I don't know if this would help your friend but I am really new at this and I used a coupon from the paper and got a really good deal on one of those m&p soap kits at the craft store. It came w/ 3 colors, a fragrance a 16 oz of clear soap an 16oz of white soap and a mold w/ a rectangle, circle and a square. It also had directions for some recipies. I also went to the library and got some soap books. It is an easy and relatively cheap way to get into the hobby.