question about selling melt and pour

[katherine72]

I used to do melt and pour for myself all the time and would like to sell it but I can't help but feel like it's somehow "cheating". I go to the local craft fairs and farmers markets and there are so many talented people making soap entirely from scratch. When customers ask if you make your melt and pour from scratch what would one say? "uh, sort of?"
Any opinions would be appreciated.

 

[Relle]

When customers ask if you make your melt and pour from scratch what would one say? "uh, sort of?"
Any opinions would be appreciated.

You would have to say no to that question and add that you put in the scent and colour to the soap base.

 

[Jamison]

Isn't the reason for MP so you don't make it from scratch? If you wanted soap from scratch, you'd use CP, right?

Speaking of... How is MP soap even made? The ingredients are not that far different from CP.

 

[katherine72]

I guess the real question is if you are attending and event, such as the farmers market, where things that are sold there are handmade/homemade...would melt and pour really qualify?

 

[katherine72]

as far as I know melt and pour is the same as if you made it yourself. You just have to remelt it.

 

[supersoaper3000]

I always describe my M&P products as being hand crafted, but display information about my bases and what is in them and how they are made. The term Melt and Pour has a very broad application, it is used to describe anything from synthetic detergent based bars to all natural soap bases, and everyone seems to have their own expectation.

Anyways, so long as you are adding anything to your Melt and Pour base (color, scent) then you are in fact crafting...with your hands! Any show or craft fair I have ever attended considers Melt and Pour a craft, not a resale.

 

[Genny]

When customers ask if you make your melt and pour from scratch what would one say? "uh, sort of?"
Any opinions would be appreciated.

You would have to say no to that question and add that you put in the scent and colour to the soap base.

I agree with this. You don't make it from scratch.
When you bake a cake using a mix, you wouldn't say you made it from scratch. It's basically the same thing.

 

[carebear]

as far as I know melt and pour is the same as if you made it yourself. You just have to remelt it.

Not so.

While it's correct that you remelt the melt and pour, it is absolutely incorrect as if you made it yourself.

soap we make ourselves is NOT melt and pour.

When asked about MP soap, I state proudly that I started with a "base" and that I customized it for skin, appearance, scent, and texture. It is very much hand crafted.

 

[katherine72]

The cake analogy is exactly how I feel about it. Like entering a bake off with a cake mix.

 

[rileylite]

Both with soap and with the cake analogy, the final product is essentially the same. I just see it as skipping a step. I think it's reasonable for someone to prefer not to be using a harmful chemical like lye in their home. While MP and CP can be very different, you can be successful with both, and both require hard work. If you don't feel okay making MP, leave it at that. Trust me, this subject can really get people worked up.

 

[supersoaper3000]

This really is an issue of semantics in my mind. Hand made vs. Hand crafted. Melt and Pour is a craft, Cold and hot process are hand made. You can tout the benefits of either until the cows come home. Anyone who says there is only one true soap is just stating their preference...not that there is anything wrong with that, just saying there is a wide variety of preferences and expectations which would indicate that it is more complicated than just one right answer here. To each their own

 

[katherine72]

"Hand made vs. Hand crafted. Melt and Pour is a craft, Cold and hot process are hand made."

Good point. I can accept that thought process.

 

[Rebelshope]

I have made soap, but what I do with mp is craft it.

I don't really like a the cake analogy because a cake mix does do most of the work for you. It is not like most people take a cake mix and change it some how. If you buy a chocolate cake mix, you make chocolate cake.

I think of it more like sewing your own dress. It takes skill to make the dress even though you bought the material and the pattern. In mp you buy the base (material) and molds (pattern) but what you do with them is up to you. There is a lot of room for creativity.

 

[Dremma]

I don think it's 'cheating.' there are many types of soaps and methods of soap making.

I don't do craft fairs or farmers markets much but have sold HP, CP and MP.

Basically, in my opinion, you just need to answer any question that anyone has about your soaps honestly. If you do not make soap from scratch but do create new soaps from MP bases then personally I would consider you in the realm of a soap artisan rather than a soap maker...and there is nothing wrong with either.

 

[debra102011]

I am a true beginner with MP and I feel it is selling a better product using vegetable glycerin VS the Tallow that "store bought" soap has.

Also the great molds I bought to attract the "horse folks" are not found in your big box store so in that way I am making it "home made".

Tomato Tomatoe

 

[Genny]

A lot of cp & hp soap makers also use tallow in their recipes. I happen to use vegetable oils, only because I'm squeamish when it comes to animal fats.

 

[Kleine Teufel]

It's entirely up to you, however, be honest with it. I only do CP soap, but I have started to become a little envious of some of the things people do with M&P, lol. The only turn-off with M&P is when people try to be shady about it. If you use M&P, don't deny it or try to weasel around it, just say that you started with a base soap. Don't say "yes, it's handmade", because that can mean anything to anyone. Some people consider M&P handmade, some people don't, so that doesn't answer the question. If people ask me if my stuff is "handmade" I say, "yes, I start out with oils and lye". If I started doing M&P, I'd just say, "well, I start out with a base and add my own creativity to it".

 

[debra102011]

Thanks for the heads up I am about to place an order so I will make sure my base does not contain tallow.

A lot of cp & hp soap makers also use tallow in their recipes. I happen to use vegetable oils, only because I'm squeamish when it comes to animal fats.

 

[MyHappyHour]

I do see a lot of questions on this when reading soap making forums and what not. People say that melt and pour isn't really doing anything, and a lot of people say it's cheating. Melt and pour though allows you to do a lot of things that cp and hp can't do. I love making HP soap but they will never look as adorable as my melt and pour pieces. I do like the idea of hand crafted vs hand made. When my parents see my melt and pour soaps they tell people it's from scratch though lol, they have seen me make it and they consider that from scratch

 

[chokureiseiheki]

The reason I prefer M&P is because it allows me to get to what I really enjoy doing most, and that is decorating, decorating, decorating! I enjoy making pretty soaps. I personally wouldn't enjoy making the base myself. (I'm sure others do enoy the process). I want quick results to get to my main objective, which is to decorate.
How would I answer the question "Are my soaps home made"? I would say, "I feel like they are, but I M&P". Which means I buy a soap base that is prepared, but I do have to melt it, add color, oils and fragrance to get the desired texture and color and shape. And I do ALL the decorating myself! :wink: I don't think most buyers really care one way or another. And if they do, they can choose my friendly neighbors who do make homemade soap! My buyers would probably be more girly girls who enjoy pretty soaps.

Just keeping it sudsy and clean,

Rose