Teach Soap

Hi everyone. I've missed hanging out here. I've been heads down a bit with crafting soap for Etsy, some upcoming fairs and a new repeat buyer coming to my house to pick up 40 random soaps. Yowzah! -- More on that later....here's my quandry...

So I picked up my bulk soap order from SFIC (I live near them) and I asked them for a 'free' sample of one of their soap bases - they are very nice about that and gave me 2 lbs. of the Crystal Clear base. It's not 100% natural becuase they need to add a mild surfactant to it which gives it that clarity. Becuase of that and some extra glycerin the soap sweats more. Which I was aware of.

So I made this soap below - only 4 soaps -




And put it in the packaging. I just looked at it today and sure enough it had created this film on it which I guess I was hoping it would not do in the bag. That first little layer is likely no more than 1/4 inch (could even be an 1/8 but I don't recall) of crystal clear soap on the top *SO - What to do?*

To avoid this I guess I can (wipe off the film?) first wrap this paticular soap in Saran Wrap then put some kind of sticker on the back saying "A Slice of Delight - Hand Crafted Soap" - just to hold all the saran wrap in place. Then put it in the bag and it should be okay. BTW - my tag on the bag is where all the info/ingredients/contact info is already located.

What I don't like about this - is it adds to the packaging in a way that takes away from my msg that my packaging is either recyclable or biodegradeable. Or do I write some 'disclaimer' as to why the extra packaging is wrapping the soap on that label?

So - if I continue making this soap I'm not sure if I should use the 'crystal clear' base. Glad I got this sample first!! - I saw Anne Marie's SoapQueen TV episode where she talks about getting the regular soap clear by using a Blue labcolor - is that the same as any TKB (nonbleeding) blue I might have in my stash? And if so which blue would be best? I know if I don't use the crystal clear soap and just use the veg soap base it will have a tinge of yellow.

Does anyone have any ideas/suggestion on how to rethink this design?

Thanks tons!!
Hilary

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http://www.asliceofdelight.etsy.com

They look cute! Could you spritz them with alcohol, let dry, then shrink wrap? It would be something different in your soap line, right?

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Thanks Irena for your reply. I don't have a shrink wrap machine so that isn't an option at the moment. Any other thoughts/ideas?

Thanks
Hilary

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http://www.asliceofdelight.etsy.com

Sounds like saran wrap is the way to go then. Just wrap it as tightly as you can and put the label around where all the ends meet.

You know you can use shrink wrap with a hair dryer or a heat gun? You don't need a machine for that.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Going down the path with the saran wrap - I struggle personally with the issue that the packaging I've chosen is biodegradable and the use of packing this one soap is not biodegradeable (I make no judgement on any wrapping people choose) - just that I'm feeling astray on this since this is one of my points on my Etsy site. Perhaps I should just abandon this design

One option I suppose is to package with saran/sticky label with all ingredient info and forgo the tag. And of course remove any words on my label that mention that you can compost the bag (since there is no bag now). And on my Etsy site mention this is packaged differently based on the soap formulation it requires a tighter wrapping.

I guess maybe - I could 'try' this soap using a tiny drop of blue colorant in the plain veg base and see how that goes. It's not a big deal to try it. Why don't I do that and then get back to everyone.

Thanks. I so appreciate the input as it allows for more creative/critical thinking to occur. It's all good!!

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http://www.asliceofdelight.etsy.com

I know you may not want to go to the expense but there are some well priced shrink wrapping machines on ebay.. I've seen them for 20 sterling, can't be much more than that in $'s? It could be worth the investment because you could reuse it for your other soaps possibly?

Alternatively, I have a few sheets of shrink wrap I can post you if you want to try them out too... Anne Marie has used a heat gun on these (very low setting) which could help? Save having to buy a shrink wrap machine maybe?

Good that you got to test it out, personally I'd not be buying it again if it's causing these problems for a few soaps.

I find myself always returning to the goatsmilk and clear glycerine every time.

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Would you potentially use more shrink wrap type stuff? Because is supposed to be biodegradable (available at , though I found other suppliers in a quick search).

Good luck!

Hey hun. I know what you mean about bio degradable packing. I've tried to go with it as much as possible too. I bought a HUGE roll of shrink wrap which is bio-degradable. Other packing is cardboard, so all okay there. BUt don't dismiss the shrink just yet - it is waaaay better than the saran wrap.

I just purchased a shrink wrap sealer on Ebay. It was $59 plus 20 something shipping. I've been using shrink wrap film (WAY, WAY better than SW), holding it together with tape, shrinking with a heat gun, then removing the tape (carefully). It works fine, and can be retightened later.

The reason I ordered the sealer is due to arthritis in my fingers. I'm all thumbs when wrapping, so hoping to save myself some time. On the down side, wrapping gift baskets this way isn't so great, as the seal isn't dependable (thus the sealer, as well).

In time, (when I'm "madly" successful, I will order the $300 SW machine from National. It is so superior to anything else out there, and should make wrapping really quick and easy.

I also use the crystal clear base, and wasn't aware (until now) that this film I tend to get sometimes is due to that. Oddly enough, I don't have the problem with all the bars, just an occasional one. Going against what is recommended, I don't cover my base when it's being melted. Maybe allowing some of the extra moisture to escape has helped.

Hilary, I I felt like you might be worrying too much about the wrapping. If you are packaging for retail, assume that the buyer is going to unwrap it fairly soon, and the tight film won't be needed. If for wholesale, however, it needs a tight wrap (that's going to get baggy in time... grrrr). There just is no simple answer... in fact, I haven't found an answer at all. Don't you just wish we could sell them unwrapped! Slicing at the point of sale seems to be the only way that is possible, but not the type soaps I do.

Waiting for the answer on which lab blue works best.

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Barbara at Oasis Soap Co.
http://www.oasissoap.com

Your soaps look beautiful - as always!!

I agree with the others, shrink wrap does look a lot nicer than Saran Wrap (although I agree - I don't pass judgement on how a person choses to wrap). I swear by my shrink wrap system and I think it was one of the best investments that I've made. When my current roll is gone, I'm switching to the bio-degradable polyolefin (Bi-olyfin). I've been talking to the manufacturer and he said it works great.

I keep my M&P soaps on the curing racks with the CP soaps for a few days and run the dehumidifer. I don't know if it helps, but I don't have problems with sweating.

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HEAVENLY SCENT SOAPS

I personally use cello and wrap them carefully, almost like Christmas pressies! I actually enjoy wrapping them! I think it gives a very professional image.

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Okay. I've come up for air - but barely. Thank you all for the info on the shrink wrap directon.

I tried the peppermint swirl soap again (used left overs of a eucyalyptus/spearmint FO) so it was a green/white swirl. I used the regular veg glycerin (SFIC) -- I think within a 1/4 cup of glycerin I put in one or two drops of TKB Blessing Blue colorant. That 'thin' layer that gets poured first in the mold is about a 1/8" layer of which you then place the white swirls to start.


The results - *not bad* actually. It will never be "crystal clear' but I would rather have no sweating ad no spec of detergent in the soap in order to say it's all natural soap base. And most folks won't even have a sense that it isn't 'super clear' because the design speaks for itself. I'm glad I can work with Blessng Blue!! - Hey it's a blessing. Zen moment.

I'll post a photo when it's daylight.

Thanks much
Hilary

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http://www.asliceofdelight.etsy.com

So the normal base you use is all natural and doesn't sweat? I started using the WSP all natural and it sweats like crazy! I had to rewrap about 100 bars with saran wrap because of it. Which base are you using?

I use a biodegradable shrinkwrap. And you don't need a shrinkwrap machine. Just cut the required size, tape the edges with a bit of sticky tape. Then blast with just a normal hairdryer to shrink. I just use the shrinkwrap and no bags, i think it gives a more proffessional look and doesn't distract from the soap at all.