So i just recently started looking into soap making and bought a lot of the Oils and lye from Nature Garden ( prices were great), I bought molds from amazon and am looking to get FO from wholesale supplies plus, i notice they have silicone molds, but they seem really pricey compared to the ones i see on etsy and amazon. Can anyone chime in and let me know why and if they are better to use ( maybe as a future investment)
wholesale supplies plus Mold Question?
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Some of the molds that are sold on Amazon are a little flimsy.
I have to second @lsg on the flimsy Amazon molds. The other issue for me is that some of the molds from Amazon give me very ashy soap, or the soaps get silicone rash on the sides. I never have any issues with molds (or anything else for that matter) from Nurture Soap.
Do what you can afford, but honestly, if you are going to soap a lot, good molds make the process less stressful, for sure.
Do what you can afford, but honestly, if you are going to soap a lot, good molds make the process less stressful, for sure.
If you look closely at those pink & purple molds in the boxes on Amazon, you'll note that the liners are pretty thin. They are great if you are just starting out or if you aren't going to make a lot of soap, but if you plan on making a lot of soap in the future, especially if you plan on making soap as a business, you are going to want to invest in more quality molds.
Also, the plain silicone loaf molds (10"+), no matter who you buy them from, start bowing out after a year of regular use. My husband made frames for me so I can continue to use them. I do recommend getting a 4" Square Silicone Mold (or two)...it is great for test batches; you get 4-5oz bars.
I am slowly upgrading to the 5lb loaf molds from Nurture Soap. They are a very popular mold. You can also check out Workshop Heritage.
My favorite molds are wood molds with a silicone liner. I'm not sure which mold you are looking at on WSP, but if it is the Crafter's Choice 1501 silicone loaf, that mold is a pretty good basic loaf mold. It was the mold I bought when I started. However, within probably 6 months, I bought this mold from Nurture Soap and rarely used the CC mold after that. It is an investment, so I would wait until you know you will enjoy making soap (but of course you will). I would also say that for probably 9 times out of 10 I now use my Nurture tall & skinny mold. I have this one and love it because it is 2.5" wide. Nurture also sells the liners and if you or someone you know are handy, you can make a box to fit the liner and save some money.
I think that buying a small mold like this would be the best way to go starting out. You can make a batch of soap and this mold will give you 3-4 bars of soap, depending on how thick you cut them. If you end up loving soap making, you can quickly become overrun with soap. While you are learning, if you make a soap that you don't especially like, or have a failed batch you also haven't invested a lot of supplies.
4" Silicone Soap Mold
Bramble Berry and WSP also sell this mold.
Once you have made a few batches of soap, you will have an idea of what you like/don't like/want to be able to do. You might want to make swirly soap, or plain uncolored, or a one color soap.
I think that buying a small mold like this would be the best way to go starting out. You can make a batch of soap and this mold will give you 3-4 bars of soap, depending on how thick you cut them. If you end up loving soap making, you can quickly become overrun with soap. While you are learning, if you make a soap that you don't especially like, or have a failed batch you also haven't invested a lot of supplies.
4" Silicone Soap Mold
Bramble Berry and WSP also sell this mold.
Once you have made a few batches of soap, you will have an idea of what you like/don't like/want to be able to do. You might want to make swirly soap, or plain uncolored, or a one color soap.
Thanks everyone for all the info, I was genuinely curious. I'm doing this for myself and maybe family I don't plan to sell, I was buying off a different soap maker locally and he decided to stop, so I thought why not try myself. I might eventually buy a mold from nurture though depending on how my guest batch goes with one of the Amazon molds!
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Would these be the ones you saw on Amazon? Amazon.com: DD-life Flexible Rectangular Soap Silicone Loaf Mold Wood Box for 42oz Soap Making Supplies
The Crafter's choice 1501 was my first mold over 8 years ago. It was fine, but the bottom warped on all 3 of them within a couple of years, which had a minor effect on the final shape of the bars.
The Amazon molds above I've used for 8 years, and loved them. I've never had to replace the liners, even though some people call them thin. Their "thinness" makes them easier for me to unmold because they are flexible enough to bend backward and inside out...which helps preserve the clean edges of the soap.
However, I do tape the center of the silicone walls to the wood because sometimes they sag a bit when I don't completely fill the mold, which affects the shape of the center bars.
I think both of these molds are a good choice for a beginner to try; they make different sizes of bars, they're inexpensive but very serviceable. Plus, you can leave out the silicone mold from the wooden part, and try lining the wooden one with freezer paper....to see if you'll prefer that over using silicone molds.
I now use the regular tall and skinny (2.5inch wide bar) from WORKSHOP HERITAGE. I'm very happy with them; choose them over Nurture because Nurture's liners are thicker and stiffer...difficult for me to work with, but certainly excellent quality.
The Crafter's choice 1501 was my first mold over 8 years ago. It was fine, but the bottom warped on all 3 of them within a couple of years, which had a minor effect on the final shape of the bars.
The Amazon molds above I've used for 8 years, and loved them. I've never had to replace the liners, even though some people call them thin. Their "thinness" makes them easier for me to unmold because they are flexible enough to bend backward and inside out...which helps preserve the clean edges of the soap.
However, I do tape the center of the silicone walls to the wood because sometimes they sag a bit when I don't completely fill the mold, which affects the shape of the center bars.
I think both of these molds are a good choice for a beginner to try; they make different sizes of bars, they're inexpensive but very serviceable. Plus, you can leave out the silicone mold from the wooden part, and try lining the wooden one with freezer paper....to see if you'll prefer that over using silicone molds.
I now use the regular tall and skinny (2.5inch wide bar) from WORKSHOP HERITAGE. I'm very happy with them; choose them over Nurture because Nurture's liners are thicker and stiffer...difficult for me to work with, but certainly excellent quality.
I've had some bowing issues, especially since I bought a T&S mold, and I've asked my husband to make me some frames to support the molds. It would be so very helpful if you would please post a photo of your frames to give him a better idea of what I'm wanting.
