What do you do with all the soap you make?

[Guywithsoap?]

I noticed a lot of people asking questions on selling soap. I too am interested in the process and i think it comes from the problem of excess soap.

If you enjoy baking bread/pies/ etc... you don't get the problem of overflow. I don't think too many people who like making artisnal bread or pastries, or even making chocolate truffles, have this issue.

It takes about an hour to make soap and I get enough soap to last months. I make a loaf of bread or a pie and it wont last weeks so I could bake often without this worry.

If you enjoy the process you are then going to be left with excess.


What do you do with the soap? Is that what caused you to consider selling?

 

[IrishLass]

I try to reign myself in and not make more than I can store in my dedicated soap space for the three of us to use, as well as to keep my regular 'customers' supplied and still have a little bit extra leftover for special gift requests. Although I'm a small-scale hobbyist and not in business, I stay plenty busy with my regular 'customers' within my circle of family and friends who are quite hooked on my soap and practically downright panic when they run out. Seriously- my sis and her hubby were just recently fighting over their last bar. She set it aside for herself in a place where she didn't think he'd get to it, but he found it (probably followed the scent- Salty Sailor from Daystar, one of their favorites) and proceeded to shower with it, much to her dismay. I told her not to worry, there's plenty more to go around. They and the others keep my stock flowing and give me the excuse to make more (not that I need much of any excuse :wink: ).

If I have any fugly bars or bars that have lost their scent, or bars from experiments that just didn't turn out to my satisfaction, I pack them all up in a box and mail them to Clean The World in Florida.


IrishLass

 

[Lynnz]

Yes I remember taking literally cartons full of my soaps into work and wondering how on earth people could use so much soap!!!! Only problem was once I was confident enough with my recipes and registered, insured ect people were still expecting the freebies, I now give them a discounted rate and they happily purchase :0), still on occassion collect up soaps that just dont make the grade and give them away at work and share between friends

 

[ToniD]

Make small batches! You get to make soap more often
I too send to clean the world, use as gifts, supply my family

 

[Bubbles Galore]

I give A LOT of soap away. :wink:

 

[kaelily]

I give A LOT of soap away. :wink:

I give a lot away too

 

[jcandleattic]

I give a lot away to family and friends, but also to shelters.
I have found that the shelters appreciate the soap almost as much as they do canned foods and money.

 

[Sunny]

I have a couple of people who will take ANYTHING. Happily. So my FIL gets several pounds of soap at father's day, birthday, and christmas.

Otherwise, I went kind of crazy when I was really new at this and had sooo many bars of soap just sitting around. Now that I have been doing it a little while I have cut down on the amount I make (and the amount of money I spend on this hobby!) and I have enough for us to use and usually plenty to give away a bar or two as gifts if something comes up.

If you have way too much you can donate it to Clean the World, like IrishLass suggested.

 

[cp chick]

I haven't made any soap since July, since I have more than I can possibly use and precious little space. I really like the idea of the shelter, though. Maybe I'll bring them a bunch and then I'll have an excuse to try out some new ideas. :twisted:

 

[nebetmiw]

I make 1.5lb batches. Thats enough to last a couple of months for the two of us. Now hubby is on the road so we go thru a bit more. I will make for him and a batch just for me. I do not give it away since we use it all. Might sell or give as gift later down the road but not now.

 

[Cuckoo Bananas]

I was giving it away to friends and family and also selling some. I've cut right back though as I just can't justify spending the money on it anymore. I was into the real pricey oils!

 

[Woodi]

by the time i had 300 bars in my soap shelf unit, which DH made me....I dared to go ask him to make another unit!!!
that's when he said I had to sell some of it off (after I had given away as much as I could).

"Sell my babies???!" I replied.

and that was the beginning of a 'thing' out here, 11 years ago. I soon became known as "the soap lady" in the neighbourhood and nearby town and country.
I can't stop making nor selling now; too many people have already pleaded with me to never stop making it.....their hives, I mean, lives (or at least the skin part of their lives) depend on it LOL.

 

[Kleine Teufel]

I sell some soap, give it away as gifts or as bartering for favors or other goods, and I also donate to the local food bank. While the food reserves were pretty darned good, the paper goods, hygeine care, etc were all terrible. Other food banks had great supplies, including shampoos and all kinds of necessary items, but ours would limit families to 1 roll of paper towels per family or 1 roll of TP per person per month. And of course, they never had soap, shampoo, etc. So I started donating to them. The response you get is overwhelming. People were hugging me and so excited to get soap, especially "gourmet" soap, when they couldn't afford basic necessities. Giving like this is even better than making the soap itself.

 

[jcandleattic]

Giving like this is even better than making the soap itself.

I agree. It's a wonderful feeling to be able to help people in need who appreciate it so much, and it's such a simple thing to do.