Make Your Own Soap

An Important Use Of Caustic Soda

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:28:32 +0000

Just for fun, I decided to enroll in this homemaking course that teaches students how to become resourceful in managing house related issues. There was a bit about baking, some cooking, furniture arrangement and making of common household necessities. It was really such an experience and I learned a lot from the course. What took me by surprise was the part of the course that teaches us how to create the basic necessities that we use at home like dishwashing liquid, candles, among others. What surprised me more was the making of soaps and detergents.

There was really nothing that revolutionary about soap making. What caught me by surprise was one of its ingredients, caustic soda. This is commonly known as sodium hydroxide, a substance that is equally as dangerous as it is useful. If I had not attended that course, I would not know that such a harmful substance is being used to create something that we use in our everyday lives.

The lecturer even reminded to us that it is very important to carefully monitor how much NaOH we add to the soap or detergent we are making as it could become harmful. I thought to myself, “If that substance is really harmful, then why include it as one of the ingredients in making soap?”

The course facilitator explained that the use of caustic soda for soaps did not start until the 19th century. Before that, lye water was used in making soaps. However, the kind of soap produced was soft and was difficult to store and ship.

Caustic soda was first introduced by Nicolas Leblanc, a French chemist. Later on, Ernest Solvay, a Belgian chemist, decided to improve the way how sodium hydroxide was used in soap manufacturing and this improved the quality of soap a lot. The soap produced with the new way of using NaOH was much harder and easier to store and to distribute to other places.

With this, soap making extended from farm production to the much bigger scope of industrial production. This started the whole idea of soap commercialization. That is why now we have a lot of soaps that are packaged to give softer skin which have different scents you can choose from. All of these just to make their soap much better than the others. However, at the end of the day, they are all still the same.

The facilitator also went on to discuss all the other uses of sodium hydroxide to make it less and less dangerous to think about. She said that NaOH has become a dangerous but very profitable business since it has been known to be very useful in other industries aside from soap manufacturing. That is why it is not surprising that there are a lot of businesses out there that become sodium hydroxide manufacturer, distributor and the likes.

It was definitely a very informative day. I did not only learn how to make soaps, I also discovered a lot of things about caustic soda.

An Important Use Of Caustic Soda

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:24:55 +0000

Email Marketing And Your Natural Soap Business

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:12:40 +0000

You run into an old customer at the grocery store. She tells you how much your soap has helped her husband’s skin condition and you remind her that she can reorder from your website. You wonder if you will ever hear from her again. In today’s super-hectic culture, convenience is the key to getting repeat orders from customers. It is very easy for one product or another to slip the mind of a customer even if they are fond of your product.

One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways for the handmade soap maker to keep in touch with customers is with email marketing. Start a product announcement marketing campaign. Send it once a month. If you do more than this, it can seem pushy, especially in the beginning of a marketing effort. When a customer buys from you offer them a 20% off coupon if they will sign-up for your announcement list. They will get the coupon via email, this way you will get a legitimate email addresses. Friends, family, neighbors – ask everyone you meet to join your list. Keep mini samples with you. It can be an icebreaker when you meet new people. Tell them that you give away a nice item once a month in a drawing from your email list. If this does not entice them to join, you are probably better off without them. As the list grows, your business will grow. Offer a nice sample item to customers who get someone else to join your list. This type of word-of-mouth advertising is the best type of advertising you can get. When you have a winner from one of your contests, be sure to announce it in your email.

All this marketing takes is some dedication, a few samples and some of your time. It does not take a large budget. If you happen to be the crafting type that does not interact with customers as well or as often as you would like, you might consider teaming up with someone who does. Handmade soap making and marketing are two completely different skill sets. We all have that friend or relative that seems to know everyone in town. This is the type of person who should be first and foremost on your sample list. You need not have a formal arrangement with this person as I’m sure if they genuinely like your product they will not be able to contain themselves when talking to their circle of friends.

If you decide that having some type of marketing agreement is necessary, be careful, as they can go awry very quickly. Keep it simple and don’t make too many demands on this person as he or she is the one who is doing you the marketing favor. Remember their time is valuable also. Offer product in lieu of cash for their efforts. Manufacturer’s reps typically get anywhere from 7% to 15% of sales they generate. This is a great way to go as you don’t have to pay anything until a sale is made.

Once you get a customer, keep in touch with them yourself through your email marketing campaign. I have found customers generally like to talk directly to the crafter. Many customers are involved in a craft of their own and like to share experiences with other crafters. Having a monthly email list is a surefire way to expand your business at a very nominal cost.

Email Marketing And Your Natural Soap Business

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:29:18 +0000

Handmade Soap Recipes Using Goat’s Milk Provide Health And Beauty Benefits

admin — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:59:05 +0000

Natural goat’s milk soap, made from handmade soap recipes, is unique for many different reasons. It has helped people with all kinds of different skin care concerns such as dry skin, oily skin, sensitive skin, acne, and more. Many people are becoming aware of what this handmade, natural, soap can do for them and how it can improve their daily lives. Discover the difference between natural goats milk soap and regular commercial soap. Goat’s milk soap is a healthful soap providing multiple beauty benefits. You can start enjoying the skin care benefits today! Its popularity is growing in leaps and bounds!

Commercial soaps can leave a tight feeling on the face or skin. Why? Research shows that most commercial soaps are not buffered. The pH level of the skin is too far from the pH level of the soap. The skin’s acid mantle may take hours to recuperate back to normal pH level, after using this soap. The chemicals in commercial soap may be too harsh or harmful for the skin, especially facial skin. Facial skin can be thin and very sensitive. Some people have stopped using commercial soaps on their face altogether. Goat’s milk soap is a great alternative to regular commercial soaps. Why? Goat’s milk is a buffer. The pH level of goat’s milk is close to the pH level of human skin. With goat’s milk as an ingredient in handmade soap, then the pH level of the skin remains close to normal. The skin’s acid mantle remains intact. There is no tight or itchy feeling, after using goat’s milk soap. Instead, this natural soap is very mild and, naturally, moisturizing.

Why do so many people love goat’s milk soap? Goat’s milk soap helps many kinds of skin care conditions. It helps improve the daily lives of many people. How is this possible?

Dry skin sufferers enjoy the, natural, moisture this soap produces. Their skin is not left feeling tight or stiff. The skin is left soft, smooth and soothed, after using this natural soap.

People with oily skin, blemishes or acne do not have to worry about goat’s milk soap aggravating their skin. Natural goat’s milk soap is extremely mild and gentle. It does not contain harsh or harmful chemicals. It will not irritate or aggravate acne like harsh commercial soaps. It gently cleanses. Acne sufferers have had great success using goat’s milk soap!

People with sensitive skin may suffer from allergies to certain fragrances in commercial soaps. These allergies can cause havoc on the skin and face! Redness, swelling, rashes, burning sensations, or more may occur due to allergic reactions from commercial soaps. This can be very embarrassing and interrupt daily lives. Natural goat’s milk soap comes in many natural fragrances but there is, also, an unscented goat’s milk soap, with no added fragrances. The, unscented, goat’s milk soap is, especially, good for those with sensitive skin and fragrance allergies.

You can save money using goat’s milk soap compared to commercial soap. How? Goat’s milk soap is available in seconds soaps. Seconds soaps have minor flaws or imperfections like shaved edges, torn labels, or may just be the end pieces off of the regular cut soaps. Seconds still offer the same skin care benefits as the regular soaps, but you can save money by buying them in bulk. Seconds are, usually, sold by the pound.

Natural goat’s milk soap, made from handmade soap recipes, is growing in popularity daily! People are becoming more aware of the multiple benefits this, healthful and nourishing, soap has to offer. You do not have to continue using harsh commercial soaps. Discover the difference in using, mild and gentle, natural goat’s milk soap compared to regular commercial soap. You can have healthful and beautiful skin! Discover the goat’s milk soap benefits today!

Handmade Soap Recipes Using Goat’s Milk Provide Health And Beauty Benefits

admin — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:10:27 +0000

Marketing Soap — Soap Into Cash

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 08:51:52 +0000

Marketing soap was where the whole advertising business began. It’s fairly easy to learn how to make soap, but trying to sell it is also fun too. There’s something rewarding about making a product and then exchanging your produce for cash. Soap for dollars may be a good trade for you. But can you actually make a profit selling soap?

It is certainly possible to make money selling soap. Actually several home based soap businesses have grown quite large in recent years. Search for anything soap related on the Internet and you’ll find that thousands (millions?) of soap makers are trying to sell soap.

It certainly is difficult to grow any home scale business into a large corporation, but it is much easier to start a part-time profitable business. All you need is a product that customers want and a way to reach them. Plus your product must be sold at a price that’s higher than the cost to make and market it. That can be done with a small scale soap business at this time. Here’s how.

Starting a soap business doesn’t cost much. You just need a few pans, spoons, a thermometer and some molds for equipment. The raw materials are also easy to obtain and fairly inexpensive. Also it’s easy to learn to make good soap. For just a few hundred dollars you can get set up to make thousands of bars of soap per year. So there is little risk of losing much money. Now if you want to make tens of thousands of bars of soap a year, you will need expensive machinery. But to start you need very little.

Selling soap on the Internet is very competitive, but selling it locally isn’t nearly as tough. You can start selling at local art or craft shows or farmers’ markets for example. Especially at holiday times, people want to buy soap as gifts. Get in the right places and shoppers will buy soap. Then you can get follow-up sales using some little brochures or catalogs and there you go. In just a short time you can build a customer list and be selling more soap than you really want to make.

Soap marketing is a great way to start a small home-based business if you like to make soap as a hobby. Especially selling to a local market is an easy way to start. Once you make local contacts, you can sell from home using simple brochures or a little catalog.

Marketing Soap — Soap Into Cash

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:14:13 +0000

How To Make Caustic Lye From Wood Ash

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:31:37 +0000

If you enjoy making soap at home you will probably be using caustic soda bought from a store. Did you know you could make your own caustic or lye using just wood ash and water? Bought caustic soda is usually sodium hydroxide but lye made at home will be caustic potash or potassium hydroxide.

It is similarly corrosive, so make sure you keep well covered when making or using homemade lye. But it is less damaging to make as you can do it on a small scale at home without the need for the transport and chemicals associated with any store bought item.

Also its fun to find ways to use up ‘waste products’ at home. Wood ash can build up so why not use some for your homemade soap?

Lye from wood ash will produce a soft or liquid soap unless salt is incorporated into the soap recipe. But that means it is particularly good for making shampoo and hand wash.

To make lye on a small scale you will need:

An old plastic bucket and a larger bucket which can hold the first one.
Some ash from burning hard-wood.
Some water (preferably rain water).
A hand-full of straw.

How to make lye on a small scale:

Make a few small drainage holes in the smaller bucket.
Put the small bucket into the larger one (to collect the lye water).
Put a hand-full of straw over the holes.
Fill the bucket 1/3 full with wood ash.
Cover with rain water.
As the rain water filters through into the outer bucket put it back over the wood ash to concentrate the components it leaches from the ash.
Repeat this recycling of the rainwater at least three times over three days.
The resulting liquid is lye water.

Testing the Strength of the Lye Water:

If a fresh egg floats near the surface with a little lye water above it, the water is the correct strength for making soap.
If a fresh egg sinks the lye water is not strong enough and should be passed through the wood ash again.
If a fresh egg bobs right on top of the surface the lye is too strong and should be diluted with a little water.
A chicken feather will be dissolved by caustic lye at the correct (or higher) concentration.

How To Make Caustic Lye From Wood Ash

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:31:59 +0000