starting a business

[iLAK]

Hello,

I 'm thinking of starting my own homemade soaps

I don't know much about it to be true

I read a couple of articles about making homemade soaps.
Correct me if I'm wrong but the homemade uses the cold process?

Also like cooking, can I just have one great recipe and then add coloring and scents to it?
e.g a plain white cake (original recipe) + banana scent = banana cake
is that how soap works?

about health standers and requirements anything I should be worried about

Anyone knows any great online store that sells all the needed equipments?

sorry for my lack of information

 

[Sunny]

kind of.

 

[Chay]

Welcome to the forum.
If you have never made soap before then you have a couple of years of research and development ahead of you before you even begin thinking of selling to the public.
The soapers on this website are great about answering questions and offering advice but expect new soapers to do the bulk of their own research. Go to your local library and check out some books on soapmaking, it's a great starting point.

 

[carebear]

maybe I'm not thinking like a business person, but I imagine your first step is to learn how to make soap. srsly. it's not as simple as those web sites that sell you a plan on how to get rich making and selling soap would have you believe. i hate those farking sites.

i suggest millersoap.com (or is it millersoaps.com ?). read the site - the whole site. read it again. then a third time. make soap. make more soap. read the site again and make many more batches of soap! that's a good start.
soapcalc.com is another good resource, there are lots of great places to read online.

 

[Healinya]

i suggest millersoap.com (or is it millersoaps.com ?). read the site - the whole site. read it again. then a third time. make soap. make more soap. read the site again and make many more batches of soap! that's a good start.
soapcalc.com is another good resource, there are lots of great places to read online.

deja vu? This site gets recommended a LOT and for great reasons!! It's a must read.

 

[Northland Naturals]

not to sound discouraging, but soaping is a craft and for some an art. honestly, you're not going to make any money at it mixing some oils and lye, adding scent, and putting it up for sale. it takes years of building your skill, trial and error, and perfecting your ideas. and then there are safety concerns. i think you'll find that most (successful) people who end up selling their soaps have put up thousands of dollars, countless hours, and have made hundreds of pounds of soaps before they even considered selling.

that said, ask questions, do your research, experiment, and have fun. you'll find the veterans on here to be incredibly helpful and knowledgeable.

i totally sound like a jerk, but i promise i'm not! i just have seen so many people come on expecting to just "start a business" and that generally isn't thought of as a good first step.

 

[krissy]

Hello,

I 'm thinking of starting my own homemade soaps

I don't know much about it to be true

I read a couple of articles about making homemade soaps.
Correct me if I'm wrong but the homemade uses the cold process?

Also like cooking, can I just have one great recipe and then add coloring and scents to it?
e.g a plain white cake (original recipe) + banana scent = banana cake
is that how soap works?

about health standers and requirements anything I should be worried about

Anyone knows any great online store that sells all the needed equipments?

sorry for my lack of information

to me, considering starting a soap making business before you have even tried making a batch of soap, is like buying a horse and having never ridden one before. it doesn't make sense.

soap making is not something you decide to get into because it is an "easy way to make extra cash". the process takes practice, the recipes take time to formulate and figure out what works and doesn't work best, then you have to actually put what you think is a good recipe into practice and see if it works the way you hoped it would. it is expensive depending on how much extra cash you have, and you have to think of the space you will take up with storing all of your supplies and finished bars while you learn what happens to the batches as they cure, as they are exposed to different seasons and temps etc. it takes tons of time to get an idea of how best to do everything for you.

starting a business should be the farthest thing from your mind when you first start soaping. you don't even know if you will like making it yet...

stick around here, put your business idea on the back burner and learn to make a good quality product that there is a demand for, test, test, test and then test some more. learn all you can and then start thinking of a business...

 

[ChrissyB]

I just want to add, that until you have tried good handmade soap, and made your own and stuffed it up, and then made some more, and some more, and some more, and finally come up with something that sort of resembles the good soap that you tried from someone else, you can't truly appreciate the craft that is soap making.
Have a look at some of the soap that is on Etsy, or other members here web stores, order some soap, try it, then you'll know what good soap feels like.
It is so very different to commercial "soap".

 

[Jezzy]

I'm a Newbie too.. I just made my first batch a few weeks ago and that was *just* laundry soap.. Before I made my first batch I researched for about a year. I read many books, spent hours and hours on the internet and asked many many questions. Then I felt comfortable enough to try it..

I invested a few hundred dollars in books and supplies before the first bar was finished...

I agree with the others. Making soap is more than just mixing lye and oils..

Before you do make your first batch I would do some research first.. I don't regret one second that I spent learning about soap before I made my first batch and I have sooooo much more to learn.

 

[dolly777]

Hello,

I 'm thinking of starting my own homemade soaps

I don't know much about it to be true

I read a couple of articles about making homemade soaps.
Correct me if I'm wrong but the homemade uses the cold process?

Also like cooking, can I just have one great recipe and then add coloring and scents to it?
e.g a plain white cake (original recipe) + banana scent = banana cake
is that how soap works?

about health standers and requirements anything I should be worried about

Anyone knows any great online store that sells all the needed equipments?

sorry for my lack of information

iLAK I can really appreciate your interest in a soap biz. It truly is a great art. As a person who has own multiple business my best advise is that you learn the ropes of the product or service you want to sell. Please don't look at the advise given to you by myself and others the bad way, we all just want you to succeed. The time that you spend learning the art of soaping are well spent. I spent 6 years of research and learning before I finally started to sale my soaps. Personally I'm glad that I did I know my product well and can market it with confidence.

Stick around, you will learn a lot. Everyone here is great and in the best disposition to help.

 

[honor435]

handmade soap is hp(hot process )and cp( cold).
there are tons of supply places: for oils, wsp(wholesalesuppliesplus.com), oilsbynature.com, soaperschoice
fo(fragrance oils) wsp, naturesgarden, bittercreek, peakcandle.com, berts heaven scent, and many more.
read as much as you can, watch utubes, then try try and try more.

 

[Deb]

I've been doing this for 12 years and I started my business after six, moved country and restarted now after 11.

I seriously wouldn't start a business without at least 5 years under your belt and a good idea of what you're doing.

And so far its not a business yet - its a not-yet-selfsupporting hobby!