Cost of Making Handmade Soap

by Claire
(Portland, Oregon)

I would like to make small honey comb soaps for a volunteer appreciation... (I'm a volunteer coordinator) . Could you tell me how much it would cost to make small soaps per person? I was told soap making can be expensive, but I thought I would ask to see if that information was accurate.

Answer:

Making handmade soap can be inexpensive or very expensive. It all depends on the ingredients you use and your access to them.

To find out the cost per bar of handmade soap you will need to do a number of things first.

1. Decide on the recipe you will be using.

2. Price out all of the ingredients you will need and figure out how much each will cost per ounce or gram. Don't forget to include the price of shipping the ingredients to you in your cost.

3. Figure out how many soaps you will be making.

4. Decide on what form of packaging you will be using and divide the cost of the materials by the number of soaps you will be making.

Once you have done all of the above (this will not take in to account the cost of purchasing the equipment needed to make the soap) you can then figure out the cost of each bar.

Since you are not selling the soaps, paying yourself doesn't need to be figured into this equation.

Using your recipe, times the amount of each ingredient by the cost per gram or ounce of the same ingredient. Add them all up and divide by the number of soaps. Add in the cost of packaging.

That should cover it.

Good luck,
Cathy