Hello All! from NEW JERSEY; USA!

[shutterfly]

Hi all! My name is Kerri aka: xXshutterflyXx
Wanted to introduce myself on this *amazing* forum that i happened to come across in my ventures to learn about soap making!!!

I am *super* excited to start getting my materials ordered and molds together! I am a total Newb* at this craft but i have ealways LOVED hand crafted, pure organic items including soap!

Although i have been a person whos had their hand involved in MANY crafts ( sewing, crocheting, woodworking, graphic design, web design, photography to name some!) i have always had Soap making on the back burner... so, i feel now its time to take it off the back burner before it burns!!!

My goal is to try and venture into the part-time soap making business and possibly make some money to keep reinvesting in my creations as well within the next 3 months! As October thru December i feel would be the best marketing times for selling and getting my product out there!

SO! Onward with the trials and errors to perfecting the craft of soap making! If anyone wants to buddy up with me and be a friend in the journey, message me! i <3 meeting new people who are like minded too!!!
If you have any questions or information to shire, feel free to do so as well!

 

[Hazel]

Hi Kerri,

Welcome to the forum! :wave:

Are you planning on MP or CP soap? It's not recommended to jump into CP and attempting to sell in a short period of time. Here are a couple of links to give you more info about starting a business.

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f23/you-ready-sell-your-soap-16002/
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f23/should-i-start-business-33144/

 

[Busyfingers]

Hi Kerri

Welcome, Hello, nice to see ya here. Lots of interesting facts to search out and learn and this is a great place.

 

[Trinity]

Hi Keri and Welcome We just bought a house in New Jersey and it seemed like it was just the right size before I started on what seemed like a nice hobby and has now turned into a full blown obsession I hate to tell my DH that we are going to have to move since I really need more space for soap which is now curing on every surface of my home including 2 new 6 foot shelves which are right in the middle of my kitchen which he is less then amused by

 

[judymoody]

Welcome!

Where in Jersey? I grew up in Union County.

I agree with Hazel on the importance of perfecting your skills before jumping into selling. A year's intensive experience is generally held to be the minimum recommended experience level. You will need to do a fair amount of testing to come up with soap recipes that you know will not go rancid and you will want to test your fragrances to make sure they don't fade or morph, among other concerns. Above all, you want to make a safe, consistent product if you want to build a loyal customer base.

 

[innerdiva73]

Hello, I am a Jerseyan as well. I grew up in Bergen County. Welcome to the wonderful world of soaping!!:wave:

 

[Bicycle808]

I, too, am from New Jersey, but I spell it with fewer caps. Welcome to the hobby; keep in mind that you'll go broke if you try to make soap with all-organic ingredients.

 

[roseb]

Welcome Shutterfly! As a newbie myself I recommend you take it slow. I thought that this craft would be a slam dunk since I have been involved in so many in the past. But soap making is really an art form. I'm on my 4th batch & still am not even close to thinking about scents or colors. My first batch developed DOS rather quickly so far the other batches seem fine. But waiting for the curing takes patience. Good luck & hope to see you around. It's a great place to be.

 

[shutterfly]

Hi Kerri,

Welcome to the forum! :wave:

Are you planning on MP or CP soap? It's not recommended to jump into CP and attempting to sell in a short period of time. Here are a couple of links to give you more info about starting a business.

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f23/you-ready-sell-your-soap-16002/
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f23/should-i-start-business-33144/

Thank you for the helpful links!!!
I do want to start cold process soap making. I have done the melt and pour but I don't feel as satisfied with it... I'd like to be the one to do the whole process from start to finish! Also, I want to do all organic even vegan products as its way better for your skin as well as our environment...

As far as selling in a short time, I figure 3 moths to start making and try out small batch recipes and run it though a few calculators to double check as well. If I far we'll in my small batches and family and friends give me positive feedback of scents, quality and use then I'd like to move forward from there, but a min of 3 months trail and a error is what I anticipate...

 

[shutterfly]

Hi Keri and Welcome We just bought a house in New Jersey and it seemed like it was just the right size before I started on what seemed like a nice hobby and has now turned into a full blown obsession I hate to tell my DH that we are going to have to move since I really need more space for soap which is now curing on every surface of my home including 2 new 6 foot shelves which are right in the middle of my kitchen which he is less then amused by

Yeah, that's what I'm afraid will happen in my home as well. Heh
I get into my crafts and really enjoy working on all of them at different parts of the year... Soap making will I'm sure, without a doubt, be one of those consuming crafts...lol

 

[shutterfly]

Welcome!

Where in Jersey? I grew up in Union County.

I agree with Hazel on the importance of perfecting your skills before jumping into selling. A year's intensive experience is generally held to be the minimum recommended experience level. You will need to do a fair amount of testing to come up with soap recipes that you know will not go rancid and you will want to test your fragrances to make sure they don't fade or morph, among other concerns. Above all, you want to make a safe, consistent product if you want to build a loyal customer base.

Hello!
I grew up in Ocean county by the shore and have however been living in northern NJ in Hunterdon County for the past 6 years now... So beautiful up here <3

Which is another reason for me wanting to venture into soap making as a business idea... In this area there are a lot of health conscious people, farmers, craft fairs, markets and strong communities... All of which I hope to be a part of with my soaps and other products. This way I can be a part of the community and also offer quality, healthy, products as our farmers and other hard working crafters do...

 

[shutterfly]

I, too, am from New Jersey, but I spell it with fewer caps. Welcome to the hobby; keep in mind that you'll go broke if you try to make soap with all-organic ingredients.

Thank you for the welcome!
While I too agree that organic products are more expensive, I believe that quality is most important to me. Also, i believe its the due process of finding a reputable company, even local shops and artisans that offer high quality products, buying in bulk and as long as you have a state tax ID you can get wholesale prices and even quite a few good deals with the good old barter system ;-)

While these products are higher priced than regular or gmo products or diluted lesser quality ones, I feel that there are plenty of people that are willing to pay a slightly higher price for a product that is not only unique, but that they also look to support and purchase locally, organically for health issues they may have, and for purity.

It's the same as if you would buy a t-shirt from Walmart for only $5 and after 3 washes is done... Or a quality, name brand one for $15 that lasts you years...

It's not only perceived quality, but hopefully in the years to come, a name and quality that is well respected and sought after because of the products and dedication to only bringing the best.

 

[shutterfly]

Welcome Shutterfly! As a newbie myself I recommend you take it slow. I thought that this craft would be a slam dunk since I have been involved in so many in the past. But soap making is really an art form. I'm on my 4th batch & still am not even close to thinking about scents or colors. My first batch developed DOS rather quickly so far the other batches seem fine. But waiting for the curing takes patience. Good luck & hope to see you around. It's a great place to be.

Hello fellow newb soaper!!!
I am going to go through it as steady and consistent as I possibly can. I know the hardest part is finding a combination that you like for a base and that not only hold up as a solid bar, but with just the right lather and consistency. Once I have that down, then I look forward to adding scents. Again, with that it is a trial and error soft of, but with calculated precision (again, it is a science ;-) ) I hope to keep the errors to a controlled minimum before getting my sold select scents perfected. Then, it's on to the fun part, colors! As I know depending on the soap, it will also vary with how it reacts to the dyes/pigments used for the colors! An that can be the tricky part!
My plan for that is to take the base and place in into very small cosmetic size molds and try the colors as themselves, then with a few mixed combos so that I know what colors are with my perfected bases without scents to give me a base idea of how they react to it ;-)

If you or anyone else has styles or ideas or products that they Tried or tested, please feel fee to share!!! I'm all ears and willing to share and do the same!!! Xoxox

 

[Relle]

Something for you to read shutterfly - 3 months is not long enough to be able to sell. http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f23/you-ready-sell-your-soap-16002/

 

[judymoody]

Hello fellow newb soaper!!!
I am going to go through it as steady and consistent as I possibly can. I know the hardest part is finding a combination that you like for a base and that not only hold up as a solid bar, but with just the right lather and consistency. Once I have that down, then I look forward to adding scents. Again, with that it is a trial and error soft of, but with calculated precision (again, it is a science ;-) ) I hope to keep the errors to a controlled minimum before getting my sold select scents perfected. Then, it's on to the fun part, colors! As I know depending on the soap, it will also vary with how it reacts to the dyes/pigments used for the colors! An that can be the tricky part!
My plan for that is to take the base and place in into very small cosmetic size molds and try the colors as themselves, then with a few mixed combos so that I know what colors are with my perfected bases without scents to give me a base idea of how they react to it ;-)

If you or anyone else has styles or ideas or products that they Tried or tested, please feel fee to share!!! I'm all ears and willing to share and do the same!!! Xoxox

Relle has directed you towards a useful post.

Timewise, developing a basic recipe that you like and that will produce stable soap with a shelf life of several months will probably take at least six months. This is a good time to find testers to give you feedback on various recipes.

Fragrances: Search for posts by prairiecraft about doing fragrance testing. You will want the fragrance to last at least six months, preferably longer. Usually you can extrapolate how well a fragrance will do in the long term by the 2-3 month mark. In some instances if it's going to morph or fade, that may be evident as early as a week or even one month out. Other fragrances lose potency more gradually.

Colors: these could probably be tested concurrently with formulating your base recipe as they are not going to affect the quality of your lather, unless of course, they are clays or botanicals that provide texture. Natural colors tend to fade over time. Oxides and micas and FD&C colorants will settle into their final color within a couple of days.

As you can see, there is a lot of waiting involved. Stability over time is one of the most essential qualities of good soap. And that can't be rushed.

 

[shutterfly]

Something for you to read shutterfly - 3 months is not long enough to be able to sell. http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f23/you-ready-sell-your-soap-16002/

Yes! I read the post posted earlier on here and it's great stuff!
I don't want to SELL in 3 months, I'm saying I wanted to get my things together and have a good startup and base to work with in that amount of time...

I feel that in 3months I should at least be able to have a general understanding of my butters and oils and how they settle as we'll as cure... If they change color stay pure, etc.

One I have those basics down and feel confident in my base, then and only then wil I make soap that is colored and scented for my personal use and gifts for family and friends to try out and give feedback from.

I would never try to sell a soap just to get the $$$ for it!
There are a LOT of things involved in growing and creating not only a business, but a reputable, quality product! I would never want to undermine my hard work or other soapers by trying to produce a inferior product that goes rancid in a month or breaks apart in the shower on the first few uses!!!

I actually have to enjoy my craft! Not just want to use it as a "quick" income... Any real person who's done their research knows it requires much more money and time, let alone the time and effort involved to call it a "quick money maker" lol

 

[shutterfly]

Relle has directed you towards a useful post.

Timewise, developing a basic recipe that you like and that will produce stable soap with a shelf life of several months will probably take at least six months. This is a good time to find testers to give you feedback on various recipes.

...

As you can see, there is a lot of waiting involved. Stability over time is one of the most essential qualities of good soap. And that can't be rushed.

Thank you so much for that informative post!!!
As I've stated before, I do have a general understanding of the science behind soap making and what to expect, so I know it's not a pour & melt and its done! Lol

I too figured that as far as scents go that the smell shouldn't be to hard to test, but my concern was what the different fragrance mixes in my base did! Such as turning a bar orange or rancid quick, start to solidify and react when I make my mixture too soon and dry out or ruin a bar...

So many areas to get into with soap making! Always learning and I will always be trying new things! Getting my hand on some things by the end of this month hopefully! And I'm excited to share my trial runs errors as well as successes along the way!!!

As always, the hardest part... The 3-6weeks of waiting to finally be able to use your bar of soap and see how you did!!!

***unless you do a hot process method, then you can use it same day essentially! but I feel that all that heat takes away from the organic properties of all the butters and oils that you spend so much money on and making a lesser product unable to reap full benefits from*** correct me if I'm wrong!

 

[Bicycle808]

Cold-Process soap gets hot, too, unless you take steps to prevent it. I'm no chemist, but I wouldn't worry too much about HP "destroying organic properties"; I imagine the lye would do that sufficiently at any temperature.

I've been goofing around on this forum for a while now, and it seems that one of its primary functions is to discourage ppl from selling their soap. "It will take you years to get your recipe down!" is the popular refrain, but it is pure rubbish. The interwebs are littered with viable, sale-worthy soap recipes. If you can google soap recipes and double-check them on soapcalc, you already have a viable recipe. The thing that takes time/experience is your technique. If you take a tried and true recipe but execute it incorrectly, then that sale-worthy soap is going to be garbage.

I still advise taking your time, being patient, and not selling til you have some actual confidence in what you're producing, but it makes me chuckle when I see ppl acting all shocked about inexperienced soapers trying to sell their product. Yes, you gotta know what you're doing, and you gotta know some rules/regulations, but the truth is, many experienced soapers are putting out some sketchy soaps in terms of quality. Further, many experienced soapers are either unaware of regulations, or else they just choose to disregard them.

 

[Hazel]

I've been goofing around on this forum for a while now, and it seems that one of its primary functions is to discourage ppl from selling their soap. "It will take you years to get your recipe down!" is the popular refrain, but it is pure rubbish.

but it makes me chuckle when I see ppl acting all shocked about inexperienced soapers trying to sell their product. Yes, you gotta know what you're doing, and you gotta know some rules/regulations, but the truth is, many experienced soapers are putting out some sketchy soaps in terms of quality. Further, many experienced soapers are either unaware of regulations, or else they just choose to disregard them.

I'm sorry you feel we're here to discourage people from selling. I prefer to view our function here as encouraging people to create high quality products to ensure the positive image and professionalism of the handmade market.

Also, I don't know who these "experienced" soapers you are referring to but I can bet they're people who jumped into soapmaking either without seeking advice or who chose to ignore advice.

We also don't say "years". We are recommending a period of time for people to really learn what all is required from learning basics, formulating and problem solving. I've seen numerous examples of people posting they're going to sell without ever having made a batch or only having made a few batches. Within a short period of time, they're back asking for help because they've got a show/sale/whatever and their batches are bad so they don't have anything to sell. They haven't done the research but yet expect us to help them.

I'm so glad you've enjoyed "goofing" around on this forum and found our posts humorous. Since you've been a member for so long, I'm sure you're quite familiar with SMF's Troll Policy.

 

[Relle]

Yes! I read the post posted earlier on here and it's great stuff!
I don't want to SELL in 3 months, I'm saying I wanted to get my things together and have a good startup and base to work with in that amount of time...

I feel that in 3months I should at least be able to have a general understanding of my butters and oils and how they settle as we'll as cure... If they change color stay pure, etc.

One I have those basics down and feel confident in my base, then and only then wil I make soap that is colored and scented for my personal use and gifts for family and friends to try out and give feedback from.

I would never try to sell a soap just to get the $$$ for it!
There are a LOT of things involved in growing and creating not only a business, but a reputable, quality product! I would never want to undermine my hard work or other soapers by trying to produce a inferior product that goes rancid in a month or breaks apart in the shower on the first few uses!!!

I actually have to enjoy my craft! Not just want to use it as a "quick" income... Any real person who's done their research knows it requires much more money and time, let alone the time and effort involved to call it a "quick money maker" lol

Just trying to steer you to some helpful advise, from the information you provided.

This is what you wrote Kerri in your first post incase you forgot -

My goal is to try and venture into the part-time soap making business and possibly make some money to keep reinvesting in my creations as well within the next 3 months! As October thru December i feel would be the best marketing times for selling and getting my product out there!