Soap molds

[Candle Guy]

Well that is a relief to hear lol. God knows how much money that I have spent and still spending in candles. I will update you as soon as I begin. All of my supplies are supposed to come in next week.

 

[TheGecko]

I started with BrambleBerry's Beginners Cold Process Soap Kit. It came with a tried and true recipe, step-by-step instructions, enough supplies for two batches of soap and a 10" Silicone Loaf Mold (2lbs, 10 bars).

After ruining a couple of 2 lb batches, I invested in a couple of 1 lb molds. It's allows me to test new scents and colorants and if I have another opportunity to learn (failure), I'm only out a small amount of ingredients.

I think it's important to set a budget for the first year because it's too easy to get caught up in the excitement of soap making. Most of my mixing equipment came from the Dollar Store. I bought a stick blender, digital scale and cheese slicer from Amazon. I picked up a nice stainless steel pot with lid for $6.00 at the local thrift store.

 

[Candle Guy]

Great info Gecko! What soap distributors do you recommend otherwise Brambleberry?

 

[Jersey Girl]

I absolutely LOVE this little 2lb basic wooden mold from Nurture Soap. I really prefer wooden molds as I like to gel all my soaps and it happens much easier in the wooden molds for me. I use this all the time. I get 7 one inch bars which is perfect for testing recipes. It uses about 26oz of oils.
https://nurturesoap.com/products/2-pound-wood-soap-mold

 

[TheGecko]

Great info Gecko! What soap distributors do you recommend otherwise Brambleberry?

I have purchased supplies from Costco, Rustic Escentuals, Be Scented, Nurture Soap, Mad Micas, Nature's Garden, Elements Bath & Body, Amazon, Dollar Tree, and Wholesale Supplies Plus to name a few others. Oh...and a mold from Hobby Lobby (not realizing that it needed to be lined). I've been wanting to try out Bulk Apothecary, but it seems every time I got in to place a large order, they are out of the stuff I want and given the shipping costs. I'm not spending less than $50.00.

Always make sure you purchase your ingredients, colorants and scents from reputable sources. I once thought I got a killer deal on some Blue Mica only to discover that it couldn't be used in soap making. And since I didn't know anyone else that could use it, I just tossed it.

Basically...I shop around for best prices including shipping when it comes to my bulk ingredients. Scents and Colorants I'm a little more picky about as they vary from from company to company. An example of this is Dragon's Blood FO; I was given a small bottle of it by Wellington Fragrance. I have tried a few other companies, but I really like WF's version!

 

[Candle Guy]

I am having some supplies being delivered from Natures Garden. I love their candle supplies so I am hoping that their soap stuff is ok because that would save me on shipping lol

 

[cm4bleenmb]

I don't think I've ever made a batch larger than one pound and I've never purchased a mold. (Obviously, I don't make large amounts of soap. lol) I use the heavy cardboard bottom box from Velveeta-style cheese blocks and line it with freezer paper. If I want individual soaps I use the containers from spreadable cream cheese. Oh, wait, I do have some molds I had to buy Jell-O to get.

 

[Candle Guy]

Will parchment paper work as well?

 

[jcandleattic]

Will parchment paper work as well?

It will, but freezer/butcher paper works better. Don't use wax paper. The wax will melt and stick to the soap.

 

[Candle Guy]

Thanks Attic

 

[Candle Guy]

Any idea what these white spots are in my melt and pour soap? Would it be from maybe the soap not melting enough?

 

[Jersey Girl]

Any idea what these white spots are in my melt and pour soap? Would it be from maybe the soap not melting enough?

That’s most likely exactly what it is. A piece wasn’t melted all the way. Pretty color!

 

[Candle Guy]

Thanks I appreciate it

 

[rdc1978]

Thank you for the quick response. I am looking to buy a mold right now. I just ordered all of the supplies minus the mold. Any suggestions for CP soap?

The soap calculator is confusing me lol. That is how much of a soap rookie that I am.

Soapcalc was confusing as heck to me too, but it's so worth it to learn because there may be a fun, non-traditional mold you want to use. I love repurposing Amazon boxes as soap molds and if I want to use a recipe, I can run it through soapcalc to resize it for my mold.

I think it's totally worth learning and it's not hard, it just has a very intimidating interface, IMO and a lot of different options.

I'm a newbie and I was totally intimidated but once I committed to sitting down and trying to work with it, it was great. Totally worth it.

Happy soaping!!!

 

[penelopejane]

Great info Gecko! What soap distributors do you recommend otherwise Brambleberry?

Annoyingly you probably won’t be able to get all your supplies from one supplier. They all have different things that are good and sometime specials woo you in. Watch the shipping though. I love nurture and BB has some good scents. Look at our fragrance review chart (last page or so of the thread for the latest detail) so you don’t get seduced by lovely sounding FO names and descriptions.

 

[Candle Guy]

This is all helpful information and yes I want to check out the fragrance review chart for sure.

 

[earlene]

Welcome to the forum, Candle Guy. A chandler turned soapmaker, fab! To me candlemaking seems intimidating, and since I rarely use candles, I am not particularly motivated to delve into the craft.

Soapmaking is so much fun, I think you will really enjoy it.

 

[Candle Guy]

Thank you Earlene and yes candle making can be tough but after a while it's like every other craft. Test test test and test again lol