Brambleberry Cold Process Soap Kit?

[classiccandle]

Has anyone used this kit from BB?

For the CP experts is using a kit like this a good way to start learning the CP process?

Would you recommend any books? One or two that you simply can't do without if you're CP'ing?

Thanks!

[classiccandle]

I must be losing my mind. I wanted to edit my previous post to add the link to the kit I was asking about but now I can't seem to find how to edit a post I made.

Aaaaaanyway, here's the link I failed to include in my post above....http://www.brambleberry.com/Cold-Process-Soap-Kit-1-kit-P3294.aspx

[TallTayl]

I'm friends with someone who began her CP hobby turned business with the kit. If you're not sure if CP is for you, then a kit is a great start.

[Kitn]

I would give it a shot..

[Candybee]

Hmmm... it doesn't have the lye or olive oil in the kit. If you buy the kit you can get the oo and lye locally. Olive oil can be purchased at your local grocers and lye can be purchased at your local Ace hardware store. Buying locally will cut down shipping. At least until you decide you want to make CP using the kit. You can always buy your supplies in bulk later.

[bayougirl]

I bought it in Oct of 2009 when I first started doing CP, you do have to get the lye seperately (I ordered it from them, too) and olive oil locally. I like it because they even had a recipe that they gave you to start with.

[JacquiO]

I recommend the book The Soap Makers Workshop by Robert and Kathrine McDaniel. A lot of really good information in that book, plus an instructional DVD.

I also recommend David Fisher at About.com. A lot of helpful information, recipes, tutorials, and videos.

Between Fisher and Brambleberry's Soap Queen Anne-Marie Faiola you can learn a lot just online. And there is also Teach Soap.

I never purchased a kit. When I started out I purchased my first bottle of lye at Lowes (no longer carries it but I think Ace brought it back). And all my oils came from the supermarket. A shoe box lined in freezer paper as a mold. And cranberry fig wouldn't be my first choice of fragrance, but I had a friend that sold body oils at a flea market and I knew her supplier so I had plenty of fragrances to choose from that I could acquire locally. That and herbs and essential oils from my local health food store.

I can't say I'd consider the $36.00 kit (plus shipping) a great value. All the info in the "$10.95 valued" ebook you can get for free right on Anne-Marie's site (not to mention Fisher's) I get an 101fl oz (5lbs 11oz) Olive oil for $10. 2lbs Coconut Oil for $6. A bottle of Lye at Ace is $5. A 4oz bottle of Castor oil at a drug store is $3. A pound of lard for less than a $1. Lard is a great sub for palm btw (or you can use Crisco). Use a cardboard box you have lying around the house as your mold.

There I just saved you 10 bucks (before shipping). You could put that savings into the biggest part of your investment which isn't even in the kit. That's your scale, goggles, gloves, freezer paper and stick blender. All of which will run you around $50-60

I tell my students that getting into soap making is not a big investment. For certain hobbies (like candles for instance) I think all in one kits are a great way start because candle making is a huge investment. But soap you can produce large amounts with very little invested and you can stick to local sources for supplies. You only need to venture out online to purchase in bulk or get special colors, fragrances, luxury oils, professional molds etc.

[JacquiO]

Sorry I just realized I was looking at this kit: http://www.brambleberry.com/Beginners-Cold-Process-Soap-Kit-P5202.aspx

I just read up and saw you linked to this $80 kit. So yeah to answer your question as a "CP expert" (I only teach it) I'd say no the "kit" is not the best way to go IMHO.