🧼 Soapmaking Basics – Two-Day Intensive Workshop

Course Overview

This two-day, hands-on workshop introduces participants to the art and science of traditional soapmaking. Participants will learn safe, sustainable methods to create their own natural soaps—from raw ingredients to finished bars. The course emphasizes technique, creativity, and small-scale production suitable for home use or starting a soapmaking business.

• Target Audience: Beginners, homesteaders, and craft entrepreneurs

• Duration: 2 days (8 hours each, with overnight soap curing between sessions)

• Format: Classroom learning, guided demonstrations, and hands-on soapmaking practice

Day 1 – Foundations of Soapmaking (8 Hours)

• 9:00–9:30 AM — Welcome & Orientation
  Introductions, workshop goals, and safety briefing.

• 9:30–10:30 AM — Session 1: Introduction to Soapmaking
  Overview of soapmaking history

• Benefits of handmade soap, and understanding saponification.

• Discuss soap types: cold process, hot process, melt and pour.

• 10:30–11:30 AM — Session 2: Materials, Tools, and Safety
  Overview of oils, lye, fragrances, colorants, and molds.

• Safe handling of lye (PPE, ventilation, emergency protocol).

• Emphasis on protective equipment: goggles, gloves, long sleeves, and closed-toe shoes.

  11:30–12:15 PM — Session 3: Recipe Formulation & Lye Calculation
  Understanding oil properties,

• Using lye calculators,

• Balancing hardness, cleansing, and conditioning

  12:15–1:00 PM — Lunch Break
  Networking and Q&A

  1:00–3:00 PM — Session 4: Hands-On Cold Process Soapmaking
  Step-by-step guided soapmaking session — measuring, mixing lye, combining oils, blending, and pouring into molds.

3:00–4:00 PM — Session 5: Hot Process & Melt-and-Pour Overview
Demonstration of hot process soap and melt-and-pour methods for faster results.

4:00–5:00 PM — Session 6: Cleanup & Setting Soaps to Cure
Participants clean workstations, label their molds, and store soaps overnight for hardening. Discuss next-day expectations.

Day 2 – Finishing, Design, and Business Basics (8 Hours)

9:00–9:30 AM — Welcome Back & Review
Safety reminder, Q&A on Day 1, and overview of curing process.

9:30–10:30 AM — Session 1: Cutting & Curing
Unmolding and cutting soaps, identifying texture and consistency, setting curing conditions. Troubleshooting (soft, crumbly, or lye-heavy soap). Safety reminder for knife handling and workspace hygiene.

10:30–11:30 AM — Session 2: Customization & Design Techniques
Adding colors, clays, herbs, and exfoliants; layering and swirling techniques.

11:30–12:15 PM — Session 3: Fragrance Blending
Understanding essential and fragrance oils; creating balanced scent profiles; safe usage rates.

12:15–1:00 PM — Lunch Break
Herbal tea and discussion on sustainable ingredient sourcing.

1:00–2:30 PM — Session 4: Packaging & Labeling
Soap cutting demonstration; packaging options; labeling requirements (FDA basics).

2:30–3:30 PM — Session 5: Starting a Small Soapmaking Business
Branding, pricing, selling locally and online, sourcing bulk ingredients, legal considerations.

3:30–4:30 PM — Session 6: Advanced Topics & Demonstration
Creating herbal or exfoliating soap; demonstration of simple swirls and embeds.

4:30–5:00 PM — Wrap-Up
Reflection, final Q&A,

Course Materials

Instructor Provides:

• Lye, oils, molds, fragrances, colorants

• Digital thermometer, stick blender, scales

• Handouts on recipes, safety, and troubleshooting

• Soap samples for comparison and practice

• Packaging examples and labeling templates

• PPE and ventilation system setup for demonstration area

Participants Should Bring:

• Notebook and pen

• Apron and gloves

• Closed-toe shoes and long sleeves

• Empty silicone loaf mold (optional if reusing)

Assessment

• Hands-On Assessment: Participants safely make a cold process soap batch and properly unmold and cut it on Day 2.
• Knowledge Check: Q&A discussion on safety, formulation, and troubleshooting.

Recommended Resources

Books:

• Soap Crafting — Anne-Marie Faiola

• The Natural Soap Book — Susan Miller Cavitch

Online:

• Soap Queen Blog

• Lovin’ Soap Studio

• Vine and Fig Tree Homestead Online Forum

Vine and Fig Tree Homestead Workshop Series
Promoting Sustainable Living, Self-Reliance, and Community Learning.