I would gladly show a really good friend or relative how to make soap. However, due to the caustic nature of lye, I would be very hesitant to teach just anyone.
Exactly. I would happily share and help someone else learn if they're really interested in learning. But I've got no interest in going through the time and trouble to show someone who is just looking for a shortcut to understand just enough to be able to crank out soap to sell. There's way to many things that a responsible seller needs to truly understand and those cannot be taught in a couple of short soaping sessions.
If any of my friends was truly interested in learning, I would be thrilled to have a local soaping buddy. Unfortunately the few who have expressed interest were people who were just seeing dollar signs because they see a quick way to make a buck.
Now, to be fair, it can indeed be a quick way to make a buck. A quick trip to get supplies. An hour of time. A simple recipe, simple swirls, toss in some FO, and you've got soap. Let it sit until it's hard enough to handle without squishing, cut it, package, and sell. Yep, anyone can make soap and sell it.
But.... does that mean they *should* be selling soap? Absolutely not. Just because they know how to manufacture bars of soap doesn't mean they have a true understanding of what the heck they're doing, how it can impact the user, and what can go wrong with the soap down the road.
A responsible soap maker is an *artisan who crafts* soap - not a *manufacturer who makes soap*.
I'll happily share my time and knowledge (what I've accumulated anyway) with anyone interested in learning to craft soap. I have no interest in sharing my time or knowledge with someone only interested in manufacturing soap.
