Soap Newbie

[Blueflint]

After reading and looking on and off for 10 years, I decided to start making soap. We live on a small hobby size farm. I have a small side business selling heirloom seed, we raise a few heritage chickens and I have honeybees which we sell honey from and I use the wax to make lip balm. I am looking at expanding into lotion bars since they are so similar to lip balms and it is a great way to use surplus beeswax (value added product).

I made our first CP soap last weekend, a simple OO and CO recipe. I Incorporated 2% beeswax and a small amount of honey. So far so good, things went well. I am now waiting for these to cure and dry. I am primarily interested in making soap for our family to use but if things go well, I will add a few to our other bee related items to sell locally.

This forum has a wealth of experience and knowledge. I am looking forward to this new addition to our life.

 

[TheGecko]

Welcome.

I make lotion bars with Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter and Beeswax (all organic ingredients). My three top sellers have been English Rose, Vanilla Bean and Baby Powder, but what sells in your neck of the woods may be different.

 

[Blueflint]

Welcome.

I make lotion bars with Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter and Beeswax (all organic ingredients). My three top sellers have been English Rose, Vanilla Bean and Baby Powder, but what sells in your neck of the woods may be different.

Thanks. My lip balm is equal parts be weight Beeswax, Coconut oil ans Shea butter (all organic). This has a good consistency and feedback has been great. In my lip balm, Peppermint, Tangerine (tangerine and sweet orange mixed) and "Margarita Lime" have done very well.

I have not started to make lotion bars yet but have been reading up a lot about it and had decided to use Cocoa Butter in it so seeing your response sure helped! Any other tips would be appreciated.

 

[lsg]

Welcome to the forum. Have you thought about making beeswax candles?

 

[Blueflint]

Welcome to the forum. Have you thought about making beeswax candles?

Thanks. We don't make beeswax candles. I am careful when uncapping the frames and remove as little wax as possible. After rendering and filtering the wax, we sort it for particular use. The best wax is kept for lip balms (and now lotion bars) and the balance is used for waxing new frames as we set up new hives. Up until this year we have used all our surplus wax. This year I ended up with some extra and this will go towards lotion bar experiments.

 

[TheGecko]

I have not started to make lotion bars yet but have been reading up a lot about it and had decided to use Cocoa Butter in it so seeing your response sure helped! Any other tips would be appreciated.

My recipe is approximately 72% Cocoa Butter , 14% each Shea Butter and Beeswax. I use mini molds (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QVJ47W4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and it takes approximately 1.5 cups to fill each one. I used 6mls of FO per 1.5 cups; depending on the FO used, it may or may not be enough to get past the Cocoa Butter.

At the Craft Fair I did at the beginning of the month, I received a lot of positive feedback on the size of my 'bars'. I went with a smaller size because 1) that is my personal preference and 2) it encourages folks to purchase more than one. I had once many years go purchased a much larger lotion bar and it took forever to use it up...in fact, I still have a good third of it left. I got about a third of the way through it and was tired of the scent, but didn't want to waste it. And speaking of the scent, man was it strong. I used it once in church and had the entire congregation looking around.

I currently package it in small rectangular size ziplock bags, but am looking at small tins that I can sell as an 'add-in'. I sell my 'bars' for $2.00 ea or 3/$5.00. I can sell the tin for a $1.00 or give it away for 'free' if you buy a 3-pack of lotion. I'm also looking to sell them at local yarn shops, but I need to do some more testing to see how the lotion reacts with various fibers. As a fiber artists myself, I don't want greasy yarn.

 

[Relle]

Welcome Blueflint . Great to hear your story.

 

[IrishLass]

Welcome, Blueflint!


IrishLass

 

[shunt2011]

Hello and welcome!