I'm toying with the idea of starting a business making all natural cold process soaps. The plan is to sell them online and at a local open air craft market at the beach. Some of the soaps will be in shell/beach shapes and themes. Does anyone have any advice on starting a business? What kinds of qualities, scents, etc would you want in a handcrafted natural soap?
Cold process soap is made by the saponification of oils and/or fats with Sodium Hydroxide (more commonly known as Lye). Often fragrance or essential oils and botanicals are added to enhance various features of the soap. This is the way soap was made for centuries prior to the commercial "soap" we are familiar with from the local supermarket. Many of these commercially available "soaps" are actually detergents because they are created by a different method using chemicals. Just read the ingredient declaration on your bar of soap!
The first batch I am making to try out will be called Cafe au Lait. It is a goat's milk soap made with olive oil, coconut oil, lard (I will be replacing the lard in future batches with a vegetable oil - likely soybean oil), sodium hydroxide, coffee and coffee grounds. Olive oil makes a nice mild soap while coconut oil creates loads of rich lather. The goat's milk is for moisturizing and creaminess. Finally the coffee is great for deodorizing your hands in the kitchen after chopping onions or garlic. I can't wait to make the soap!
No comments:
Post a Comment