Cheap but Good Soaping Supplies

[Angel Colbert]

I am very new, in fact I've only worked with a kit of melt and pour soap so far. I'm already addicted but I want to do cold process soaps. Can you tell me where to get the necessary soaping supplies? I don't want to spend to much but I also don't want poor quality supplies.

 

[shunt2011]

Hello and welcome. You can use a box for a mold. You can also get lard, coconut, castor and olive oil at the grocery store. Some hardware stores carry lye. Scale, buckets, utensils at Walmart.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Depending on where you are based, lye can be found in hardware stores and oils in the supermarket.

As for equipment, a digital kitchen scale which does at least grams is good. Plastic or stainless steel containers (never glass!), and a stick blender. I don't generally mix my kitchen and soaping equipment, but that's more to do with lingering scents becoming tastes rather than a safety issue

 

[dixiedragon]

I'm assuming you are located in the US. Brambleberry has some good kits:
https://www.brambleberry.com/Natural-Soap-Kit-for-Beginners-P6607.aspx

You can buy most of what you need at Wal-Mart, but I think you would save money with this kit, especially because shipping is free (I think) on their beginner kits.

But depending on how simple you want to be, you could make a simple soap - 100% lard - with lard you buy at Wal-Mart, a shoe box lined with freezer paper, lye from the hardware store, and a spoon.

 

[happyshopper]

you don't need much as a beginner (I am just learning too)

I would not get hung up on good quality at this stage. Oil is oil and whilst some might be slightly better than others, for a beginner I don't think it makes sense to spend a fortune. It is a lot of trail and error to start with. Once you have found your perfect combination then you can consider researching brands and suppliers for the quality.

To avoid postage costs I would search the local supermarkets/hardware shops.

I recommend using lard in your first attempt as this keeps the cost down, if you make an error you have not lost much.

Good Luck

 

[zanzalawi]

it is doable to get started on the cheap!
i enjoyed this video- you might as well, from the soaping 101 on youtube,

EDIT: when i was getting started i got a bunch of equipment from estate and garage sales- big glass bowls etc, and watched coupons and sales and got a Cuisinart stick blender from kohls for $20

 

[Sidzisoaper]

Dollar store. I buy most of my spatulas and containers at the dollar store. My local dollar store even has small containers of coconut oil and olive oil. My very first batches used a lot of vegetable oil (Soybean oil) because it was cheap and available. Also, your club stores (like Sam's and Costco) have the best price on olive oil that I've found, but you have to buy in bulk (1 gallon containers).

 

[zanzalawi]

oh and there is that sale at lowe's right now for rice bran oil, wicked cheap
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/lowes-riceland-rice-bran-oil.70244/#post-702259

 

[earlene]

When I was new, I raided my recycle for potential soap molds. All kinds of things worked great for that with no added cost. I also visited the local thrift store in town and picked up some real bargains on silicone baking containers that I still use for soap making. Purchasing Freezer Paper at the grocer and lining a cardboard box makes a good soap mold that can be used over and over again as long as I re-line with Freezer Paper each time.

For oils, I used my local grocer and made my recipes based around what was available locally. Later I started ordering online when I wanted to try some oils not available locally. When starting out you don't really need to add color, until you get comfortable with the process and find recipes that produce the kind of soap your skin loves. Some natural colorants that last in soap can be purchased in the spice aisle at your grocer. Annatto seed and turmeric come to mind as lasting colorants. I've tried various herbs, but most did not last long for coloring soap.

The most important item I had to purchase online was an accurate scale. IMO, this is the most important item and good quality is essential. A stick blender is not an absolute must, but highly recommended. I got one for as cheap as $13 at Walmart once that I use when I travel. As long as one does not over-use a SB, using only short bursts, the motor does not overheat and even an inexpensive SB can last a long time. I have also read of people who find them at thrift stores, but I haven't seen any since I started soaping.

 

[dixiedragon]

I recommend silicone spatulas - FOs will melt a lot of plastic ones. Sometimes the Dollar Tree/Store will have them, but not that often. I get them for good prices at Bargain Hunt.

 

[nvn8v73]

I'm a noob to soaping as well and am looking for good online suppliers to buy micas (if needed) and sodium hydroxide (food grade). Most suppliers I hear about online or from YouTubers are from the east coast and I am here on the west coast so I am hoping to find one where my shipping won't cost me an arm and a leg like my first shipment just did OMG!! At the moment I am just bookmarking sites that I just hear about online.

 

[shunt2011]

I'm a noob to soaping as well and am looking for good online suppliers to buy micas (if needed) and sodium hydroxide (food grade). Most suppliers I hear about online or from YouTubers are from the east coast and I am here on the west coast so I am hoping to find one where my shipping won't cost me an arm and a leg like my first shipment just did OMG!! At the moment I am just bookmarking sites that I just hear about online.

For micas, Nurture Soap Supplies has excellent micas. Lye, food grade I get from Essential Depot. Shipping for lye can be higher then for other things .

 

[earlene]

For NaOH & KOH, I often find good prices at Amazon Prime. Sometimes, Essential Depot has a really good sale and free shipping and I buy it there. I alternate between both for my online supply of lye. (True, Amazon Prime does require an annual fee, but we use it a lot, not just for soaping stuff.)

There are some vendors on the West Coast, and many in the mid-West and the South.

Here is a pretty good list (not sure how long ago it was originally posted, but I use several of these vendors):

http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/soap-making-suppliers.html

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I'm assuming you are located in the US. Brambleberry has some good kits:
https://www.brambleberry.com/Natural-Soap-Kit-for-Beginners-P6607.aspx
You can buy most of what you need at Wal-Mart, but I think you would save money with this kit, especially because shipping is free (I think) on their beginner kits.

I checked and shipping IS free. That's a very good buy for a beginner...

 

[zolveria]

if you have a local hardware (mom and pop type of store ) store ask them if they can order lye for you.. my Local hardware order 6 2lb buckets for me 60 bucks