Soap Making

Whether you begin soap making for fun or profit, there are some basic things you should know about this practical yet enjoyable craft. A good first step is understanding how soap is made.

There are four different ways to make soap:

Hot Press: Hot press soap making is done in much the same way as cold press, except the soap is heated during the process.

Melt and Pour: Melt and pour soap making is what its name suggests. You simply melt existing bars of soap, then add your own ingredients like fragrance, oil and color before pouring into a mold and allowing to cool.

Rebatching: Rebatching is just like recycling soap. This form of soap making involves shredding existing soap, melting it, combining it with ingredients like water, milk, or oils, and repouring it into a mold to make a new bar of soap.

If you’re a beginner to the world of soap making, then it would be prudent to start off with the melt and pour or rebatching technique. These techniques will give you a good introduction to the world of soap making and prepare you for more complex soap making methods like cold and hot press.

The kinds of soaps you can make with melt and pour alone are practically limitless! You can choose glycerin as your soap base, which is translucent and great for sensitive, normal or oily skin types. Or, you can choose a white soap base like castile. This type of soap base is opaque white and ideal for normal to dry skin.

A soapmaker could spend ages experimenting with different soap recipes. Soap can be different colors, shapes, and sizes. It can contain therapeutic ingredients and oils for particular skin types. Almost any fragrance you can imagine can be incorporated into a bar of soap. The possibilities available for a creative soap maker are unlimited!

Want to make money with your homemade soap? Try selling your creations at fairs and festivals, or open your own online store. You’d be surprised at the demand for quality handmade soap. Companies like Lush, Carol’s Daughter and The Body Shop are examples of successful companies that started small and center around gorgeous handmade soaps and cleansers.