How long have you been soaping?

[Etelka]

And what/who inspired you to start?

Ok I'll start. I have been soaping about 7-8 years (time flies), I had very dry skin and after a shower I would itch and scrach like a dog, one day we went to this craft market and I bought a bar of soap. Couldn't believe the difference it made!!!! I searched on the internet for more soap and found Vicky Younger's website and bought some from her, then I tried one of her recipes and much to my suprise it worked for me, from then on I was hooked line and sinker
Here is Vicky's link, I still think her soaps are AWESOME http://www.redgumsoaps.com.au/home.html

Etelka

 

[jcandleattic]

I've been soaping for 6 years. (i think - I'd have to look at the notes on my first batch to remember exactly when I started)
I made candles and and after my bro passed I needed a distration that candles didn't offer so I started soaping.

 

[andreabadgley]

I think I made my first batch 3 or 4 years ago. We have this book called "Better Basics for the Home" that has all kinds of recipes for stuff you can make yourself so that you can avoid all the chemicals and hazards of commercial cleaners. Soap was one of the things in there that I wanted to try, and I was hooked after my first batch. It was so creamy and silky and luxurious compared to whatever soap we used to buy - and we even bought the nice stuff from the health food store!

 

[rszuba]

i love that book better basics for the home. keep it handy for reference in my kitchen at all times.

i've been soaping for about 2 years. wanted to start about 6years ago. i don't really know why, just fasinated me. everytime i'd go into little shops and such i would head straight for the soap and natural goodies.been interested and reading/experimenting with eo and herbs for about 13 years. i remember 20 years ago, (oh my, can i really make a 20years ago reference.lol), i went to the supermarket and bought chamimole tea, to rest better. big mistake, i am allergic to ragweed so it struck up my asthma. learned that natural is not always better.

love soaping, researching everyday for new things to incorporate.
renee

 

[honor435]

And what/who inspired you to start?

Ok I'll start. I have been soaping about 7-8 years (time flies), I had very dry skin and after a shower I would itch and scrach like a dog, one day we went to this craft market and I bought a bar of soap. Couldn't believe the difference it made!!!! I searched on the internet for more soap and found Vicky Younger's website and bought some from her, then I tried one of her recipes and much to my suprise it worked for me, from then on I was hooked line and sinker
Here is Vicky's link, I still think her soaps are AWESOME http://www.redgumsoaps.com.au/home.html

Etelka

I have always been obsessed with smells, i sell essential oils, and i love soap, so i researched and decided to make some myself, so the addiction begins! I have only made about 15 batches, so iam new and loving it!

 

[candice19]

1 month!

So far, I'm confused as hell, and loving it!!

 

[TheGardener]

My DD gave me a soap making kit (M&P) for Christmas about 5 years ago. Then my DH gave me the Harrowsmith soap book and I made a couple of CP recipes. I was hooked. I bought three more soaping books and started soaping in earnest. But, I ran out of money for supplies so I started selling my soap at a farmer's market to make money to buy supplies.

I wanted to make "all natural" soap so I started studying EO's. The more I learned the more intrigued I became and I took an 18 month aromatherapy course throught West Coast Aromatherapy, got my aromatherapy certification and started making other products. But my first and main love is still soap.

 

[reallyrita]

How long have you been soaping.

I started with M&P in July of 07 and by January 08 I was experimenting, tentatively, with CP. I am hooked now. I mostly make CP but I still like to play with M&P from time to time. I began exploring soap making because my husband broke out in a rash with commercial soaps. It took me six months to get up my courage to make goatmilk soap for him. He loves it and I give a lot of those bars to friends and relatives who have sensitive skin issues. I recently added my 92 year old MIL to the list of my soap users. I don't sell and have no plans to at this point....but I get so much satisfaction from having people use my soap and ask for more. I am inspired every day by all the amazing soapers on this forum. I am still at the beginning of this learning curve. There is so much to learn and so much to experiment with. Right now, I am working on using some clays in my soaps for color mostly. I am figuring out how much to use to color but not make a a drying bar.
rita

 

[lathermaker]

I made my first batch on April 7 1999. Started my Biz in May of 2000. I started to make soap out of self-defense. Just about every single commercial soap made me itch and break out in hives. So, one day I came across a Readers Digest book on "Back to Basics".I'm thinking...hmmmm I can cook, I should be able to make soap!

This article was about how to render your own tallow to use for soapmaking. I made one tiny little experimental bar to start with. I waited the entire 4 weeks before trying it.... You can just picture this....warm running water releasing the Sandalwood Fragrance of the soap....frothy bubbles building up and running down my hands and arms. I was giggling like a young girl, my DH thought I'd gone nuts.. I reluctantly dried my hands off to see if I would have any type of reaction. NOTHING, no itching, no scratching and my hands had this beautiful light sheen to them. Yup, I was hooked.

 

[Lindy]

I started making soap last year and I have been making my bath products like milk baths and bath salts and stuff like that for about 15 years. I have always been incredibly allergic to commercial soaps so when I discovered hand-made soaps I went to heaven and haven't returned yet....

 

[topcat]

I started CPing in October last year and have just made batch #21....da DAH!!!

I first made milk baths and bath bombs for Christmas presents in 2006, then was browsing the website I had purchased supplies from and found MP base. I thought "that looks like a great rainy day school hol project" and ordered some for the kids to use in the Christmas hols 2007.....the kids weren't interested so I used it myself and ended up selling my MP and making body butters for sale too about mid way through last year.

I found this forum and very quickly developed the courage, with much encouragement from my soaping mentors here, to make CP - and it is just the best fun ever! Now I have just started selling my CP (in a small way) and I can see a wonderful future where my soaping business grows by word of mouth from happy customers.

Tanya

 

[Soapmomma]

Goin on a year now for me. Started with handmilling til I got the courage to use lye. Never looked back! I don't know what I'd do without my soap fix! And I'm a definite FO ho, got over 100 diff scents and I have to MAKE myself quit looking for more!

 

[Elle]

8 years ago I was a process engineer when another engineer came in a stated, "my wife makes her own soap!" I was like, shuddaap, no she doesn't! I couldn't believe you could make your own soap! He told me to do a search online and it opened up a whole new world for me. The right timing too since I'd been having problems with my skin drying out wicked using store bought beauty bars.

L

 

[carebear]

Oh about 4 years ago. Since I am obsessive about soap in general, about R&D and a perfectionist, and also somewhat in the industry for my day job, I've got about 350+ batches under my belt so I'm a bit more experienced than the 4 years may sound.

I am a researcher by practice, profession, and nature so am never quite done!

Most of my time recently has been spent ensuring I can produce a consistent product. If there is one thing I HATE it's ordering an item and getting something that looks or seems different than what I saw on the site! Plus for wholesale that's going to be vital.

 

[Deda]

My first batch was 2/12/2002.

 

[Smash]

Ummm, let's see. 2 weeks?

 

[IrishLass]

It's been almost 2 1/2 years for me now, and I'm coming up on my 200th batch.

I started out making perfumes, sachets, and body butters about 4 years ago. M&P shortly followed, and then I finally got up the nerve to try CP. Fear of working with lye held me off from trying CP for quite some time, but once I did it I was hooked like I've never been hooked before. I still make perfumes, sachets and body butters, but CP is my true love. I'm am not officially in business yet, but I'm planning to be since I have quite a loyal following among my family and friends and their families and friends- and the list keeps growing.

IrishLass

 

[Etelka]

Looks like there is a great mix here, lots of oldies and lots of newbies
Etelka

 

[jenn624]

almost a year for M&P, but I just started CP-ing in January, & I've made 9 batches in 8 weeks I have so much soap curing on my back porch its not even funny

 

[IanT]

smash... your avatar is awesome!... waht is that?!>!



Ive been soaping a year and got into it because i want to know what i use on my body, and I dont want to use any nasty chemicals or synthetics ... yuck!

that i like to make everything I am able to myself