Total noob question.

[awsreete]

Hey, guys, I think a lot of people asked this, but lets try [emoji4] so.. I am planning to start making my own soap. Im also taking some online lessons, because I feel like getting a diploma is pretty important. Ok, lets get back to the question.. em.. I dont know where to start.. what to buy first, etc.. I cant decide what to do first: cold or hot process. Can you, please, comment how did you started? P.s. i dont have any equipment in my kitchen, except a blender (not a hand one). That means I need to buy full equipment. Every answer will be helpful [emoji4] thanks in advance [emoji8]

 

[LilyJo]

Hey, guys, I think a lot of people asked this, but lets try [emoji4] so.. I am planning to start making my own soap. Im also taking some online lessons, because I feel like getting a diploma is pretty important. Ok, lets get back to the question.. em.. I dont know where to start.. what to buy first, etc.. I cant decide what to do first: cold or hot process. Can you, please, comment how did you started? P.s. i dont have any equipment in my kitchen, except a blender (not a hand one). That means I need to buy full equipment. Every answer will be helpful [emoji4] thanks in advance [emoji8]

Hey, you dont need loads of specialist equipment to start and you can buy a cheap stick blender from Argos or Tesco to get you started. Lots of the other bits, bowls, jugs, spoons etc you can get from the pound stores or similar.

If you want a mould the best place is ebay, there are a few good uk suppliers rather than waiting for an order from China. Most oils you can get from supermarkets etc to start with but the one you will striffle with is castor so you will either need to get that from ebay or from a wholesale supplier like Soap Kitchen or Just A Soap.

I only do CP and MP and havent attempted HP but I believe you would need a slow cooker for that - again something you can get from Argos relatively cheaply.

If you are going to buy from Soap Kitchen etc you will see all the oils, fragrance, micas and moulds you would want but dont forget the prices dont include VAT and you will have to pay for shipping - ebay is usually cheaper for small quantities when you first start out.

HTH, happy to help another UK soaper if you need anything

 

[LilyJo]

Oooh, meant to say whya diploma? Whats the reasoning behind starting along that track?

Oh and welcome to the forum!!

 

[awsreete]

Hey, you dont need loads of specialist equipment to start and you can buy a cheap stick blender from Argos or Tesco to get you started. Lots of the other bits, bowls, jugs, spoons etc you can get from the pound stores or similar.

If you want a mould the best place is ebay, there are a few good uk suppliers rather than waiting for an order from China. Most oils you can get from supermarkets etc to start with but the one you will striffle with is castor so you will either need to get that from ebay or from a wholesale supplier like Soap Kitchen or Just A Soap.

I only do CP and MP and havent attempted HP but I believe you would need a slow cooker for that - again something you can get from Argos relatively cheaply.

If you are going to buy from Soap Kitchen etc you will see all the oils, fragrance, micas and moulds you would want but dont forget the prices dont include VAT and you will have to pay for shipping - ebay is usually cheaper for small quantities when you first start out.

HTH, happy to help another UK soaper if you need anything

Thank You so much I will totally check all the stores [emoji4]

Oooh, meant to say whya diploma? Whats the reasoning behind starting along that track?

Oh and welcome to the forum!!

Oh, Its just online course. Just need more basics and if I will plan to sell my soaps later, I think that people will trust me more with diploma. (Dunno if Im right).

 

[LilyJo]

Oh, Its just online course. Just need more basics and if I will plan to sell my soaps later, I think that people will trust me more with diploma. (Dunno if Im right).

Its something I looked into as well, I dont think you need a diploma to sell soap although I know from looking myself it should cover loads of interesting areas - who are you doing it with?

I know its further down the line but dont forget that before you get round to selling you will need to get your products safety assessed (hopefully they will cover that in your course) and you will need to factor that into your long term plans. Ebay becomes more tricky at that point as you will need to determine a supplier and provide MSDS for all your ingredients in order to get the assessment.

 

[Saffron]

Welcome to the forum.
What LilyJo said.... also, Amazon is a good place to find oils, NaOH and FOs - cheaper than Soap Kitchen.

Yep, when it comes to soaping, I would say experience is more valuable than a certificate.

 

[Susie]

Yep, when it comes to soaping, I would say experience is more valuable than a certificate.

^^^^This! And this forum is better than any course you can take to get you started. It is also free in case you decide you hate making soap.

If you have a limited budget, and need a full set of stuff, don't forget thrift stores. They have many items like stickblenders and crock pots. You also don't need an expensive mold. My first molds were plastic drawer organizers (look for a 2 or a 5 in the little triangle on the bottom). They worked quite well, and only cost $1 each.

 

[lsg]

Try soaping101 YouTube tutorials.

 

[earlene]

I don't know much about thrift or second hand stores in the UK, but that's one place I do shop regularly for some of my soapmaking things. I have found silicone molds, wooden boxes that are well suited for soap molds, pitchers suited to mixing my lye solution, bowls for mixing soap batter, a used crock pot/slow cooker, etc.

Other than that, finding a source in the UK for your caustic soda will be important. A stick blender is not absolutely required, but certainly quite useful for soapmaking, especially if you use slow-to-trace formulas.

Read up on the types of plastic that are safe to use with lye solutions before you buy. Read up on how to extend the life of your stick blender when used for making soap (very important before you first use a SB in soapmaking). Read up on proper safety precautions and gear for soapmaking before you make your first batch. The Beginner's forum here has lot good information. Start with the 'sticky' posts in Beginners and Lye-Based sub-forums.

What NOT to buy: pH strips - waste of money for lye soap as they are not at all accurate and don't tell you is if a soap is safe. Learn to do the zap test properly (no equipment required) and that's all you need to do to find out if your soap is safe to use.

Expensive online training courses! Don't pay for expensive online training courses. There are so available as has been mentioned by others, that will teach you the basics. Ask questions here at SMF and learn from other's experience for free.

I have never, ever, never in my life, asked a soapmaker or manufacturer if they had a diploma or where they learned to make soap. I am an old woman, so that's a long time of not caring about a diploma for soapmakers. I have asked questions about how they make their soap and what's on their soap labels. Their answers will tell me if they know what they are doing and if I am satisfied, then I may buy their soap. If they can't explain a few basics of soapmaking or why something is on the label, they could display a diploma all they want, but I would not buy their soap.

edit to correct misspelled word (is should have been if)

 

[penelopejane]

I agree that courses are unnecessary. Your soap will speak for itself. Read extensively here and watch all of the soaping 101 videos. There are lots of other videos - just look on YouTube - but soaping 101 has good, accurate, reliable info.

Don’t believe everything you read about soap on the internet - check here first.

 

[awsreete]

I don't know much about thrift or second hand stores in the UK, but that's one place I do shop regularly for some of my soapmaking things. I have found silicone molds, wooden boxes that are well suited for soap molds, pitchers suited to mixing my lye solution, bowls for mixing soap batter, a used crock pot/slow cooker, etc.

Other than that, finding a source in the UK for your caustic soda will be important. A stick blender is not absolutely required, but certainly quite useful for soapmaking, especially if you use slow-to-trace formulas.

Read up on the types of plastic that are safe to use with lye solutions before you buy. Read up on how to extend the life of your stick blender when used for making soap (very important before you first use a SB in soapmaking). Read up on proper safety precautions and gear for soapmaking before you make your first batch. The Beginner's forum here has lot good information. Start with the 'sticky' posts in Beginners and Lye-Based sub-forums.

What NOT to buy: pH strips - waste of money for lye soap as they are not at all accurate and don't tell you is a soap is safe. Learn to do the zap test properly (no equipment required) and that's all you need to do to find out if your soap is safe to use.

Expensive online training courses! Don't pay for expensive online training courses. There are so many available as has been mentioned by others, that will teach you the basics. Ask questions here at SMF and learn from other's experience for free.

I have never, ever, never in my life, asked a soapmaker or manufacturer if they had a diploma or where they learned to make soap. I am an old woman, so that's a long time of not caring about a diploma for soapmakers. I have asked questions about how they make their soap and what's on their soap labels. Their answers will tell me if they know what they are doing and if I am satisfied, then I may buy their soap. If they can't explain a few basics of soapmaking or why something is on the label, they could display a diploma all they want, but I would not buy their soap.

And why i didnt find this forum earlier? You are so helpful

 

[awsreete]

I am sending a really huge THANK YOU, to each of You. I did not expect to get so much info and You all are so nice for sharing Your thoughts with me. [emoji274]

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Hi and Welcome, Awsreet!

As for input from the rest of the gang, this thread is a fun read "What advice would you give to your beginning soaping self?":

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=62916