# I'm freaking out here!! (help) FIRST EVER soap booth this weekend.



## FourMileFarm (Mar 1, 2008)

We have been asked to not only sell soap at a booth for the *first time ever * this weekend, but to also give a "old time lye soap making demonstration"!!

:rofl <---that's me, only I am having a seizure rather than laughing. :help

Will yall PLEASE help me by giving me tips, hints, ideas, and things you wish
you had known BEFORE you did something like this for the first time? 

I'm so clueless I don't even know what to ask!!

I have plenty of soap to sell, if I can just get it all packaged before the weekend. That is not my problem! What are the logistics of actually making soap in front of people? I think I have thought this all through... :really ... but I am not sure.

Should I just make the simplest easiest lard and goat milk recipe? Or should I use oils? I know I only want to make a tiny batch at a time, and I know better than to let any onlookers try to help due to the possibility of lye burns... but what else?

Thanks so much for any ideas!
Rachel


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## Becky-DixieDoesAlpines (Oct 26, 2007)

I would only make soap once during the day, just write "soapmaking demo" on a black board and set it for a certain time. I don't know if I would even make the soap, I'd be pretty worried about unruly kids, etc.
If you do, make sure you have a helper tosell soap to the crowd that will accumulate. I'd do all lard, or something else easy.
I'd also have some logs of soap to slice after making the soap, and maybe packege a few, so show beginning to end.
For the rest, bring signs, tablecloths, shelving or baskets, lots of change, paper bags, etc.
Becky


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## SherrieC (Oct 26, 2007)

I would have two tables, use some empty props like from the Walmart recipe, scales measuring cups. have your fats pre measured and melted. take your premeasured frozen liquid whether goat milk or water or combo, pre measured lye in a plastic container. do ONE demonstration, as it's kinda dangerous! Take a mold if you have extras of soap you made the day or two before so they can see fresh soap, and cut a few pieces in front of them. have the 2nd table set up a safe distance away with a Helper to sell. take a bowl of Oatmeal, and blossums calendula, or chamomile, let them see sniff those before adding. preferably make the same type of soap the day before and Maybe lay or stake down a yellow nylon roap about 2 ' from the table. Good luck. Practice your speech about 3 times before you go, and Props are really helpful in front of the crowd if you freeze you can look at your prop and remember what you are talking about. : )


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## Katarina (Oct 25, 2007)

I just did my first booth last week end, though I did not give a class on making soap. I did have a paper written up about the benefits of using goat milk soap over other soap. I also had one bar of each soap on a little dish in front of the basket that the rest of the soap was in. 

Are you only going to be selling soaps their?


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Don't teach CP in front of people like this. Shred up a bunch of soap and have it melting in a crock pot, then ladel it into rustic molds of wood lined with wax paper or even milk cartons. That would be alot less dangerous, less stressfull! I love the idea of having logs out so you can pour some of the soap, show the logs and cut them into soap. You could print out basic instructions and perhaps a website or two soapdishforum.com and perhaps millers site or someone with good basic recipes and directions. Have fun, promote your soap and your goats! vicki


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## FourMileFarm (Mar 1, 2008)

GOOD IDEAS!! 
Make soap ONE TIME at a set time. 
Dont do CP - I feel I must do at least one demo because I commited to it, but I think I could get away with the shred and melt idea... *EXCEPT I've never done it!!! * LOL :crazy
I'll have to do it at home first. Well, I did try to melt some messed up (seized) soap one time, but added a lot of water in order to be able to stir it, and it turned out terrible.... 
SO, grate some bars of soap into the crockpot, set it on low? Let 'em melt... do I add any liquid? I'll do this tomorrow so I know what to expect!  Practicing my speech and having some printouts are good ideas as well! 
I have a tablecloth and some nice baskets. I do not have shelves or racks or anything so will just have to line the soap up according to scents. 
Some signs printed up with our farm name and info on goat milk soap. 
Pictures of the goats and us milking - for those who wont believe we really do it all ourselves. 
And CHANGE - OMG I never thought of that! Good grief, what is wrong with me? 
I've spent half the day printing out labels. 
OH! BTW, I like the log idea, the rope idea, and congrats to Astronut!! 
Thank you ALL!!! 
Rachel


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## Katarina (Oct 25, 2007)

I didn't have any shelves for my soaps. (Well, I did but, the table wasn't beg enough for it. :?) So, I found some baskets at the dollar store, put as many soaps as I could nice and neatly in the baskets and put a "sample" bar on a little try. Which could be a nice looking plate.


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

When I rebatch soap I grate it fine with my kitchenaid grater put in pot and add like 1/8 to 1/4 cup milk let it sit over night and then start the crock pot. so you could have some soap grated up and milk sitting there to tell them what you have done. and what is in the pot NOW this soap doing it this way or anytime you rebatch is very very thick and you really almost spoon and mash into the molds 

I disagree on using this method and tho I have never done a demo I would have my lye water premixed and my oils premixed and then at the demo mix them together and stick blend and pour into molds. have the walmart recipe printed out for people to take.


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

If you have everything preweighed and premixed and melted like Sondra said this would work. I would however make sure that EVERYONE is at a distance away when you make it and that you do it first thing in the morning to get that lye solution gone just in case. I would think that if you commited to doing a soap making demo this would be more of what they are expecting so I would do it as Sondra and others said with everything done up so it is just dump and mix. I wouldn't do a GM soap either, just regular. Be careful, this could be a really big liability for you.

But in the future I agree with Vicki about not teaching in an open market especially if you haven't taught a class before. Even in the class I taught I was HUGELY anal about stuff and I did not even let them handle granular lye at all for fear of it flying all over and someone later getting even little burns from it not being cleaned up well enough. I had thier solution premixed and weighed it just before they soaped. I did mix granular lye with water myself and had them feel the outside of the container with a gloved hand so they could see how hot it got, etc.


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## FourMileFarm (Mar 1, 2008)

kidsngarden said:


> If you have everything preweighed and premixed and melted like Sondra said this would work. I would however make sure that EVERYONE is at a distance away when you make it and that you do it first thing in the morning to get that lye solution gone just in case. I would think that if you commited to doing a soap making demo this would be more of what they are expecting so I would do it as Sondra and others said with everything done up so it is just dump and mix. I wouldn't do a GM soap either, just regular. Be careful, this could be a really big liability for you.
> 
> But in the future I agree with Vicki about not teaching in an open market especially if you haven't taught a class before. Even in the class I taught I was HUGELY anal about stuff and I did not even let them handle granular lye at all for fear of it flying all over and someone later getting even little burns from it not being cleaned up well enough. I had thier solution premixed and weighed it just before they soaped. I did mix granular lye with water myself and had them feel the outside of the container with a gloved hand so they could see how hot it got, etc.


hmmmmmmmmm.... good point. I'll discuss these options with the people who are organizing this whole Sesquicentenial Celebration Thingymajig and see what they think. 
One day a couple weeks ago I had mixed up some lye and milk, and then had a major distraction so I put it in the fridge. I didnt get back to it for 3 days and when I finished that batch of soap it turned out fine. whew! Yall probably ALL knew that would be fine but I didnt! LOL


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