I started making handmade so
ap in 2006 as another in a long line of hobbies. But since then I have gone from whipping up quick melt-and-pour soap gifts for my friends to designing and selling my own cold process soaps online through my company, Sirona Springs. In 2009 I started teaching basic soapmaking and soap design at The Nova Studio. I have found that teaching others how to make soap is just as rewarding as making it for myself!
Trained as a laboratory research scientist, I think that soapmaking is the perfect blending of chemistry and art. This blog is a record of my adventures in entrepreneurship, a source of information about soapmaking and (hopefully) a way to keep me focused on the goal: a profitable AND satisfying business.
Besides this blog, you can also find me on Facebook and Pinterest!
Hi, My name is April, I was also in Denver for this year’s guild. I was wondering if you would help me with some color choices. I noticed that you have used the Liquid Pop Micas from TKB Trading….I’m looking for vibrant, girly colors (think polka dots with pinks with greens etc. for CP soap. I just don’t know enough about TKB to know if they are a good company to purchase product from. I want chemically safe, vibrant watermelon summer time colors. Do you think their liquid pop Micas would do the trick? Thank you for your help.
April
april@sheachic.com
Hi April! Sorry that we missed each other in Denver. I am very confident in recommending TKB Trading for soap colorants. The owner, Kaila Westerman, is very knowledgeable about all kinds of colorants for personal products, including soap. There is a section on the website specifically listing soap-safe colorants. I use oxides, ultramarines and her Pop! micas in my soap. My experience is with the dry, powder form of these. The liquid form is the same colorant already suspended in glycerin. Very handy! If you are looking for vibrant color, I think you’ll like the Pop! micas. Good luck and I’d love to see how your soap turns out!
Thank you so much for your response. I took your advice and I am very pleased with the colorants with TKB. I absolutely loved your vibrant colors and that too is what I was looking for. My website is http://www.SHEACHIC.com and I’ve been open now for a little over one month. I have been blessed with almost more business than I can handle. Thank you so much for your help in finding these wonderful colors!
~April
I’m so glad that you found what you needed!
Continued success!
Hi Ruth! I saw on your website that you make soap that looks like truffles. I’d like to order some for my cousin, who is turning 90 on September 20th. He’s a great practical joker, and one of his best gags involved soap that looked like candy. He was at a very formal party and the hostess had the soap in her bathroom. My cousin, Seymour, moved the soap to the piano, where everyone was dancing. Many people bit into the soap—and one even came back for a second piece! The hostess was NOT pleased! I wrote a poem about Seymour and included this incident. I thought it would be great to send him similar soap for his upcoming big birthday. Would this be possible?
Thanks so much! Debbie
Hi Debbie,
Thanks for getting in touch and for sharing that funny story! Your cousin sounds like a lot of fun. Unfortunately, you must have me confused with another soapmaker, because I don’t make soap that looks like truffles. I’ve blogged about my attempts at “foodie” soap, but don’t have any for sale. I suggest you check out etsy.com and search for “truffle soap”. There are some very talented handmade soapmakers there, and I’m sure you’ll find what you are looking for. Best of luck!
Hi Ruth,
It is so much fun! Lemon bar is my favorite dessert. I am glad to see that you turn it into a soap. I love to try it some day. I still have all your colorful soap samples in my showroom. They are so wonderful displays and smell good. Isabel
Thanks, Isabel!
are you familiar with what i would call ‘folded soap’ ? i saw a picture on a website but have not been able to get the info on the process? the owner is ‘setting up online’ classes, but it has been months……the bars look 1/4 thick, but then have 2 folds; how does this work?
Hi Terence, I think I know what you are describing. I believe those are made with a Melt&Pour soap base. The key is to add some extra glycerin to make the soap pliable. The Soap Queen Blog has a series of tutorials on the technique. Hope that helps!
I am intrigued by your natural colorant ebook. But before I purchase I was wondering what you consider “natural?” I use a lot of clays and plants and beer and food like pumpkin to color my soap. I see your soaps on the ebook look rather vibrant. Are we talking plants here or micas etc. Thanks!
Kelly, thanks for asking! I consider “natural” to be something that is minimally processed (like dried, cut, ground) but not synthetic. So no pigments, micas, dyes. It sounds like you and I have the same definition. You can see a list of all 34 ingredients that I tested for the book here: http://www.sironasprings.com/product/coloring-soap-naturally-ebook. It’s the third image. Click on it to make it big enough to read easily.
Hi Ruth,
My name is Melika Pasic and I am a soap maker in Tunisia.
While I was looking through different soap pages in America I came across your blog.
I fell in love with your soap ART. Gorgeous !!!!
I wanted to ask you which BRAND of dyes and aromas/scents you use???
Thank you very much in advance and hope to hear from you soon,
Melika
Thanks for your nice comment, Melika!
I use mostly a class of colorants called pigments. Some are also called oxides or ultramarines. There is no one brand of those, but I think you’ll find that they are all of good quality. As to scents, I use many different suppliers that are here in the US. Some of my favorites are Bramble Berry, The Scent Works and SoapSupplies.net. I also use essential oils from New Directions Aromatics. But there are many others. Try to look for suppliers that sell fragrances that are skin-safe, meant to be used in soap and cosmetics, and that they test their fragrances in soap to make sure that they are compatible. Best of luck!
Hi,
Thank you very much for your prompt reply
)) I am using essential oils and oxides, but still sometimes am not pleased enough with the intensity of the scent (due to essential oils being quite delicat scent) and note being able to get white color and other very bright colors without having the color residue while using the soap 
((
Thanks again
So you are getting colored lather? That means you are using too much colorant. Think about what your soap looks like uncolored. The color of your oils can affect this. If you are not getting a bar that is pretty close to white (but maybe more yellow or green), it can be hard to get a bright color with any colorant.
Hello Ruth,
I’ve just recently read your blog. I truly enjoyed reading it and I thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience. Although I it’s been some time since I was last there, I’ve taken quite a few classes at the Nova Studio. I’ve purchased Lori’s Coloring With Confidence ebook and I’ve considered purchasing your natural colorant ebook. I’ve heard that natural colorants tend to fade with time, is this issue discussed in your book? Does your book have pictures that demonstrate the change in color (or lack of) over time? Lately, I’ve been experimenting with making soap (and very recently) lotion. I’d like to have a bath & body care business sometime in the future. Thanks again.
Andrea
Hi Andrea! It’s true: natural colorants do tend to fade over time, especially when left exposed to light. But some last longer than others. I do mention in my book which ingredients give a color that lasts longer than most, but I don’t have photos comparing fresh soap with older soap. The photos I do include compare the ingredients when added to the soap at different points in the process: at trace, as oil infusions and in the lye.
Best of luck, and maybe we will see you at The Nova Studio again, soon!