Soapmaking is a very rewarding hobby – one that you can turn into a successful business. You have the opportunity to creatively develop your own soap from scratch and share your products with your family, friends and/or customers. Starting a handcrafted soap business can be a lucrative venture.
Lots of people are moving away from the harsh chemicals and detergents that are abundant in commercial soaps and are favouring naturally made luxurious artisan soaps.
Whether you just want to learn to make soap for yourself and your family or create your own brand to eventually start a soapmaking business, I have a great course to share with you.
Today, I would like to share with you Soapmaking Success by Jan Berry.
Jan is a veteran soapmaker, herbalist and writer. She has a wealth of information on making handcrafted soaps and body care products. This knowledge she shares on her website, The Nerdy Farmwife, and through her books and courses.
She is the best-selling author of:
- 101 Easy Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health & Home: A Nerdy Farm Wife’s All-Natural DIY Projects Using Commonly Found Herbs, Flowers & Other Plants.
- Simple & Natural Soapmaking: Create 100% Pure and Beautiful Soaps with The Nerdy Farm Wife’s Easy Recipes and Techniques
She has also authored, Easy Homemade Melt and Pour Soaps: Safe, Simple and All-Natural Creations for the Whole Family.
The Course
This self-paced course is for both new and experienced soapmakers and is divided into 6 lessons:
- Success with Fruits and Veggies
- Success with Flowers and Herbs
- Success with Alternative Liquids
- Success with Natural Colorants
- Success with Simple Soap Designs
- Success with Soap Label Design
There are 7 downloadable guides, 25 instructional videos and 21 cold-process soap recipes.
All 21 cold process recipes are printable, and accompanied by step-by-step instructional videos and stunning pictures of the finished products. When learning to make soap, it is always great to have visual and video content to see exactly how the soap is made – when trace is reached, how to add fragrance, do swirls etc.
You will learn how to create soaps such as:
- Pumpkin Soap with Spiced Latte Layer
- Grapefruit Poppyseed
- Cucumber Mint Loofah
- Herbal Green Goodness
- Strawberry Rose
- Blueberry and Charcoal Swirl
- Milk, Oatmeal and Honey
If you are a complete beginner and have never made soap in your life, the course starts with an introductory guide to soapmaking. It covers all the foundation topics necessary to get you comfortable making your first batch of soap. These include lye safety, type of oils and butters, supplies and suppliers and useful terminology.
Throughout Soapmaking Success, you will learn how to:
- Incorporate ingredients such as aloe vera, wine, and vinegar into your recipes.
- Make infusions with flowers and herbs
- Enrich soaps with fruits and vegetables.
- Make loofah soaps
- Make whipped soap
- Use natural colorants
- Create an in-the-pot swirl
- Do a funnel pour design….and more!
All of the recipes are palm oil free and vegan substitutes for lard or tallow are always given.
I particularly appreciate that there is a section that shows you how to make labels for your soap as I have rarely seen this with other courses. Again, there are video demonstrations on how to use different platforms such as Canva and PicMonkey to create beautiful labels.
Bonus Printables and Resources
In addition to lesson bonuses at the end of each lesson, there is another valuable bonus section for soapmakers at the end of the course. These bonuses are all printable lists and charts that can be kept nearby to refer to as you make your soaps. These are:
- Soap Additives Chart
- Soap Supplies Resource List
- Essential Oils for Soapmaking Chart
- How to Use Essential Oils Chart
- How to Use a Lye Calculator
Your soapmaking journey won’t be a lonely one as you will have support in a private Facebook group and you can also ask questions in the comments section of the course or email Jan directly.
You will also have lifetime access to the course and its updates.
The Cost
The cost of Soapmaking Success is US$37 which I think, given the amount of information and recipes in the course, complete with bonuses, is quite reasonable.
This, in my opinion, is definitely the best online course to get you started on your soapmaking journey if you are a beginner or to help you master new techniques if you are already experienced.
So if you would like to get started on your soapmaking adventures, check out Soapmaking Success by Jan Berry.
Click here to see other ebooks and courses by Jan.
