Teach Soap

Help! We just moved here. I brought all of my soapmaking equipment (molds, cutters, shrinkwrapper, stick blenders, scales, thermometers with Fahrenheit readings that I can understand, and so forth). However, I need to replace all of my supplies -- my lye, essential oils, fragrances, fats/oils, colors, additives, etc. And I can't figure out where to source this stuff here! I live near Bordeaux, but mail order would work. I'm especially concerned about the lye -- the only source I've found is in the UK and they don't ship internationally. : ( Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Thanks! That's a good thought. I'm 6 months pregnant right now and don't really want to be breathing in fumes anyway, so I've been resigned to at least a FEW months of withdrawal, and plan to use the time to figure out the sourcing (and bureaucratic) issues.

You're welcome, and congratulations!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Congratulations on your pregnancy and the move-not an easy combination! Try these two websites: www.aromazone.com and www.soapsession.com. I have personally ordered from aroma zone on numerous occasions, but never from soap session. I don't know where you moved from, but France is not set up as well as the USA for the hobby soaper. Everything is more expensive. You should be able to find distilled water (eau demineralise) and lye (soude) and some of the vegetable oils at the grocery store(Leclerc or Casino). I once bought some essential oils at the pharamacie but I don't believe they are pure as they went bad in less than one year
Also know that selling soap in France (or the EU for that matter) requires a lot of paperwork.
Carolyn

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

I am not entirely sure about France (I live in a Nordic country), but in many European countries it could be worth a shot trying to find the lye from stores that sell paint. Importing stuff related to soap making from the US could certainly lead to some "interesting" interactions with your local customs office, although this will vary a lot depending on where you live. At the very least you should expect to pay value added tax (called "TVA" in France I think?), calculated on the total cost of your order.

I don't know about getting Lye in France but here in NZ I buy mine from a Farm Supply store as farmers use it for cleaning. They sell it in big pails at a very reasonable price. If there are farmers in your vicinity they may very well do the same thing and use lye for cleaning too. Good luck in your search.