^This. These are super cheap, don't weigh much, and will be a "lawsuit deterrent" for those potentially litigious people out there.
Selling Soap Making Supplies
- Thread starter Alan M.
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^This. These are super cheap, don't weigh much, and will be a "lawsuit deterrent" for those potentially litigious people out there.
Crombie
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First of all, I am excited about being able to buy cheese making kits - something I have always wnated to do.
<< "Who do you all order from now? What products do you tend to buy the most often." >>
I buy from Columbus Oils/Soaper's Choice, Rustic Escentuals, Brambleberry, Wholesale Supplies Plus, and SKS Containers. I have not been able to find oils (even with shipping) better priced for the quality than what I get from Soaper's Choice. For many products, shipping is often a deal breaker for me. I do prefer to pay actual shipping vs free shipping where the price is tacked on the products, but I want more shipping options. Many places only offer UPS shipping - charging me $10 - $20 and up for something that would fit in a USPS priority box but they don't ship USPS. I purchase more oils and butters than anything (Soaper's Choice) followed by containers (SKS and WSP). I purchase extracts from Brambleberry because they are the only place I can find oil-based extacts.
You may very well sell something in your brewing business that I use in my store - light Dry Malt Extract (DME) in powder form. It gives lots of bubbles to soap and makes soap batter very fluid and no soap supply business that I know of sells it.
<< "Who do you all order from now? What products do you tend to buy the most often." >>
I buy from Columbus Oils/Soaper's Choice, Rustic Escentuals, Brambleberry, Wholesale Supplies Plus, and SKS Containers. I have not been able to find oils (even with shipping) better priced for the quality than what I get from Soaper's Choice. For many products, shipping is often a deal breaker for me. I do prefer to pay actual shipping vs free shipping where the price is tacked on the products, but I want more shipping options. Many places only offer UPS shipping - charging me $10 - $20 and up for something that would fit in a USPS priority box but they don't ship USPS. I purchase more oils and butters than anything (Soaper's Choice) followed by containers (SKS and WSP). I purchase extracts from Brambleberry because they are the only place I can find oil-based extacts.
You may very well sell something in your brewing business that I use in my store - light Dry Malt Extract (DME) in powder form. It gives lots of bubbles to soap and makes soap batter very fluid and no soap supply business that I know of sells it.
bifrostfarms
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I would like to second the comment on shipping. When I first started making soap, I was appalled at the cost of shipping. Especially if you just wanted one or two things. So, a reasonable shipping charge would go a long way in getting my business. Thanks.
Meg
Meg
soapswirl
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I got started with a beginners soap making kit, it contained: olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, lye, a wooden mould, freezer paper, 3 colours and 3 essential oils. This was enough for me to make 3 loaves of soap (about 1.5kg each), all i had to buy additionally was a stainless steel pan (already had goggles and the most important item: a stick blender!)
TwystedPryncess
Well-Known Member
I purchase from all over the place, and I try to wait until I have as big of an order as I can make until I buy from one place, because of- you guessed it- shipping. My main bulk oils are coconut and olive that I order online. Seems like buying those at the grocery store would be much more expensive, and wasn't there something some time back about some companies fibbing and mixing something with their olive oils and fobbing it off as pure olive oil when it wasn't? And I think they got caught by soapers, because it was messing soap up. Can't trick a soaper! Anyway, I like molds, too, if that's feasible, Amazon carries the embeds at a really good price so I treat myself to one of those every now and again.
And making cheese? Gimme! That would be such a treat for my fella. Date night with cheese! Yay!!!
And making cheese? Gimme! That would be such a treat for my fella. Date night with cheese! Yay!!!
how do you keep the coconut oil from becoming solid in the premix?
kchaystack
Supporting Member
For the most part - the liquid oils in the mix help keep it liquid. But if it gets really cold it might separate. You just warm it gently and stir it all up again
dixiedragon
Well-Known Member
I have seen pics where people have converted a hand-operated bottler into a bath bomb press. I would be very interested in one of those!
Small slab molds with silicone liners. By small I mean 9 bars, maybe even a 4 bar.
ETA:
I would be willing to pay pretty good money for a seller that sold slab molds in a variety of sizes - 4 bar, 9 bar, 12 bar, etc, and a cutter like this:
http://www.milkywaymolds.com/building-a-soap-cutter/
that worked with these. One cutter that cut same-sized bars from each of these molds so you could make a variety of batch sizes. It would be a whole system.
Small slab molds with silicone liners. By small I mean 9 bars, maybe even a 4 bar.
ETA:
I would be willing to pay pretty good money for a seller that sold slab molds in a variety of sizes - 4 bar, 9 bar, 12 bar, etc, and a cutter like this:
http://www.milkywaymolds.com/building-a-soap-cutter/
that worked with these. One cutter that cut same-sized bars from each of these molds so you could make a variety of batch sizes. It would be a whole system.
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dixiedragon
Well-Known Member
I also really want a silicone log mold (or a wooden mold with a silicone liner) that makes square bars. I can (and do!) use my TS mold to make guest-sized squares, so I want that makes regular sized (around 4 ounces) squares.
I think one thing that might be a big advantage with kits to give people the option of choosing their fragrance and/or color. That would probably be a hassle, website wise, but there seem to be a fair number of folks who are not interested in the weighing and measuring part of soaping (or lotion making, etc) and just like the making and pouring and cutting part. So if you could pick the, say, 2 lb soap kit and could choose one of 20 fragrances, people might like that.
I think one thing that might be a big advantage with kits to give people the option of choosing their fragrance and/or color. That would probably be a hassle, website wise, but there seem to be a fair number of folks who are not interested in the weighing and measuring part of soaping (or lotion making, etc) and just like the making and pouring and cutting part. So if you could pick the, say, 2 lb soap kit and could choose one of 20 fragrances, people might like that.
I had never thought about doing a premix of oils, this would save a ton of time.I havent been on the forum for a couple of weeks because I have been making soap for a street fair. Had I thought about this method, I would have been done weeks ago. This helps too, in running short in oil supplies, I can see what I need and order ahead of time.:razz:
kchaystack
Supporting Member
It is called masterbatching. And you. An do it with lye as well. If you search the forum you will find plenty of references how to do it
gigisiguenza
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I haven't been following this thread really, but I just saw the words "cheese making kit" and my heart fluttered.... there is a cheese making kit??? I wanna learn to make cheese (said in a dreamy sigh)... I love cheese.... and we all know I need another hobby hehehehehe
I know how to make only 1 kind of cheese so far, but cheese-making is fun.
The cheese I learned how to make (from a kit) is mascarpone cheese, which is really easy to make compared to aged cheeses (which I haven't done because they look too complicated for the likes of me). I learned how to make it so I could make tiramisu from scratch, which I did, btw, and it came out awesome. I need to look and see what kind of kits are being offered on the homebrew site.IrishLass
Chandler Soap
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Spice--Sorry about the delay getting your inquiry answered. Here in AZ the coconut usually stays liquid, the palm settles and solidifies however. Setting the bottle in the sun for a couple hours will get it all liquid, but I also caution students in the instruction booklet to use a microwave for a few seconds if necessary as all oils need to be used. At the request of customers we have also started gearing up to sell 50-50 master batched lye solution. Great for those who prefer to soap at lower temps and a real convenience factor for everyone.
Norman
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New site coming in a month
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BrewerGeorge
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I know this thread is a bit old, but since it's come back up I'll put in my two cents. Just like I started brewing with an extract kit, I would almost certainly have started soaping with a prepared kit if I'd known such were available.
I see from your HB site that your beer kits allow choice of yeast - dry or liquid - and I think a similar setup with 2 or 3 choices each of typical, lower-priced FO's and EO's that you know play nice would be a great option. (Along with an option to chose no fragrance) Obviously a kit with an EO would be more expensive, much in the way a brewing kit with liquid yeast would be more expensive. Also, a nice optional addition (the same way you handle clarifiers on the site) would be a packet of a single color that complimented your fragrance choices.
I love the idea of the pre-measured and -mixed oils. It solves all the problems of sourcing unusual oils, having left over amounts, etc. I would offer a tallow/lard version and an alternative Vegan version as well.
The best thing, though, is the pre-measured lye. Many people just starting out are a bit fearful of the lye, and it can be hard to find. Then, if you can find it at a hardware store or similar you'll likely have 2/3 of the container left after making soap. Not to mention that a lot of people don't have decent scales if they're not already into a hobby that requires them. One thing to consider, though, is that having the lye pre-measured has the potential to encourage new soapers to add water to lye instead of the other way around - which obviously should be avoided. Being new and not knowing any better, it can be a natural thing to do. I would do everything in my power to combat this possibility. If it were me, I'd ship the lye in a zip top bag with a big warning sticker. It may feel like a less secure method of shipping the lye, but nobody is going to be inclined to pour water into a bag.
I would also consider including a small bag of sodium citrate, sugar and salt to be added to the lye water. The majority of people are going to have at least somewhat hard water, and the chelator will improve their final product. And the salt and sugar are all-but free, so why not include them as well. I know that some would consider this an unnecessary complication and expense, but we're only talking about maybe 3/4 oz of stuff here, and most of that is sugar and salt. I think you're pursuing two customers a kit: 1) brand-new people who want to try a new hobby and will relatively quickly move into putting together their own recipes (like the folks who quickly move to AG brewing), and 2) people who want to soap just a few times a year and will continue buying kits to avoid having to accumulate the equipment and knowledge to do it "the hard way." Both of these customers are served and kept coming back by your kit making the best soap that's realistically possible. (By this same logic, I'd make sure my oil mix included a bit of castor, too.)
The mold is harder. I love the idea of including a cardboard mold, but I work with corrugated suppliers as part of my day job, and I think you'll find that adding a die-cut, plastic-lined mold will be a not-insignificant cost add. Off the top of my head, maybe a buck-fifty for a buildable mold in the 2 lb range. It would be a kick-ass option, no doubt, but that's a big extra cost.
I see from your HB site that your beer kits allow choice of yeast - dry or liquid - and I think a similar setup with 2 or 3 choices each of typical, lower-priced FO's and EO's that you know play nice would be a great option. (Along with an option to chose no fragrance) Obviously a kit with an EO would be more expensive, much in the way a brewing kit with liquid yeast would be more expensive. Also, a nice optional addition (the same way you handle clarifiers on the site) would be a packet of a single color that complimented your fragrance choices.
I love the idea of the pre-measured and -mixed oils. It solves all the problems of sourcing unusual oils, having left over amounts, etc. I would offer a tallow/lard version and an alternative Vegan version as well.
The best thing, though, is the pre-measured lye. Many people just starting out are a bit fearful of the lye, and it can be hard to find. Then, if you can find it at a hardware store or similar you'll likely have 2/3 of the container left after making soap. Not to mention that a lot of people don't have decent scales if they're not already into a hobby that requires them. One thing to consider, though, is that having the lye pre-measured has the potential to encourage new soapers to add water to lye instead of the other way around - which obviously should be avoided. Being new and not knowing any better, it can be a natural thing to do. I would do everything in my power to combat this possibility. If it were me, I'd ship the lye in a zip top bag with a big warning sticker. It may feel like a less secure method of shipping the lye, but nobody is going to be inclined to pour water into a bag.
I would also consider including a small bag of sodium citrate, sugar and salt to be added to the lye water. The majority of people are going to have at least somewhat hard water, and the chelator will improve their final product. And the salt and sugar are all-but free, so why not include them as well. I know that some would consider this an unnecessary complication and expense, but we're only talking about maybe 3/4 oz of stuff here, and most of that is sugar and salt. I think you're pursuing two customers a kit: 1) brand-new people who want to try a new hobby and will relatively quickly move into putting together their own recipes (like the folks who quickly move to AG brewing), and 2) people who want to soap just a few times a year and will continue buying kits to avoid having to accumulate the equipment and knowledge to do it "the hard way." Both of these customers are served and kept coming back by your kit making the best soap that's realistically possible. (By this same logic, I'd make sure my oil mix included a bit of castor, too.)
The mold is harder. I love the idea of including a cardboard mold, but I work with corrugated suppliers as part of my day job, and I think you'll find that adding a die-cut, plastic-lined mold will be a not-insignificant cost add. Off the top of my head, maybe a buck-fifty for a buildable mold in the 2 lb range. It would be a kick-ass option, no doubt, but that's a big extra cost.
Regarding the mold, perhaps there's a corrugated box that would be suitable as a mold. Put some or all of the ingredients inside the "mold" and then pack the mold box inside a slightly larger box for shipping. The boxes I'm thinking of for use as molds have a perfectly flat bottom and sides and are very strong. Like these: http://www.uline.com/Grp_435/Indestructo-Mailers
As far as lining the mold, some folks use thin plastic sheeting for liners. The plastic I'm thinking of is like the covers the dry cleaners put on clothes, or like cheap wastebasket bags. Since this is a kit, I don't think the fine wrinkles caused by this film would be terribly objectionable.
Shipping a kit with lye will probably require ORM-D labels and possibly ground shipping. I just got lye from The Lye Guy and it was delivered by FedEx Home Delivery, so it's certainly do-able, just needs the right shipping labels. Also, MSDS (material safety data sheets) should be included for all hazardous materials -- lye, fragrance, etc.
As far as lining the mold, some folks use thin plastic sheeting for liners. The plastic I'm thinking of is like the covers the dry cleaners put on clothes, or like cheap wastebasket bags. Since this is a kit, I don't think the fine wrinkles caused by this film would be terribly objectionable.
Shipping a kit with lye will probably require ORM-D labels and possibly ground shipping. I just got lye from The Lye Guy and it was delivered by FedEx Home Delivery, so it's certainly do-able, just needs the right shipping labels. Also, MSDS (material safety data sheets) should be included for all hazardous materials -- lye, fragrance, etc.
no worries, I havent been able to do much lately either. You also sell 50-50 master batched lye solution?
Chandler Soap
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Shipping a kit with lye will probably require ORM-D labels and possibly ground shipping. I just got lye from The Lye Guy and it was delivered by FedEx Home Delivery, so it's certainly do-able, just needs the right shipping labels. Also, MSDS (material safety data sheets) should be included for all hazardous materials -- lye, fragrance, etc.[/QUOTE]
Yes, shipping lye requires exacting labeling and procedures. Continuous recertification is required, although not all adhere to the rules. I still see companies quoting shipment of lye via USPS which is a $25,000 fine per occurance when they get caught. Of course enforcement is lax. Lye can be shipped via air, but you better be desperate because cost is v-e-r-y expensive. I overnighted a 4# order to Miami for an export container shipment leaving the next afternoon. Cost == $325.
I have some of the best pricing on the net, but unless you live in AZ and can come to the shop shipping is a big factor. We charge our cost plus $1 for the new box (required) and don't charge full retail shipping like many do. BTW anybody needing to restock supplies -- Fed Ex and UPS are both going up 5% on January 1.
Politically correct or not -- MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL
Norman
Yes, shipping lye requires exacting labeling and procedures. Continuous recertification is required, although not all adhere to the rules. I still see companies quoting shipment of lye via USPS which is a $25,000 fine per occurance when they get caught. Of course enforcement is lax. Lye can be shipped via air, but you better be desperate because cost is v-e-r-y expensive. I overnighted a 4# order to Miami for an export container shipment leaving the next afternoon. Cost == $325.
I have some of the best pricing on the net, but unless you live in AZ and can come to the shop shipping is a big factor. We charge our cost plus $1 for the new box (required) and don't charge full retail shipping like many do. BTW anybody needing to restock supplies -- Fed Ex and UPS are both going up 5% on January 1.
Politically correct or not -- MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL
Norman
Chandler Soap
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Yes I do. We have it in 1/2 and 1 gallon HDPE F Style jugs for our local customers. This quantity would require shipping as Haz Mat so I am sourcing a 1 liter carboy to enable shipment as ORM_D saving $28.50 in fees per box.
LunaSkye
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It's been a while since I was here!
I purchase my lyes from essential depot and my materials from amazon, if I can't find it at a discount store. My oils come from bulk apothecary or a local store. I am open to ordering my ingredients online so long as the prices & shipping are fair. Clays and EOs are a plus as I like making other things like deodorants and facial scrubs & masks.
If you were to make a kit, start with a beginner's kit for either NaOH or POH users. I would purchase the later so that I can try my hand at making a liquid soap without worrying about depleting my main inventory if I dislike it. A masterbatched oil mix is good for absolute newbies, but seperate oils can also give new soapers a sense of freedom. Include a mold, goggles, and some instructions along with optional add-ons like scents, coloring, containers, thermometers, gloves, etc.
I purchase my lyes from essential depot and my materials from amazon, if I can't find it at a discount store. My oils come from bulk apothecary or a local store. I am open to ordering my ingredients online so long as the prices & shipping are fair. Clays and EOs are a plus as I like making other things like deodorants and facial scrubs & masks.
If you were to make a kit, start with a beginner's kit for either NaOH or POH users. I would purchase the later so that I can try my hand at making a liquid soap without worrying about depleting my main inventory if I dislike it. A masterbatched oil mix is good for absolute newbies, but seperate oils can also give new soapers a sense of freedom. Include a mold, goggles, and some instructions along with optional add-ons like scents, coloring, containers, thermometers, gloves, etc.
