Soap made by Marie Gale
As with most people, making soap wasn’t something I planned to do. I didn’t have a driving urge to become a soapmaker. In fact, up until about 12 years ago, I never really thought about where soap came from. True, I didn’t like using “traditional, store-bought” soap, but it never occurred to me that there were other options.
Then, in the late 1990’s I had major changes in my life. Most of them weren’t very pleasant, and all of them resulted in the necessity to regroup, restructure and reorganize. Sparing the gruesome details, at the end of it all I was living on our family ranch in a 90-year-old house wondering what I was going to do for the rest of my life.
I liked (and still do) living closer to the land. After getting the house fixed up and learning how to chop and split wood (necessities when the place is heated by a woodstove!), I started looking into my options. What could I do that would produce some income, be fun and entertaining, and allow me to stay at home?
I researched a lot of “back to basics” type activities. Raising animals for meat seemed too risky karma-wise and I didn’t have any interest or knowledge about raising animals for fiber, so animals were out. Growing crops (of whatever kind) seemed like too much work (and besides, the place really isn’t conducive to that — too much rain and steep slopes). Quilting was a possibility, but I’m not THAT good at it. Then I discovered soap!
The idea, even though I didn’t know anything about it, was intriguing. I read Susan Cavitch’s book, The Natural Soap Book: Making Herbal and Vegetable-Based Soaps
I thought I had reinvented the wheel … I would be a millionaire and on Oprah in no time! I started making soap - and was hooked.
It was at my very first craft show selling soap that I discovered that there actually were other people making handcrafted soap … there was even a Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild! Hmm, maybe I didn’t reinvent the wheel, but I certainly found my place.
Since then I have made tens of thousands of bars of soap. It’s never gotten old - every time I watch the ingredients mix together and turn into soap, every time I unmold a batch and feel the creamy goodness, I am still amazed and awed.
My business, Chandler’s Soaps, has been going since 1998. I joined the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild in 1999, and have been President of it since 2004. It’s a group of hardworking, caring, dedicated soapmakers with whom I feel I share a common bond.
I’m proud to be a soapmaker!
[...] Original post by Marie Gale [...]
I’m thinking about soap making but have no idea of the profitability.
Will I be able to support my home expenses and family needs?
Soapmakaing can be profitable, but you’ll need to do it smart. Develop your skills first, so you know you can consistently make excellent products. Find a good niche market that works for you. Do good market research so you can develop products and packaging that will attract buyers in your niche market. Develop a marketing plan that reaches your chosen niche.
Work it as a business, not a hobby; do a business plan and stick to it. Keep careful track of all your costs (including overhead and your time) as well as your income.
As with any business, your return (and profit) will come from hard work, good products, and ingenuity.
It can be done, but sometimes the runway is a bit long. In most cases it’s not the kind of business where you can start and immediately make sufficient profit to support yourself.
On the other hand, if you have a passion for soapmaking, you CAN turn it into a real business!
Marie
I am in Kenya but with experience of over 10 years of making soap, but I find this challenging