salli

Hopefully, what I have to say will help quell a little anxiety. BTW, most of you have been extremely nice and helpful. I definitely understand your concerns. Truthfully, my first batches were so ugly I figured the minute the minute I was gone they would be tossed. Are my soaps the BEST they can be, honestly probably not-I think everything can be improved upon. My testers are people who would encourage me to continue trying longer. They have been chosen carefully for their honesty even if it might be a little brutal at times. My son for one. I gave him a bar of soap and asked him to use it. I got that yeah right mom look. Guess what, he's been back for two more bars for himself (of course his are free). My dh, in spite of hurting my feelings he would be very honest and take the consequences. I guess the one tester who really put the old proof in the pudding that my soap might actually be marketable is an internet friend who sells skincare. She's using my goatsmilk soap on her FACE and loves it! And there are more. I only have four soaps that I would consider selling (and I certainly wouldn't attempt to sell large batches to a store). These are formulations I have come up with not a recipe from someone else. I've lost count of the hours/days/weeks I've spent researching and I'm not done yet by any means. I can't tell you how many batches I've tossed because they weren't up to snuff. As far as fancy, there is absolutely no way they can compete with the beautiful creations I've seen on this forum. Hopefully those gorgeous swirls, etc. will come in time. I've been focusing on quality of basic product which is what I consider most important. HTH

Robin, thank you. The main reason I came to this forum was to learn. I have read and read and read......read some more. Asked what probably seems like alot of stupid questions. Truthfully, I don't see selling my soaps as "get rich quick" - anything but. More like a labor of love. I most likely would have never considered selling if I had not been encouraged to do so by a number of people who have tried my few soaps and think they are very good.

Time out please. So, let's say I test soap formulations for a year or so at the current rate that I'm going. Get approval from forum members that they are good. Would that make it acceptable for me to sell if I have the proper insurance and ingredients list with my product?

Angi, thanks for the kind reply. I have formulated and tested these soaps on/for my hands and body since I am very sensitive to soap (hands crack very easily). After reading the post I responded to I immediately grabbed a bar of two different soaps (10 days old) and washed the daylights of my hands with both. Even as "young" soap, I have no irritation or dryness from using them, they lather nicely and don't leave a film, yet my hands feel moisturized. In your opinion, are these the qualities I should be achieving/attempting to achieve with my soaps? TIA Salli

Please forgive my ignorance here, I am definitely a newbie. I've sent/given my soaps all over the place for people to try and have gotten many raves from people who have previously used handcrafted soaps. Quite a few have suggested that I sell these soaps-they actually think they are that good. I personally like them better (of course I am biased) than the majority of other handcrafted soaps I have tried. I am by no means a professional at this, but if I have tested them, have had other people test them. I would like to know why I shouldn't try to sell them. Also, when is selling them acceptable? I'm not trying to be difficult, but I would like to know. TIA Salli

I've given friends samples of the first few batches that I made and they really like them. Yes, I most definitely will use these soaps myself prior to selling them. I wouldn't want to sell an inferior or bad product thus making a bad name for myself and possibly casting a cloud on other soapers.

I didn't use a water discount on these. I'll try putting the soap out in the garage. It has rained so much here will the humidity be a factor? The soap will be 10 days short of a full 30 days for the flea market.

A friend just offered me space in her flea market booth to see if my soaps would sell. I have four batches curing and they won't be completely cured by then. Is there a way to speed the curing process up? TIA Salli

Christina, would neem and shea work well together for an acne bar? I was also thinking of using lavender, rosemary and sage as fragrance since they are also good for acne. Do you think those eo's would cover the neem smell?

Has anyone worked with neem oil in a cp soap? Is there something that disguises the smell? I'm thinking of doing an acne bar with neem oil for my son, but I need to figure out how to make it smell better. TIA Salli

I'm such a newbie at this. Would someone mind explaining why even my non-milk soaps come out looking great?

I 3rd the co-op

I had much better luck soaping using frozen goatsmilk, soaping in ice water and then putting them to bed in the refrigerator.

Does anyone else put their soap to bed in the refrigerator?

I tried to rebatch. It turned very smelly and the color of baby poo. I decided to chunk it. Couldn't imagine anyone wanting to use something that looked and smelled like that.

Can this be rebatched the same way as other soaps?

This batch is so crumbly that I can probably just whack real good and it will be small crumbles.

What would the curing time be on this one?

Well, I did something probably everyone has done, I forgot an ingredient. I didn't put one of my butters in a batch. Found it in the microwave this afternoon. Is there a way to save this batch?

Somehow I managed to mess this one up. It basically just crumbled when I tried to cut it. Can I rebatch? If I can, how?. Thanks.

More newbie questions: How long should I leave the salt bar in the oven and how long does it need to cure? Thanks.

Can someone tell me how long this should stay in the oven? Thanks.

I was planning on using regular table salt (non-iodized), along with silk fibers and was also planning on doing one with clay in it. Also, the pumice in another Would those work?

Another newbie question, can I add pumice to this?

This is terrific. I have all of this on hand Thanks bunches. Do I need to put it in the oven?