# Looking for good credible source to explain soap and soap making process



## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

:help I just got a phone call from my biggest wholesale account. The owner of the store wants all my soap pulled because it has lye in it. She obviously doesn't know a thing about soap. Does anyone know a a good credible site that I can print off info to show her. Luckily the managers love my soap and are pulling for me but I need to educate these people. Off to google.


----------



## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

That is totally absurd. Explain the process to her; what you do, how the mixing of the oils and lye join to create soap, explain to her what melt & pour is as a contrast to cp, invite her to watch you make soap! Send her over to Snowdrift Farm's website - lots of info there on process etc. Then again, some people still won't be convinced. You can do it!


----------



## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

I like Kathy Miller's website. And I think any good dictionary will define it well enough to see it can't be made without lye.

And I would explain to her if she doesn't want anything made with lye then she may as well pull all soaps. Even the bases used for m&p start with lye and oils. Lots of labels don't list lye because if it's properly made there is no lye left in the remaining product.....it's just soap.


----------



## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

I talked with one of the managers on the phone last night. I explained to her that any true soap requires an alkali. I explained there are different ways of labeling to not come out and actually say there is lye in the soap. She grabbed a bunch of soaps off the shelf and we went over the ingredients. I told her what saponify is and what sodium-cocoate, palmate....ect is. I guess the main manager is having lunch with the owner today. Hopefully I will know soon if I need to do anything further. This store has been selling a huge amount of my soap since before christmas. I have some of the best shelf space in the store. I guess that's why I was thrown for a loop when one of the managers calls and tells me the owner wants to pull all my soap.

This just comes with the territory. Maybe I'll have to come up with my own FAQ. In the 3 years I've been selling heavily, this kind of stuff just hasn't come up much. Now if the owner had a problem with me using lard, well, then there just wouldn't be much arguing about that.


----------



## K-Ro (Nov 10, 2009)

You might also show her the fda's definition of soap.


----------



## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

I thought folks would like an update. I feel like this is all still up in the air. I called the store 4 or 5 days after the initial phone call and the B&B manager told me she hadn't heard anything from the owner. She said she gave the owner a pile of info she had gathered up. The manager told me she thought I would be fine but before all of this started the manager had put in an order. I told her the soaps were ready but she never gave me the go-ahead to bring them in. I guess I'll just wait this one out and see what happens.


----------



## Guest (Mar 29, 2011)

Sounds like a spin to me... maybe she has another soaper that has told her a lye... you know the old my soap doesn't have lye in it.. Melt and pour, some of them use that line to get people to buy, I have even seen it posted at a craft show on a booth..


----------



## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

I have a friend who sells veg there weekly. I think I may have her check it out. I'd hate to lose this store but it wouldn't be the end of the world. I haven't encountered all that much competition directly in Wichita but I know there are other soapers in the area.


----------



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Do you put lye on your ingredient list I don't


----------



## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

Sondra said:


> Do you put lye on your ingredient list I don't


I put sodium hydroxide on my ingredient list. Uggh! This is something I thought about over and over again when I first started selling soap. Do I just list what's in there or go for the "saponified oils of". I guess time will tell if I kick myself for the decision I made. I really do think I need to make an education page I can direct people to if this comes up again. Another thing I'll just add it to my "to do" list.


----------

