Soap Designer, Candle, Melts and Bombs Spreadsheet (Free Tool)

[Grantxw8]

Greetings from Australia,

Ages ago I uploaded an early version of a spreadsheet I use for designing and making soaps. I've continued to refine it and have added other features. Specifically, I've integrated other spreadsheets I use for making Candles, Soy Melts, Bath Bombs and Shower Steamers. Essentially, these give feedback on the costs involved in making a batch of Melts/Bombs/Steamers/Candles. The soap element is by far the more sophisticated of these but the others are useful to me.

I made it available free of charge over on the "Soapmaking Spreadsheet Recipe Tool" thread. It will remain free of charge forever and I wanted to offer it again in its new format. I'm also intending to host the file on my iCloud Drive which should make it easier for me to update it without breaking links to the file on this site. Please bear with me as I experiment with this.

A word on Requirements and security. It requires that you have access to Microsoft Excel and that you are comfortable enabling macros. Microsoft, quite rightly, throws up lots of warnings about enabling macros so it can be scary! None of the files/sheets on this tool are locked so anyone can examine the code to check for nefarious intent.

For accuracy the tool requires some setting up on your part. Mostly you need to give it information on what oils/fragrances etc. you use, where you source them and their cost. This allows the spreadsheet to calculate the batch price etc. I've left data in the tool with my costs/prices as examples but it should be simple to replace this with your own data.

The latest version can be found here: LINK

I'll put up another post in the future with some instructions but the INITIAL POST from a while ago should suffice for the moment.

I have no way of knowing if anyone has downloaded or uses this tool but I'd be delighted for some feedback. If you could drop me a line if you find it useful or if you have issues (I have tested this version as thoroughly as I can but... ) I'd be very grateful.

Can I note that there are others with similar intent but using different software (e.g. Google Sheets). If you would like to encourage their efforts they have a thread running over at: Google Sheet Alternative to Craftybase or Soapmaker Pro. I'm sure @SoapyBenjamin would like to hear from you. Google Sheets has the advantage of being completely free so there is no need for an Excel/Office 365 subscription unlike mine.

Happy soaping (and candle-making etc.).

Cheers,

Grant

I'm just going to tag anyone who responded in previous threads saying they might try the spreadsheet or who offered advice.

@IanT
@Nicola Bullock
@Lisa Mendez
@jack915
@Veronica Martin
@Jorah
@BWt
@AliOop
@Fireside
@Mobjack Bay
@ScentimentallyYours
@Whillow
@Vicki C
@Iveta Pelá
@Natcha
@Saffron

Thanks for all the help and feedback.


Cheers,

Grant

 

[Grantxw8]

Here’s what might be a fun project for those amongst us with functioning imaginations; come up with a better name for this tool. “Soap Designer, Candle, Melts and Bombs Spreadsheet Tool” might be descriptive but it’s a bit unwieldy.

 

[Jpozzato]

Greetings from Australia,

Ages ago I uploaded an early version of a spreadsheet I use for designing and making soaps. I've continued to refine it and have added other features. Specifically, I've integrated other spreadsheets I use for making Candles, Soy Melts, Bath Bombs and Shower Steamers. Essentially, these give feedback on the costs involved in making a batch of Melts/Bombs/Steamers/Candles. The soap element is by far the more sophisticated of these but the others are useful to me.

I made it available free of charge over on the "Soapmaking Spreadsheet Recipe Tool" thread. It will remain free of charge forever and I wanted to offer it again in its new format. I'm also intending to host the file on my iCloud Drive which should make it easier for me to update it without breaking links to the file on this site. Please bear with me as I experiment with this.

A word on Requirements and security. It requires that you have access to Microsoft Excel and that you are comfortable enabling macros. Microsoft, quite rightly, throws up lots of warnings about enabling macros so it can be scary! None of the files/sheets on this tool are locked so anyone can examine the code to check for nefarious intent.

For accuracy the tool requires some setting up on your part. Mostly you need to give it information on what oils/fragrances etc. you use, where you source them and their cost. This allows the spreadsheet to calculate the batch price etc. I've left data in the tool with my costs/prices as examples but it should be simple to replace this with your own data.

The latest version can be found here: LINK

I'll put up another post in the future with some instructions but the INITIAL POST from a while ago should suffice for the moment.

I have no way of knowing if anyone has downloaded or uses this tool but I'd be delighted for some feedback. If you could drop me a line if you find it useful or if you have issues (I have tested this version as thoroughly as I can but... ) I'd be very grateful.

Can I note that there are others with similar intent but using different software (e.g. Google Sheets). If you would like to encourage their efforts they have a thread running over at: Google Sheet Alternative to Craftybase or Soapmaker Pro. I'm sure @SoapyBenjamin would like to hear from you. Google Sheets has the advantage of being completely free so there is no need for an Excel/Office 365 subscription unlike mine.

Happy soaping (and candle-making etc.).

Cheers,

Grant

View attachment 78690

I'm just going to tag anyone who responded in previous threads saying they might try the spreadsheet or who offered advice.

@IanT
@Nicola Bullock
@Lisa Mendez
@jack915
@Veronica Martin
@Jorah
@BWt
@AliOop
@Fireside
@Mobjack Bay
@ScentimentallyYours
@Whillow
@Vicki C
@Iveta Pelá
@Natcha
@Saffron

Thanks for all the help and feedback.


Cheers,

Grant

I just downloaded it!!!!!

 

[AwkwardAlpha]

I downloaded it! I am just now messing around with it. Is there a way to add waxes? That page is protected.

Love this as I am a Mac user. Thank you!

 

[Grantxw8]

I downloaded it! I am just now messing around with it. Is there a way to add waxes? That page is protected.

Love this as I am a Mac user. Thank you!

Oops! It's not meant to be protected. I'll have a look at that as soon as I can. Sorry. (I'm just heading out to a funeral).

 

[Grantxw8]

Hi @AwkwardAlpha, I've updated to v1.5 and (hopefully) I've unlocked all the necessary cells. Enjoy.

Cheers, Grant

PS. FWIW, the tool is Excel based and so will run on Windows and Mac - as long as you enable macros. Always good to hear from another Mac user though.

 

[Grantxw8]

I haven't tried sharing this file this way before (through iCloud) so I'm not certain how it works for Windows users. Hopefully it will be plain sailing but I'd be grateful for feedback if anyone has trouble. I have some other options (Dropbox, OneDrive or even Google Drive) if iCloud isn't working.

You might think it should be easy to check this for myself but it's not as simple as you'd imagine. Because I'm logged into iCloud it works for me seamlessly. Logging out is more of an issue than it should be, and wouldn't answer the question of how it works for Windows users.

I've sent the link to my daughter to check but it'll take her a while to get around to it.

 

[Grantxw8]

I just downloaded it!!!!!

Hi @Jpozzato just letting you know that I fixed a couple of things in the latest version.

 

[Grantxw8]

Hi Folks, I've not received any feedback on whether sharing this with iCloud is an effective way to do things. So, I'll share it again/also with Dropbox and perhaps that will be better? Let me know if either is better for you.

Dropbox LINK

Cheers, Grant

 

[Jpozzato]

Hi Folks, I've not received any feedback on whether sharing this with iCloud is an effective way to do things. So, I'll share it again/also with Dropbox and perhaps that will be better? Let me know if either is better for you.

Dropbox LINK

Cheers, Grant

I can't figure it out....

 

[Shannon Farabee]

Greetings from Australia,

Ages ago I uploaded an early version of a spreadsheet I use for designing and making soaps. I've continued to refine it and have added other features. Specifically, I've integrated other spreadsheets I use for making Candles, Soy Melts, Bath Bombs and Shower Steamers. Essentially, these give feedback on the costs involved in making a batch of Melts/Bombs/Steamers/Candles. The soap element is by far the more sophisticated of these but the others are useful to me.

I made it available free of charge over on the "Soapmaking Spreadsheet Recipe Tool" thread. It will remain free of charge forever and I wanted to offer it again in its new format. I'm also intending to host the file on my iCloud Drive which should make it easier for me to update it without breaking links to the file on this site. Please bear with me as I experiment with this.

A word on Requirements and security. It requires that you have access to Microsoft Excel and that you are comfortable enabling macros. Microsoft, quite rightly, throws up lots of warnings about enabling macros so it can be scary! None of the files/sheets on this tool are locked so anyone can examine the code to check for nefarious intent.

For accuracy the tool requires some setting up on your part. Mostly you need to give it information on what oils/fragrances etc. you use, where you source them and their cost. This allows the spreadsheet to calculate the batch price etc. I've left data in the tool with my costs/prices as examples but it should be simple to replace this with your own data.

The latest version can be found here: LINK

I'll put up another post in the future with some instructions but the INITIAL POST from a while ago should suffice for the moment.

I have no way of knowing if anyone has downloaded or uses this tool but I'd be delighted for some feedback. If you could drop me a line if you find it useful or if you have issues (I have tested this version as thoroughly as I can but... ) I'd be very grateful.

Can I note that there are others with similar intent but using different software (e.g. Google Sheets). If you would like to encourage their efforts they have a thread running over at: Google Sheet Alternative to Craftybase or Soapmaker Pro. I'm sure @SoapyBenjamin would like to hear from you. Google Sheets has the advantage of being completely free so there is no need for an Excel/Office 365 subscription unlike mine.

Happy soaping (and candle-making etc.).

Cheers,

Grant

View attachment 78690

I'm just going to tag anyone who responded in previous threads saying they might try the spreadsheet or who offered advice.

@IanT
@Nicola Bullock
@Lisa Mendez
@jack915
@Veronica Martin
@Jorah
@BWt
@AliOop
@Fireside
@Mobjack Bay
@ScentimentallyYours
@Whillow
@Vicki C
@Iveta Pelá
@Natcha
@Saffron

Thanks for all the help and feedback.


Cheers,

Grant

Thank you so much for this amazing tool and instruction. I am new to soap making and am wanting to sell homemade soaps at our Farmers Market. This will help us get up and running. For me right now, the difficulty is in making the soap the way you want or envision it to be. This can be a confusing process but with your tools I can document all of that. I appreciate you being willing to share. I am now a member and look forward to learning and exploring this new industry.

 

[Grantxw8]

Thank you so much for this amazing tool and instruction. I am new to soap making and am wanting to sell homemade soaps at our Farmers Market. This will help us get up and running. For me right now, the difficulty is in making the soap the way you want or envision it to be. This can be a confusing process but with your tools I can document all of that. I appreciate you being willing to share. I am now a member and look forward to learning and exploring this new industry.

Hi Shannon, good to hear you worked out how to download the tool. If you have any trouble setting it up please feel free to let me know.

 

[Grantxw8]

Hi Folks, It has been a while since I've given the crafty side of myself any time or love. I've been dealing with a few health issues but they seem to be resolved now. In the meantime, I've found some time to add a little polish to this soap-designer/soap-making/candle-making tool of mine.

If anyone is new to this area of life and fancies being able to dabble in the manufacturing of soaps and candles without spending a fortune (it's free), this might help. You do need to have access to MS Excel on your Mac or PC and you do need to enable macros. Other than that it is all pretty straightforward.

Here is a link to the latest version: LINK

The folder contains version 3 of the soap designer tool (terrible name but...) and some rudimentary instructions on how it works. If you're new to it then it's definitely worth spending some time filling in your own data to the Moulds sheet and the sheets with pricing info. I've left my data in there for you to play with and get a feel for how things work. But, for it all to be accurate and useful, it should have your own data.

What does the tool do?

Soap: Well I use it to design soap by varying the oils I use and seeing what the expected characteristics of the soap should be. Once I'm happy with a 'design' I move to the Recipe sheet and add fragrances and colours etc. Once the various fields are filled, and the tool knows the mould volume, proportions of oils etc. it will be able to work out the number of bars, cost of batch/bar, and a whole load of other useful stuff.

Changing the mould used will change the amount of oil and the tool with adjust everything for the new batch size.

Candles: I use it to keep track of what making a batch of candles costs as well as calculating how much wax/fragrance etc. I need for a batch of containers of specific sizes and numbers. E.g. 6 containers of "Container name" will require xxxg of wax and fragrance. It will also tell me what the pour weight of each candle should be.

Anyway, there's a lot more to it and the best way to get to grips with it is just to have some fun and give it a try.

If anyone does try this and enjoys it let me know how you got on. If you try it and have a problem, I'd like to help so let me know that too. I may be offline for a while over the coming months but I'll do what I can to help.

Here's the link again: LINK

Thanks to everyone for all the help and support over the years. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

Cheers, Grant

 

[AliOop]

Merry Christmas to you, too, Grant! Sorry to hear about the health issues; sending prayers for a full and speedy recovery in the New Year.

 

[Grantxw8]

Merry Christmas to you, too, Grant! Sorry to hear about the health issues; sending prayers for a full and speedy recovery in the New Year.

Thanks for the prayers. Always welcome. I'm going to tell you a story as a cautionary tale. About a year ago I went to my GP for a routine blood test (I have type 2 diabetes). He looked at the results and said my cholesterol was high and I should be on a statin. As I'd tried a statin years before and had a poor reaction I declined his advice. Fortunately he was pretty thorough and sent me for more investigations as follows:

• Cardiac Calcium Score (poor result - 800/1000)
• Stress Echocardiogram (poor result)
• Angiogram (poor result - triple vessel disease)

This led to a decision being made about triple bypass open-heart surgery or angioplasty (fitting stents). Long story, but ended up having the stents fitted and all seems good. As I'm in Australia and we have a pretty good health system it didn't cost me anything so I'm not bankrupt!. I feel very blessed to have been cared for by an amazing team.

Lesson? Good GPs are worth their weight in gold and should be listened to.

Cheers, Grant

 

[Grantxw8]

There’s too many old links (as in links to old versions of the tool) in this thread. I’m going to start a fresh thread to clear things up. Thanks everyone.

The new thread is here: Free Tool - Soap and Candle Making Spreadsheet