Best soap making books according to redditors
We found 26 Reddit comments discussing the best soap making books. We ranked the 7 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
1. Soap and Cosmetic Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain English
5 mentions
Good morning~! Here's this week's news, enjoy!
Sales!
January sale for 15%-off all shaving products.
 
Last day to receive 15%-off orders over 30€ with code: FAENACHR
 
Last chance coupon to get 25%-off with code: FACEBOOK25
 
Blossomwood aftershave balm (travel-size) is free with orders over $50. (Request it from the notes during check-out)
 
Orders over $35 get a free mystery gift valued at $25 with code: Mystery
 
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New Products!
Night Music (vanilla, bergamot, musk, iris, strawberry) preorders will begin today!
 
North York (gourmand: blood orange, coffee, roasted barley, vanilla) makes it's debut today, don't miss it!
 
What's new..? Absolutely e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g! (See news below)
 
Two new wooden brushes were added: Amboyna Burl and Poplar.
 
Stocking a limited quantity of Alluro (jasmine, pear, coffee flowers, whiskey) by Tcheon Fung Sing! Attempts to provide a strong exfoliation effect in hopes of preventing ingrown hairs.
 
Now offering curated sample packs that will rotate on a monthly basis! January's pack includes four 1oz tins of Bumble Nuts, Cure for a Belly Ache, Frazzled Kilt and Grapelicious.
 
Peerless (cedar, fir, bergamot, tobacco) will go live this Saturday!
 
Something a little different: a published book about making shaving soap!
 
Longship (Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver) aftershave balm is now available with plans to make more for the other dupes shortly!
 
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News!
A new policy designed to combat preorder abuse. Buyers will be required to pay a deposit and are subject to a cancellation fee.
 
· Get those calendars out, the schedule for 2017 is here!
· The website also received a nice makeover too!
 
· Both the Select V.2 and Oliva lines were abruptly discontinued and replaced by a single line with a new formula that aims to improve slickness and cushion.
· Most existing scents have also been discontinued and are no longer available. All new scents will only use essential oils going forward and the first five are Arctica, Citron, Cypress, Juniper, Lavish.
· The previous metal soap tins, aftershave bottles, and labels have also been replaced with by plastic jars, spray-pump bottles, and modern aesthetics.
· The website interface has also received a huge update too.
 
The Puzzle contest thread will be posted on Saturday afternoon. Participants only have two hours to enter and the first correct answer will win!
 
Isabella and Lillian were discontinued yesterday to make space for some upcoming new scents!
 
· Bay Rum soap tins and bars are available for pre-order.
· An extremely limited quantity of Lily of the Valley Bath Bars are also available for purchase.
 
Details and prototype photos for the upcoming beehive and M8 handles.
 
Reminder to check out the recent AMA that was posted last weekend!
 
Solid colognes are tentatively scheduled for the end of January.
 
Plans for the new year discuss label development, many upcoming scents, and how proceeds are donated!
 
· Slight price increase on soaps due to supplier costs going up.
· Plans to offer a smaller-sized ~70g soap (in addition to the normal sizes) for those who may enjoy trying lots of scents and other brands more often.
· Bath fizzies and bath bars will also be available soon!
 
I'm assuming this is the book you're talking about? How to Make Shaving Soap If so I'd highly recommend it. It's written by Carrie Siebert of Soap Commander. It along with /u/jbisinla 's post are by far the best resources I've found.
edit: Just an additional thing to add, I believe somewhere in /u/jbisinla 's post there is a link to a soap making forum that chronicle Songwind's, who I believe is behind Dapper Dragon, (someone please correct me if that's wrong) soap making. It's pretty cool that with these 3 resources you get input from 3 highly respected soap makers.
Congratulations on starting a online store! I'm just getting into it and there's so many options for soap, with different oils, and fragrances. I've been reading this book as suggested by SoapQueen and it's been really helpful to get my brain to slow down and write down everything in the process.
You might want to also post on /r/Indiemakeupandmore.
If you're selling in the US, you might want to read Marie Gale's Soap and Cosmetic Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain English, https://www.amazon.com/Soap-Cosmetic-Labeling-Explained-English/dp/0979594561, to make sure that you get your labels correct.
If you're already familiar with the basic process and can't find a class, it's not too difficult to do yourself. This is a good starter book, you can also see what the library has available. A few things to keep in mind:
-Have dedicated soap utensils, keep them separate from your regular kitchen utensils (except for a scale, that you can use for both, and I highly recommend getting one).
-Make sure everything is stainless steel, glass, silicone, or heavy plastic. Do not use aluminum.
-Always wear gloves and goggles when handling lye and uncured soap.
-ALWAYS add lye crystals to liquid, never the other way around.
-If you get a lye burn, flush with running water, NOT vinegar.
Feel free to ask me any other questions, I've made soap a number of times.
Well soup isn't too fattening either, but it's harder to give away as presents!
I've never done candles, but soap involves a big stainless pot, a thermometer, lye, a good set of kitchen scales, and oil. Then some molds for shaping them, or you can just cut it. Plus scented oils and stuff if you want to go in that direction. Soap has the virtue that it lasts well but everyone uses the stuff.
Amazon often has free kindle books on soap making which might give you some ideas. Here's one, though I can't vouch for how good it is - http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Ways-Handmade-Making-Recipes-ebook/dp/B00JYIQLWK/ref=sr_1_15?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1417019738&sr=1-15&keywords=soap
Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:
amazon.co.uk
amazon.ca
amazon.com.au
amazon.in
amazon.com.mx
amazon.de
amazon.it
amazon.es
amazon.com.br
amazon.nl
amazon.co.jp
amazon.fr
Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.
I believe beard oil is considered a cosmetic, so you'll need to follow practices as such. I highly recommend two books by Marie Gale.
Soap and Cosmetic Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain English
https://www.amazon.com/Soap-Cosmetic-Labeling-Explained-English/dp/0979594561
Good Manufacturing Practices for Soap and Cosmetic Handcrafters
https://www.amazon.com/Good-Manufacturing-Practices-Cosmetic-Handcrafters/dp/0979594545
It's also highly recommend to carry liability insurance. Indie Business Network offers $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 plans. You may also find better rates through your own searches.
Here's some reading related to our sub.
How to Make Shaving Soap: Charting Your Course to the Land of Lather https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692795448/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_k6aCybXPTW71C
This looks promising.
Advanced Soap Making: Removing the Mystery by Humphrey and Middleton
https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Soap-Making-Removing-Mystery/dp/0615894844
It's not required. If you want to have it approved, you can. As far as I know, (I'm no lawyer, just a girl making butters out of my kitchen) as long as you aren't claiming it is anti aging or anti wrinkle you are alright. Basically don't claim that it WILL do something, but it could instead help. Most reputable suppliers sell color additives that have been approved by the FDA (like iron oxides) so you do not need to get it reapproved (as far as I know, I don't use colorants so that's just a guess). The book I recommended goes into great detail about drug vs cosmetic claims and which agency governs what. It also goes into amazing detail about what your label needs. If you are selling by weight, many states require you use a NTEP approved scale, which they then test yearly for accuracy (at least Oregon does).
Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0979594561/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1518997182&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=soap+and+cosmetic+labeling+marie+gale
This book is tremendously useful:
Soap and Cosmetic Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain English https://www.amazon.com/dp/0979594561/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_yvLrxb20V2X0V
You might also want to visit /r/soapmaking - there's discussion of other bath/body/cosmetic products in there.
You should do it! I just launched a cosmetics business this year, but I first got the idea way back in 2008, when I first learned about indie makeup. I thought I was too busy with school, but now I realize if I'd started working on it back then, even just a few hours per week, my business would be further along today.
Your first steps are writing a business plan, developing your products, and learning about FD&C cosmetic regulations, so you can sell your products legally. For the last step, I recommend these 2 books: Soap & Cosmetic Labeling and Good Manufacturing Practices by Marie Gale. Some people have mentioned liability issues, you can get liability insurance relatively inexpensively if you join a trade association for small businesses (for example HSCG) and purchase it through them.
You also mentioned buying and reselling products from other brands. I used to work as a buyer for a cosmetic retailer, and I can tell you, it's not easy. In order to get wholesale prices, brands need to approve you as a retailer. And beauty brands, especially popular brands are very selective about who they allow to retail their products. You'll also need to meet their MOQ's (minimum order quantities) which are sometimes thousands of dollars. If you take this route, you'll probably have to start by sourcing small indie brands, and then work your way up to the bigger brands as you gain credibility.