soapmaking supplies?

[lorihadams]

Where do you guys get your soapmaking supplies from? I haven't done it yet so I don't have anything but once I get my goats I want to do goat milk soap. I do have an immersion blender but need to get a scale and lye and all the basics....any good websites I can get stuff from? Thanks!

 

[freemotion]

All my equipment came from various department stores....cheap stainless pot, thermometers, pitchers, scale, etc. I used a plastic tote for a mold but just picked up two small dishpans from the dollar store (smooth bottom, no ridges.)

I get my fats and oils from the grocery store (you simply must render suet into tallow as part of your fats....quicker trace and quicker set up, firm soap) or discount store.

I ordered a case of lye through my local Ace Hardware, but that was a couple of years ago. I got a dozen one pound canisters of Rooto drain opener.

 

[glenolam]

Oh yeah there's places!

www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com - I really like this company (nicknamed WSP). I've never had problems with them, their scents are very good and hold up well and they ship very quickly. I placed a small order on Monday and got it on Thursday. I bought all my initial oils and FOs from them.

www.soaperschoice.com - This is where I currently buy my palm and coconut oil. They ONLY stock 50# containers and so the initial investment is big, but the per oz cost is much lower than buying the 7# containers from Wholesale Supplies Plus. It just depends on how much soaping you're going to do. If it's a batch here and there, I'd stick with WSP.

www.brambleberry.com - I've never bought from them. They're mainly a FO and EO place but sell other stuff too. IMO they're too expensive and from what I've heard take FOREVER to ship stuff out.

www.thelyeguy.com - I buy my lye from him. Fast shipping, comes in great useful containers.

www.essentialdepot.com - I used to buy my lye here, but switched to the Lye Guy just because I liked the containers the lye guy puts the lye in better.

www.tkbtrading.com - Here you can buy POP micas to color your soap should that suit your fancy.

I bought my materials from a local place called Ocean State Job Lot and bought my scale at Walmart for $12. Nothing fancy at all. I did get 2 stick blenders for $10 each from Ocean State and have yet to have one burn out even after a year of use.

Hang on....I'm thinking of more....

 

[glenolam]

PS - I don't use lard or tallow in my soaps so I really can't help you out there, but freemotion or savingdogs might be able to help you with that.

http://soapmoldsuperstore.com/index.html - I bought a few log molds from her. She is wicked nice and even sent some extras free of charge because her molds are mainly for melt and pour as opposed to cold process. She recommended I nest them to double up the strength and avoid having warped sides.

http://www.elementsbathandbody.com - I've never ordered from them so I have no feedback.

 

[freemotion]

I first used tallow when I made too much when I was making a batch of suet cakes for the bird feeder. It was so much better than the all-veg oil soaps (and very traditional!) that I'll never go back. Of course, I am too cheap to have oils shipped to me so I never tried palm oil and I won't purchase Crisco, etc, for any purpose, even soap.

 

[savingdogs]

I actually make the crisco recipe soap and we have had good luck with it. I wouldn't EAT crisco though! The recipe is really easy and comes out nice and I don't have to find exotic oils.

I want to venture into using other materials esp shea butter and exotic fragrances, but found that the expense of some of the ingredients was too much for my budget. I did everything on-the-cheap. I bought all my soap making pots and supplies at the Goodwill, even a container to store them all in, and only bought molds, fragrance and lye online. I ordered from Brambleberry and while I liked the products, Glenolam is right, it does take them forever to ship things. Their Baby Rose fragrance was really really lovely though. I find the fragrance is the most expensive part and have made unscented soap.

I did buy molds so I could make "gift" soap, but you can make your own mold really easy. There are tons of ideas online and my best soap size has come from using a recycled cardboard box that a gift came in, it is just the right size. Once you make it a few times you start to look at everything as a soap mold. I made some pretty soap using a glass candy dish even. You do NOT have to purchase a bunch of stuff from a soapmaking company. A lot of it can be improvised.

I did purchase lye that way however as I could not find it locally.

There is a very useful thread called Soapmakers Help over at BYC that you may find instructive. It is like a book on soap making.

 

[me&thegals]

Glenolam gave great resources. Good luck!

 

[glenolam]

I first used tallow when I made too much when I was making a batch of suet cakes for the bird feeder. It was so much better than the all-veg oil soaps (and very traditional!) that I'll never go back. Of course, I am too cheap to have oils shipped to me so I never tried palm oil and I won't purchase Crisco, etc, for any purpose, even soap.

I haven't quite ventured off into the rendering and stuff which is why I haven't made any soaps with tallow. But I'm definintely interested, especially if you say it's better. Around my local area the only soaps people sell are veggie soaps. Most have the "ewwww...I'm not washing with animal fat!"


Tree huggers.

 

[lorihadams]

how do you make tallow....

 

[glenolam]

Not a fricken clue.

I think it has something to do with gizzards, fat and the stove.