Need a "hands free" soap mixing method

[aab1]

I'm relatively new to soap making, I started over a year ago making some only very occasionally for my own use and for gifts. I finally got proper molds and want to start a business selling natural soaps.

The biggest problem for me is the mixing, 2 days ago I made 2 batches of soap which ended up requiring 4 hours of constant mixing each before getting trace, so I pretty much mixed soap from 7 PM to 4 AM non stop! Normally it takes me only up to an hour.

I use a paint mixing attachment on a cordless drill, but of course with how long it takes the battery doesn't last 4 hours of non stop use to I need to charge it at least once or twice during the process. I also need to limit the drill's speed otherwise it splashes all other the place.

So I realize if I want to make soap regularly I need a hands free way to mix so I can do something else while it mixes.

I was thinking either a blender or stand mixer, but am leaning towards a stand mixer since they can hold much more at once and there's no risk of the mixture damaging gaskets and the mixture leaking out. Not to mention they last much longer than a blender.

So before spending $500 or so on a stand mixer I'd like to know what others think and if there's a better option. I think it would be perfect as I can adjust the speed precisely to avoid whipping the soap and could make large batches.

Thank you

 

[Fragola]

How big are those batches ?

I am sure a handyman can find a cheap mounting method for your setup.

However, I suspect that you simply don't have enough power. Why are you running on batteries ? Don't you have an electrical outlet / extension chord ?

4 hours isn't right, there must be ways to accelerate trace.

You say you use a paint mixer - that one probably doesn't even have enough speed ... Mixers trace much, much slower than blenders.

 

[aab1]

How big are those batches ?

I am sure a handyman can find a cheap mounting method for your setup.

However, I suspect that you simply don't have enough power. Why are you running on batteries ? Don't you have an electrical outlet / extension chord ?

4 hours isn't right, there must be ways to accelerate trace.

You say you use a paint mixer - that one probably doesn't even have enough speed ... Mixers trace much, much slower than blenders.

The first was a VERY small test batch, about 1.5 cups, the 2nd was over 1 kg.

I could build a stand for my drill myself, but I'd still have the problem of batteries running down, and it's a very high end $500 DeWalt drill and the batteries are $150 each, I don't want to be constantly stressing such expensive batteries. A cordless drill doesn't have the option of running from an outlet.

I also read of others using the same drill paint mixing attachment and also got very slow tracing so I need to abandon that mixer. And I need to limit the speed of the drill to 30-50% otherwise it splashes all other the place.

So what "hands free" soap mixing method would be best? Would a stand mixer not work well? I noticed most use a stick blender, I always hated those for kitchen use (I only see major disadvantages to them compared to a "real" blender), but for soap making they make more sense but will I still have to mix for 1 hour or more with a stick blender? And they still aren't hands free even if they would be faster.

Is there a hands free device that works well to mix soap? I already run several other businesses and it would help tremendously if I can work on something else while the soap mixes.

Thanks

 

[judymoody]

With a stick blender, you can bring a properly formulated batch of soap to trace in 5-10 minutes. And that's stirring in bursts, not continuously.

I'm curious why your batches are taking so long? Is your lye good? What about your scale? Could there be a problem with your recipe?

You can get a perfectly good stick blender at Walmart or K Mart for $20. The best investment you will ever make.

 

[krissy]

i agree about getting a stick blender. Also because you are new and have said that you dont have many batches of soap that you have made over the past year that you have been soaping, i am going to post what someone here inevitable posts when a newbie decides they want to start a business selling their soaps. It is not meant to discourage, or put down any soaper, it is meant to make you think and see what you need to be able to do.

Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 12:23 pm Post subject: Are you ready to sell your soap?
Below is a post I have copied and pasted here and marked as a sticky. This comes up so often and Mandolyn was so point on when she wrote this a few months back. I am sure we will refer to this info often. All mods & admin support this well fomulated and insigntful post. Thanks Mandolyn!



"This is a generic thing I've been posting when people are considering selling soap. There's a lot to consider. I suggest soapmakers wait a year at least before selling. It's not meant to be discouraging or anything, but will hopefully give you an idea of all that selling entails.

What are your state & local regs on selling? You'll need a tax ID. Do city zoning laws forbid you from manufacturing in your home? Do you have liability insurance? Some venues require vendors to carry their own liability insurance. You should have it anyway to cover your own assets. Do you need to register as a business with your city, county and or state? Even if you're not required to, you should, in order to protect your personal assets in case of a law suit. Will manufacturing in your home make your homeowner's insurance null & void?

How long have you been making soap & B&B products, & how long have you been testing them? Do you know what your products are like a year down the road? Do you know what the shelf-life is of each of your products? Are you well-educated on INCI labelling & cosmetic regs? If someone's child has an allergic reaction to one of your products & the parents decide to file suit what will you do? Do you have insurance to cover that?

Do you have bookkeeping skills, & can you use accounting software? Will you do your own business taxes or can you afford to have someone else do your business taxes for you?

Consider your responsibility for your products. Consider how many people can come in contact with your products. Your responisibility grows exponentially. It's not just the person who purchased your, say soap. It's everyone who comes in contact with it - the person who purchased, their immediate family, friends of each family member, the extended family members who come to visit. Are you ready for that level of responsibility for what you create?

Many times I have had people buy soap & say it's too pretty to use. People will use your soap in their drawers as sachets, or leave them on the bathroom counter for month & months just to enjoy the scent. Sometimes they stash them away for months to give as gifts. The question then is, "What will your soap be like in 6 months or 8 months or a year? If you haven't waited it out, you don't know.

I purchased a competitor's soap at our local coop. In less than 6 months it smelled rancid, & I tossed it. That angered me:
1. I wasted my money
2. That handcrafted soap was a reflection on the entire handcrafted soapmaking community. Are her customers going to assume that all handcrafted soaps smell funky after a few months?!!

You need to know all the regs. What pushes your soap from soap into the "cosmetic" class & what does that mean as far as cosmetic regs? What pushes your lotion or cream into the drug arena, & what are the regs regarding that?

After you've gotten all that under your belt, what are your state & local regs on selling? You'll need a tax ID. Do city zoning laws forbid you from manufacturing in your home? You'll need liability insurance & that's NOT cheap! Will manufacturing in your make your homeowner's insurance null & void?

These are only a handfull of things to consider. You have a long learning curve ahead of you. You need to learn to formulate & test your formulas. That means researching each ingredient you plan to use - oils, butters, scenting materials (FO's, EO's), & research any additives you plan to use to avoid those that are known sensitisors, or outright harmful to use. While researching, you'll need to figure out which info is reliable & which isn't.

You'll need to learn when to use preservatives & which one you need for each type of product you make. Your lotions & creams should be tested to make sure the preservative you chose is really working.

Then, there's packaging & labelling. You'll need to learn the proper way to label your products using INCI nomenclature.

So, I don't mean to sound discouraging, & as you already know, there's a lot to consider before selling. I just like to put that out there for other new people to see & consider.

Lots of people rush into selling without having all their ducks in a row, or even caring to try to. I'm just passing along what I've learned & what other soapmakers shared with me in the beginning when I wanted to sell right away.

The added benefit of waiting a year is that when you sell, you'll feel confident talking to your customers about your products, & you'll have good sound info to give them based on all the research & testing you did through that year."
_________________

i know that since you have several other businesses that you run, some of that may be redundant for you. but it is never a good idea to start selling something that you have only done occasionaly over a year.

 

[fiddletree]

Stick blender! They really are the best thing, ever. My usual recipe traces in about a minute (when making small amounts) with my stick blender.

A stand mixer will beat too much air into your soap, and you'll end up with a lot of air pockets.

 

[aab1]

Thanks for the info. I'll try a stick blender then.

About selling, firstly I was mistaken when I said I started 1 year ago, I think I started almost 2.5 years ago, so I have made many batches and different recipes and do know what they are like over a year later. And indeed since I already sell many products I have that part covered.

 

[Fragola]

I noticed most use a stick blender

They do that for a reason. Many of my small batches take under 2 minutes to trace.

I always hated those for kitchen use (I only see major disadvantages to them compared to a "real" blender)

I use it for mayo, cream soup, ice cream, almond milk, various sauces, dressings or bread spreads - most tasks take under 30 seconds, and cleaning it takes even less.

For me it's the most versatile kitchen aid, and I keep discovering new uses for it (for example, today I'm working on sourdough).

It gives me speed and actually - I started to change my cooking style to fit the tool: if there's something that doesn't go well with the stick blender, I often scratch it off the menu

 

[xyxoxy]

I have to agree that no recipe should take 4 hours. Most of my batches trace by hand in a few minutes without a stick blender. I think that's because I use a high percentage of hard oils. I would experiment with your recipes and also with different temperatures.

But I agree... when trace isn't happening within a few minutes, nothing beats a stick blender.

Re: your cordless drill... I've never soaped in big enough batches to need to use one of those attachments. But if you can't get your trace times down enough then I would certainly invest in a cheap corded drill. You can probably find them at yard sales and thrift stores and Craigslist for a few bucks. That way if you burn one up you won't be too hurt by the loss. And you won't have to fuss with batteries.

 

[carebear]

you've confused me. you are a relatively new soaper, asking relatively beginner questions (which we welcome and encourage), yet when challenged (gently and rightly) about selling you now have several years and many batches under your belt?

it's much easier to give appropriate advice if we understand where you are really coming from and what you are really trying to accomplish.

 

[aab1]

you've confused me. you are a relatively new soaper, asking relatively beginner questions (which we welcome and encourage), yet when challenged (gently and rightly) about selling you now have several years and many batches under your belt?

it's much easier to give appropriate advice if we understand where you are really coming from and what you are really trying to accomplish.

I'm sorry for the confusion, the issue is that I was in a house that was in renovations from top to bottom for 12 months up to a few months ago, it was the hardest year of my life and is essentially like a black hole in my memory, it was such a painful year that in my mind it almost doesn't exist and ever since I always think that everything happened a year earlier than it actually did because I don't want to remember anything about that year. That's why I thought I had been making soap for about a year, when in fact it's close to 2.5 years.

By the way I'm back from the grocery store with a fairly good quality $35 stick blender that came with a few other attachments. It's very heavy and made of stainless steel so it seems like a very high quality product. The motor is "only" 250 watts, but being my first stick mixer I have no idea if that's above or below average, as I said I much prefer a regular blender in the kitchen and my blender is 1500 watts.

I'll make my first batch with the stick blender tonight and report back.

Edit: Wow, I got trace in 2-5 minutes with the same recipe that took 4 hours yesterday. This is definitely better than a stand mixer even though I need to hold it.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[krissy]

i am so glad the stick blender worked out and helped.
i hope that the bad year you have had is over and that you are onto more happy times.
soap making can be very relaxing if you enjoy it, so have fun and enjoy.

 

[aab1]

i am so glad the stick blender worked out and helped.
i hope that the bad year you have had is over and that you are onto more happy times.
soap making can be very relaxing if you enjoy it, so have fun and enjoy.

Yes that bad year ended nearly 6 months ago and things are going much much better now.

I do enjoy making soap, even when I had to mix for 8 hours for 2 batches! With this new stick blender it was a breeze so it's even more enjoyable.

Thanks for the comment on my first salt soaps in the other thread

 

[Dragonkaz]

That's great news.

Today I made five soaps, each is made with a mix of 2 kg of oils and butter. It took about five hours from getting organising to cleaning up.

I use a cheap stick blender and my current one has been mixing soap most weekends for the past couple of years. I always keep a spare, and a spare digital scale ... just in case there's a break down.

Here's to this year being a fun one!