Welcome Soapmakers and Cosmetics Crafters!

The Soapmaking Studio homepage lists upcoming San Diego and southern California soapmaking events; for a complete list, view the schedule. Check the Soapmaking Studio hours.

Closed Tuesdays and September 4, 2017 for the Labor Day holiday.

Melt and Pour Photo Soap

Sunday, August 20 at the Soapmaking Studio

This is a New "Melt and Pour" Class with No Prerequisite!

Soapmaking 100 is a beginning-level melt and pour soapmaking class to teach students to make bars of soap embellished with personal photos. Detergent free melt and pour soap base allows crafters to make a truly natural soap with endless sales possibilities, when topped with a personal photograph. Learn to create stunning, personalized gift soaps with images of wedding parties, newborn babies, or company logos. Students must email a photograph in JPG or GIF format that is at least 4 inches square or 300 pixels square to info@soapmakingstudio.com no later than 4:00 pm Saturday before the class. A student who fails to submit a personal photograph by the deadline may receive a generic printed image to embed in soap during the class. Each student receives a bar of soap made during the class with the student's personal, submitted photo. Attend in person or online. Register for Soapmaking 100.

Forming a Legal Business Entity and Shrink Wrapping Soap

Sunday, August 27 at the Soapmaking Studio

Forming a Legal Business Entity to Sell Soap

Two classes in one day! Come learn the proper steps to starting your own soap business in Soap Business 320, Forming a Legal Business Entity to Sell Soap. The morning business class focuses on the necessary licenses and permits required to sell soap and handmade cosmetic items, as well as product liability insurance available to soapmakers. It also covers how to choose an effective business name and how a company's name directly affects search engine rankings. Attend in person or online. Register for Soap Business 320.

Shrink Wrapping Soap

Later the same day, learn to shrink wrap soap effectively and affordably in Soap Business 335 Shrink Wrapping Soap. Learn about the correct shrink wrap for soap. There is a specific plastic film for cold process soap, a different film for melt and pour soap, and a different shrink film that is biodegradable. Come learn how to use all of them. Register for Soap Business 335.

Beginning Cold Process Soapmaking

Sunday, September 10 at the Soapmaking Studio

Learn How to Make Cold Process Soap with No Cure Time!

Soapmaking 101 is a beginning-level soapmaking class designed to teach students to make soap by hand at home. The main focus of this class is the "cold process" soapmaking method; although the class does briefly describe "melt & pour" soap crafting. After learning soapmaking safety, students learn to formulate soap recipes and calculate lye quantities without using a "lye calculator." The objective of Soapmaking 101 is to have students understand saponification values and be comfortable creating their own soap recipes at home. Students make cold process soap during the class session and take home a bar.

This class is also available online: Description of Online Soapmaking 101.

Intermediate Transparent Bar Soapmaking

September 17 at the Soapmaking Studio

Learn How to Make Handmade, Clear, Natural Transparent Soap

Learn to make clear transparent bars of handmade soap from whole oils. Soapmaking 214 is not a "Melt & Pour" soapmaking class. Transparent soap has a superior rinsability when compared to opaque cold process soap and is more suitable for use as facial soap. Learn to make prized transparent bar soap, similar to Neutrogena-type facial soaps. Create beautiful clear soaps from whole natural oils using cold and hot process techniques. Attend in person or online. Register for Soapmaking 214.

2 Classes in 1 Day—Gardening and Lip Balm

Sunday, September 24 at the Soapmaking Studio

Cultivating, Drying, and Adding Herbs to Soap

The fist of two classes for this Sunday, Soap Garden 224 covers how to select appropriate plants for your area, including growing in containers versus in the ground. Learn which plants do best in soap and how to prepare them. This class includes a mini field trip through the Soapmaking Studio's aromatic plant garden. Students will also prepare dried lavender and dried oregano, then take them home to use for cooking and in soap. Register for Soap Garden 224.

Lip Balm Making Class

Lip Balm Making Class (Lip Balms and Intensive Oil Treatments) focuses on simple lip balm making procedures for consistent and effective lip products, including lip tubes and balms in pot style jars. Techniques include how to create a twist tube of lip balm without problematic "sinkholes." Lecture information includes vegan alternatives to bees wax, natural ingredients to make a shiny lip gloss, and oil phase vitamins and nutrients for lips and skin. Material relates to other tube products, such as solid lotion sticks for softening stretch marks, elbows, and heels and solid menthol rub sticks. Attend in person or online. Register for Lip Balm Making Class.

Water Substitution in Soapmaking

Sunday, October 1 at the Soapmaking Studio

Oktoberfest Edition with Canned Pumpkin, Beer, and Goat Milk to Replace the Water in Soap

In this special Oktoberfest version of Soapmaking 225, learn to make the wildly popular soap cupcakes! In the class, we will use canned pumpkin for the cake portion and goat milk for the frosted tops of the cupcakes. This class also includes a beer soap made from Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat ale. Students learn the tricks and special techniques to substituting the water portion of cold process soap with goat milk, heavy cream, yogurt, buttermilk, fresh juices, wine, spirits, and of course beer. During this Soapmaking 225 class, we will make two different batches of soap: Pumpkin soap for the bottom cake portion and goat milk soap for the top frosting portion of the soap cupcakes. Plus a separate beer soap loaf. Attend in person or online.

Soap Makers' Luncheon

Sunday, October 8 at Marie Callender's Restaurant

This luncheon is open to all soapmakers and makers of personal care products, whether professional or novice, whether cold/hot process method or "melt and pour." The Soap Makers' Luncheon is open to the public and attendance is free, just pay for anything you order from the menu. The venue is Marie Callender's restaurant in San Diego at 2:00 pm. Map & Directions. View the Soap Makers' Luncheon Agenda.

Marie Callender's Restaurant
6950 Alvarado Rd
San Diego, CA 92120

Serum Making Class

Sunday, October 15 at the Soapmaking Studio

Learn to Make Luxurious Water Based Facial Serums and Other Products

Learn to make oil-free, concentrated facial serums containing vitamins and active ingredients. In Serum Making Class, learn about the different vitamins and active ingredients used to improve skin texture, minimize wrinkle lines, improve elasticity, treat acne, and even skin tone. Learn to use the Skin Deep database as a reference to determine the general safety of new ingredients. During the class, learn to make natural hand sanitizer gel and gel mascara with the same beneficial base ingredients. Students take home two facial serums, hand sanitizer, and mascara made in class. Attend in person or online. Register for Serum Making Class.

Bath Bomb Class

Sunday, October 22 at the Soapmaking Studio

Oktoberfest Edition with Halloween Bath Bombs!

Learn how to create active treats for the tub. Students learn the secrets of making exceptional bath bombs, bath fizzy tablets, and bath salts. While most easy recipes include the simple process of creating bath fizzies using saturated fats as a sealer to prevent reaction to air, this Bath Bomb Class includes the advanced technique necessary to create bath fizzies without oils, so they won't leave a dangerously greasy bathtub the way oils do. The class also includes an exposé on clean water-soluble colorants versus water-dispersible colorants that may leave a gritty coating inside the bathtub. Students take home bath treats made in class. Attend in person or online. Register for Bath Bomb Class.

Soapmaking Classes

Soapmaking Classes are Fun, Understandable, and Affordable!

Learn how to make soap at the Soapmaking Studio in San Diego County, California!

Soapmaking 101 Beginning Cold Process Soapmaking has been a huge success and fills weeks in advance; the next class will be Sunday, September 10, 2017! The next Soapmaking 210 Advanced Cold/Hot Process Soapmaking will be Sunday, August 13, 2017. Soap Garden 224 Cultivating, Drying, and Adding Herbs to Soap and Soapmaking 220 Coloring and Scenting Soap are both available and open for registration. Our popular Soapmaking Supplies are now available for shipping.
Please check back because classes are added and website sections are updated on a regular basis. Email info@soapmakingstudio.com with any questions.

View soapmaking classes, the schedule, or store hours.

Classes are held at a private home occupied by a pet cat. If you are allergic to cats, please contact info@soapmakingstudio.com prior to enrolling in a class.