Must Have Supplies?

Hey all! I am new to the soap game and want to start out with MP before I head to CP. I have done 2 batches of MP and I have tons and tons to learn still. But I also want to try bath and body items, too. I find I am getting frustrated when finding new tutorials to try when I realize I don't have the right tools for the job and the project ends up costing an arm and a leg. So my question is, what are the must-have tools and supplies to start with?

I have one silicone mold of 4 cavities of 5 oz rectangles. I know I need a scale that measures in grams and ounces and can measure down to at least 1/10, preferably 1/100 (.1 vs .01). The mold is pretty much the only supply I have that is reusable. What do you advise I shop for? I don't want to buy anything fancy at this point but I DO want products that will work for at least a year (like thermometer, stick mixer, etc.).

Thank you!

A mold or two, or three or ten... a large container (preferably with a spout) to make the soap in, a stick blender, a scale that measures to at least .1 oz like you said, some silicone spatulas like you use to frost a cake, a heat-resistant pitcher to make the lye solution in, safety goggles, and rubber gloves. Those are the bare minimum, you can also get a thermometer but I just let my oils and lye solution cool to room temperature so I don't have to worry about the temperature. A soap-cutter is a good investment, too.

I would like to have more molds! I think I'd like to stick with silicone ones, too, since I'd probably crack the plastic ones trying to get soap out :lolno: What are some of your all's favorite molds?

I mainly need the thermometer for making lotions...every tutorial I've read or watched mentions the importance of not overheating and I'm too new to just know from practice. Thankfully we have several silicone spatulas already. I do need a larger pitcher for some things, I'm not sure the capacity of our Pyrex measuring cup with spout...maybe 4 cups?

Goggles I can get inexpensively, didn't think about wearing protective eyewear. Soap in the eyes hurts bad enough, can't imagine HOT soap or ingredients! Will latex gloves work in protecting your hands? I have plenty of those but no rubber ones. Are latex gloves not equipped to handle some of the ingredients or hot liquids?

Soap cutter...YES! Not expensive, either

Keep the list going! Thank you!

It takes time to collect and supplies seem to be in multiple stores. It was frustrating. Prices were all over the place. I didn't want to bulk buy because I'm making for family. I ended up buying an expensive SB because it was the only choice versus driving all over to maybe save a few dollars or not.

A list of supplies for MP soaps will different than for CP soaps. One thing you didn't mention is good quality plastic containers. They need to be heat resistant with a pour spout. I bought to much in the beginning because I didn't know what I needed plus wasn't sure when I'd see it again.

Right now I'm trying to decide if making my own MP is more cost effect than buying. MP would be fun with my grandchildren. Do I buy or make my own wooden mold? What I'm trying to say is sooner or later you'll probably do it all? If you do buy the wrong thing out of turn don't worry you'll use it later.

I'm looking at this like scrapbooking of which I have a ton of supplies! I didn't have the manual die cutter, or the electric die cutter, fancy hole punch and eyelet setter, etc. to start with. I just bought as I realized how much I would use each thing and how much more I could do if I had those supplies.

I do need to purchase more plastic containers with a spout. We only have one and there's an easy MP soap recipe that I would need at least 2 for.

Latex gloves should be fine, I haven't found anything indicating otherwise. I haven't bought any silicone molds yet actually, I've just been using stainless steel loaf pans & cutting the soap the same way you would cut a loaf of bread. If you have a Goodwill near you, you should be able to find a cheap stick blender, but it might be more cost-effective in the long run to buy a new stick blender. When I make 2-pound batches, those 2 pounds of oil fill a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup to about 1/4-1/2 inch away from the brim. Wouldn't recommend mixing soap in it... I use a gigantic plastic bowl, no spout unfortunately (soon!)... not sure the capacity, but I haven't had any problems with overflow.

Check out your local Dollar tree. That's where most of my supplies are from. Large pitcher bowls, multiple plastic 4 cup measuring cups, silicone spatulas, etc. You won't want to use the same plastic or silicone items for soap and cooking. Fragrance oils or essential oils leave permanent scents in plastic and silicone.

There are 2 videos from the soaping 101 channel that can help you, one is on Dollar store soap and another is just a video on Dollar store soaping supplies. I'd directly link them but I'm posting this from my phone in the middle of cooking.

The thrift store and dollar stores are your friends.

Look at the thrift stores(or call them first), for stick blenders(get 2), and if I were you, I would go ahead and watch for a crock pot or two. I have a feeling you are going to want to CP, then HP, then make liquid soaps. It is a hobby that tends to do that to folks. Go ahead and watch for anything that might make an interesting mold while you are there. You can save LOTS of money by visiting a thrift store first.

Dollar stores: You are going to end up wanting some dedicated soap making equipment if you start making CP or other soaps from scratch. Spatulas for $1, safety glasses, bowls, parchment paper, drawer dividers that make excellent loaf molds, cheap trash bags to act as liners, etc.

Shop those two places first before going to Walmart to fill in items.

I got a digital thermometer and a kitchen scale there for under $40 for the two. I don't recall exact prices. But after saving so much money at the thrift store and dollar stores, it was not quite so hard of a hit to the budget.

Here are a couple of videos discussing dollar store soap supplies:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWnqXTqZTvU[/ame]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYhH20vWxvc[/ame]

Lol, guess I don't have to feel bad for not directly linking them.

I use Nitrile gloves from Costco and they work fine. Some gloves will actually harden with the use of lye. I also get some heavier gloves from McMaster Carr that are green in color and rated for chemical use.

Awesome idea going to the dollar store for the mixing bowls, containers, and spatulas! My grandma is on hiatus from her job at the Dollar Tree (we have three Dollar Generals but no Dollar Tree!) for those things. Our silicone spatulas are looking poor at this point and don't get used except for rare occasions. I decided to go ahead and buy a new stick blender (pink one from Cuisinart...I think it's Cuisinart...from Bramble Berry since it's really cheap right now...and pink!!!) and will look at Walmart for a good scale. Save on shipping for sure. You all are so helpful!

I use plain old latex gloves. I am a nurse, so I am accustomed to them. I have some nitrile gloves that just don't feel or bend right. I do change gloves if I think I have gotten lye or lye water on them, as I do not want to spread that all over my kitchen, so the lye really does not get much of a chance to harden them.

I used to use the disposable purple nitrile gloves, but have found that if you get concentrated lye on them and lots if really hot water, then it can weaken them and sometimes break through a little so I now use thick yellow reusable dish washing gloves.

I too get a lot of my supplies from the dollar store. However, I use Nitrile gloves from Harbor Freight. They work great and aren't expensive. Once it awhile I do have one break but not a big problem. I love the silicone liners from Brambleberry. I had my husband make my wooden molds that the fit in. Greatest thing every. A good scale and stickblender are important tools.

I have several big rubbermaid tubs FULL of decorative molds, and I rarely use them. Like you said, they crack. And it's soo frustrating to work and work to get the soap out of those molds, then have all the little details lost. My mom rides horses and has a lot friends in the horse world, so I do use some horse molds a lot. But other than that, the fancy decorative molds just sit.

My Dollar Tree doesn't have silicone spatulas, it has plastic spatulas, and those melt, or get hard and rigid. I get my silicone spatulas at Big Lots or HomeGoods.

One of my favorite molds is a plastic downspout from Lowe's. Tape a plastic bag over the end, grease it well with mineral oil. Cheap and comes in a few different shapes.

OOOoooOOOhhh!!! Good idea there! Thanks Dixie!

Dixie that is a WONDERFUL idea!

I will have to go to Big Lots and see what I can get there after I make a trip to Dollar General. I'll look out for plastic spatulas, don't want those!

Cheap Start Up

I'm new to soap making as well. I went to Walmart and bought paint mixing pails for mixing oils and my lye solution. I also bought a few cheap silicone spatulas for mixing. I bought a stick blender on Amazon for less than $30 and a scale on Amazon as well. The scale measure in pounds, grams and ounces. Goes to the .01 like you were saying. The scale was about $45. The rest of the items I had around the house, a stainless steel spoon, a large 8 cup pyrex measuring cup with spout. I use loan pans lines with plastic bags as molds until I can buy some nice wooded molds. I also bought a large bowl from Walmart for $1.98. It's one of those plastic ones they put on sale at the beginning of the BBQ season. I've gone to the dollar store and bought containers for lotions and body oils. Most of my EO were bought on line. My carrier oils (olive, sunflower, coconut etc) I buy at Walmart. There are tons of places to buy things cheap and also tons of recipes out there to use with what you can afford to buy. Hope this helped.

Yes, your post was SUPER helpful! I never thought about getting product containers in a dollar store, what a good idea! I need to make it to Walmart soon so I can grab some of those barbecue season deals

For smaller batches (2# or less) I mix soap in a plastic paint-mixing bucket. You can get them at home improvement stores, or WalMart. I mix my lye in a smaller version of it. I have the buckets in several sizes. They are a little flimsy, but they are so cheap, I don't mind the idea of having to buy more of them. They don't have pouring spouts, but they can be pinched to make it easier to pour.

I do have a couple of big stainless steel bowls for larger batches.