How to Make Soaps & Candles for Cash

Making candles and soaps for profit can be creative and simple.

Homemade soaps and candles are creative items that can be given as gifts or even sold at local markets, fairs or online to make a profit. When making your own soaps and candles, you can choose the color, fragrance, ingredients and style to ensure your product is natural, handcrafted and individual. Purchase supplies that come in bulk and are cost effective to ensure that you are making the greatest profit from your soaps and candles.

Things You'll Need

• Soap:
• Block of clear soap base
• Fragrance oil
• Food coloring
• Soap mold
• Rubbing alcohol
• Candles:
• Candle wax
• Wicks
• Molds
• Putty
• Pencil or straw
• Candle or candy thermometer

Instructions

Soap

1. Purchase a block of clear soap base from a craft or soap store. Look for soaps that are alcohol free and made with at least 20 percent glycerin. Chose from a variety of base soaps, such as hemp glycerin, olive oil, clear glycerin or goat's milk glycerin, and decide which qualities are desired for your specific project.

2. Boil water in a large pot, add a melter into the water and your chosen soap base into this melter. Stir the melting soap occasionally and adjust the temperature to a low setting. Check approximately every 10 minutes to see if the soap base has fully melted. As an alternative you can microwave the soap base in a covered microwave-safe bowl on high for approximately one minute. Remove the bowl with the melted soap base and stir to ensure all pieces are evenly melted.

3. Choose a fragrance oil or essential oil, such as lavender or vanilla, to add to the melted soap base. Stir in .25 ounces of fragrance oil to every one pound of soap base. Make sure the fragrance is evenly mixed.

4. Add a drop of food coloring to the soap base mixture. Stir and adjust until the soap reaches a desired color. Make your soaps unique by adding dried flowers to the mold before pouring.

5. Pour the soap base with fragrance and color choice into a mold and allow it to harden for several hours. Spray any unwanted surface bubbles with rubbing alcohol to eliminate. Remove soap from the mold and package it with an attractive bow or other appealing material.

Candles

1. Purchase wax from a craft store and choose between the three major types of wax: paraffin (most common), soybean or beeswax (no melting required). Purchase other needed supplies, such as wicks, molds, fragrances or dyes.

2. Boil water in a large pot, place a melter into the water and add either the paraffin or soybean wax base into this melter. Allow the mixture time to melt and adjust the temperature to medium-low. Add desired fragrance oil, food coloring or even glitter to customize the candles.

3. Cut the wick approximately two inches higher than your candle mold stands. Thread the cut wick through the base of the candle mold and fill the base with a substance such as putty. Tie the tip of the wick to a straw or pencil and rest on the top of the mold.

4. Heat the wax to 130 degrees Fahrenheit for cardboard, plastic or glass molds and 190 degrees for metal molds. Pour the melted wax into the mold and allow 12 hours to cool and harden. Remove the candle from the mold and cut the pencil or straw from the tip of the wick.

References

• Pioneer Thinking: How to Make Candles
• Pioneer Thinking: Soap Making for Beginners --- Melt and Pour Process