Teach Soap

I am shopping suppliers for ingredients and was wondering if I could share my rather short list and get any comments on experiences with products and pricing variance from them. And if anyone wouldn't mind sharing other good resources. I know that I will purchase bits and pieces from quite a few and form my own opinions and that some suppliers offer product that others don't, I am just looking for advice from the more experienced. Please don't use this thread to undersell any one supplier, just provide gentle warning to specific issues.

Brambleberry From what I've studied.. very competitive, top-notch customer service, good range of fixed oils and butters, nice selection of EO and FO
Camden Grey very competitive, clean site, I haven't seen many customer issues, wider range of EO
Soaper's Choice super competitive, expansive selection of oils and butters , no EO of FO and no insight on customer service
Soap Making Resource pretty competitive, good selection of oils, butters and EO, site very clunky to navigate, no info on customer service
Wholesale Supplies Plus seems like a good selection of oils, butters and an impressive packaging offeriing!

If this is something that shouldn't be posted, just let me know.

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I'm no soap-making expert, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night


John
Troo Soap

So far I have only used Bramble Berry and Soap Making Resource.
Bramble Berry has good prices and really nice products, great customer service! They also send a free sample (usually FO) with every order. Shipping takes a while sometimes and when they are backed up it could take up to a week for them to even get it shipped out.
Soap Making Resource is my go to for things I need quickly - they have insanely fast shipping (East Coast) and their shipping prices are very reasonable...the lower shipping prices help make up for some of the higher product prices (compared to BB). They also often have specials, sales (their latest was a free 7.5 lb bucket of coconut oil with an order of $100!!!). They also send a free "grab bag" with each purchase which I love! My last grab bag had a bottle of grapefruit EO, black walnut powder and tussah silk! I have also gotten eucalyptus leaves and sweet orange EO in grab bags. Love freebies!

I have ordered from all of these companies with no problems.

BB and CG can take a little while to ship but they state up front on their web site what the likely delay will be. I appreciate that they are upfront about this. I'm generally not in a hurry so no problem. BB has better FOs IMO, CG had a wider selection of EOs.

Soaper's Choice is my "go to" source for basic carrier oils other than OO.

I order very selectively from WSP because their "free" shipping is bundled into the price of their products and their prices have gone up quite a bit since they implemented this policy. There are good deals but you have to do your homework. I mostly buy packaging from them.

I prefer BrambleBerry. I've used them for years. For bulk oil purchases I use Soaper's Choice.

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

Ditto as SoapBuddy. Most stuff from BB, oils from Soaper's Choice. I live in Georgia and shipping for oils from BB was very high.

Question to Judymoody, why don't you get olive oil from soaper's choice? I just ordered some from there for the first time but haven't used it yet. Is there a problem with quality?

Bramble Berry is of course a great company to do business with. I have been buying from them for several years now and Anne-Marie and her team are great about customer service - anytime I've had a question, someone got back to me very quickly. I do a lot of one-stop shopping with them, as they usually have almost everything I need. They are also the owners of this forum.

Soap Making Resource is also a great company. I have bought a couple of molds from SMR and have been very happy. Steve seems very focused on customer service, too. Haven't tried any of SMR's EOs or oils/butters, but I plan to once I use up some of the stuff I've already got. SMR owns the Talk Soap forum.

Another company I love and have bought from many times is Elements Bath and Body (http://www.elementsbathandbody.com/). I've mostly bought fragrance oils and soap base there, but they have all kinds of neat stuff. Tammy is great about customer service, too. Whenever I've emailed her with a question, she gets right back with me.

Bramble Berry and Elements are also good about testing their fragrance oils and noting any issues with acceleration, seizing, ricing, or discoloration, which I find especially helpful.

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- Jenny -
My soapy blog:
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Brambleberry is a fabulous company to work with and I have been ordering from them since I started soaping over 2 years ago. You know you are getting quality supplies and super customer service.

I haven't ordered from Soapmaking Resource but I would like to order some wooden molds from them because they are very reasonable.

Soapers Choice is my bulk oils supplier also and same goes here with olive oil. I just buy locally at Sams to save on shipping. I'm sure they have great quality olive oil and wouldn't hesitate to order some if I had to.

You didn't mention Natures Garden so not sure if you ever ordered from them but they have tons of FO's and always has a discount on 10 or more for the 1 oz. so its a great way to try a scent without breaking the bank. As you can see from my moniker I have a bit of a problem when it comes to FO's so I have to save anywhere I can!

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~Kelly~

Depending on where you are located, there are some great companies in Canada too! I would recommend and . Both are wonderful to deal with and have really great prices! I will continue to order from them even when I am down in NJ, just can't beat awesome customer service! Which BB is also wonderful at BTW, my emails get answered super fast!

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

I use Soaper's Choice for all my bulk oils. Speedy delivery and good prices.
Sam's Club for my olive oil.
TKB for colorants. Fast delivery, except this order. But they noted it on the website, so I just need to be more patient. I am glad that they noted that there would be a 4-5 day processing time.
Nature's Gardens for my FO's. They have a great variety and prices are good.
I have ordered from BB. Their delivery was not so fast, but it could be due to the locations. I was very happy with my order and quality of products.
Soap Making Resource is my new fav. I ordered herbs, clays, and tussah silk from Steve and I loved the grab bag freebies that he threw in. Very fast delivery also.
I just placed an order with Essential Depot, but have not received it yet to comment. Shipping seems to be taking longer than others.

I am always willing to try new suppliers in the future, but it only takes that one great experience to keep me loyal.

I use Soaper's Choice for all my bulk oils. Speedy delivery and good prices.
Sam's Club for my olive oil.
TKB for colorants. Fast delivery, except this order. But they noted it on the website, so I just need to be more patient. I am glad that they noted that there would be a 4-5 day processing time.
Nature's Gardens for my FO's. They have a great variety and prices are good.
I have ordered from BB. Their delivery was not so fast, but it could be due to the locations. I was very happy with my order and quality of products.
Soap Making Resource is my new fav. I ordered herbs, clays, and tussah silk from Steve and I loved the grab bag freebies that he threw in. Very fast delivery also.
I just placed an order with Essential Depot, but have not received it yet to comment. Shipping seems to be taking longer than others.

I am always willing to try new suppliers in the future, but it only takes that one great experience to keep me loyal.

I tried to make an order for 2 new soap molds from Soap Making Resource back in January. Steve responded just twice to my emails and I've heard nothing from him since. I'm really thankful I didn't give them any money. So I have little faith in this company!!

Thats not good to hear....I was thinking of ordering some very soon. I might have to change plans!

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~Kelly~

I personally haven't looked at ordering from soap making resource because of their website! It is poorly organised and full of bugs, I don't really want to stick my credit card info into a bad website.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

Just a heads up. This forum is owned and paid for by BrambleBerry. Let's support them.

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