Fresholi | Melting Pot Café

Hi, my name's Sharon and I'm from Bristol.  I'm very new to all this and have just started making balms and body butters.  I'm very excited and would love to sell them  - but really don't know where to start !

What comes first ?  Packaging and labels...safety assessments..website  ?  I keep reading more and more and going round in circles as I try to decide what order to address these things and the best way to proceed !

Can anyone offer me any advice ?  I'm sorry if this has been covered elsewhere on the forums.  If you could point me in the right direction that would be great !

Thanks for all the fantastic information I've seen on the site so far..

Hello Sharon, welcom to the forum (liking your username BTW).

If you feel confident with your recipes then the first thing to do is obtain an SA.

Take a look at

http://www.cosmeticsafetyassessment.com/index.php?p=1_23 (http://www.cosmeticsafetyassessment.com/index.php?p=1_23)

(there are other assessors - but you'll find a resounding endorsement for this particualr one from many of the forum members)

It can be upgraded with some of your own choice of ingredients at a later date.

Then packaging and labels.

Then decided how you're going to sell.

If you feel you'd like others than family and friends to test your products and give objective comments then you'll find willing testers on the forum.

Enjoy the obsession!!

I agree with EJ

and welcome

 :buttrf: Hi Sharon and welcome! I heartily endorse EJ's comments - especially regarding the safety assessments!

Remember - no question is a daft question!

Oh, and we like to see pix...............lots of pix..........

Welcome Sharon :buttrf:

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys....and EJ, great advice, thank you so much.  I feel like I at least have a plan now..

I'll try and sort out those pix, Menolly !

Sharon, you'll find us asking for them every time you make a new product  ;D

We all looove to look at pretty soaps/bath bombs/butters/you-name-its! :buttrf:


Memo to self: Get the camera out - you've been making soap this week

Hello and welcome... :buttrf:

Hi Sharon,

A warm welcome to the forum.

Aw... you sound like you have been driving yourself nuts trying to get going.  If you have got a few products that you have been working on and are happy with the forumulations, like EJ said, the get your SA sorted, labels and, when you are ready to push the products out, some insurance.  Once all that is in place, you can then probably tuck into what routes you are going to take to sell them.

There's a lot of info around the forum and some boards you can't see just yet, but keep posting because the more you do, the more you will see  ;)

Good luck and I look forward to hearing about your journey around the forum  :buttrf:

Hello  :buttrf:

I Sharon and welcome!  :buttrf:

Hello  :buttrf:

Hi Sharon! You definitely came to the right place - these guys sorted me out in no time!

HI sharon , The road to selling can be a long and frustrating one . But we are here to help. As a recent user of Cosmetic safety assesments I can say Scott and Rache are just fab and will help you, Other things such as labels , insurance and selling will come in time.

Welcome to to our little sanctuary. They are all fab on here.

Hello and welcome. I can't really add to what has been said, and agree with the above. You will find plenty of information on the forum, but there is usually someone about with the answer.

Hi and welcome :)
Everyone has given good advice so far, but I'll chip in and say that it's important to enjoy yourself while you make things. If you get so bogged down with the packaging/labels/prices/webshop stuff, then you enjoy things less. Always be sure to make stuff for yourself too  ;)

Wow !  I'm so glad I found this forum.  I can't believe you have all been so welcoming and I'm sure I'll find everything I need here!

Thanks again... ;D

Hi and welcome...enjoy your obsession.

Hello and welcome! :buttrf:

Hi Sharon and welcome.  :hi:

Eire

Hi Sharon from Bristol,  this is shalamar you been here about a week you got any tips you can point out to me I've only been here about two days now. Have you posted any pictures yet or they close to ripping your arns out (it is a joke) I was told if I didn't post pictures quick that they could rip my arms out to get at my pictures.

Best of luck to you and find out any tidbits please .0 my direction and I'll do the same for you good luck on your first batch of soap

Hi Shalimar
Your post made me smile !   :D No- I haven't had my arms ripped out yet - but if I knew I was in danger of losing them, I would have posted piccies before now .  I'd better get to work!

What have I learnt ? Loads ! The most important thing was that I needed to sort out my recipes totally, before I got bogged down with anything else - so I have been busy reading and formulating and trying to perfect things.  Haven't got there yet, 'though....but I'm closer !

There's so much info on this site that I think I will still be reading it all for a good few weeks yet.  Isn't it fab !

Yes, of course I will post  up my progress, experiences etc and hope you will too.  It's all very exciting, isn't it ? Good luck  !  :hap2:

Hello, enjoy the forum.

This forum seems extremely friendly, what a warm welcome you have.

Welcome from a fellow newbie also :)

But Sharon I'm glad I was able to make you laugh I can't take the edge off just a bit.
As far as this site oh my at so much reading I find myself reading in my sleep if that is even possible. Your a bit better organized than I am I don't have any recipes to sort. I just like to jump right into it that's why within the next few days I'm want to start making my first batch of soap if I put it off too much longer I'll get cold feet it will do it.

When all the recipes are concoctions that I have the readings are at the like a mad scientist I can't wait to post my first set of experiments I'm sure that's what they will be and not exactly soap but I'll post the pictures and the results just the same