Greetings from South Carolina

[CreativeGeek]

Hello, all! My name is Tzuriyah (zoo-rye-yah) and I'm from the picturesque "Upstate" region of South Carolina. I searched for and joined this forum because I'm getting ready to start a small business making soap, lotions, bath bombs and candles to sell locally and possibly online. I'm embarking on this venture because I need extra money to put into an IRA. 8)

 

[cherrycoke216]

Hi Zuriyah! Welcome! Bath bomb need lots of trial and error, and soap is even harder to predict than it. And there are tons of emulsifier to choose from ... Lotion is another animal. Consensus here is you have to make soap at least a year before consider selling. The liability is an important thing to take into consideration before you are selling.

You need to master your product so the business can work out in the long term. Have fun here!
( hope I don't sound rude ...)

 

[lsg]

Welcome to the forum. The bath & body market is a crowded one. Lots of research and experimentation are needed before one can produce a marketable product.

 

[CreativeGeek]

Hi, cherrycoke216! You don't sound rude at all, so no worries! But liability for an artisan soap maker shouldn't be any different than that of a commercial soap maker. People understand that they buy and use any type of soap at their own risk. My labels will list the ingredients in each type of soap that I make, so if anyone has any allergies (like I do) they can make informed choices about which soaps to buy. Ingredient information will also be a part of each soap's description on my website, as well as a page with information about the safety of using soap made with sodium hydroxide and what happens to it during the soap making process. Believe me, I've thought this through. Oh, and BTW, there's a 'T' at the beginning of my name. It's silent, so it's easy to forget it's there, but it is, LOL.

Hi Zuriyah! Welcome! Bath bomb need lots of trial and error, and soap is even harder to predict than it. And there are tons of emulsifier to choose from ... Lotion is another animal. Consensus here is you have to make soap at least a year before consider selling. The liability is an important thing to take into consideration before you are selling.

You need to master your product so the business can work out in the long term. Have fun here!
( hope I don't sound rude ...)

Hi, lsg! To my knowledge, from the research I've done, the market isn't crowded where I'm from. As far as experimentation goes, I have nothing but time on my hands as I'm disabled and don't work. Hence the need for extra money to sock into an IRA.

Welcome to the forum. The bath & body market is a crowded one. Lots of research and experimentation are needed before one can produce a marketable product.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Howdy from Colorado and Welcome, Tzuriyah! You sound like one smart cookie! Have you started making soap, or lotion, or bath bombs or candles yet? Do you have testers for feedback? From my experience, making stuff is the easy part; having a place to sell, preferably high end, is the real challenge. Are you planning on selling at farmers markets and various events? Wholesale to boutiques? Online? Just curious. What can we do to help you fill those coffers so you can retire in style?

 

[Cellador]

Hi Tzuriyah! Welcome! I am also in South Carolina, in the Rock Hill/Fort Mill/Charlotte, NC area.

I am a complete newbie when it comes to soap and body-product making. I do hope to go into business someday too, but I won't have the time or expertise for another couple of years.

I do agree that there doesn't seem to be as many candle/soap/body product crafters in our area. But, if you will be selling online, it is a heavily saturated market.

 

[Relle]

Here is a thread you might like to read
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=16002

 

[lenarenee]

Hello Tzuriyah, I'm so envious of your great name! Welcome to SMF!

 

[WeaversPort]

Hullo there! Welcome to the deep end. Bring a life raft and you won't drown. If you bring enough salt, you'll have beachfront property in no time.

If you're not in a hurry and you've got some seed money to play with, you're in a good position to explore. The year estimates of soapmaking sound like forever; but when you factor in the time needed to cure soaps to see how each recipe works, it goes by fast.

In the meantime, play around with some recipes, see what inspires you. Lovin Soap also has some resources for people looking to go into business, so that would be an additional resource to check out.