Brotato

1 hour ago, BusyBee said:

It sounds like your operation is going to be more of "Commercial Coventurer" rather than being a Non-profit yourself.  Either way, they are more heavily regulated(more paper work to file) than regular businesses.  Every state has different regulations on this.  So, you should consult with CPA for best option for you.

Thank you! I will look into that! I don't mind being more heavily regulated or paperwork if that would work well. My day job is a secretary, it's what I do  Definitely won't do anything before talking to a CPA as well. Just researching.

10 hours ago, StanfordP said:

@Brotato Mind me asking why you'd start a business as a non-profit? 

Not at all! It's just an idea of a way to help the community. The thought process, after doing a small amount of research on being a non-profit, would be to have my proceeds go to local charities and organizations. Upon researching, I could still pay myself a modest salary, but it would be fixed. I am ok with that as I am naturally pretty frugal and really just want to be comfortable. I'm a pretty simple girl. I live outside of Dayton, Ohio and would love to contribute to the programs that have been starting up around here to help the city. It's a very little, big city that has a pretty fair amount of poverty and issues. I think it would be awesome to be able to help fund some of these projects while doing something I love. Maybe exploit consumerism a little to help my community  Being a non-profit, I could have some other benefits that would help this such as being tax exempt. I'm very, very much in the research stage and weighing pros and cons. It may be better to just being a regular LLC and make donations as I see fit. We will see! 

@candybee I just wanted to update you that I went ahead and have been using a bar of my soap realizing it will get even better over time. I am thrilled with how it turned out. It's sudsy, smooth and very moisturizing. My skin has actually never felt better after only a few days of use. Safe to say I'm hooked! I made my first cold process castille as well and it's gorgeous. Going to wait much longer to even test that one out. But now I want to make all the soaps! Thank you so much for your advice to this newb I sincerely appreciate it! 

I, unfortunately, cannot help you with technical advice as I have never made a pillar myself at this point but I think it’s beautiful! I love that green! Keep working on it people would love those! 

I agree. I am exploring the idea and I do need a good CPA, I'd imagine, regardless. Exploring many options at this point. Appreciate the advice!

Wondering if anyone here runs their business as a non-profit. Very much considering doing this and just looking for advice or resources to use along the way! TIA for any input or expertise! 

Thank you, I definitely will! I did try a small scrap that was on the mold just to see and it actually lathered quite a bit! It left my hands soft and seemed pretty ok. I'll be really excited to see how it is after curing a few weeks as well! I may start using a bar and take notes at 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, etc. 

It is pretty fascinating to be completely honest. I feel like I'm doing a science experiment and get an extremely useful and chemical free product at the end. And it really was not hard. I see lots of suds in my future! 😊

Again appreciate your input so much! 

Candybee! Thank you so much for this well written and though out advice. That is a great place for me to start! I plan to try a castille soap this weekend and have read the cure is long, which is fine. 

I plan to keep my soaps very simple and likely keep them that way. I am one to overcomplicate but would like to keep this simple. The first recipe I made was 70% olive oil, 25% coconut oil and 5% castor oil ( I think, believe it or not I cant remember but I have it written down at home 😅) I'm letting it cure on a baking rack and it's interesting to watch it evolve. Even after a couple of days it already feels harder and more soap-like, for lack of a better term.

So far I have bought everything at the grocery store or had on hand and lye at the hardware store as well. Humble beginnings and I love it! 

I am going to print this off and keep this advice for future reference. I sincerely appreciate your insight! I am loving it so far and excited to have a creative outlet. 

No way! I appreciate this so much! I have really only learned via YouTube and reading various old forums on here. I welcome any and all information anyone is willing to give me! I trust this forum much more than YouTube so I've been relying on it quite heavily. You really never know what's true and not on YouTube. 

I may have to try that oven method and see how that turns out. I want to try cold process as well. I'm just kind of in the experimenting stage. I am actually very pleased with how my first batch went. Salt bars sound very interesting. I'm not sure I know what they are exactly?

I think I understand about cure time as well. I learned that with soy candles. It's crazy how much different a candle is after being cured way longer than the recommended 2 weeks. I imagine it would be the same with soap. 

When I was home for lunch, I actually picked up one of the soaps I made yesterday and smelled it. It was way less olive oil smelling so I imagine in a few weeks it will be nonexistent. Which is great because I really like the olive oil! 

I, again, very much appreciate the insight. I didn't realize how much fun soaping can be so I'm excited to try different recipes and methods. It's fun to make something so useful. The goal would be to get enough items to do my first craft show maybe next year. We will see! 😎

Yes I did the crock pot method and they popped right out this morning no problem. I’m not sure how the oven one works I’ll have to look that up. I’m going to try cold process next with the same recipe just to compare. Seems like a nice, basic soap. I did unscented as a baseline too but not sure if I like the olive oil smell lol. We will see! All in all was very fun to make. 

3 hours ago, Candybee said:

I used to use sheet cake pans prior to purchasing soap molds when I first started. They were not made of stainless steel. They were cheap pans I bought at Walmart. I lined them with plain ole plastic garbage bags. I have also used freezer wrap. Either works great but garbage bags are really cheap and you can line several molds by cutting up a garbage bag to fit the cake pan. To hold the liners in place I simply used paper clips or clamps I bought from the office supply. I used this method for my first year of making and selling soap until I could afford to start buying professional production soap molds.

Thank you!! I appreciate that tip very much! I did end up lining it with freezer paper. I did hot process bastille-type soap recipe and everything seems to have gone well. I just wanted to try it out before I invest in fancy things. We will see how they turn out. I had silicone cupcake pan too and I filled three of those spaces. Not sure how that will work with hot process though.

8 hours ago, pughaus said:

Hi KMB! It looks like you've really been bouncing around trying to wick a variety of vessels. No wonder you're frustrated! May I suggest you pick one, ideally a 3 x 3" or 3 x 4" straight sided tumbler - and nail that vessel down before you try wicking others? Find the right wick for it with NO fragrance oil. Then you'll have your baseline wick for that wax in that vessel.  Everything will be so much easier from that point on. (and you'll waste a whole lot less FO flailing around)  Stick with that vessel. Forget about scent throw for now- just strive to make a candle that burns well first, then you can work on adding FOs into the mix and making a good throwing candle.. in that vessel.  It will all come together much more easily at that point.

Also, I'm wondering if what you are calling "tunneling" .. isn't tunneling at all, but rather the appropriate amount of hang up early in a candle's burn cycle.  My candles don't form an edge to edge melt pool until late in their burn life.  There is typically hang-up and wax clinging to the sides of the vessel until the last 1/2" in a  3" tall tumbler.  I consider this ideal. When it's all done, all the wax has been consumed and the sides are clean. 
 

Pics for reference: One of my tester candles with a new-for-me FO after a burn 1 (6 hours). Would you consider that  tunneling?  
Pic 2 is the same candle after burn 2 (5.5 hrs)  This candle actually has less hang up at this point than usual for me - that cling will all melt down early in the next burn and I may very well step down 1 wick size for the next tester to see how that fares.

 

I appreciate this visual! I am struggling as well for the past year trying to figure out wicking and this is very helpful. Thank you! 

Hello! I’ve read through much advice here and I feel as though I’m prepared-ish to make my first batch of soap this weekend-thank you  I plan to try hot process I believe. I was going to use a regular old loaf pan I have since it’s my first attempt rather than invest quite yet in molds. I will of course double check that it is stainless steel- my husband does sheet metal work so he will know! Question would be, should I line it if it’s non stick? I planned to but was just curious if it would be necessary. Also any advice for a first time soaper? I have a scale and will weigh, use protective gear etc. I was thinking to try a simple bastille recipe and will put everything in a soap calc to be sure. Any easy recipes anyone would suggest to start? I would love to try a castille as well but I have olive, coconut, sunflower, castor oil, coconut milk, on hand. I do plan to make vegan soap. I appreciate any advice! 

1 hour ago, WaxingPoetic said:

Well, hi neighbor ! PA here ! Yeah, usually the coco apricot that I’ve seen ships from California & that’s a long trek to us, lol. Hope you can get your hands on the coco apricot soon, I think you’ll love it !

Thank you! Yes, hello there! 😁 I’m in search of the best wax for the planet as well and I think that is the best there is at the moment. Shorter ship distance is best as well. I’m pretty excited about it myself! Glad you are having such success! Reading this post has been very inspiring and leaving me hopeful! 

I appreciate all of this! I am looking to try this wax as well. I’m in Ohio and my shipping from Maryland Wax Club is better too so appreciate that tip! I will keep an eye out and look forward to trying the coco apricot 😎

Good Afternoon! 

What's your name? Bailey

How old are you? 32

Where do you live? Dayton, OH

How long have you been making candles/soap/whatever? I've been dabbling in candles for a little over a year and plan to make my first batch of soap this weekend

How did you get started making candles/soap/whatever? I went to school for art and of course am a secretary. I wanted to start making things again so I just dove into candles. I didn't realize the complexity of the situation I have enjoyed learning and am loving creating my own, useful things. I plan to learn many different crafts! It's great for my mental health as well.

Are you married? Any kids? Just got married on April 25th to my best friend ❤️ 

If candle/Soap making isn't your primary job, what do you do? It is not, but deep down, I hope one day it could be! 

Anything else we should know? I am interested in many different crafts and am a little all over the place.  I'd love to also grow my own material for weaving baskets, making furniture etc. Also interested in sewing and making my own yarn and fabric. The possibilities are endless! 

I appreciate all of the advice, wisdom and knowledge on here! I've lurked in the background for a while and learned SOOOO much from everyone. Thank you!

Good morning!

my name is Bailey and I’m new here. I’ve been making soy candles for about a year now and will hopefully be selling them soon. I didn’t realize all of the intricacies that goes into it but it makes me love it all the more. I’ve read a lot on here and gotten much advice from you all already so figured it was time to introduce myself. 
 

I live in the Dayton Ohio area and work as a secretary for a local school district. I’ve gone to college, several times, usually for art. I’ve studied both graphic design and fine art. While these are both valuable to my journey, at heart, I am a crafts woman. I am recently married to my best friend, David, and hoping to start a nice side hustle doing something I enjoy. It’s been slow going as I am somewhat perfectionistic so it’s been about a year of testing! Which is slow going because cure time is a real thing! Lol.

I appreciate all of you and am excited to join the conversation. 
 

Have a great weekend!

Bailey