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What I Learned When A Basic Soap Recipe Led Me To A Home-Based Business

CHOOSING A METHOD AND RECIPE: For my first batch, I chose a basic recipe which called for ingredients I could buy at my local grocery store. Looking around my kitchen I found the needed equipment the recipe called for and I thought "Why invest in costly supplies that I may never have needed again?" My rule was keep it simple and cheap. The recipe called for 3 lb of shortening, 1 lb of coconut oil, 1 1/2 lb of olive oil, 3/4 lb of lye, 2 lb of water and 1 oz of fragrance oil (optional). I used Red Devil lye from a local hardware store and fragrance oil from a craft store. I now buy my lye in bulk from the local chemical company.

EQUIPMENT I USED: A stainless steel stock pot, an 8 cup tempered glass measuring cup, kitchen scale, candy thermometer, wooden spoons, spatula, mold and a stand mixer. You can use a wand to mix your soap, but I find a stand mixer so much easier.

WEIGHING THE INGREDIENTS: Most of the ingredients can be measured or weighed in pounds. This is how I weighed my ingredients, but still continue to do so. I put the empty measuring cup on the scale and noted that it weighed 3 lb. Into the measuring cup I added the cold water until the scale read 5 lb, then carefully added the lye until the scale read 5 3/4 lb. I stirred the water until the lye was dissolved completely and set it aside to cool. I then put the empty stock pot on to the scale and noted that it weighed 2 lb. Into the pot I added shortening until the scale read 5 lb, next I added coconut oil until the scale read 6 lb. Last I added olive oil until the scale read 7 1/2 lb. I then moved the pot to the stove and turned the burner on low to slowly melt the oils together.

PREPARING THE SOAP MOLD: For the first mold I used, I inserted the top of a copier paper box into a kitchen trash bag, smoothing the trash bag inside the inverted box top and over the sides. Taping to keep neat and smooth.

MIXING THE LYE WATER INTO THE OILS: Using the candy thermometer I carefully monitored the temperatures of the lye water and oils until they were both 105 degrees. Using a long-handled wooden spoon, I slowly stirred the oil while carefully pouring in the lye water using a slow steady stream until the cup was empty. I poured the mixture into my mixing bowl and set the speed on stir. Within a few minutes the soap looked like thin pudding. This is when fragrance oils should be added. When the soap came to a slightly thicker trace, I poured it into my prepared mold, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula. I placed cardboard over the top of the soap and then added a couple of heavy towels on top to insulate.

REMOVING THE SOAP AND CUTTING INTO BARS: The soap needs to sit covered at least 24 hours to complete the saponification process. In other words for the mixture to turn into soap. After 24 hours I turned the solid slab of soap on to a clean work table and cut into bars. There are many methods of cutting bars of soap, but for this basic recipe I used a ruler to mark lines so that the bars of soap would be the same size and edges straight when I sliced them with a knife.

CURING SOAP: I placed the bars of soap on their ends in a box and set on a shelf to cure for two weeks. Note: If any type of milk is used in the soap, the curing time is no less than 3 weeks.

WRAPPING AND LABELING THE SOAP: There are many ways to package soap. I chose a simple method. Using colorful tissue paper, I wrapped the bars of soap like I would a present. Any dollar store carries tissue paper. For my cigar band labels, I bought a durable stationary paper from an office supply store. I designed a label that had the name of the soap on the front, the ingredients across the top edge and a little description of the soap on the back.

THE DECISION TO OPEN A BUSINESS: I was nudged into starting a business by my friends and family. I contacted the Small Business Association for guidance. The first thing I needed to do was apply for a fictitious name since I was not going to use my own. After the name was approved, I applied for a tax ID number and business license. I would recommend a business plan with a clear idea of the direction you want your company to go and try to stay on track. I opened a business account at my bank, one that gave me a credit card. I also wanted a Logo, so I asked my sister to draw it for me. There are many free logo programs on the Internet also.

SPACE: Since we have 3 birds and my husband has allergies, I designated a work area and storage space in my garage. My soap is kept in a spare room. I found that the dollar stores and discount stores had better prices on storage containers than the sales at my local hardware or super center store. I also buy in bulk when I can to include organic oils in 5 gallon drums.

PLACES TO SELL SOAP: I started with flea and farmer markets and then a few craft shows. The overhead is usually more expensive at craft shows, so I was choosy. I joined an online craft site where I could display my soap for sale. I found three shops to carry my soap, one was on consignment and the other two I sold wholesale. I developed my website using Yahoo Sitebuilder, which was very easy to use and offered great technical support.

A WORD OF CAUTION FOR PLACING SOAP ON CONSIGNMENT. I found that people never treat your products like their own. And when on consignment they remain yours until they are sold. I spent a lot of time replacing soap that had become unsightly and dirty due to being handled and/or dropped.

WHOLESALE AND SPECIAL ORDERS: Selling wholesale can provide constant business. An agreement form is very important. Even if both parties seem to understand each other completely, a misunderstanding can occur. I write every detail discussed between my customer and I in the agreement No detail is overlooked when I start to process the order. When making a special order soap using a fragrance that a customer has requested, I tell them up front that when the soap has finished curing, it may not smell exactly as they expected. I will try my best, but I can't guarantee the scent. I give myself a realistic amount of time to process the orders. I never give false delivery dates in hopes that I can pull it off. Wholesale and Special Orders are to be paid in advance. I cannot afford to get stuck with a large special order that no one wants.

PRICING: Usually wholesale prices are 1/2 of the retail price. Of course if I am wrapping and labeling, etc., my prices reflect those extras. There are all kinds of articles on the Internet that give ideas and guidelines for pricing soap. I looked around my community to see what the specialty and health food stores were selling their soap for. As with most handmade items, I will never get paid for all the work I put into making them. That is reality. In one article I read on pricing soap, by the time every aspect was added into the mix, one bar of soap cost almost $10.00. I don't know about your area, but the economy in my area would not support that price. I would have a lot of nice smelling soap sitting around my soap room.

This is also why I make a small batch of soap when using a new fragrance. With new soap fragrances, I give my friends and family samples to use. If I get positive reviews then I may try them at he local flea markets. If the soap sells well at the flea market, then I may make it a part of my inventory. I also make soap based on the Season. Spicy for Autumn, floral for Spring and Summer, etc.

A few soap makers have done real well, some have gone on to expand their businesses to include supplies for soap and candle making. I am happy to do what I love and if I make a penny, well that is just the icing on the cake.

Loyce Henderson writes articles and reviews in her spare time. She works full-time, but also runs her soap making business. She and her husband currently live in Florida with their dog, two African Gray parrots and Rose Breasted Cockatoo. [http://www.grandmaandmesoaps.com]Wholesale Soap

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Home Soap Businesses - Creating a Marketing Plan

1. Create sample sized soaps to pass out for free. Then create a survey form or sheet that people can complete in order to request a sample. You want to make sure that you never give out samples without having the contact information for the person. Doing this is a complete waste of time and money.

2. Get testimonials from people who have used the soap. How did it feel on their skin? What did they like best about it? If possible, get them to give you these testimonials on video. Share these testimonials everywhere. You can include them in email newsletters, on printed marketing pieces, on Facebook, Twittter, YouTube, etc.

3. Stay focused on marketing 3-6 kinds before you start creating too many scents or kinds of soap. By staying focused on selling a few kinds successfully first, you will then be in a better position to create more later.

4. Ask your first customers to complete a brief survey telling you why they like it and what they would change out it if they could. Use their feedback to help create your marketing plan.

5. Write articles, press releases, blog posts and other content focusing on the best aspects and share them online for potential customers to read.

6. Make a list of who your ideal customers would be. What are their skin problems, health issues, etc? Then create a plan to get your marketing and product in front of them.

7. Consider passing out samples to some doctors, hospitals and other similar facilities. Let the people who work there try it themselves first so that they will be able to help you sell it.

8. Educate people about why they should buy from you instead of from the store. Know why your soap is better and what it can do for the skin and the body. Create tip sheets to share these benefits with people.

9. Use a weekly giveaway on your website and in your marketing plan to attract even more leads. People love to get something for free and this can help spread the word.

10. Seek out advice from other people who have sold similar products and include some of their advice in your marketing plan.

Learn all about AnnaLaura's soy and essential oils soap at http://soap.workwithannalaura.com and listen to AnnaLaura Brown show you how she uses it and share her testimonial about how this soap helped her skin when nothing else would. Get marketing advice from AnnaLaura as well on her blog http://annalaurabrown.com

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The 2 Most Important Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Begin Your Natural Soap Making Business

Once you have these questions answered, you will have a much better idea of how to proceed. There are 2 essential questions to ask yourself, and the answers will be the foundation and base to launch your soap making business.

The first question you need to ask is why you like natural soap making.

This doesn't sound like a very important question right now, but when it's 3 am and you are still putting together a rush order with just a few hours of sleep, and feeling like a zombie, you are going to need to remind yourself why you like to make soap and why you are starting this soap making business.
The second question would be to ask yourself why you want to sell your soap.

The reason you need to know this is because you are trying to build a market presence for yourself. What is it about your soap that others will find unique? How do you think the world will feel about your soap? What benefit will the user of your natural soap receive?

You need to figure out what it is about your soap that will make others want to buy it. Not too long from now, you will have the job of convincing those prospective customers to buy your soap. You need to believe in your product first.

If your answer to this question is because you want to make money, this is not going to be a strong enough reason to get you through those long nights of working on your soap orders.

I started my natural soap making business in 1997. My reason for selling soap was because I saw such fantastic changes in my skin from the natural soap I was making that I had to spread the word. I had to show as many people as possible that changing one simple essential item in their life can make a big difference in how they felt about themselves.

The answer to these 2 questions should keep you motivate and fired up to keep your soap making business on the right track.

Next time I will talk about how to get ready to organize and set up your natural soap making business including a mission statement and many more important questions that will set you up for success.

Rene Whitlock has been making soap since 1997. She is a Soap Making Teacher and runs a successful soap and cosmetic making class online.
Visit http://www.soapmakingschool.com
for more information.
You can learn to make cold process soap, hot process soap, natural liquid soap, spa products, cosmetics, natural creams and lotions, hair care and eco-friendly home cleaning products as well as candles.

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3 Easy Ways To Start Selling Your Own Bath Salts

So, how can you sell your products? Although there are the obvious route like town fares and markets it rarely builds a business. It might help you move some products but if you are serious about turning it into a business that creates a good and steady stream of sales then you need something bigger and better. Here are 3 easy ideas that you can start working on immediately.

1. Approach Retail Stores
While you might not have too much success with the really big chains, you can approach all the smaller retail stores and ask them to sell your products. Its imperative that you have a very professional approach and that your products present well. You can offer them some of your products as a test to see if it sells and works for them. Many retail stores will be more than willing to do this if you approach them correctly.

2. Online Stores
While you can start your own online store, you will find that its incredibly competitive and a very hard market to break into. You might have a lot more success by approaching larger online stores and ask them to stock your products on their online store front. You will probably have a lot more success by picking up the phone and calling the webmaster directly or even sending them some products directly.

3. Drop Shipping
One way to really expand your online opportunities is to offer a drop shipping service. Most eBay sellers use this and it basically means that someone else does the selling while you fulfil the order and the shipping. You can list yourself in drop ship directories and potentially have online stores sell your products globally. It can be quite demanding but it can allow you to move a lot of products quickly.

You need to keep in mind that your competition will be quite fierce. Not only are you competing with bug name companies with huge financial backing behind them. If you want to stand a chance then you need to focus on creating something unique and on bringing a unique angle to what is already on the market.

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Soapmaking Business: Work From Home

Everyone appreciates the affordable luxury of handmade soap. Designing and creating a gift basket of handmade natural soap using your own custom recipe is a surefire recipe for making a lot of money online. Your efforts will reflect in how much money you are able to make. But it will be your business and you will decide on how fast or slow it grows.

Take time to experiment with creating different types of soap. The possibilities are endless, from organic soap, soap for acne, perfumed soap, natural soap, or even goat milk soap. Decide on what your signature soap will be.

The more unique and beautiful your soap is the higher price you will be able to command for it. Start with an unusual design or an exotic fragrance. Customers will also pay a higher price for soap that solves a problem. And don't forget about the packaging! That's an extremely important area where your unique and beautiful design will pay off. You will be surprised how many people buy certain products just because of the beautiful packaging. So don't skimp in this area.

Other than being creative in designing your own soap to sell, you must also become creative with marketing. It should be cost effective and results oriented. Do your research and please do not forget about your branding your company. Take time to create a memorable name for your company. Aim to become a household name.

Making and selling soap requires a very small investment of money and time, but the benefits are unlimited. Not just the monetary benefits, but the joy that comes from doing something you love, and the peace and happiness of creating your day to day life on your own terms.

If you would like a copy of my free report "The Dangers of Commercial Soap" visit http://www.hotsoaps.com/Free_Report.html or to learn more about soaps [http://www.hotsoaps.com]Click Here

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How To Bathe

Babies are typically bathed with a mild soap usually made from sheep's milk, because of its soothing qualities. First, babies should be placed in lukewarm water either in a shallow bath or even a sink. It is important not to make the water too hot otherwise a baby's fragile skin could burn. Then using a soft towel, babies should then be gently scrubbed and rinsed in fresh water without suds. It is very important to dry babies off completely and then powder their soft skin using baby powder. If this is not done, then babies can develop a red itchy rash that is hot to the touch.

Young children and toddlers should be placed in a bath tub filled with warm water and soapy bubbles. Children often like to play with bubbles by pretending to have bubble beards or by floating toy boats on them. It is important, at this stage, to begin to teach kids the importance of bathing and cleaning oneself. Small children can be bathed together but once they begin to mature they should be separated as not to cause confusion or dissatisfaction between siblings. Children should be taught to wash their own hair but should be supervised until at least their 7th birthday. Any sooner could cause children to grow up with unsavory washing habits that would displease their future mate.

Teenagers need a whole new set of bathing techniques in order to clean their bodies. Females should begin to shave their legs and armpits using a gentle triple bladed razor with a double conditioning strip for softness. Legs should be shaved approximately once a week while armpits should be shaved as often as every day. Teenage boys desperately need to focus on washing under their armpits where they have started to sweat and grow forests of hair. Teenagers of both sexes should wash and condition their hair according to type and use a strong soap preferably made from llama or alpaca milk because of its cleaning strength and special odor removing qualities.

Adults certainly have a more evolved washing style. As when they were teenagers, shaving should continue as well as a routine hair washing technique according to texture and thickness of hair. Adults often have other steps involved, for instance soap made from mule milk helps to toughen the skin against wrinkles and soap made from cow, goat and squirrel offers softness and the unique quality of attracting a mate.

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How to Earn Income at Home - Soap Making Business

When building any kind of business you will run into stiff competition. When making homemade soap your product should be of the highest quality. Most people can tell the difference between an average homemade soap and high quality soap.

Your soap should be healthful for the skin. In general, most people are beginning to use natural skin care products to maintain healthful, youthful, looking skin. One of these natural, homemade skin care products is natural goat milk soap. Natural goat milk soap can contain mild and gentle ingredients helpful for acne relief, acne scars, pimples, blemishes, eczema, psoriasis, dry skin, flaky skin, itchy skin, sensitive skin, oily skin and more! This homemade soap contains goat milk, which aids in the regeneration of collagen under the skin and helps keep skin very close to its natural pH level. It can help to reduce the signs of aging. It is a very popular, homemade, soap!

How can you have a soap making business? First, you must learn how to make soap. Making homemade soap is not for everyone; it requires, time, patience, dedication and skill. You should find a master soap maker that offers, step-by-step, soap making instructions. Some soap makers attend community events, teach soap making classes, give demonstrations, teach soap workshops and more. If you learn how to make soap, from a professional then you will ensure that you are starting at the right point, from the beginning. You can learn an abundance of soap making information from a master soap maker! Ask questions, get involved, make new friends, practice making homemade soap, repeatedly, and soon you can be on your way to soap making success. It is not easy building a soap making business, but it can be a lot of fun! You are the boss of your own company, so you will decide how hard you want to work.

Many commercial skin care products contain harsh ingredients, that can, actually, contribute to poor skin conditions. Natural goat milk soap can contain mild and gentle skin care ingredients beneficial for many different skin types. Many people are realizing the healthful benefits this homemade skin care soap can offer. The skin is the largest organ of the body. It matters what skin care products are used to maintain the skin's health.

As the saying goes, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step." It is possible to earn income at home by making homemade soap. Your soap making business success depends 100% on you!

Learn how to make soap at: http://www.natural-goat-milk-soap.com/how-to-make-soap.html

Find a master soap maker at: http://www.natural-goat-milk-soap.com/contact.html

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Did You Bathe Today? With an All Natural Soap?

With our latest venture, we turned the tables on this theory. We manufacture line of handmade bath soap bars and bath salts and, at this time, donate all profits to charity. So we have the 'free' component of giving away the profit from our labors but the challenge of running a business that actually makes that profit.

While this may be a little different from your particular business, some of the strategies remain the same. I have been in sales and marketing for over 30 years, owning businesses online and traditional brick and mortar. Some basic principles remain the same throughout and that's what you want to concentrate on to be successful in your own venture.

Let's jump right in and talk about your product first. Product and Distribution must be determined before marketing can take place. Well established product lines and distribution channels will allow your marketing to guide itself. Advertising methods fit different products in unique ways and you must find the best fit for your product. But keep in mind, marketing your product, whatever it is, is the key to SUCCESS!

Having done some marketing in many forms, from cold calling to trade shows to online, I find now that a combination of all of these and many more work well. It's like not putting all your eggs in one basket. When one method is working, another might not be as they all go in cycles.

So we have a website, we promote it extensively and it includes a shopping cart for online sales. We also send a monthly newsletter to existing customers and prospects keeping them up to date on what we are doing and where the money is going each month. The website includes a blog that is updated frequently which keeps the website active for the search engines. Stats say that about 80% of people today search online when shopping locally. They search for locations, phone numbers as well as an easy way to shop without leaving home.

No marketing is complete without using social media. That's Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, etc. Again, this is where a very large percentage of people go everyday and you must be there among them not only for exposure but for validation.

We also utilize retail outlets in a brick and mortar environment. Soap is something people like to see and touch and smell. That helps tremendously with the sales process so we encourage it by having the products available all around the area. This often results in repeat sales online as people become familiar with the product.

The importance of Networking cannot be overstated. People do business with people they know especially when dealing with a personal care product. But I find this to be true when you are looking for a plumber or someone to work on your computer. Nothing replaces meeting someone face to face. Your location probably abounds in meetups and business associations. Just ask around and jump right in to get started.

Speaking of validation. Another great validation for your business is being published. A short e-book or full size, hard cover book can be seen as validating who you are and why someone should do business with you. Take a look at this unique but underused method of promoting yourself or your company. Or write an article like this to help others who are coming along the path you have walked!

Pat Harmeyer is the Marketing Director of a local soap manufacturing company that chooses to donate all their profits to charity. She has been a successful entrepreneur in several different industries, owning brick and mortar businesses as well as online ventures. Through the years, she has enjoyed working with small business owners and helping them achieve their own success by sharing her unique marketing methods. Pat is an avid networker and attributes her success to helping others and just plain hard work.

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A Soap Business Plan That Will Work

Producing soap that will sell certainly takes some effort and attention, but compared to most any other manufacturing process you could pick the soap production process is inexpensive to tackle and relatively easy to learn. With that said, making soap is fairly simple but that process remains interesting since there are so many twists and tricks to make all the various sorts of soap. Getting started with soap making takes just the simplest of tools and equipment. Though oddly enough there are tricks to getting the best tools to work with to make the whole process simpler and easier. What you really want, to maximize the chances for success, are somewhat unique ideas that show up as unusual soap. That way what you produce can only come from you. You can see the advantage of that situation...

For many soap makers the real puzzling part of starting a soap business is finding customers. That can be tackled several ways. One popular way to move soap is through the craft show or festival route. That may not seem appealing at first but read on...

Events like craft shows and festivals have the potential of putting your soap and related products, and you as well, in front of large numbers of potential buyers. That means you "could" move large amounts of product in just a short period of time. That's a far more efficient way to sell soap, and build a customer list, than selling a bar here and a bar there. It's possible in just a couple of days to get off to a roaring start with a large number of sales. Then what?

Then the repeat sales system can kick in. Happy natural soap customers will buy more products if you simply give them a way to do so. That's quite simple to do and it can be accomplished in one of several ways or several of several days is even better. That's where a simple brochure can be valuable as can a catalog home produced and printed. In addition a web site is in effect an online brochure and can be there ready night and day to help your customers get more products to replace what has in most cases already gone down the drain and calls out for replacement. That washed away soap is one reason a soap business just naturally wants to grow.

Repeat sales are the key to a soap business plan that leads to increased sales, in many cases without going anywhere other maybe to the post office or the mail box.

Getting the volume of sales depends on how well you market which we cover in our material about starting a

How To Make Natural Soap - Tips

It does not take lots of odd components to make fine soap. Look for recipes to get started that contain just a few simple ingredients. It's difficult to best a mix that just includes coconut, palm and olive oils, along with the right proportions of lye and water too. What's more, wholesale soap supply outlets make it simple to get your hands on these. With just those simple parts, you can build soap that looks and feels like the most luxurious of soaps and all for not a lot of money or trouble either for that matter.

No exotic ingredients are required to make fabulous soap products. If the basics don't work then something is badly wrong and more work needs to be done on the process of making soap or the recipe is flawed.

One key factor in soap recipes is the percentage of lye. It's included in the term lye discount. Basically that means using less lye than would be required to turn all your oils to soap. And you really probably don't want to turn all the oils to soap. You likely want a tiny bit of oil still unreacted to impart that luxury feel. Getting the lye amount right is simple to do once you know how but it must be just right and not too high or too low either. Then there is the smell factor.

Many soap recipes when made into soap will be unscented even though you put exactly what was called for in the recipe you have. You put in the amount specified in the recipe and still get little or no smell. A shame, since that means you wasted the cost of the scent and still got nothing to show for it.

For essential oils in cold process soap, you'll need about 0.7 ounces of essential oil per pound of soap. That will be less for mint and spice oils and more for citrus oils. And most citrus oils won't work very well anyway. You can try citrus oil scents but only a few will endure the soap making process.

Use too much scent oil and it will remain free in the soap. Too little won't smell at all.

It is quite simple to learn how to make natural soap from soap making books and trial and error. Really the basics are quite simple. Moving beyond the basics to build soap to market through a soap business or to experience spa quality soap means more study and experience.

Getting the volume of sales depends on how well you market which we cover in our material about starting a