TallTayl

So your But is you would grow bigger, but you don't want to so you don't. you took control and i bet it feels awesome!Growing when you don't want to sucks all the joy out of the craft.

Our biggest obstacle to our business being all we want/need is our big old But. It is comfortable. It is reliable. It is ours. We own it. We all have one, usually many. And we tend to let THEM define OUR limits. This was a humongous life lesson and game changer for me personally and my business, I would sell on Etsy, BUT there are already so many people on there. i would sell More on Etsy, BUT my pictures/tags/descriptions/labels/whatever stink. I would eat healthy, BUT i love cookies and ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner. i would make more XYZ, BUT.... The problem is not the But, but rather what you do about it. Take control of your But and become whatever you wish to be.

The control has a combo of lotiony and big bubbles.

The first is SL, the second no additives. This is plain old trinity soap: 50% olive, 25% coconut and 25% palm oil. The second, the control, as you noticed has bigger bubbles and more overall lather.

You're using SL already in solution, right? The strength of the solution may vary from supplier to supplier. For instance, ITDF is 60% active dissolved into solution in water with a usage range of 1-10%. BB has a low usage rate of .5-4% 1tsp PPO but does not state their concentration. Thinking they are just posting a range for CP soap makers since no Supporting documentation is available. Edited to add: video link Here's the lather video of the sodium lactate sample: And the control: The SL bubbles were smaller and less abundant than the control. The other 25 or so videos are on that channel.

I know exactly what you mean poppy Until you actually dive in to the numbers you never realize how thin the margins really are. Anyone can make soap/candles/{insert item here}. It takes a clever person to MARKET and actually SELL them and turn a profit.

Lol, poppy. That is very true, which is why i changed my business model from craft shows to one big annual multi-weekend event that draws 300,000 people in my niche market. I had to stop making loads of 10 bar batches in favor of one 100 bar batch. My time is my most precious and limited resource. It took an awful lot of time to find my niche and build the return customer base, one willing to spend more $ in a visit than a customer kicking tires over a single small$ item. Believe it or not i have had to "fire" a few bigger wholesale customers to regain profitability and sanity. Also had to have the guts to stop making so darned many things. It is so tempting to make scrubs, lotions, etc when you already make soap. I've had to change the Etsy store too. I rely on etsy income to pay for a few specific things.Too many samplers eat away at any hope of profit. The min transaction to make it worthwhile is $20. After the time, COGS and fees that is breakeven. Profit also grows with strategic raw material buying. I can't make $ using ingredients from typical retailers like BB, WSP and the like, especially in small amounts. They are geared toward hobbyists looking to recover a little $ to make more soap, not someone needing to live off the proceeds. Many times i have looked around and thought i should just close up shop. I could work a local job and profit the same with a fraction of the work and no aging inventory. But then i remember why i started the business and keep on keeping on.

Raw unfiltered? You may need to try local beekeepers. All i know commercially is refined/filtered.

Good tools, like cutters, really do help. I limped along with home/made bar wire cutters for years and held my breath every time i cut. Time saver #1: dimension Standardization. When i had different bar sizes it made a huge bottleneck in production. Once i settled on a bar size i tossed every single mold that did not conform. It made packaging easier and everything cheaper. Time saver #2: formula standardization. I have soap friends that have basically a different formula for each scent. Truly, that would drive me batty making and as a customer. What if i don't like tallow but it is the only way i can get the scent i want? How do i know which scent has which ingredients??? Time saver #3: going bigger. The biggest mold i use is 12" wide by 24" long. It makes 4 22" long logs cut with a home made single wire splitter with a platform to help keep it from wiggling as i cut. I have been meaning to add 3 more wires so it cuts all the logs in a single pass.The first log splitter i used wiggled and made some interesting log dimensions. The mold i use most is 10"x12" and makes 20 lbs/48 bars. It's easier to use than the 24" for sure! When making super small batches to market test, i use the 11 inch tall skinny nurtures. I can fit 4 in a large flat rate box to saponify, stacking them to take very little space. I looked at the for crafts sake blocks and decided they did not suit my soap style. If we change to non-decorated tops i will look at them again for sure since pouring one batch in that size would save even more time, especially since i would not have to hang around to texture the tops. Time saver #4: preparing oils and minimizing the number of measurements. Most of the time spent soap making is measuring the darned oils, Pre measuring the oils in batch sizes, or master batching all oils in one giant pail to use in a single soaping session really helps. Pail warmer belts, drum warmer belts and such really cut time. When the oils are ready, it takes less than 15 minutes to pour 100 bars. Rinse, repeat, lol. One pail of organic sustainable palm makes 550 bars in my formula. A new pail of palm needs to be fully melted and mixed in one go, so i just make up all the oils at that one time. Time saver #5: reducing scents. I am still working on this one. My summer faire offerings are at least 50 varieties at one time with 5 or so new ones rotating in each of the 9 weeks. Off-season, that list is cut to less than half of that. I wish i could cut to 10-12 total without inducing a panic attack! In truth, the scents that sell best in every product probably do amount to 10 or fewer. It would save me a TON of money and time to just make the cut.

I don't use SL in anything. I worked on the base oil formula to not need additives instead. In the first of my lather swaps, SL decreased lather and left a strange skin feel compared to the additive-less controls and other samples.

Make sure those clothes can be removed QUICKLY in case of a spill. No loose clothing. No sleeves or gloves that can knock over containers or catch on tools. As for mixing lye, treat it like hot deep fry oil. Would you walk around carrying a pitcher hot fry oil from inside to outside then back inside? Better to mix your lye solution in a sink where if it spills it is contained versus schlepping it out doors (where wind can carry the lye beads) and risk a trip hazard. I have watched too many youtube 'experts" mix their lye beads as the video recorded for eternity the lye beads blowing all over the place uncontained.

Volume gets easy with 50& 100 bar blocks though i prefer the 50 bar/20 lb over the double long! They get heavy until split into logs. Back when i only had short log molds (10 to 17 inch) it was nearly impossible to produce in volume.

A prior thread with various commercial options: http://www.craftserver.com/topic/103728-small-and-indie-business-insurance-product-liability/?hl=insurance

Hmmmm it peaks in early summer, but the count was 1,500 bars made in June. I make a hundred or two bars a week through October (when i cut off wholesale order production for the year), then A couple hundred a month from January through May. I don't love pre-master batching lye solution, but i do master measure pails of oils. I use hot lye solution to melt cooled off, room temp oils. I can knock out 60 lbs of various soap scents in less than an hour this way.

I don't use glass as it etches and, over time, will shatter. I also don't use stainless steel. Many are coated with steel, but actually an alloy. What i DO use is flexi plastic containers like rubbermade, or plastic pails with lids. When dissolving the caustic i lightly cover to prevent evaporation. After pouring the solution into the oils i just rinse the container and it's ready for the next batch.

Without feeling the product it is hard to say what it is. Could be DPG, IPM, Ploysorbates or a host of other surfactants. :-/

nice!

that would be my first choice too Old Glory

That phrase sure can, and has, ben trade marked many times over. http://www.trademarkia.com/trademarks-search.aspx?tn=Farmers+market I didn't notice a specific one to Yankee, but i didn't look past page 1.

Soap and Cosmetics Guild http://www.soapguild.org/membership/insurance-faq.php

Castor alone is pretty sticky. And leaves a gloss. Try a super small batch before diving in.

In solids, the wax you use plays a big part. For instance, if you love beeswax, try subbing with a little sunflower wax or candelila. Butter-ez in lip products is very nice.

Yes.

pure Fragrance Oils sent me a sample of Oh My sandalwood. It's pretty nice OOB. The perfumery Sandalwood and SweetCakes sandalwood smell similar. BB sensuous sandalwood is OK. None of them are rock your world strong, but they do smell great in blends for Cp and candles.

That is the only place i know of...