How do you get your fragrance to last a long time? What company do you order essential oils, coloring, fragrance and cutter from? Do you prefer cooking or letting is sit (I forgot what you call it).

I still have a lot of oils and essential oils because I used to make soap, bath bombs, etc. I just stopped doing it because of the indictment. I would love to get into again.

I became interested in soap making when I told a professor at school he smelled good. He pulled out a small vial and told me his daughter Carol made it for him. She now has her own company called "Carol's Daughter".

Thanks in advance for you assistance. :)

How do you get your fragrance to last a long time? What company do you order essential oils, coloring, fragrance and cutter from? Do you prefer cooking or letting is sit (I forgot what you call it).

I still have a lot of oils and essential oils because I used to make soap, bath bombs, etc. I just stopped doing it because of the indictment. I would love to get into again.

I became interested in soap making when I told a professor at school he smelled good. He pulled out a small vial and told me his daughter Carol made it for him. She now has her own company called "Carol's Daughter".

Thanks in advance for you assistance. :)

Hi there,
I had an online business with all sorts of soaps, perfumes, and such.
As far as the soap making, I use both EO's and FO's to obtain the best scent retention. I had a variety of suppliers,and I sold wholesale as well. I like to make both cold processed and hot processed (the cooking kind). They both had their advantages. Check Yahoo there are several groups filled with an abundance of information. I can't wait to get my time behind me so I can restart as well. I miss making all my items, the soap especially.

Thanks for the information. I forgot about adding extra fragrance. Making soap is so relaxing for me. The aroma that permeates throughout the house is just wonderful.

I used to visit a soap forum and it had a wealth of information. Great recipes, suppliers, etc. I didn't sell my soap. I just used it for test bars with my family and friends. They want me to make soap again however, I'm not inspired at the present time.

I hope you return to making soap after this ordeal. If you were selling your soap wholesale, you were really into making soap. That's great! Who knows, you may end up with a storefront "Soap Cottage" of your own.

I can't believe there are only 2 soapmakers here. Oh well...you guys do not know what you are missing.

I can't believe there are only 2 soapmakers here. Oh well...you guys do not know what you are missing.

I've always wanted to do that or candle making....but the $$ is out of reach at the moment and probably for awhile. I would like to ask how expensive it is to start, just in case I ever get finances in order. I would love to learn it!
Good luck you 2 and God bless you!!!

I've always wanted to do that or candle making....but the $$ is out of reach at the moment and probably for awhile. I would like to ask how expensive it is to start, just in case I ever get finances in order. I would love to learn it!
Good luck you 2 and God bless you!!!

I was wondering the same thing...this sounds like something fun to do. But why do I keep thinking of Fight Club...hot Brad Pit making soap??? LOL.

SCMom - Making soap can be expensive depending on what type and how much fats and oils, nutrients, colorants, exfoliants, frangrance, essential oils, molds, pots, utensils, etc. you purchase.

I'm not quite sure about making candles. You visit your local craft store and price a few items for making candles and soap. Glycerin soap is easier to make and you don't have to mix to much of anything. Some people believe that glycerin soapmakers are not "real" soapmakers because this method is eaier. I say they are real soapmakers as well.

You can always start off with a good soapmaking book and a small batch.

Csmcgrl23 - you are too funny!

Oh....let me know if you two decide to try soapmaking.

You can do a little research online or at your local Books-A-Million (my favorite; inexpensive) or Borders for the process of making hot process and cold process soap.

Glycerin soap is easier to make and you don't have to mix to much of anything. Some people believe that glycerin soapmakers are not "real" soapmakers because this method is eaier. I say they are real soapmakers

I start my soap off with a glycerin base mainly because I have the scare alot do about lye....
I add alot of butters/oils/fragrances/essential oils/herbs....Whatever I feel like....It is so much fun dreaming up soaps! Glycerin base is easy for me to use and quick...which is always good hehe....
esp when you have a 2 year old!

The lye can be hazardous. I read where a woman said she mixed her lye with water and left it sitting on the counter. Her husband thought it was water and started to drink it. They rushed him to the hospital and everything turned out ok.

Once I was "testing" my soap and I touched it with my tounge and ZAP! Not a great feeling. You also have to have a separate area, besides the kitchen, to do your soaping. A lady once turned her garage into her soapmaking room. Looked like a little cottage.

Rue -what were some of your favorite soap. I particulary like the glycerin.

Working with the butters (shea and cocoa) makes the best soap.

I get my fragrance and essential oils from a variety of places. Both locally and online. There is one site, Bramble and Berry, who will tell you in the info about their different fragrances what they are good for. Such as candles or soaps. They test them first and will tell you if it dissipates in cold process soap and should only be used in melt and pour, etc. So when I buy from them, I know ahead of time what fragrances to avoid.
I've found that with essential oils, it seems the citruses don't last as long as I'd like. So I've mixed essential and fragrance oils for the cold process soaps I make.

I was wondering the same thing...this sounds like something fun to do. But why do I keep thinking of Fight Club...hot Brad Pit making soap??? LOL.

It's actually not all as expensive as it seems. If you start off with your basic lye and fat mixture, you can use coconut oil, tallow, lard, etc. These all work fine but coconut oil gives you a better lather. So I mix it up. Lye is relatively inexpensive, too. I got mine at the local farm and fleet store. Given that you only use a few ounces at a time, a little goes a long way. You want to make sure you use gloves and goggles handling the lye, though. I even take mine outside to mix it so the fumes aren't too bad. A stick blender helps a lot, too, because you can mix it faster. Otherwise you can be stirring a very long time. I bought a stand mixer for mine, but I also make high volumes for selling. Not everyone needs to spend that much.
Other than fats and lye, I recommend a decent kitchen scale which can be relatively cheap, too. And then fragrance and essential oils. Those can get spendy but if you aren't using tons, they last a good while. And you don't always have to have them, anyway. Oh, and a decent kitchen thermometer. You will want your lye mixture and oils about the same temp, and so the thermometer is important.
I make my soaps right there in the kitchen and let them cure out of the way somewhere, like the garage. As long as you clean up your mess and use the soap making utensils only for soap, you're fine.

Everyone has their preferences on these items. I tried a number of them ... the shea butter, the olive oil, lard, etc. and personally found the olive oil based soaps to be the best. I also didn't experience any rancidity with the olive oil like I did with some of the others. I haven't made any soap in a while. I'm not the patient type so I did the hot processing so that I could use my soaps much sooner than I could with cold processing. I was in the garage the other day and found my favorite mold so I guess that could be a sign for me to get back into it. Now that I don't cook I need to use the cold processing method - until I can pick up an inexpensive stove to put in my garage. ;)