Guy From Oakville ON

[Lafftar]

Hi guys, I got interesting in this hobby after a trip to Nigeria, I saw how they made black soap and what it could do for skin so I decided to get involved. I bought a few bars of black soap, brought them back to Canada and broke them down, melted them to make into new shapes so I could ship them, you can take a look here:



I'm kinda getting it, breaking it down to the smallest possible pieces, adding a very tiny bit of water to it and then microwaving and mixing with 15 minute intervals. The problem i'm having now is finding a good process to follow, I don't know how to properly melt the soap, sometimes it comes out amazing, sometimes (most times) it doesn't.

Otherwise, happy to be here, hope I can learn how to do this better!

 

[earlene]

Welcome, to the forum, Lafftar. Are you a hobbyist or planning a business? I am unsure by your post. You say hobbyist, but then you talking about shipping your re-batched soaps.

If you plan on selling your re-batched black soaps, you might want to read up on what starting a soapmaking business entails and any regulations that may apply, both in Canada and anywhere you may plan to do business internationally. It can be a bit of a sticky wicket, selling to other countries and complying with their regulations.

But even more than that, I have to ask, have you done extensive product testing prior to planning on shipping these soaps out to other people?

If it's just a hobby and you are shipping to family, regulations wouldn't be as important, but ongoing testing and evaluation of performance of your product is still highly important if you are adding anything new to the soaps.

 

[cherrycoke216]

welcome eh! (Totally not a Canadian,haha! )

 

[cmzaha]

Laffter. They do look nice with the mold you used.

Be aware of black soap, not all is created equal and I really do not understand what everyone thinks the great benefits are. Many are very high cleansing soaps using a large percentage of Palm Kernel Oil. If you have to register your formulas in Canada in order to sell you will have a problem, because true ABS is made in tribes with each having their own handed down recipes and no ingredient list. Here is the US we do not have to label true soap. Also be very careful of sharp plant material in the soap which can lacerate and/or cause an abrasion. I put warning labels on the ABS I sell and instructions to pinch off a piece of soap and smash it. Also a warning to never use ABS straight on the skin.

 

[IrishLass]

Welcome Lafftar!



IrishLass

 

[lsg]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[SunRiseArts]

Hello, and welcome!

 

[Lafftar]

Welcome, to the forum, Lafftar. Are you a hobbyist or planning a business? I am unsure by your post. You say hobbyist, but then you talking about shipping your re-batched soaps.

If you plan on selling your re-batched black soaps, you might want to read up on what starting a soapmaking business entails and any regulations that may apply, both in Canada and anywhere you may plan to do business internationally. It can be a bit of a sticky wicket, selling to other countries and complying with their regulations.

But even more than that, I have to ask, have you done extensive product testing prior to planning on shipping these soaps out to other people?

If it's just a hobby and you are shipping to family, regulations wouldn't be as important, but ongoing testing and evaluation of performance of your product is still highly important if you are adding anything new to the soaps.

HI, thanks for the advice. I'll read up on what starting a soap business entails, the extra money would be nice to help pay for transport at the very least.

welcome eh! (Totally not a Canadian,haha! )

Eh! That's what I'm talking abooot! Please, sorry and thank youuuu!

View attachment 28550 Laffter. They do look nice with the mold you used.

Be aware of black soap, not all is created equal and I really do not understand what everyone thinks the great benefits are. Many are very high cleansing soaps using a large percentage of Palm Kernel Oil. If you have to register your formulas in Canada in order to sell you will have a problem, because true ABS is made in tribes with each having their own handed down recipes and no ingredient list. Here is the US we do not have to label true soap. Also be very careful of sharp plant material in the soap which can lacerate and/or cause an abrasion. I put warning labels on the ABS I sell and instructions to pinch off a piece of soap and smash it. Also a warning to never use ABS straight on the skin.

I know the tribe that makes this particular brand of black soap so I figure it shouldn't be too much of a problem to find the ingredients that go in. I was in Nigeria for the winter.

I think I know what you're saying, the cocoa pods take the most time to melt, and sometimes remain on the soap.

How would you use ABS if you never use it directly on your skin?

 

[Happy2018]

HI!

 

[Lafftar]

HI!

Hi there!