Fair prices for soaping oils??

[aprice522]

I am newer to the soap community and have made 3 batches. I have finally gotten a mold (cheap loaf silicone from Amazon cause I only want small batches) and a better scale that works and have finally feel comfortable and want to play around.

My problem--where do I shop for my oils? I am in a online coop that do oils for body, but they are more the conditioning/soft oils/butters and not the basics that I need for the larger percentages of the soap recipe. They may run them, but there is always that wait time after you miss out and stuff and I have just recently started with making my own things again and gotten involved.

I am looking for the right pricing for major oils and where I would best get them.

CO, PO, OO, Castor--those kinds

I live in Indiana.

This is my first post (that I remember) and if I've put in the wrong place, please correct me.

 

[snappyllama]

Hi! I'm also a hobbyist and make smaller batches.

OO: I get from Costco
CO: I buy Snappy White Popcorn Oil from Amazon
Castor: I get from whichever soap supply company has it when I'm placing an order for more exciting things.
I use lard instead of palm. I get that at my local grocery store.

ETA: Costco also has a good price on Avocado oil if you like to use that.

 

[SplendorSoaps]

I like to use WSP (Wholesale Supplies Plus) for oils, as they have free shipping. The downside is that they have a $40 order minimum, but if you're buying all of your oils at the same time you might not be far off.

Bramble Berry has good prices on oils, but they do charge shipping. That can get expensive, as you're probably going to be buying several pound worth of oil.

snappyllama has a good point about the olive oil. Often you can get good deals if you buy the gallon size at Costco or other grocery stores (look for the generic brands).

 

[MrsSpaceship]

This is where I started. There have been some issues with WSP and ED I believe (you can find out more if you sift through the threads) but I personally have not had an issue and I've placed at least two orders with each of them.

Wholesale Supplies Plus
Essential Depot
BrambleBerry

 

[Cindy2428]

aprice - I'm from Ft. Wayne and have found out how fortunate we are to have so many soap suppliers here in the State. To experiment and learn about oils, I agree with snappyllama - avocado oil - great quality from Costco; I have priced olive oil between them and Sam's and find Sam's a little cheaper. When Meijer has oils on sale, they generally have a good selection - I've even found hazelnut oil there!

As you learn about oils and their shelf life, you will find that the staples - coconut oil, lard, palm all have very long shelf lives. If you have the space, Soaper's Choice is really the place to go. I think I paid $45.00 for 50# of lard and I also cook with the coconut oil I purchased. Since they are in Ill, most of the time I receive my orders in 2 days and the shipping to IN is really reasonable.

Other IN vendors for you to check out are Nurture Soap Supplies and Lebermuth. Nurture hands down has the most amazing micas that perform consistently well in soap and Lebermuth out of South Bend has very high quality EO/FO. The only drawback with Lebermuth is you have to generally buy in 1# quantities and if you are not a Guild member, they have a high minimum order amt as well.

 

[dixiedragon]

When you are buying larger quantities, Soaper's Choice. If you want to buy in smaller quantities, you'll need to compare prices and look at shipping to your location. I like Camden Grey. They are in FL and I'm in AL, so the shipping price is good.

I have found the best brick-and-mortar store price for castor is at the Vitamin Shoppe healthfood store. Walmart has teensy 1 or 2 oz bottles (in the pharmacy section with the laxatives, bottom shelf)

 

[aprice522]

aprice - I'm from Ft. Wayne

Well, Hello! I am in Warsaw! Very close!

 

[Jstar]

When I first started out, I thought I had to buy everything online..turns out that you dont..and sometimes, if not most times, its more cost effective to buy at your local grocer for your base oils.

My CO I get at my local HEB or Kroger stores...bit cheaper at Kroger, and its just under a lb...I pick up a couple jars of it everytime I go shopping..so Im well stocked most of the time..

Any liquid oils, soy, canola, etc I also get at local grocers and I buy the generic brands..I dont use a high amount of these oils so I dont have to buy as often.

I also have switched to rendering my own tallow and lard which I get the suet from the grocer butcher shop..sometimes free, other times for a very low amount.

The only other things I buy online now are FO's and butters, and lye and Im not ordering so much of the butters these days..I just dont feel the difference much since I switched to mostly tallow and lard soaps. The lye I get from ED, but have also bought Roebic brand 100% lye crystals at my local Lowe's store..it works just as well for me.

FO's I buy at Mikes Fragrances and More..some stick well, some not so much, but its trial and error as with anything else.

ETA: I also buy my kaolin clay and TD at Soapgoods.com.. It doesn't take much of either of these in my soaps, and the quantities are fairly large so its cost effective to buy those items there.