5 Tips for New Soapers

Hello, Friends! No matter what day of the week, I am an early riser. I simply cannot sleep past 6 a.m. Today was no exception. I got out of bed, made the coffee, cut my Unscented Oatmeal soap, and placed them on a rack to begin curing. Early mornings are the only time when my house is perfectly quiet and I can do my best work then. During this quiet time, I thought about the arts and crafts festivals that I would like to participate in and all of the preparation it would take for me to have a good turnout. I will keep you posted on my progress.

In the meantime, I wanted to give some suggestions to new soap makers out there. I have been asked by some who want to start making soap what's the best way to start.

Here are my 5 tips to Start "Soaping":
1. Research, research, research - become as knowledgeable as you can about ingredients used in making soap. The internet will become your best friend as there is a wealth of information on the web regarding this subject. Once people discover you are a sopamaker, they will want to know which of your soaps is good for certain skin conditions, such as eczema. You should be able to comfortably answer these questions, because you are now regarded as an "expert" and experts know their stuff!

2. Buy from a reputable supplier - Please do not take short cuts with your ingredients. I have learned this the hard way. Buy good stuff the first time and save yourself the heartache of having a product turn out bad because you started with poor ingredients. You will also be able to sleep at night knowing that the soap you sold Susie Q will not make her itch or cause skin irritation. DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.

3. Line up a couple of soap recipes and stick with those. I wouldn't recommend branching out to new recipes until you have mastered a few basics first.

4. Practice, Practice, Practice

5. Learn to take good notes - on everything! This is critical. I use index cards for my soap recipes. On the back of the recipe card, I note the date I made the soap, what I added to the recipe such as essential oil, fragrance oil, or colorant, and on the front I write the date that that batch is ready to use. I keep all of my cards in a rolodex. This has helped me keep things organized and is a wonderful reference.


I hope this helps some of you just starting out in soap making.