Greetings from pensacola florida

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Spin

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Hello everyone, suppose this should have been my first stop but I missed it along the way some how. Nevertheless I am here and eager to learn about soaps, shampoo bars, scrubs, and lotions and maybe a few other beauty products. Actually my wife Sharon and I are on this trip together - we both want naturally soaps and lotions within our home and maybe even produce some for sale as a hobby. Retirement is about 10 years off and we'll probably need something to occupy our time. We live on the gulf coast of Pensacola Florida and hope to learn from you folks and have some fun. Thanks and best regards
 
Hey and welcome!

Be sure you take enough time before selling that you know you are selling good soap that will last long enough for customers to hang onto the products for a while before selling.
 
Greetings. Be sure to do you research on the regulations in Florida, as I hear they are not very generous to small time soap makers.
 
Welcome to the forum and soap making. Do keep in mind that Soap is not shampoo. Also check Florida laws on selling soap, from what I remember it cannot be made in your home if you are going to sell.:bunny:
 
Welcome, Spin! :wave:

Ditto what Kamahido and cmzaha said- check out the laws in Florida. I've heard from those that live there that it has very strict laws in regard to selling handmade soap and lotions.

Ditto what Susie said, too- make sure you take enough R&D and testing time with your formulas before selling, because handmade lye-based soap is one of those curious things that that can go wonky a few weeks or even a few months down the road after a full cure.

Things to watch out for are DOS (i.e., 'dreaded orange spots', or rancidity), scent morphing and/or fading, color morphing and/or fading. It would be nice if these things showed up right away, but they take their time due to the chemical micro-processes that continue to be active inside lye-based soap over time.

Because of those things^^^, it is recommended to give each of your formulas and scents and colors at least one year of testing and observation before deeming them to be good enough to make for selling purposes. There's been one too many a tale of woe by folks who didn't spend the time testing/observing that sold their soap that looked and smelled great right after cure, but the customer came back a few months later unhappy because they didn't use the soap right away, and in the meantime it developed DOS, or the scent disappeared, etc... It's best to put in the time and have those bases covered before deciding to sell.


IrishLass :)
 
Welcome, Spin! :wave:

Ditto what Kamahido and cmzaha said- check out the laws in Florida. I've heard from those that live there that it has very strict laws in regard to selling handmade soap and lotions.

Ditto what Susie said, too- make sure you take enough R&D and testing time with your formulas before selling, because handmade lye-based soap is one of those curious things that that can go wonky a few weeks or even a few months down the road after a full cure.

Things to watch out for are DOS (i.e., 'dreaded orange spots', or rancidity), scent morphing and/or fading, color morphing and/or fading. It would be nice if these things showed up right away, but they take their time due to the chemical micro-processes that continue to be active inside lye-based soap over time.

Because of those things^^^, it is recommended to give each of your formulas and scents and colors at least one year of testing and observation before deeming them to be good enough to make for selling purposes. There's been one too many a tale of woe by folks who didn't spend the time testing/observing that sold their soap that looked and smelled great right after cure, but the customer came back a few months later unhappy because they didn't use the soap right away, and in the meantime it developed DOS advice to, or the scent disappeared, etc... It's best to put in the time and have those bases covered before deciding to sell.


IrishLass :)

Thank you for the advice. Well most likey tinker with some proven recipes from this forum if I can find them. And no doubt we'll be looking into local laws.
 
Howdy from Denver, Spin!

Do you ever go to the Palafox Market? I know soapers who sell there. They do quite well. They sell all natural goatmilk soap, goatmilk lotion, shampoo bars, lip balm, lemon eucalyptus mist spray (an effective skeeter repellant), etc. I'm sure they could help you with all the red tape whenever you're ready.

For now, go to the Beginner's Forum. Read the "Learn to Soap Online" Sticky. For a really good basic step-by-step introduction to soap making, Lovin' Soap Studio is a good place to start.

Welcome aboard and Happy Soaping!
 
Howdy from Denver, Spin!

Do you ever go to the Palafox Market? I know soapers who sell there. They do quite well. They sell all natural goatmilk soap, goatmilk lotion, shampoo bars, lip balm, lemon eucalyptus mist spray (an effective skeeter repellant), etc. I'm sure they could help you with all the red tape whenever you're ready.

For now, go to the Beginner's Forum. Read the "Learn to Soap Online" Sticky. For a really good basic step-by-step introduction to soap making, Lovin' Soap Studio is a good place to start.

Welcome aboard and Happy Soaping!

Seldom end up on that side of town but I'll make it a to do soon event for sure. Thanks for the advice and info.
 
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