How do I have success in my handmade soap business?

We are here to offer help in any way we can. Also, be sure to check our Youtube page for videos on selling our soap. Our success depends on your success. So much so that we have been giving away thousands of bars of soap and bath bombs over years to get our customers excited about their soap business. We get so excited for our customers' success, for as they grow, we grow with them. This was the reason we offered custom labels to small business people right from the start. Private labeling had always been available to the big guys, but it was unheard of for the mom and pop operation. We quickly realized if we could help our customers develop a loyal following for their private-labeled offerings, our business would prosper also.more info

Over the years our lineup of products has grown at the request of our customers. Our latest item is our loofah soap. It is a nice addition to what we are already offering and a great complementary item for our customers' bath and body lines. The other hot item of recent years is our body butter. This is a very exciting item that can offer huge margins with the right presentation. Logistics or, in other words, how to ship your products, can be a great margin killer. Be sure to pay specific attention to this expense.

Are all of these items are available for resale with my own private label?

Yes, we offer private labeling for all of our products.

What type of business should I start?

Many soap sellers start at their local Farmer's Market, County Fair or similar venue. This a great way to get instant feedback so you can adjust your product line and marketing strategy early. If you do not want to make products you can purchase from a reliable vendor to get yourself started. Working with a local business can eliminate a lot issues including shipping costs. Ask if you can purchase items on consignment so your financial output is limited. Some people start as jobbers and have regualr routes filling stores as they run out of product. Our other suggestion is never to offer products from China. This will destroy your credibility in the handmade local business arena.

How do I market my dreams?

"Marketing Your Dreams" is the title of a great book by Pat Williams about the life of Bill Veeck. You will need a marketing strategy so be sure and join as many local marketing groups as you can for support and contacts. The longer you stay at it the less time you will need to spend with these groups. The contacts you make will be invaluable. Another great group to join is the Handcrafted Soap Guild. They offer some insurance options that are only available for group members.

How much technical soap-making knowledge do I need?

The more you know, the better you will be able to discuss the finer details of our products with your customers. Manufacturing and distribution are two completely different skill sets. It is also true that you don't have to know everything right off the bat. Be sure and keep a log of customer questions that you cannot answer and get back with them as you find out the answer. Your vendors can also provide a wealth of information for you. Be familiar with soap-making terms such as saponification, sodium hydroxide, essential oils and other common ingredients.

Where do I find supplies for making soap?

When you first start to make soap for your business chances are your funds are limited so you will want to be extra careful not to spend too much money in one area of your business only to find that you are short on resources for another area. One place where money can disappear very quickly is money spent on fragrance oils and essential oils. I suggest you just go with tried and true fragrances that are not too exotic when you are starting. You can branch out to new fragrances after you start to generate some cash flow. There are many "best seller" lists on vendor websites which will help you get started buying "must haves" such as lavender, vanilla and citrus fragrances. The other tip I have is to try and buy your base oils, like coconut oil, locally to save on shipping. Most of the superstores now carry coconut oil and other soap making oils at great pricing that can really help your budget. The only area I would try to buy some bulk supplies is in caustic soda. Bulk purchases can save significant sums of money as you are most like going to have to pay for shipping anyway. Spreading that cost over many more pounds of product can really drive down your per unit soap price and allow cheaper pricing for your products. Happy soaping.

Will you ship by pallet?

Can I buy wholesale soap for my family?

Yes, we ship by. Your charge will beLaporte, indiana 46350. There is an additional charge for a

Many customers buy bulk quantities of our wholesale soap once or twice a year for their families. At the end of the year they take the remaining soap and make handcrafted Christmas gifts for their extended families, neighbors and friends.

Will you overnight my soap order?

Yes, we can, but there will be an additional charge. Remember, soap is heavy so overnight shipping can be very expensive. We get deeply discounted shipping rates and we will pass them along to you. If you take the standard ground delivery option your order will ship for free if it is more than eighty dollars. We strongly recommend planning ahead and ordering early for holidays or special events.

Do you make shower steamers?

Yes, but we don't currently have an order page for this item. Please call our main number. They weigh approximately 7 ounces each and are priced based on the volume of your order. A minimum of 12 per fragrance is required.

Can I get custom labels for the lotion?

Yes, though the label is small and the space is limited. We are required to put the ingredients on each label so this leaves even less room. Send us your logo and we will send you sample label back for approval.

Is it necessary to put preservative in the lotion?

Any time you add water to a recipe there is a strong chance of bacteria growing in your product before the item is completely used. Many preservatives advocated by the purists in the natural crowd only last several weeks and are very inconsistant. Though our lotion preservative can be labeled as natural, the most important factor for us is, does it work. And the answer is a absolutly "yes." We have tested it under the most rigorous situations and you can be sure you customers will be pleased with the shelf life of our popular lotion formula.

What is the single most important ingredient in your handmade soap?

In my opinion it is coconut oil. Whenever you check out different books and websites offering recipes for handmade soap you will find over 90% include coconut oil. This is where the lather attribute of your soap comes from. There are other minor players like castor oil, but coconut oil is the key. Another great quality of coconut oil is that it has a very mild ph level that is awesome for human skin.

Crafters Soap Organization Saponification