lmfrancis15
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2020
- Messages
- 4
- Reaction score
- 11
Hello soapers - how are we all doing today?
My first post is done with...
ok, my journey through soap so far.
December 2019 my niece buys me a Anne Marie Faiola Pure Soap Making book for Christmas. It looks beautiful and I am enthralled by it. I joined this forum shortly after, I can’t remember how I found it... but the wealth of knowledge herein, and the sub folders etc made it all a bit daunting. But soon became an avid reader.
March 2020 - well yeah.... work from home i live alone, wasn’t seeing anyone, bored with the tele box and then I discovered soap making Youtubers.
i found the videos to be such a relaxing watch, and started to gorge myself on them, many of them, Ariane, I dream of soap, Tree Marie, Brambleberry, Sorcery soap, Soapry 101, Dean Wilson, Tiggy Makes Soap, uncle Jo, and so so many more. (I’m a good you tube consumer, - never clicking on the skip ads button, always paying something back).
A few of the videos provided links to buy their recipes. So as a bit of further support, I would buy from the soaps from the etsy shops, and also bought a few recipes. All of it by way of showing some support for the joy and relaxation I was getting from their videos.
So by September 2020, I have ohhh, around 8 soap making books, and 2 digital downloads, and 100 of hours Of videos watching under my belt, and I have still not yet made a single bar of soap.....
I decide to take the plunge, i buy a pre-assessed cosmetic recipe from a supplier, and buy some wears from them, and make my first soap...
yes, I chop up the Stevenson’s base, throw in some clays, add a bit of 5 fold orange, and miraculously a couple of hours later, I have my first soap. I timed it to coincide with a major release form lockdown, and when I meet up with my friends for the first time in months, I bring them all a bar of soap....
From Sept 2020, I pretty much carry on making M&P, and also start making some candles and wax melts too. I think I may have been disguising my habit for buying EOs and FOs. Still had my videos, and books, and recipes, and still not made a single CP bar.
feedback from friends was how they were loving the Clay Soaps, and could they have some more.. how much do I want for them, willing to pay me etc, explained to them I can’t take money as I’m not registered to sell on the portal, and explain that they’re helping me out anyway as they are ridding me of my soap mountain.
So come Christmas 2020, theres a new more virulent strain, and we’re about to go into another lock down. I was going to have to contend with being off work for annual leave, and not being allowed to see anyone.
so I check out my pre bought recipes, and order in some supplies. During the Christmas break I make my first CP soap, a whole 6 bars!
In January 2021, I have another go, same recipe, different colours, added an FO, and experienced seizing for the first time- just look at the top, it got to the point it wouldn’t move, and I couldn’t swirl it, and it came out all crooked, but thanks to the 100 hours of video watching, I knew it was either caused by the FO or the colours I had used.
Later that same month I try same recipe, reduced the micas and used different colours, NO FO, and I had no siezing. I overfilled my soap mold, and discovered although you can pile it on, as it sets, the top will crack apart.
Then in February, I made my first Himalayan Pink Salt bar. Recent weeks feedback from friends is that they absolutely love this one.
as I have not taken any money from friends for any of the bars I have made, they are a bit confused about what I want to do. They are encouraging me to sell, something I am not yet ready to do. However, some of them do have a useful skillset, so they are piling in with offers to build a website, sort my branding, writing the ’copy’ etc.
and me? Well I am in the middle of moving house, so I can’t register to sell yet until that is settled. But in the meantime I continue to experiment with my tweaked pre-purchased recipes, and continue to learn. And am very much looking forward to becoming a very skilled artisan soap maker, I’m not looking to make a living out of it, or to set up a business, but just using it as my space to be, with the option to sell by word of mouth alone, to small group should I so wish.
My first post is done with...
ok, my journey through soap so far.
December 2019 my niece buys me a Anne Marie Faiola Pure Soap Making book for Christmas. It looks beautiful and I am enthralled by it. I joined this forum shortly after, I can’t remember how I found it... but the wealth of knowledge herein, and the sub folders etc made it all a bit daunting. But soon became an avid reader.
March 2020 - well yeah.... work from home i live alone, wasn’t seeing anyone, bored with the tele box and then I discovered soap making Youtubers.
i found the videos to be such a relaxing watch, and started to gorge myself on them, many of them, Ariane, I dream of soap, Tree Marie, Brambleberry, Sorcery soap, Soapry 101, Dean Wilson, Tiggy Makes Soap, uncle Jo, and so so many more. (I’m a good you tube consumer, - never clicking on the skip ads button, always paying something back).
A few of the videos provided links to buy their recipes. So as a bit of further support, I would buy from the soaps from the etsy shops, and also bought a few recipes. All of it by way of showing some support for the joy and relaxation I was getting from their videos.
So by September 2020, I have ohhh, around 8 soap making books, and 2 digital downloads, and 100 of hours Of videos watching under my belt, and I have still not yet made a single bar of soap.....
I decide to take the plunge, i buy a pre-assessed cosmetic recipe from a supplier, and buy some wears from them, and make my first soap...
yes, I chop up the Stevenson’s base, throw in some clays, add a bit of 5 fold orange, and miraculously a couple of hours later, I have my first soap. I timed it to coincide with a major release form lockdown, and when I meet up with my friends for the first time in months, I bring them all a bar of soap....
From Sept 2020, I pretty much carry on making M&P, and also start making some candles and wax melts too. I think I may have been disguising my habit for buying EOs and FOs. Still had my videos, and books, and recipes, and still not made a single CP bar.
feedback from friends was how they were loving the Clay Soaps, and could they have some more.. how much do I want for them, willing to pay me etc, explained to them I can’t take money as I’m not registered to sell on the portal, and explain that they’re helping me out anyway as they are ridding me of my soap mountain.
So come Christmas 2020, theres a new more virulent strain, and we’re about to go into another lock down. I was going to have to contend with being off work for annual leave, and not being allowed to see anyone.
so I check out my pre bought recipes, and order in some supplies. During the Christmas break I make my first CP soap, a whole 6 bars!
In January 2021, I have another go, same recipe, different colours, added an FO, and experienced seizing for the first time- just look at the top, it got to the point it wouldn’t move, and I couldn’t swirl it, and it came out all crooked, but thanks to the 100 hours of video watching, I knew it was either caused by the FO or the colours I had used.
Later that same month I try same recipe, reduced the micas and used different colours, NO FO, and I had no siezing. I overfilled my soap mold, and discovered although you can pile it on, as it sets, the top will crack apart.
Then in February, I made my first Himalayan Pink Salt bar. Recent weeks feedback from friends is that they absolutely love this one.
as I have not taken any money from friends for any of the bars I have made, they are a bit confused about what I want to do. They are encouraging me to sell, something I am not yet ready to do. However, some of them do have a useful skillset, so they are piling in with offers to build a website, sort my branding, writing the ’copy’ etc.
and me? Well I am in the middle of moving house, so I can’t register to sell yet until that is settled. But in the meantime I continue to experiment with my tweaked pre-purchased recipes, and continue to learn. And am very much looking forward to becoming a very skilled artisan soap maker, I’m not looking to make a living out of it, or to set up a business, but just using it as my space to be, with the option to sell by word of mouth alone, to small group should I so wish.
