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, Thursdays, and holidays. Closed Monday, December 24th (for Christmas Eve).

Beginning Cold Process Soapmaking

Sunday, December 2 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.

Melt and Pour Photo Soap

Sunday, December 9 at the Soapmaking Studio

Make Holiday Gift Soap with Your Own Photo Images in the Class!

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 the evening 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.

Mask Making Class

Sunday, December 16 at the Soapmaking Studio

Come Have Fun Creating Clay Masks, Fruit Peels, and Other Facials!

Learn how to formulate effective spa-quality facial treatment masks. In this Mask Making Class, learn the importance of natural chemical exfoliators. Understand how alpha and beta hydroxy acids naturally exfoliate skin without scratching and learn why exfoliation is essential for minimizing wrinkles and pigmentation. The lecture includes a complete review of the function of healthy skin and what to expect from masks containing clays or fruit acids. Also learn how to preserve, package, and label mask products for resale. During the lab portion of the class, students make 3 different masks containing clay and spirulina, puréed pumpkin and natural fruit acids, and collagen peptides with niacinamide to take home. Attend in person or online. Register for Mask Making Class.

Start a Soap Business or Start a Cosmetic Business!

January 2019 at the Soapmaking Studio

January is the best month to start a business. Most licenses, permits, and other miscellaneous regulatory fees are paid each calendar year and expire on the last day of the year. So, starting a new business in January makes financial sense to guarantee the maximum days of operation during a new business's first year. Being the best month of the year to start a new soap business, the Soapmaking Studio offers all business classes throughout the month of January. The business classes are taught by Kerri Mixon, who is a licensed instructor registered with the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education to teach business classes. Come attend in January and learn to operate your own successful soap business!

Business Classes in January 2019

• January 13, 2019: Learn about establishing a business entity, choosing a business name, and legal setup in Soap Business 320 Forming a Legal Business Entity to Sell Soap.
• January 20, 2019: Learn about the laws set by the 6 different government agencies that regulate soap labeling laws in Soap Business 330 Soap Labeling and Marketing.
• January 20, 2019: Learn how to ensure a longer shelf life, achieve greater scent retention, and professional packaging in Soap Business 335 Shrink Wrapping Soap.
• January 27, 2019: Learn how to successfully compete online and save money by processing orders over your own website in Soap Business 350 Website Design and Internet Commerce.

Lotion Making Science

Sunday, March 10 at the Soapmaking Studio

Learn the No-Fail Scientific Method for Making Lotions, Creams, and Other Emulsions!

In this new, beginning Lotion Making Science class, take a scientific, hands-on approach to learning different methods and techniques for making lotion. Students learn to make small, test batches of lotion and how to increase the recipe to make larger batches. Gain confidence by learning how a batch of lotion that has separated or gone wrong can always be salvaged. Understand the importance of emulsifiers and emulsification systems: what they are and how they work. Perform scientific test experiments to prove whether or not common lotion ingredients (such as lecithin, polysorbate, and stearic acid) act as emulsifiers. In this Lotion Making Science class, students compare four (4) different emulsifiers in performance challenges to determine which emulsifiers cause soaping (white streaks during application), which emulsifiers are better for the face (non-comedogenic), which emulsifiers are water miscible (and better for use in hair conditioner), and which emulsifiers are considered natural ingredients (and widely accepted by modern consumers). This class also briefly covers labeling requirements, preservatives, and professional lab testing. Students receive four (4) different lotions to take home. Attend in person or online. Register for Lotion Making Science class.

Soap Makers' Luncheon

Sunday, April 14, 2019 at Marie Callender's Restaurant

Network with Southern California Soap and Cosmetic Crafters!

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. Our friendly soap meetup group is casual and provides a means of networking with local soapy artisans. Attend this creative handmade soaps and DIY bodycare meetup group luncheon at any level: Professional soapmaker, hobbyist soaper, or beginning crafter. The soap lunch venue is Marie Callender's restaurant on Alvarado Road 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

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, December 2, 2018! The next Soapmaking 210 Advanced Cold/Hot Process Soapmaking will be in 2019. 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 Standard Shipping or free Store Pickup.
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.