Hello there!

[Iris Reola]

Hi! My name is Iris and I've been researching soap making for a few months now, but only just found the time to actually get started about two and a half weeks ago. My first batch was a bit unattractive because I managed to overheat it, each batch since has been lovely! I have made six three pound batches of soap so far total and hope to sell at my local YMCA's holiday bazaar later on this year.

... oh, I make cold process soap, by the way! Being a little OCD, I find peace in all of the precise measurements one must make throughout the process of making soap from scratch.

 

[Hazel]

Hello Iris,

Welcoome to the forum!

Good luck with the bazaar. You won't have much time to be able to tell how your soaps will last. By this I mean how the FOs will stay or if they'll fade in a couple of months, the possibility of DOS or rancidity, color morphing, etc.

Have you checking into insurance, taxes and a business license?

 

[Iris Reola]

Not yet, no. I may drop in at my town office and ask about business licenses, but I didn't find anything under my state's government business page regarding it. As for the tax thing, have any resources regarding that that I may look at? I'm only 20, still live with my parents, and technically still a dependent, so I don't really know how to handle tax stuff.

EDIT: As far as color morphing goes, one of my soaps which used a fair amount of vanilla fragrance oil has already undergone a massive (but expected) change! It went from kind of a medium color to looking like brownies over the course of 24 hours.

 

[Hazel]

As far as color morphing goes, one of my soaps which used a fair amount of vanilla fragrance oil has already undergone a massive (but expected) change! It went from kind of a medium color to looking like brownies over the course of 24 hours.

I've had that happen several times. I keep praying that it will only discolor a teeny, teeny bit but nooo...it's double chocolate brownies!

You'll have to stop into your city's office and check on the requirements for operating a home business. There's been lots of discussions about opening a business. It does take a lot of planning and experimentation to get to this point.

Here's a great post about opening a business.

http://soapmakingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17621

Plus just going through and reading the General Business forum (if you haven't already) will give you some help.

http://soapmakingforum.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=17

Have you talked to your parents about starting a business? They may have knowledge or know someone who can help you. You can also go onto score.org. There might even be a local office near you. They do free mentoring to help people start businesses.

However, the first and major item is to know your product. How is your soap going to hold up in a year's time? People do buy soaps and stick them in a cabinet or drawer and leave them for a long time. I do it myself. Your soap might be wonderful for a few months but the fragrance may fade or it could develop DOS. You really don't want to be selling soap that will turn bad. It will give your business a bad reputation and pretty much destroy any chance of having a soap business.

I say you need to start handing your soaps out and getting lots of feedback from friends and family. Find out what they like or don't like about your soaps. Constructive criticism is some of the best feedback you'll ever receive.

I know when I first started soaping I was very happy with my soaps. But now they've really gotten much nicer than what I made in the beginning or even what I made a year ago. IMO, it might be a little too soon to be planning on selling in a few months.

HTH

 

[Iris Reola]

I actually have already started handing out soap (I tested them for a ballpark pH range before doing so) to people I knew free of charge as it was a fairly unattractive batch of soap, and so far people are rather liking it, which is quite encouraging!

 

[Hazel]

That's good. It's so very helpful to hear people's opinions.

My favorite feedback was "Your soap is great but it looks like poop".

 

[Iris Reola]

That sounds so... charming. What charming poop soap you made!

Yeah, my first batch test fine as far as zap and pH goes, but it's got this strange outer layer comprised of solidified soap bubbles (which most likely arose from overheating while attempting to CPOP). My mother and I have been handing these out to people we know who are aware that I've started making soap, live nearby, and have asked for it. The particular batch we've been handing out is scented with patchouli and has those ground walnut shells in it for exfoliation, and the exfoliating factor seems to be something that everyone we've given them to so far seems to like. I have fairly sensitive skin and eczema that comes and goes, so my skin has been loving the change to hand made cold process soap! I've already noticed an improvement to my complexion, which is quite exciting.