How do you decide?

[coconut]

Reading and reading about soap making and I am curious about one thing. How on earth do you ever decide what scent you want to use, or what combination of oils? When I make candles, some scents I only make to order. But with soap, it has to rest and age so special orders don't seem so feasible. And if you pick a scent nobody likes, you are stuck with a lot of soap nobody wants? Or do you just make what you like? It seems to be a rather different process than making candles. More like making cheese or wine. You have to wait a lot to get a good product, and that changes the way it works. I mean I know you cure soy candles, but not as long as soap. I have read some people think it is good to wait six months for a soap to rest to be sure it won't go rancid on the shelf.

Your thoughts?

[jackbenimble]

I do MP soap so this is not entirely the same but speaking on scent. You just have to take a chance and make a small batch to start with and if you find that it's popular then I know that it's worth continuing. Just my thoughts on that. :-)

Edited January 18, 2012 by jackbenimble

[jackie]

I'm a newbie but for CP you let it cure 4-6 weeks (unless it's something like Castille, that does need a long time to cure). If you're in a hurry, then you might be more interested in Hot Process - I haven't done that yet but I believe it's ready to use almost right away. CPOP is ready sooner than straight CP. I'm not in any hurry so I like the simple straight-forwardness of CP. When you make candles to sell, you test and retest your formula before you try to sell it. Letting soap sit for a long time to see how well that formula soap lasts, is just part of testing. Experimenting with oils, colors and fragrances is part of the fun.

Edited January 18, 2012 by jackie

[chuck_35550]

I look for oils that are body safe, no acceleration and no discoloration first. If the fo causes minor acceleration or discoloration, then I'm gonna td and vanilla stabilize it and soap cool. If I'm asked to use, say Creme Brulee' then there's no question the soap is going to be brown and nothing will change that and so no color. If I'm using a really fast fo, its because I love the fragrance and it sells well and I'm prepared to get it in the mold quick. Soap gets better for every day it sits and cures but once I'm satisfied the process is done; I put the soaps in a safe air tight container to maintain the fragrance and protect the soap from getting dirty. Some people have curing drawers on wheels and others line chest of drawers with wax paper and keep the drawer shut or slightly cracked. Read posts and find out which oils stick, fade, morph, or rice/seize. I stick with web sites that have reviews or honest reports about how a fragrance behaves in cp or other mediums. HTH

Steve

[Stella1952]

Whether its candles, soap or whatever, I only make scents that I find pleasing. People can choose from what I offer, or shop with another person. It's a big world and I don't feel driven to try to please everyone.

[showoffs]

When choosing a scent, for me, first I do what I like, then what I think my targeted customers would like. I also start with a small batch of 12 bars and see how they sell. If they do well, then I make bigger batches. If they are slow I wait until they are half gone and make another small batch, or cull the fragrance.

[Kitn]

I choose scent by companies best sellers, what my customers ask for and what I like, so far it is working out wonderfully.

[coconut]

Thanks everyone, for your input. I'm not ready to make soap yet, but wanted to give it a lot of thought and this helps me to narrow down my focus of research.

[eugenia]

For soap, the main concern is perfecting your recipe, and that can take a very long time. You must plan ahead. I am making soap for May right now. I choose my fragrance oils or EO's based on what soaps well and what will sell.

e

[lovemylabs]

I agree...perfecting the recipe. While perfecting ours, we read the boards "soaps that rock in cp". We had a few of the oils on hand and soaped those to use on ourselves. We searched the listing of our suppliers fragrance and essential oils, searching out the reviews from ones who had soaped them. We started creating batches in several catagories, floral, earthy, fruity, herbal scents etc. Then as we went along, added a few more. We watched what moved and how quickly. Got feedback from customers and went from there. We adjust as we go along. It's working so far.

[coconut]

Yep, perfecting the recipe will be first. I'm actually interested in unscented soap for myself so that is where I will start. Some of the scents I use in candles, I really would not want to smell like personally. Thinking about all the options for scents and oils made my head spin! Thanks again!

[chuck_35550]

Actually, I sell combinations of candles/soaps scented with the same fo or compliment each other in fragrance. I have an amber that is really hard to soap, because it accelerates like crazy and you have to move fast to get it in the mold but customers love it in the bath. I use a different formula, soap at 38% water and cool temperature to reduce acceleeration but I love formulas and fos that give me lots of time to play and be creative. I started with a very simple recipe and didnt use many additives or complicated colorants and learned enough to graduate to another level but the learning curve is endless on creative soaping or chandlering IMHO.

Steve