What is the ease and the profit on homemade soaps like at fle markets and garage sales. Any opinions would be great.

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I don't have hot flashes, I have short, private vacations in the tropics

DS makes soap (the lye kind). He doesn't sell very much, but gives a lot away and we use a lot. Vendors around here usually charge around $3/bar. The initial cost is quite a bit. As far as selling it, I suppose it depends on where you live and who would be shopping

Dh makes all of our soap (also lye based) and I've asked him to price it out per bar just to see what it costs. We don't sell his soap although we have given it as gifts. The quality is on par with the custom made soaps I see selling for $6-$8/bar in boutiques and specialty markets like Whole Foods and Wegman's health food department. He still hasn't worked out the math for me but if he does, I'll post the information. He enjoys it as a hobby and we're all spoiled because his soap is nicer than anything else we've used.

As far as ease, lye soap is very tempermental and you have to use extreme caution when making it. There are formulas which need to be followed exactly; timing is important; temperatures must be exact ... it's work but DH loves it.

I don't know how well it would do at a flea market -- I see lots of homemade soaps at craft shows and festivals but I'm not sure how well they do. I always look at them and think they're nice but DH's are better.

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Cecilia

"We must love them both--those whose opinions we share and those whose opinions we reject. For both have labored in the search for truth, and both have helped us in the finding of it."
Saint Thomas Aquinas

I make home made soap...you can do searches online for recipes using coconut oil, goats milk and all kinds of stuff. I usually make it as a gift. Whatever recipe you use, add a couple drops vitamin e oil, this will prevent orange spots that sometimes appear on the home made soap as it ages.
I dont think it would be profitable at a garage sale, but maybe more toward a craft fair or something...or if you have a friend with a small business (like a beauty shop) you could put a few bars for sale. I just dont think garage sale peopl will be willing to pay the 4 or 5 dollars a bar the stuff is worth.
I have not found a new source for red devil lye since they stopped making it. I heard it was discontinued because meth heads were making drugs with it. I bought a bunch when I first heard, but I checked my shelf and am down to the last container...Would those who make soap let me know where you are getting the lye??

This is where DH gets his lye. You have to fill out a hazardous materials form before you can buy from them. He had to mail in the form with his signature before they would ship.


TNS

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Cecilia

"We must love them both--those whose opinions we share and those whose opinions we reject. For both have labored in the search for truth, and both have helped us in the finding of it."
Saint Thomas Aquinas

I have been making homemade soap since 2004. I don't sell; however, I do give to family and friends. It takes a while to learn and perfect this craft. Please do research (there are several great forums on the web) as there are a lot of hazards (lye heavy soap) and other pitfalls when making soap. Also, there are only a handful of agencies that insure craftspeople who make soap. You really should have insurance before selling.

HTH,
Holly

I don't make it, but, once while reading a magazine I saw a neat idea for those who do make their own. You take a picture, maybe of a family member, loved one, flowers, animals, whatever, then you get it laminated to seal it. When making the soap you put the picture in the soap. Then, as you or whoever, are using the soap, you can see the picture. I thought that was pretty neat. I know nothing about making soap, so have no clue if this actually works or not, and I would guess it would only work on transparent type soaps.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.