making soap in small quantities

[pjb31apb]

For those of you who only soap for friends and family, can you justify purchasing say 50lb of oil at one time? I am looking into 92 degree coconut oil, but of course the best price I can find right now is for a 50 lb block. I really don't think that I could justify that much and I certainly don't think that I have enough storage space for it. What do you all do?

 

[CPSoaper]

It depends on the oils you are buying in bulk, the shelf life and whether you think you can use it before it goes rancid. Coconut oil does have a long shelf life.

 

[reallyrita]

Making soap in small quantities.

I have exactly the same problem and question. The biggest amount of hard oil I have is in a 10 lb bucket. The biggest lot I/ve made was 2 1/2 lbs...mostly I make 1 or 2 lb batches. That is a lot of soap for a small family! I have put a hold on soapmaking for a few weeks until this last batch cures out. Of course, I am very new to this...so I expect a lot of icky batches that will not make it to our shower. I don't know the shelf life of some of these oils. I have put my olive, lard and tallow in my extra fridge just in case since I am trying not to make another batch until I see how these turn out. My coconut and PKO and PO are in 10 lb buckets in what is for now a very cool place in my house. I would never consider the larger amounts as it could take quite a while to go through it and I think the savings per bar would not be worth it. Plus, where the heck could I store that stuff...too cold in garage in winter and too hot in there in the summer. Also, I don't know another soaper to share with in my area. I guess this is just the expense of this hobby!!

 

[CPSoaper]

Here is a link to the shelf life of some oils and butters. HTH


http://www.soapnuts.com/shelf.html

 

[reallyrita]

Making soap in small quantities.

Ah...CPsoaper...thanks for the link....this will help with some of my "how long can I keep this stuff around?" questions!!

 

[morsedillon]

If you're OK with 70 degree coconut oil, one solution may be to buy it in smaller quantities at Wal-Mart. They brand they stock is very very inexpensive compared to every other source I've seen.

 

[Lane]

If you're OK with 70 degree coconut oil, one solution may be to buy it in smaller quantities at Wal-Mart. They brand they stock is very very inexpensive compared to every other source I've seen.

The coconut oil at Wal-mart has nearly doubled... Last week it was at 3.12 and this week it is a hair above $5.00. It is no longer cheaper for me to buy it in the small containers there. :cry: :cry:

I make about 2 pound batches and go through around 8 pounds of Coconut Oil, every two weeks...thats a lot of small batches... My issue with buying such huge amounts of oils is that the shipping is MURDER!! A fifty pound order of just ONE oil...ekk...Buy when I buy in 4 to 5 pound amounts, the shipping is always under $10.00. I KNOW multiple orders would probably equal the same amount in shipping, but I CAN NOT bring myself to see a HUGE shipping amount non my reciept...

 

[morsedillon]

The coconut oil at Wal-mart has nearly doubled... Last week it was at 3.12 and this week it is a hair above $5.00. It is no longer cheaper for me to buy it in the small containers there. :cry: :cry:

Well, we can probably thank Wal-Mart's artificial-intelligence-based inventory and pricing systems for that Once the word got out to people about how cheap it was they probably noticed how quickly they were selling out. I know I'm now glad that I bought them out the last time I was in there!

For bulk oil locally (no shipping required), try the Yellow Pages under "Restaurant Equipment & Supplies". Many times these companies carry bulk oils (including coconut) for frying, popcorn, and the like.

 

[Tabitha]

I wouls suggest finding another soaper (or 2 or 3 or 9) to share it with. You can *co-op* it for a better price. It is quite common in the soaping community.

 

[CiCi]

Well, we can probably thank Wal-Mart's artificial-intelligence-based inventory and pricing systems for that Once the word got out to people about how cheap it was they probably noticed how quickly they were selling out. I know I'm now glad that I bought them out the last time I was in there!

Ha, Ha...now they are probably are scratching their heads wondering why their CO just sits on the shelf. Probably figure that all of the "shopping for grocery moms" have gone by the wayside. Maybe if the demand slows down, the price will come down.

 

[Lane]

Maybe if the demand slows down, the price will come down.

Crosses fingers! :?

 

[Krickett]

Has anyone used CO in powder form? And maybe if you know someone in the restrurant business or someone that works in the restrurant mainly in the kithcen you maybe able to get them to order you some of the oil for cost. Just a thought.

Krickett

 

[craftgirl08]

Hi. I buy my oils in 7pound bottles from the following:

www.columbusfoods.com

They have a section for soapers and also have a lye calculator. I am new at soaping but all my soap is turning out fine.