Making soap/toiletries

[Masco&Bongo]

I am about to dip a toe in the waters of "making my own" toiletries...

It initially started out as an idea for Christmas presents, making nice soaps etc for pressies.

I've ordered a glycerine soap starter pack from a company called Aromantic, and plan to have a go over the weekend/next week when the kit arrives.

After looking through the site a bit more comprehensively, the idea caught a bit that I could make my own shampoo, face scrub etc..

So, how many of you make your own toiletries? How "ISH" is it, to order stuff from a company like Aromantic and be all chemistry in your own kitchen?

Have you been able to make everything you wanted, and is it cost effective to do so?

Thanks!

[Louiseh]

Hi, well making your own is certainly a lot of fun, I have been doing this for a number of years now and I am completely hooked. I just love being able to create my own creams which are fresh and full of only natural ingredients.

You do need to be aware that making cosmetics for your friends and family is ok, to give as gifts, but if you are planning to sell, there are huge regulations involved. Even if you wanted to make up some bath salts and sell at a local craft fair, you have to have all your products certified by a laboratory etc etc etc !

But as a hobby it is great fun and certainly your friends will enjoy it too! I guess any hobby is expensive to start out with, but once you have the basics you will soon find infact you are defintiely saving money. Start looking around there are many companies and ways of buying the ingredients etc at reasonable prices, it is certainly a growing hobby.

Look forward to hearing all about your successes!

Louise

blog: http://www.makeyourownskincare.com

[Annpan]

I have made some melt and pour soaps... not very exciting IMO, but my family were all well impressed by 'homemade' pressys

Bath salts and face creams were much more interesting - for me, creating something new rather than remoulding soap was much more satisfying. I have yet to find a good recipe book for them though

I haven't yet got up the nerve to make it from scratch, but Fee's coconut soap was so good that I have to try myself, and I will... one day

[Louiseh]

Hi

I would definitly recommend to anybody to make their own soap as against the melt and pour, only because the 'real' soap is fabulous and is full of natural ingredients and chemical free!

I made a 1 Kilo Loaf Soap of Goats Milk and Honey and it is fantastic, the softest and gentiliest soap full of silky bubbles, not to mention long lasting. I gave away a few slices and it took us nearly 8 months to use it all up!

Anybody thinking of trying should, just like cooking really, ensure you are well prepared, and take your time and use the right safety equipment and of course a good set of scales too! You really can't go wrong!

As you can tell I am a true real soap enthusiast!

My blog http://www.makeyourownskincare.com

[starchild]

I've not made soap because I don't use it, but from scratch I make all lotions, creams such as hand cream, lip balm and a 'vick vapour rub' equivalent for dd during the winter.

I use yogurt and oats on my face to cleanse (it moisturises too). I make massage oil too and ones for aching muscles, that sort of thing.

Have fun; it's great to do, not always frugal, but it's as pure as you want it to be :)

[Peggy Sue]

I had the idea of making soap for pressies, so I started making ti last year. Got to say you have to have a 'crafty' streak in you to make it look pretty enough for pressies, but for us its lovely, and I've done shampoo soap too which makes my hair so soft I don't need conditioner anymore!

[Louiseh]

I haven't tried an actual shampoo soap, which one do your make? I have used my honey and beeswax soap for my hair as well as everywhere else.


For pressies, you can wrap things in really nice fabrics, or re cycle packaging, my husband gets fed up with opening cupboards and drawers and finding boxes stuffed full of 'paper' or boxes, or empty jars which I may re use some later date!

[Peggy Sue]

I was also a squirrel in a previous exitance and still hoard!

I got the hair shampoo recipe of a website, I can't remember which one now, my computer was changed and I lost all my links. It might have been the soap kitchen, I get stuff from them. I got the idea from the Fee Fairy- she did a swap with her hair shampoo soap for some of my seeds. Her soap looked very worthy of Xmas pressies!

I'll have a root around and see if I find the one I used....I guess I will need it again someday!

[Peggy Sue]

Found it! http://www.thesoapkitchen.co.uk/recipe_ ... hampoo.htm

[Louiseh]

Thanks very much, off to take a look now.

Many thanks

[the.fee.fairy]

Have a look at www.fresholi.co.uk for ingredients. helen, who runs it is lovely. Tell her i sent you!

They've also got a great forum with lots of friendly people who will give advice.

I liked making my soap from scratch, but i ended up making so much that i don't know what to do with what's left!

M&P is great fun, and its easy and pretty risk-free, and you can do great things, like embed toys in the clearer ones. I saw some fantastic ones once - they had plastic goldfish embedded in clear soap in a bag. I saw some other ones with small rubber ducks in the top of aqua soap. Fab childrens' pressies!

Lip balms are great to make, but always remember to use more liquid oil than you think you need, to make it nice and soft to use. I always have a habit of not using enough and having a waxy lip balm.

Has anyone got tips for making lotions? I've failed both times i tried!!

[Thomzo]

I liked making my soap from scratch, but i ended up making so much that i don't know what to do with what's left!

Fee, when you're a bit closer, I'll take some soap off you. The bars you have sent me in the past have been fabulous. Have a think about what you would like in exchange.

Zoe

[Annpan]

I liked making my soap from scratch, but i ended up making so much that i don't know what to do with what's left!

Fee, when you're a bit closer, I'll take some soap off you. The bars you have sent me in the past have been fabulous. Have a think about what you would like in exchange.

Zoe

Me too, I'd gladly cover postage and a swapsies - your soap was fantastic (well I didn't like the shampoo bar much, but the coconut was fantastic)

[kathleen]

I haven't ventured into soap making, but I do make my own cleansing/moisturising cream from beeswax (from a guy down the road) olive oil (from the biodynamic vineyard my husband works at) and rosewater - really really easy & doesn't make much mess. I get a bowl & sit it over a pan of simmering water, put in about half a cup of olive oil & melt a couple of teaspoons of beeswax in it, heat up some rosewater in another little pan (more or less depending on how thick you want the cream to be) then add it into the mix. Stir it all up, I use a chopstick, then once it starts to cool down blitz it with an eggbeater or a stick blender. It's awesome, goes all gorgeous & looks like real cream! I used to make it without blending it all up, just stirring it often so it doesn't separate as it cools, that's nice too but has a different texture. I use it for face cleanser & moisturiser & any other part of me that needs moisturising gets it too. It smells divine & has no weird stuff in it. If you wanted to you could add other ingredients, a bit of honey is nice (not too much though or it's REALLY sticky & you have to use it in the shower!), some ground almonds if you wanted a bit of exfoliating...

[the.fee.fairy]

At the moment, i have huge amounts of Sweet Pea and Lilac Swirly soap to send.

I didn't like the shampoo soap much either - or rather, my hair didn't! I have made another one since then, but i've not used it yet.