online soapmaking classes

[SweetBubbleTreat]

Are they worth the money?? Or would researching the internet be better??

I have researched the internet and read books over the past several years and just started making CP Soaps. I have made several batches of CP Soap but want to branch out into other ways of making soaps. I also would like to learn about selling (not anytime soon) and learn all the legalities of it.

I know I have alot to learn and Im learning more every day.

I guess what I'm getting at is I have seen these two classes online and am wondering if they are any good or if I should just stay on course with learning here and what I learn from books and researching the internet.

My problem is that it isn't all true what you read on internet and books can have outdated information in them. I go online and try to read the goverment websites on selling soaps, and lotions, and lip balm and really make no sense of what they are saying on there because I get overwhelmed and inindated with information. Don't get me wrong I want to learn all I can and don't want to sound lazy and have someone spoon feed me information....I want to learn the right way on how to do all the delicious soaps, lotions, lipbalms, sugar scrubs, etc., etc.

here are the two websites i have found......
http://www.bathalchemylab.com/products.php?category=Online+Classes
http://www.soapmakingschool.com/



Thank you for reading this enormously long post and helping me out with this stuff. im kind of in information overload right now.:crazy:

 

[not_ally]

I am just going to just take a swipe at this, so take it for what it is worth.

I think it is really great that you have been researching for so long about soap making before starting, and especially before selling. IMO, you might already know enough based on that that the basic on-line classes will not help. Really, the essentials of CP are oils in a certain mix (depending on what you want to do), lye, a digital scale, a soap calculator to let you know what lye amounts are safe with your oil mix, and a whisk and stick blender (the last is sort of optional, though not for a wimpy wrist type with a slow tracing mix like me.)

When you have gotten to the point that selling is an option, on-line classes might be a better option, just because they will help you figure out marketing options more quickly. I do not sell, so have not used any of them, but I have heard good things about lovinsoap.com. Check the boards. I think there are lots of bull&(*^& on-line options, only a few good ones, probably, look for the ones that people have actually used and recommend.

Don't let yourself get confused by the stuff that seems confusing regarding labeling/regulations, etc. If you post here, many of us will be willing to help you with that.

I think you are way ahead of the game, just by working so hard, and looking for resources right now. Good for you!

 

[HappyHomeSoapCo]

Once I had already made several batches I considered some classes. There is a local workshop available to me but it was several several hundred dollars. I was really considering it though because I was getting frustrated with my soap batches. I would watch a ton of really good YouTube videos and research a lot on techniques and then go to try it and it would just go wrong. I was getting frustrated with not being able to produce the design I sought after.

But I wasn't able to pay for that work shop as most of my extra money was going towards soap already. So I just kept at it. Batch after batch after batch, and I started to see patterns in what I was doing and how to get the look I wanted.

So, I wrote that all to say, keep making soap! A class on marketing and business might be helpful, but as far as soap goes you just have to keep at it.

Also, check your local Better Business Bureau. I've been told they are helpful to small business owners getting started.

 

[IrishLass]

Are they worth the money?? Or would researching the internet be better??

If you ask me, researching on the internet is better (and it's free!), but an even better plan is to narrow your focus down to the soap-making forums and read/soak-in everything your eyes can possibly take in.

Forums are so awesome because the info is 'live' and 'fluid' with lots of experimentation going on that test the boundaries, and lots of give-and-take conversations and pro/con debates, while in books or in a class, everything that you read and/or learn is like looking at a single photo frozen in time. All you can ever hope to know is based on that one snapshot taken from a single photographer's perspective.

I vote for saving your money and reading the forums.


IrishLass

 

[Seawolfe]

I don't think there's any better way to learn than to do a bit of research on your own, and then actually try it yourself.

The problem I see with classes or instruction from "experts" online is that some teach some things that are flat out wrong (ie: put vinegar on a lye splash on your skin, HP soap is perfectly good to use and sell as soon as you unmold it, if you add oils at trace they become the superfat, its OK to say that your soap cures eczema etc....), or preach as gospel some things that I have found to be not true (ie recipes with over 35% coconut and 5% SF as gentle that I personally find drying, that you HAVE to have a 5% superfat or your soap is not safe, you have to make liquid soap lye heavy and then neutralize etc...). I guess the point is that so far every self-proclaimed expert I have seen online or in soap books has printed something that, after a bit of research, I find quite a bit of disagreement about. Except for Dr Dunn of course

Home soap making is such a rapidly evolving thing that all the books I have read so far have at least some out dated information, which is why I actually prefer to do my own research when I want to try something new. The issue I see with taking classes is that the students might make assumptions that they have been taught "the one true way", and there really isn't one.

Now classes about business - sure check with the city or local colleges. But beware of flashy and expensive get rich quick schemes that seem to frequent the internet.

 

[soapswirl]

I have to agree with everyone here - there is so much great info out there for free that I don't think you need to pay for an online class! Read around as much as you can and don't commit to believing everything from a single source - check for other opinions as you go. There's really no substitute for trying out recipes and seeing how it goes and what results you get from different ingredients and techniques. And of course come on here and tell us about what you're doing and ask for help as you need it

 

[not_ally]

IL is right, this forum is much better in terms of learning than a "x" hour class. The basics are the basics, oil, lye, calculator, tools, recipe - ask here what kind you want, and you will find it. A class will not help w/refinements, that is the hard and fun part, and the reason that you will come back to ask questions, become part of the community, and help others who are learning.

Selling, that is hard. You have to invest a lot of time knowing about what your are selling (tip to toe), are confident that it is good, and then have to figure out the best way to friggin' way to do it. I am going through that now (not with soap), it is not fun and an enormous amount of butt-in-seat work . I think that might be a good point at which to spend money on advice, although I would check here before you do it.

 

[lsg]

If you are a new soap maker, then the soap making school might be well worth the money. I learned how to make cream soap using cp soap scraps, stearic acid and liquid soap. She also teaches how to make your own lotion testing kit for both bacteria and mold. When I joined, I paid a one-time fee.

 

[Seawolfe]

See if there are any meet ups in your area of soapers - check http://www.meetup.com/
We have some in my area that are tons of fun and they do beginners classes.

 

[Cactuslily]

FWIW, check out modernsoapmaking.com. Kenna has great info, as well as ebooks and workshops geared towards businesses as well as soaping tutorials etc... Just a thought.

 

[SweetBubbleTreat]

Thank you for all the advice. I will continue as I am for now. I plan on taking a class for business and marketing at a later date.