The Dos and Don'ts of Soap Making

Soap Making has become a very popular past time and with amazing resources like Youtube, Brambleberry,  and wonderful vloggers such as the Dutchess of Soaps (Royalty Soaps), Soap Queen Tv, Ariane Arsenault (La Fille de la Mer) and Humblebee and Me.

Making your own soap can be a lot of fun, however as any of the above will tell you, it takes time to perfect this craft. Making Soap is not a cheap hobby so there are somethings you should take into account before diving in.

Don't: Rush into making the most complicated soap you can think of.

Do: Try Melt and Pour first. You can find bases online for relatively cheap. All you have to do is melt it down (you can use a double boiler or just in the microwave - a few seconds at a time). Pour it into a silicon mold (you can find these at craft stores or baking stores - do NOT us for baking after using it for soap). This is the cheapest way to try out soap "making". Of course, you can add colours and scents if you wish (make sure they are skin safe and made for soap use). 

Don't: Assume soap making is easy. This is one of the worse things you can do. Soap making is hard and it takes time to perfect. Educate yourself. Find resources to help you. And start simple. 

Do: Watch as many videos as you can and read as much as you can on soap making. There are some very easy beginner recipes out there to get you started if you decide soap making is for you. 

Don't: Rush out to buy all the equipment you think you'll need to be a master soap maker.

Do: Buy what you need. By planning your soap ahead you can make a list of what you need for that soap. Then buy the items. This mostly applies for beginners, because you don't want to buy stuff you will never use. Once you are sure you enjoy soap making, buy more things. Even if you don't use them right away you will get to them eventually. 

Don't: Buy scents you believe are popular. 

Do: Buy scents you like. Again this is best for when you are just starting out. You want to buy scents you enjoy because you'll be the one using it. Don't plan on selling your first few bars of soap, plan on enjoying them yourself. 

Don't: Pick one site and buy everything from it.

Do: Shop around. There are many sites that offer cheaper alternatives to items you may like to buy. Shop around. And look around also. If you don't have any crafting shops or bulk shops around you, the internet is your best bet. But if you do shop around in stores also - even grocery stores can be a great place to start.