Online certified soap making cources

[Shereen]

I am new to soap making and I would like to ask about certified online soap making courses. If you know about one I appreciate it if you can send me the site. Thanks for help in advance

 

[Hawksquill]

I haven't heard of any, but I'm not sure how useful they'd be, especially if you had to pay. If you want to learn online, there are tons of free resources and Youtube videos. Soapqueen and Soaping101 are usually pretty good. If you're not sure whether to believe any info you've found online, you can ask here and lots of experienced people will be happy to advise or point you in the right direction.

My first introduction to soaping was with an in-person class, which was helpful for me because it was in a controlled environment with an experienced soaper, and the fee for the class covered basic materials so I didn't have to buy anything/commit before I knew I enjoyed soaping.

 

[Shereen]

Thanks for your reply. From my small experience I learned that each Batch is different and from each batch you learn something new. But I thought that I might have more solid understanding form the courses. you are totally right the in person courses is much better. But Unfortunately it's not available in my area. The information here is very useful and very important too.I will keep reading and keep soaping
Thanks a gain and have a nice day

 

[New to Soap Making]

There’s a soap making course available on several of the “online training websites” you can PM me and I can tell you what site as I’m unsure if I can post it here,
I wouldn’t recommend spending too much though as you will find the videos on YouTube and the experience of the forum members here to be far more useful

 

[The Cat Lady]

Hi there
I did a few courses with Udemy and found them really useful. They weren't expensive - I think £10-£25 maybe? They're not certified courses. But I found the instructor really good with her online videos.

 

[BattleGnome]

Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetics Guild is the only place I know you’ll find “certified people.” I doubt they have actual classes but it’s somewhere to start.

To continue promoting the free options, I think Anne Marie from SoapQueen reacher the master level a few years ago and her videos have been a ton of help to beginners (just don’t use glass for lye like she does, only a specific type of glass is lye acceptable and it’s expensive). She sells kits and supplies that tie into her videos/blog posts but many of them are geared towards getting you to buy that expensive ingredient she just added to the store.

Soapmaking 101 is another great YouTube channel. She also has a kit somewhere with a video to go along. Katie from Royaly Soaps might also have a kit somewhere but it’s been a while since I’ve seen her videos (her videos are more marketing than helping but they’re still great to watch).

 

[Shereen]

Thank you for all of your replies

 

[TheGecko]

I am new to soap making and I would like to ask about certified online soap making courses. If you know about one I appreciate it if you can send me the site.

From my small experience I learned that each Batch is different and from each batch you learn something new.

Yes, every batch is just a little bit different...unless you're using a fully automated system in a climate controlled environment and even then, you still have your ingredients which might have differences from harvest to harvest.

As for classes...I took one quite a few years ago and looking back, it really wasn't so much a 'class' as it was a get-together of strangers to make soap. I learned a LOT more from just watching videos and taking notes and doing additional research. I figured I was ready to make my first batch of soap when I could follow a Taiwanese soap maker perfectly without her speaking any English.

The best teacher is experience which is why I recommend purchasing the Brambleberry 'Beginner's Cold Process Soap Kit'. It's $59.99 with free shipping and you get enough ingredients to make two batches of soap (one unscented), a tried and true recipe, excellent instructions and a 10" Silicone Mold. My only complaint was that the Apple-Sage FO was really strong out of the bottle, but my garage smelled great! It allows you to try out soap making to see if it is something you will enjoy without incurring a lot of expense.

Some things you will need:

- A digital scale as ingredients are measured by weight, not volume like in cooking. You can get a fairly decent one for about $15.00 on Amazon.

- A dedicated mixing bowl, lye solution container and spatula. You can get these from your local 'dollar' store.

- Safety glasses. $3.00 at Home Depot; I got the large ones with side shields because I wear glasses.

- Gloves. The kit comes with a pair, but you'll need more than one to make a second batch. I paid $4.99 for a box of 50 at Target.

Lye safety is VERY important with is why I put Safety Glasses and Gloves in bold. Sodium Hydroxide is a caustic substance and it WILL burn you...I almost had to have my wedding rings cut off when I got some raw soap batter under them while I was cleaning up. I was lucky to get them off when I did and it took several days for the swelling to go down and a week for the burn to heel.

And if soaping is something that you find that you want to do, I recommend setting up a dedicated soaping area. I started out just using my kitchen counter and it would take me a good hour just to get set up, grab my tubs of supplies and then no one could use the kitchen. I then bought a rolling kitchen island (https://www.walmart.com/ip/Glitzhom...hen-Island-Storage-Table-Cart-white/179691793) and I LOVE it! It sits against the wall next to an outlet and everything I need is right there. Husband bought me a large cutting board with some non-slip stuff to put under it so clean up is a breeze.

 

[Shereen]

Thank you so much. That is really helpful. I thought courses would make a solid understanding of soaping . As you said Ilearn from reading and watching u tube videos. I made some nice batches . Here are some pictures I would like to share with all of you.the first one is oat and honey soap. From this batch I learned about partial gel phase. The second one is the rose soap which I learned about glycerin rivers from. I will continue learning . Thanks alot

 

[TheGecko]

Thank you so much. That is really helpful. I thought courses would make a solid understanding of soaping . As you said Ilearn from reading and watching u tube videos. I made some nice batches . Here are some pictures I would like to share with all of you.the first one is oat and honey soap. From this batch I learned about partial gel phase. The second one is the rose soap which I learned about glycerin rivers from. I will continue learning . Thanks alot

Those are very nice.

I haven’t been soap long myself....getting to be a year since I started watching videos, but I keep a journal next to me in the evenings to make notes while I watch videos, read here or other articles. I makes notes on oils/butters, EOs and FOs, different colors, a new gizmo, a new technique, a new mold, some tidbit or morsel that strikes me. I’ve been searching for a silver mica...found a UK soaper that was using one that I liked and wrote it down to check it out.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetics Guild is the best!
https://www.soapguild.org/

They have a comprehensive certification process that covers 4 levels from Novice to Master Soapmaker. But it is time consuming and expensive. Membership for a Novice is $100 but it comes with lots of benefits.

 

[earlene]

I have taken classes from certified instructors and am considering becoming one myself sometime in the future (maybe). But of course that is in the US, and I have no idea what kinds of Soapmaking Organization or Instructors or Certification courses might be available to you that are Saudi Arabia-specific. Some HSCGuild certified Instructors do offer online courses (see this link: https://www.soapguild.org/handcrafters/find-teacher.php). Bath Alchemy is the first one on that list that provides online classes by a Guild-certified instructors. Here is a link to their website: http://www.bathalchemylab.com/

But there are others as well on that list, so check out the first link I gave you and go through them all to see if any seem better for your circumstances.

The other options of simply checking out instructional videos on Soaping 101's channel and start from the beginner videos. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6NFc1XyVdzuyQw-f9HG42g

Another thing you can do is to use the 'contact us' link on any given online soapmaking course site to ask them if they are certified and to provide a link to who certifies them and then check them out to see what criteria is used for certification. I would be wary if they aren't willing to provide information about certification. Anyone can start up a website and claim to be anything; it doesn't have to be true.