What do you do with all the soap?

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RainyDayRose

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I have been intrigued with soap (and candle) making for some time now. Finally decided to jump in and ordered a small number of supplies to get started.

I'm looking for a fun hobby that creates something useful where I can experiment and be creative. This does seem to fit what I want, with one big open question in my mind.

What does one do with all the soap? My family is small, as is my circle of friends, and a person can only use so much soap. I don't really want to sell it because that sounds like too much work and this is for fun. I would love some ideas on what to do with the output of my new hobby.

Thanks in advance!
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. When I first started and had acquired around 300 bars of soap I started giving them to family, friends, mailman, etc. I still had a lot of soap and wanted to keep making it so I donated it to family centers and homeless shelters. I have also donated to those overseas serving our country. It's an addictive hobby for sure.
 
You could try not making too much soap. Make a batch of about 1lb or so and don't make it so often that you can't easily gift it and use it.

Think of it like other hobbies - cake bakers, for example, don't bake so many cakes that they stand around going off, but they bake what they want to when it makes sense to do so.

A lot of people seem to make soap daily or at least multiple times a week and then say that they 'have' to sell because their hobby is costing too much money.

Good thing is, you can always post a recipe here and get some feedback before you make it, so you can cut a lot of the wasted time out of the experimentation!
 
I've got about 80 bars (down from over 250) sitting in boxes now. I just "re"-started making soap in March and kinda went crazy making batches. I have an agreement with the local battered women's center that I will donate soap when I feel that there is too much sitting around, and I've been donating since May. The staff and those being served seem to really appreciate it.

I think that even if I eventually start selling, I will continue to make soap for the shelter. It's fulfilling.
 
You can also make laundry soap, and liquid soap. Those are fun. And keep a stock for holidays.

I give away soaps to everyone - my chiropractor, dentist, my plumber loves them! I have a bowl of soap at work. Soon Ill need to start donating - there's a womens shelter nearby that I will donate too when I get a box full.
 
I agree with TEG, make small batches. My family and circle of friends is also pretty small, and I make a 2lb batch of soap about every other week. The 7 bars I get from each batch then go out to friends and family (while I keep one bar for myself). Maybe you could also give some away at work? I work in a school, and at the end of the last school year I gave away 20 small squares of soap (a regular bar cut in half) and they all were so happy!
 
I make a lot of soap when I do. But I keep giving it to all the friends who visit us. I have sent some for family. recently when I had to take a break for a couple of months during our house moving, and my husband wanted his favorite bar I found that I was already running out. So I guess I am really good at getting rid of extra soap.
 
Got it. Small batches, don't be shy about giving it away, save some for holidays, and donate to local shelters. Also, I like the idea of verifying recipes here to avoid wasting product.

That all sounds very workable. Thanks!
 
Being new....I find it VERY hard to limit myself.

I feel I have to test everything because when they are finally ready to test out I want to be able to compare them to see what I like best
--oil choices
--additives (sugar, honey, oats, beer, milk, aloe, salt, clay, silk, colors, scents)

and then don't forget the
--Ooooh, I have got to try that design.

Yes, I have a very hard time limiting myself. My bars are almost ready to start checking out/testing out. I have sent a few home with my best friend the other day. I am using my shampoo soap. My 6 yr old keeps giving them as gifts anywhere she visits...."Mom, I want THIS soap to give to Grandma when I go to her house for the evening"

I have three kids, so teachers gifts...we have extended family, so gifting them. I love the idea of sending them in a care package to troops.

Right now I am really hurrying to find my few "solid" recipe bars so I can know what I want in them and actually make some pretties for the holiday season--truly properly cured.

ETA: My largest batch is only 700g at the most. I get 8 solid and 1 partial bar...
 
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I've got about 80 bars (down from over 250) sitting in boxes now. I just "re"-started making soap in March and kinda went crazy making batches. I have an agreement with the local battered women's center that I will donate soap when I feel that there is too much sitting around, and I've been donating since May. The staff and those being served seem to really appreciate it.

I think that even if I eventually start selling, I will continue to make soap for the shelter. It's fulfilling.

I really like this idea. I would love to do something similar once I have determined that I'm making safe to use soap. Thanks for the idea :)
 
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