Teach Soap

So I'm not selling my soap at this point but am working on different packaging ideas. So far I like the look of Kraft paper, Kraft boxes and parchment paper with some kind of label (though I found out that clear tape doesn't stick to it! Grrr). Then there are labels to think about ...

Has anyone found a good resource for label and packaging supplies out of Canada? I've been searching high and low and well, am not really impressed with what I've found so far online.

Also, anyone here have opinions around boxes versus paper wrapping? I've tried cigar bands and while they look really good (using cardstock), they're a pain in some ways (measuring/sliding off/soap bits coming off/etc). I also tried just wrapping the soaps (like little gifts) in plain brown Kraft paper and then putting a label on that. It's so-so. Not bad but not great IMO. I'd pursue this option further if I could figure out a nice label that doesn't look like it belongs on an envelope to mail bills

Love how parchment paper types of wrapping look but it seems you need something secondary to make it all hold together seeing as the tape doesn't work. Rice paper/mulberry paper is gorgeous too ... hard to find though.

I thought I'd enjoy this part of soaping but it's becoming more of an annoying obsession than anything. HA!

Karri

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I soap therefore I am.

I don't know about cost in Canada, but if you want to use parchment paper, do your cigar or belly band around that. Worked for me for a long time. Now I use different kinds of packaging for my different soaps. I use address lables for my ingredients, and circle lable for the main lable on the front.
HTH

(Sorry, can't help with the Canadian bit! )

I've been pondering the same sorts of questions in terms of packaging. XD Stuff like fancy mulberry paper is/was really tempting but I'm guessing the cost may defeat that in the long run for me

Boxes -- in my head it kinda depends on if you box and store for later, or box at time of sale. Because unless your soap fills the box exactly, I just imagine a stack of boxed soaps kind of smooshing each other's boxes under their own weight.

Right now I'm considering cigar bands under plastic shrink bands -- shrink bands of the right size would allow the soap to breathe (and be sniffed), and would hold a cigar band in place, but I suppose if the soap shrunk significantly after wrapping, you'd still have a problem there... (reheat the wrapper to re-shrink it? Dunno if it works that way. XD) Disadvantage there is that it's not as protective of the bars, though, in terms of getting dinged by general packing/handling...

(Hehe, FarmScape, I was thinking of the same usage of labels -- a rectangle for all that fine print but a nice circle for presentation ;D)

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CP newbie who's turning into a soaping addict!

works for me, and if I'm lucky I can get the lables at the dollar store! They're pretty cheap at office max or staples too. I use the circle ones that are for wedding favors.

I use shrink wrap over my bands when I do a show, or right before I ship stuff out. CP will continue to shrink up over a period of time, so sometimes it does get a bit loose. Not too much for me to stop using it though. I like how it protects the soap. The way I do it (untill I can afford that bio-shrink system thingy) is I either use shrink bags, and 1 end of the bar is open just enough for sniffing, but not too much that it will get gunked up. Or I use shrink tubes, same concept just both ends are open a little bit. It depends on what is the most affordable at the time I need to restock.

I also use mesh bags for certain things, and I wrap logs and big orders in kraft butcher paper, and hemp twine, caue it looks cool

Thanks for the ideas!

So have you found any colored labels then? I checked Staples (here in Canada) and their selection was quite poor. Haven't thought of the Dollar Store but the few times I've been in there I definitely didn't see printable labels. Hmm...
Karri

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I soap therefore I am.

I will say what is my favorite now but will also tell you that I may change my mind a year from now (it has happened before).
I have made a half box out of paper and did the label thing. I have wrapped in tissue (white is the best) and added a small sticky lable to the front. This one is best for my circle soaps. But rignt now I love the double cigar band with an address lable on the back to list ingredients and a round or square scalloped lable 'pop dotted' on the front. There was a thread somewhere on this forum where soapers showed off their packaging. Some are very professional looking and some are just 'down home' more natural looking.

It was under the new trends\off topic area, i found it by doing a search for packaging. If I knew how to post a link I would do that for you - sorry.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

You can get lables in any color or shape online easily enough. Pretty affordably too. Just do a search, or go to the avery site and start from there to get exactly what you're looking for.

I'm a HUGE papercrafter/scrapbooker. I use my cricut to cut some of my lables, and I use border punches for my belly bands on some of my soaps. It got to a point where I was spending WAY too much time and money on my packaging. It looks great, but really not cost or time effective. Plus scrapbooking paper can get way spendy. I do love the double duty of my papercrafting supplies though Some of my favorite stamps have migrated to my soap cabinet!

Oh! Forgot to add that my round, and oval soaps get wrapped in coffee filters! So easy, cost effective, and people seem to really like it.

@FarmScapeGoods - I'll have to dig deeper on the Avery site. Thanks! I did browse through some scrapbooking shops ... actually found a couple stamps I really liked but the ink doesn't dry forever. LOL. Wrong kind of ink I suppose (smears everywhere). I'm envious that you have the scrapbooking edge! I dabbled for a VERY short while when my first was a baby but I didn't get super into it. You're right on though re the packaging getting out of control ... it just goes in the garbage anyway. Sorta like wedding invitations You want them nice but not THAT nice!

PS: Are you in Canada? Your post sorta sounded like it

Karri

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I soap therefore I am.

Karri,
If you're looking for a good ink, try the brand "Staz-on" after it dries, it's not going anywhere, it even stamps onto plastic nicely I have had a few stamps made that I use, I will post this links later on.

Oh, nope, not from CA, I have family up there, but I'm just a midwest farm girl born and raised north of Chicago.

Gotta run, my little man is due at school for summer reading club in a few. And it's finally raining! Thank the Lord, maybe I won't loose most of my crops, it's been in the 100s the past week

Karri,

Well I'll tell you what works for me and I'm live on Vancouver Island. My sister and I currently use clear shrink wrap with a clear avery label on the front with name of soap and our name and city etc. then on the back we use another clear avery label for ingredients. The big problem for us is that Staples and Office Depot and Monk no longer carry the clear labels but only have the opaque which we hate. As we are running low on our crystal clear labels we now are using a clear smaller label on the front and a white on back for ingredients. We are currently experimenting with cigar bands though as it would save us on buying labels. The problem is it covers out soap designs and we make beautiful soaps.

As far as labels I've heard that online labels is a good place although it's an American company they ship to Canada. Elements bath and body is another place to try and it's also American but our dollar is worth more at the moment.

I agree the packaging part of it can be a challenge.

Michelle

@farmscapegoods - yay! thanks for the tip re the stamping ink. The ink I was using smudged all over and never really dried properly. Yuck! I love the look of stamped ink on a label so still playing with this.

@Michelle - This is really good info. I've been researching through some of onlinelabel.com's offerings the last couple of weeks and I have to say they do offer an amazing selection! Including the clear matte type labels you can print with a laser printer. I wonder if the ink would smudge or??

I made some cigar bands a few weeks ago with card stock and while they look really nice I have to be honest: total PAIN THE YOU-KNOW-WHAT. Mainly cuz you have to fool around with cutting and taping which I just can't see doing for a zillion soaps I can see though it might be okay if all the soaps are always the same size. But I am still unsure about having soap that is exposed to people's constant touching and sniffing if I were to do a market or something like that.

That said, I'd like to sell online too and to my mind, shrink wrap is still idea for both in-person selling and online selling. Plus some kind of nice label of course.

I don't do M&P (you do, correct?) so I'm thinking that new biolefin would be nice for CP soap b/c it supposedly breathes a little more and lets scent come through. And I love making beautiful soap too so I'm torn about covering them with paper!

I found a cool system over at nationalshrinkwrap.com that just seems so user friendly and economical. What I'm thinking I might like to do is shrink wrap and then have the label (one single strip) running from the front of the soap, over the bottom, and around to the back (for ingredients). Apparently you can insert the label (assuming not adhesive) right under the shrink wrap.

I have this fear of never getting off the ground when I am finally ready to sell simply because I can't figure out a decent labelling system! HA!

ETA: this is the best compromise between beauty and functionality I've seen so far (I love it!): http://sironasprings.bigcartel.com/product/oakmoss

Further edit: there are also some shrink wrap bands at WSP that seem easy enough to use and I think you could leave the ends open... maybe that would be an affordable option to test before buying equipment and the like (I can't imagine a heat gun would be that much).

Karri

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I soap therefore I am.

I'm a buyer not seller so don't know how seller friendly these are but I love recycled butcher i.e the brown, paper with simple labels (maybe text in olive color or something like that) and love when they use twine to hold the paper together but I think its cause I like that greeny natural look. I knew one lady who used felt that was cool because you could use the soap like that and it would bubble even more and didn't have use a cloth, but both of those might not be cost effective. I think you have a great sense of style based upon your soap pics here and will come up with a packaging idea that screams Karri it just might take a few tries first.

Thanks Kate!

I should upload some pics of my first tries ... I've got some with cigar bands and some with plain brown Kraft paper and white labels. The latter I didn't really do "proper" labels for but just needed something so I could give them to family and friends ...

Funny thing is I myself love opening those little paper packages and I'm the one who made and wrapped the soap. HA! Makes it feel like you're opening a wee little gift. I've been avoiding the shrink wrap idea for a while because I use all natural ingredients, etc etc. and it doesn't seem to "fit" that brand or statement. But I like the "window" effect of shrink wrap. Interesting though that you say how you really liked the brown paper ... it's what my brain keeps going to but I worry it's too plain.

Hmm ...

I always thought pale/smoky blue labels on that brown paper would look nice though. Or white labels with blue and brown print.

You got me thinking here that my first instincts weren't so bad! LOL.

Karri

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I soap therefore I am.

oooh the smoky blue labels would compliment the paper perfectly you could use dark brown script too. I love that look. It screams earthy to me. But I'm biased because I love the earthy tones and feels as well as neutral colors. I know what you mean about opening them I actually peek at my soap and smell it everyday while it cures LOL, and I just taped a few in construction paper for a worker and it did feel like Christmas LOL. I too just started and have only made like 6 batches and I make baby batches only 500g each. But I feel more confident each time and my quality goes up each time. Though defitenly a few oopsies LOL. I have 3 boys and you guys will probably yell at me but my older two boys often help with making it but as a microbiologist they've been coming to lab since they were tots and even have their own coat, goggles, and gloves courtisy of my old lab manager and I actually make soap at the lab in the fume hood which is really nice. The boys know lab safety and all that good stuff and they LOVE it. But I'm a geek LOL and teach my kids all kinds of weird lab stuff, and my 10 yr old can pipette better than most of the new employees I hire, but hey he's got experience LOL. Goodluck Karri

Thank you so much for this feedback re labels. Honestly, it HELPS!

So you are a woman after my HUSBAND'S heart! LOL! He's an environmental scientist (turned entrepreneur) and I remember .. waaaay back when he was working in the field and we were dating and he would be up late doing "titrations" (or whatever the hell you do with blue and purple solutions and a pipette. Ha!).

Your kids are SO SO SO LUCKY to have a mom like you! They're learning so many juicy, awesome stuff, including some great life lessons. YAY!!!

My two little boys are pretty awed by soaping too ... makes my heart flutter actually. Maybe they can be my proteges too in a few years! I think kids are much more capable of much more than we give them credit for so good on you. You know what you're doing and what the right boundaries are for your kids I'm sure!

For some reason I thought you had been soaping a while?

In any event, rock the soap lab!
Karri

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I soap therefore I am.