Teach Soap

Hi everyone. My name is Barbara, and I live in New Zealand. I have only been making CP soaps for about 3 months now, and absolutely loving it.
I read up all I could, and bought several very good books to get me going. The Castille soaps I've been making are devine. They have made a difference to my skin, it's so smooth and moisturised, this will be one of my main standbys. I plan to sell them at Markets in the Wellington area, and looking forward to meeting people who enjoy chemical free soaps, made with natural ingredients, and coloured with only spices and kitchen ingredients. Any handy hints and tips would be much appreciated. Regards Barbara May.

Welcome Barbara!
I know you are out of the US, but what rules and regs are there in your country before you can even begin to sell? Here are some regs for the US. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3800 How does that compare to where you're at?

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

Hi soapbuddy. We seem to only regulate on foodstuffs at farmers markets, licenses, fees etc. But with other crafts as long as you label everything clearly, and don't make false claims on contents, you are ok. We have a consumers institute here that will shut you down fast if you break that rule.
I will check with our local council just in case there is something that I haven't covered before I start selling though.
Before I started making soaps, I studied the details carefully for months, as I was aware of the dangers with Sodium Hydroxide. I take particular care when making each batch, and I follow the guidlines extremely closely. All the soaps are tested on my skin first, my partner, then family and friends. I just love them, they are so much kinder on your skin than mass produced types.
Looking forward to learning so much more. Regards BarbaraMay.

So how long have you been making soaps?

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

Hello soapbuddy, Thank you for viewtopic, that's right where I'm at. There is a very limited amount of handcrafted soapmakers in New Zealand, and there is no Soapmakers Guild over here, which is a shame, as it would be helpful for those like me that are just getting into it seriously. I have studied and practised Aromatherapy for many years, which has given me a good insight into amounts and mixes etc., but I want to keep them to a very small minute part of my soap making. I am striving to achieve soaps that are completely free of perfumes etc, but packed with goodness like dried and fresh herbs and spices, which will give a natural perfume on it's own. Coconut, oatmeal, cocoa powder, Goat's milk, are all part of where I am at with the soaps I make.
I won't be selling these soaps until I know that I am covered with the rules and regulations etc in our area. But we don't have any laws in NZ that will allow anyone to sue another person. So that part of it isn't a concern, you can be fined by the local Council for selling without a licence if you sell foodstuffs, so things are a bit lax in that dept here. However you have been very helpful, and the information you have given me has been much appreciated.

I have worked with many essential oils as well. I did take a 6 month class on Aromatherapy here in the US, but our country doesn't recognize any certificates like this. I teach Aromatherapy on occassion and enjoy it. Have fun with your soaps and if you need help, just holler.

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

Awesome, many thanks for that.
I started Aromatherapy about 25 years ago, would you believe I used to heat the oils when I worked in a woman's prison as a Corrections Officer? I used to experiment on stressed out staff, and help them get back to being calm and in control again.
I studied it for years, back then there were no courses, so I bought every book I could get my hands on, and taught myself. We still have a ready supply of the everyday oils like lavender, rosemary etc, I make my own now, so they aren't as potent as the bought ones, but just as good when put into the soaps.
Have a great day, regards BarbaraMay.

Hello from another New Zealander, I'm "just up the road" from you in Taupo.

Welcome Barbara and careful it is addictive!

When I started reading about this fascinating endeavor I thought I'd burn my eyes out. Enjoy!

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~bytheSEAsoap~ Mella bythesea, bythesea, bythebeautiful sea

海の皂

Hi there Mella and Hawai, yes it's addictive, I have been just making up the labels, that's an experience in it's self.
I am just about burnt out some days, with making batches, testing others, trying to get that right one. Still, I love challenges, and there was a calling from somewhere that said " It's time to set yourself another challenge, try making soaps this time" and here I am, and loving it every step of the way.
I couldn't get into this 25 years ago, so settled into Aromatherapy, but now my mind is in the right space, and it's all go. Burnt out eyeballs and all!!!!!!!
Great success to all of you.

Hello from another kiwi.
I too prefer using natural colourants and essential oils.
Have you tried adding your colourants at different phases of soaping to see which works best?

Hi Teresa, good to hear from another fellow kiwi, excellent. Yes I have been having some experiments with paprika and tumeric at different stages, and some were hideous, and others were very subtle. It's amazing what lye can do to your spices and herbs. My roses went brown, yuk. My fresh chopped rosemary looks ok, but will put more in it next time. Cinnamon looked great, but when mixed with cocoa and apricot oil, ginger and nutmeg, was awesome.
Edible, nearly!!!
How about your soaps? What is your favourite?
I love the Olive oil soap, and my other favourite is Goats Milk. That's one soap that drove me insane, until I read in another book that you freeze the milk first, then let it melt about 40% and slowly and carefully stir the lye into the icy milk. It works a treat, and I have lovely pale creamy coloured Goats milk soap, instead of bright orange and separated. That batch hit the bin, fast.
I am still experimenting with Tumeric, and can't wait until my marigolds are ready for drying, and putting them into the soaps for colour and effect.
What sort of spices etc do you use?

Hi BarbaraMay

Most botanicals turn brown eventually. Dried calendula flowers retain their colour and they are lovely! Parsley flakes stay green for a while. A sprinkling of your petals on top of your soap gives a nice look (and retains the colour).

I've used paprika and turmeric for colouring however the colours can fade (but this doesn't bother me!) Cocoa works well.

For exfoliating properties, poppy seeds are OK but can be scratchy. I've dried and grated various citrus fruits however I found these to be a bit too scratchy as well.

I use clays for colouring sometimes too.

Some folk use pureed fruits & veges to soap with as well...I've gone as far as juicing carrots and using this as my water content which gave a nice colour. You'll never look at supermarket in quite the same way again!!!

Hi Teresa, you are so right, I don't even go near the soaps in the shops anymore. My skin feels so soft and moisturised that I don't think I could ever use shop bought soap again.
Have you tried dessicated coconut or rolled oats ground finer are good too?
There are so many things to try, but lemon juice and lemon rind have turned out lovely, and I am going to get orris root this week to add to see if it makes a difference in keeping the smells in.
Carrot juice sounds interesting, I haven't tried that yet. I have just been given a couple of small lavender plants, so hopefully my dog doesn't eat these ones.
All my previous doberman have eaten my lemon trees, feijoas, and lavender bushes. Guess my dogs are into organics too, but it's pretty annoying when you think you still have fruit trees, to find that they've been jumped all over and chewed to the ground. It's never bothered them thankfully!!!

I did try des coconut in a small test batch once and it was scratchy. Maybe I needed to use a little less.
Oatmeal is great and you can grind it down to suit your taste.