than paper ... we would have to know how the product is made and distributed before we can say that.


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## FGOriold

After doing a single craft fair and using shrink-wrap bands on the cold processed soaps - I completely encase them now (with some airholes so the scent comes through and the soap can breath.  You can see the soap, smell the soap and it can breath and, most importantly it remains sanitary.   Watching how people handle them and touch them to their nose when they smell them goes against my goal of keeping things sanitary.  Why is it that people cannot smell something unless it touches their nose??????


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## Momonga

anani said:


> I also really don't like open bars of soap - collecting dust, getting shoved up people's noses. LUSH stores disgust me for this reason (well, other reasons too, but that's a big one).


 
Thank you so much for that.  :sick:  I admit I love Lush!  It has never occured to me to stick the soap into my nose, but suppose if one does... it's soap!  If it gets germs on it, they'll be clean germs.

So back to serious, I personally have always like unwrapped soaps, even back when I was a naive shopper who didn't know you COULD make your own soap in your home.  I would choose the unwrapped over the wrapped because it speaks to me of hand-made and natural and so-very-interesting.  And I agree with some that if you want to market a soap as natural, plastic wrap is counter to that message, so I would go with tissue if I had to wrap my soap.

Your husband may be surprised that some of us do prefer them unwrapped.  My own husband doesn't even get why you would pay more than 50 cents for a bar of soap, why you would want it to smell like a fruit, or why you want it to look pretty.


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## Krazekelly

I started out with cigar bands also then went too shirk wrap band so the top and bottom were exposed. Now after several craft fairs I am switching over to completely covered in a cello bag with air holes punched in it. It's not the nose stickers but all the handling/loading & unloading wear also I want to protect them from. I did start putting up a sign asking for people to try not to touch their noses to the products since the next customer may not appreciate their nose prints.


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## navigator9

I originally wrapped my soap with horizontal cigar bands, but disliked how they would slip around on the soaps. So then I started wrapping my soaps with tissue paper, with a vertical cigar band over it, stuck with a dab of glue stick. I like the way it looks, and so do my customers. (At craft fairs, I have an unwrapped end cut as a sample, so that customers can see and smell the soap.) But I can't tell you how much I've come to hate the wrapping process. Each year, I think I hate it more. This past holiday season, I watched every season of Dexter and Downton Abbey while I was wrapping!!! What a combination, huh? 

So when I was done, I said, this is it, something has to change. So I got some sample shrink wrap bands, cut my labels to fit underneath them, shrunk them down, and brought a sample of the old style and the new to work with me to see how my customers there would like them. They hated them! I was secretly happy with that, because I didn't like them either. I really like the look of my wrapped soaps, but I cringe when I think of the hours and hours it takes to do it. I've seen other people's soap shrink wrapped, and thought it looked OK, but it just doesn't go with my brand. I like naked bars in some situations, like farmer's markets, but again, it doesn't work for me. Oh how I wish it did!!!!!!!! I think it all depends on your branding, whether banding, shrink wrapping or nakedness will work for you.


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## FGOriold

My favorite way to wrap round soaps that are not decorative is to use coffee filters.  You get a very attractive packaged soap depending on how you do your labels, the soap breaths and the scent can still come through yet the soap is totally encased and stays clean.


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## batty

I am having a similar but opposite dilemma. My usual packaging is a cellophane bag folded over, with a large square label holding the folded edge. People who buy from me (family and friends) seem to like it, but I am wanting to change to a cigar band for a craft fair this summer. I was looking at photos of packaging and just love displays with unwrapped cigar band soaps, like the ones in this photo. I was planning to have 1 nude soap in front of each grouping, for people to maul and snort  but I don't know if that would be enough to protect the other soap. I can't decide if I should put the cellophane bag over top of the cigar band.


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## Numbers

I started using coffee filters on all my soaps not just the round ones. It's easy to wrap the squares and loaf cut bars like a present then I add my band with printed info. You can smell the fragrances and it keeps the soap out of people's noses.


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## navigator9

batty said:


> I am having a similar but opposite dilemma. My usual packaging is a cellophane bag folded over, with a large square label holding the folded edge. People who buy from me (family and friends) seem to like it, but I am wanting to change to a cigar band for a craft fair this summer. I was looking at photos of packaging and just love displays with unwrapped cigar band soaps, like the ones in this photo. I was planning to have 1 nude soap in front of each grouping, for people to maul and snort  but I don't know if that would be enough to protect the other soap. I can't decide if I should put the cellophane bag over top of the cigar band.



Batty, I started using the naked end cuts of my loaves as "sniffers" out in front of each of the different soaps I bring to a craft fair. That way they can also get an idea of what the soaps look like, since mine are entirely wrapped. It absolutely cuts down on the people shoving the wrapped bars up their noses! LOL


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## Lindy

I make CP and I shrinkwrap using polyolefin which allows the soap to breath and allows my customers to see the soap.  They can smell it through the wrap as well.  My customers like it a lot and at Christmas I throw it into an organza bag which remains clean even with handling because of the wrap.  You can also buy biolefin (sp?) that is biodegrgable as well as breathable.  I find that my soaps do continue to cure in the wrap and that I have to re-shrink again which does not bother me at all.


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## Soapsense

Lindy, were do you purchase the polyolefin, if you don't mind me asking?


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## seven

my preference is wrapped for hygiene reasons. i also like to keep the scent as much as possible. after 3-4 weeks, i start wrapping my soaps with cling wrap, then i'll do whatever wrapping outside of that (depending on the shape/size of the soap). i usually do cigar band or origami paper wrapping (envelope style. this way, customer can still take a peek and smell of what's inside but the soap is still protected).

i have bought unwrapped soaps before (many times), and honestly, there is something appealing seeing piles of unwrapped soaps (i do love touching and smelling each and every one of them). although when i think about the number of hands touching those soaps that interesting thought instantly gone.

you never know where those hands have traveled


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## CraftyRedhead

I also prefer wrapped, but agree the cellophane does go against the natural "feel" of cp soap. I like the idea of really wide cigar bands, so only a little bit shows, or maybe wrapping the bars in a bit of tulle so you can still see and smell the bars. I'm planning on the tulle approach when I start selling at markets, I have issues with the noseplanters!


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## Lindy

Soapsense said:


> Lindy, were do you purchase the polyolefin, if you don't mind me asking?


 
 I buy it form www.nationalshrinkwrap.com.  Art is very knowledgeable and a joy to work with.


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## cmzaha

I buy shrink bags from papermart and they are thin enough that the soap still breathes. Usually they will end up with a small hole or two when I shrink them. The bags are around $6.00 for 500 for the 4x6 size. You do need an impluse sealer to seal the bags before shrinking. If we happen to have a hot humid summer I will punch a hole or 2 in the bags with a small scrapbooking hole punch. Periodically when I am at my market a go across the table with the heat gun to tighten up the packaging.


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## Soapsense

Thank you Lindy, the prices weren't that bad for the shrink wrap, it's the equipment that I might not be able to afford, lol.
Would a foodsaver work to seal the wrap before shrinking? I already have one of those.
http://www.foodsaver.com/on/demandw...81f3e4ef0d20&gclid=CJeNmtSc3r4CFSgQ7Aod7VUAhw


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## FifthCap

I use shrink wrap that has holes in it

Ive had one wrapped for a month you can still smell perfectly.
I dont wrap until im ready for them to be gone.

I like wrapping in case of moisture.


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## Iluminada

I shrink wrap my soap. I do craft shows and I feel my customers appreciate buying soap that people are not putting their hands all over. I know that I would not like to buy a bar of soap not knowing how many people had their hands on it. Just make sure you use the correct gauge of shrink wrap so that your soap does not sweat. SoapEquipment.com suggest 60 to 75 gauge for cold process soap. Here is more info: http://soapequipment.com/shrinkwrap/#Shrink_Wrap_Supplies,_Replacement_Parts_and_Accessories. 
I leave one soap unwrapped so that customers can touch and smell.


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## Reveremike

I buy soap boxes that have little celephane windows on them. If you want to know where I get them, let me know. I'll be happy to share the website with you and anyone else.


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## jayte

this thread was really helpful! i'm now going into cp soaps and trying to decide on the best way to wrap them, didn't occur to me that cigar bands will go loose as the soap keeps drying up, thanks! 

previously i used shrink wrap for food for my mp soaps, they can get tricky to wrap sometimes but you'll get the hang, they are also quite fragile though with one layer. I tried 2 layers to make it more sturdy but then you can't really smell the soap nor see it as clearly.


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## Sheila Pullar

Yes I would love to know where you get your soap boxes from! Thank you x


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## lizvang

I'd like to know too! 





Sheila Pullar said:


> Yes I would love to know where you get your soap boxes from! Thank you x


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## IrishLass

I don't do craft shows or sell, but I like to package my soaps as nicely (and economically) as I can because I do a lot of gifting locally and also by mail for my out-of-town friends/relatives.

I used to use French Fry bags and colorful ribbons back when I first started out, but now I use 9" x 12" sheets of white, grease-resistant, paper sandwich wrap (think glassine-type paper).

I can buy a 1,000-count package of them for about $8.00 at my local Smart & Final. One sheet cut in half will wrap 2 of my bars perfectly, so I'm really getting double for my money.

And with my handy, decorative scrapbooking punch for a pretty scent/ventilation-hole, some double-sided tape, Microsoft Publisher, and 8 x 11 full label sheets, I'm good to go.

My label designs are usually more colorful and imaginative than what you see below, but I quickly threw something generic together just to give you the basic idea of my labeling/wrapping technique:








IrishLass


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## Earthen_Step

Right now I'm using "Banana Fiber" paper, its 90% recycled paper and 10% banana fiber.  I punch a hole out for a window and wrap it in jute or hemp twine.  I find it decently protective and the looks have been liked.  But it is fairly time consuming and I'm getting tired of doing it.  I don't know for sure what i'll try next.  There are some corn based bio-degradable plastics I've looked into.  I might do that combined with cigar band.  I might also just do cigar band, I don't know for sure, it's hard to decide. A box would be nice and easy.

Does anyone know of an eco friendly box + bio-degradable plastic window combo?

Here is what I'm doing now:


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## Aline

Earthen_Step said:


> Right now I'm using "Banana Fiber" paper, its 90% recycled paper and 10% banana fiber.  I punch a hole out for a window and wrap it in jute or hemp twine



That is SUCH a good idea! But I can imagine a bit time-consuming...


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## houseofwool

Honestly?  I'm so cheap that I take used (but clean) paper grocery bags, cut them down to 8-1/2 x 11 and print 5 cigar bands per sheet. Because the creases wreak havoc on the printing process, I use my mom's press (for ironing) and in 20 minutes, I can press over 100 sheets. 

The bags are free and are the ultimate in post-consumer recycling.


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## Earthen_Step

houseofwool said:


> Honestly?  I'm so cheap that I take used (but clean) paper grocery bags, cut them down to 8-1/2 x 11 and print 5 cigar bands per sheet. Because the creases wreak havoc on the printing process, I use my mom's press (for ironing) and in 20 minutes, I can press over 100 sheets.
> 
> The bags are free and are the ultimate in post-consumer recycling.
> 
> View attachment 9347



That is a lot of effort to save some money, you are awesome!  I love the idea, a much better way to recycle than throwing it in a recycle bin and buying paper for your soap wrapping.



Aline said:


> That is SUCH a good idea! But I can imagine a bit time-consuming...



Thank you!  So many packaging ideas were tried before this was settled on.  If our volume of sales don't pick up dramatically, we will stick with this.  I really love the look.  Another thought was to stick with this for retail stores, and do something faster for online orders and bulk wholesale (if that ever happens).  It's funny how hard of a decision packaging has been in this entire process.  I thought it would be the least of my worries.


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## cmzaha

Soapsense said:


> Thank you Lindy, the prices weren't that bad for the shrink wrap, it's the equipment that I might not be able to afford, lol.
> Would a foodsaver work to seal the wrap before shrinking? I already have one of those.
> http://www.foodsaver.com/on/demandw...81f3e4ef0d20&gclid=CJeNmtSc3r4CFSgQ7Aod7VUAhw


I would not suggest using your food saver to seal. Foodsavers are temp controlled for their own bags. You can get an impulse sealer on ebay for less than $25. There is one right now for 19.99 and free shipping
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...Ximpulse+se&_nkw=impulse+heat+sealer&_sacat=0


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## Aline

That is a fabulous idea. Do you stick the label on and then punch the whole in the glassine and label?



IrishLass said:


> I don't do craft shows or sell, but I like to package my soaps as nicely (and economically) as I can because I do a lot of gifting locally and also by mail for my out-of-town friends/relatives.
> 
> I used to use French Fry bags and colorful ribbons back when I first started out, but now I use 9" x 12" sheets of white, grease-resistant, paper sandwich wrap (think glassine-type paper).
> 
> I can buy a 1,000-count package of them for about $8.00 at my local Smart & Final. One sheet cut in half will wrap 2 of my bars perfectly, so I'm really getting double for my money.
> 
> And with my handy, decorative scrapbooking punch for a pretty scent/ventilation-hole, some double-sided tape, Microsoft Publisher, and 8 x 11 full label sheets, I'm good to go.
> 
> My label designs are usually more colorful and imaginative than what you see below, but I quickly threw something generic together just to give you the basic idea of my labeling/wrapping technique:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> IrishLass


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## IrishLass

Yes, that's exactly what I do, and it works really well. 

 IrishLass


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## Soapsense

Thank you for the link!! That is  a good price and yes you are right about the foodsaver, I actually tried it and it does seal, but it's not quite hot enough, so it's a guessing game on how long to leave it on once the light goes out signaling that it should be done.


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