Ask the Soapman

 I wanted to purchase some of your foaming hand soaps as Christmas gifts but when I try to add to cart they will not add and a pop up states they are not available? Can you please tell if and when they will be available in the future? We are re-stocking next week. Sorry! Just getting back into production in our new facility. All the Best, Soapman

 Do you have the organic soap processed machine? if yes how much per unit? We make soap, but we do not sell the machines. We buy used equipment and modify them, an expensive and difficult task. It is often easier to make cookers from metal drums and heat with dried coconut husks or something similar. You will need a lot of clean air to clear the fumes from cooking liquid soap. Both bar and liquid soaps can be turned by stick as long as the mixer is not breathing the fumes (the smoke). All the Best, Larry Plesent

Hi Larry, Approximately how long before the pet shampoo will be available. Thanks for your help. Regards, Diane Hi Diane, We are getting back into production now. 3-4 weeks. You can also use any of our castile liquid soaps. Tea tree and Lemongrass Zen are popular for pets. Liquid Sunshine works great too. All of these are in stock as I write. Best! Soapman

Are you ever going to produce hand and/or body lotions? I love your soaps and would love to be able to purchase hand and body creams or lotions. Hi Beverly, Thanks for the compliments and for asking about moisturizers. We make a product called Green Gold. It is a pretty amazing herbal moisturizer and anti-aging balm. We also have pure shea butter in little pots for lips. All the Best! Soapman

Hi, My friend and I were looking forward to visiting your booth at The Big E this weekend, but we didn’t see you. Are you going to be there at all or have you opted out this year? Thanks. As you may have heard we had a factory fire on June 4’th and had to relocate (ipod speakers caught on fire). Just getting back into production now so we don’t have a lot to sell for the Big E. We WILL be back at the Big E next year. In the meantime checkout our bar soap special (45% off list…

I have been seeing charcoal face soap suggested for breakouts and oily skin but I don’t see any on your site. Is this something you would consider having in your store? Thank you! Charcoal sounds interesting. The only downside I can see is a loss in shelf life. Working with African shea butter, I have observed that charcoal in oils causes them to oxidize faster. For oily skin sensitive skin I recommend Clay Soap. This is a high quality, unscented bar soap that dries up oily skin and closes pores. We used a local green clay from an organic farm.…

We live in an area with hard water. To counteract the effects of hard water, we have a water softener. Unfortunately, softened water does not always completely wash soap away, leaving a slippery feeling on our skin. Is there a type of soap that washes away better in soft water? Thanks for your help! Try the castile liquid soap and the foaming hand soaps. These will work better than our gels or bars. Best! Soapman

Hello! How do I know if an all natural product needs a preservative for retail? Is there a safe all natural preservative? Do you know of any online classes for all natural skin care products? Would a Pure Aloe Vera Gel product need a preservative ? Thank you, DeAnna Hi DeAnna, Thanks for writing. How do I know if an all natural product needs a preservative for retail? If a product contains water there is a very good chance that it will grow microbes. Always do a CTFA challenge test for any unique product that you make and an inexpensive…

I would like to dilute the liquid sunshine all purpose concentrate to refill my Spray and wipe bottle. How much concentrate in water do you recommend for the 16 oz bottle? Thanks, Suzanne OK – here you go: Always rinse out your refill bottles 3x in hot water. Soap is only as fresh as the oldest molecule of soap in the bottle! Always add water to soap only when you want a lot of foam, like when you wash a dog or a car. Otherwise add soap to water to minimize foaming in the bottle. You can use as little…

What is the ounce size of your wholesale bars? This is actually a very good question. Handmade soap has a fairly high percentage of water in it. When it is first made it pours like pancake batter, lye water solution being about 1/3 of the mix at that point. After three days or so the product is hard enough to handle and cut. The bars are laid out on stainless steel screens and dried for a month. When water weight drops below 12% it is ready to take off the drying racks and can be sold. As water continues to…