Eco friendly recommendations

I've just bought 2 lots of soap offcuts from different suppliers
The first (which hasn't arrived yet) cost £12 a kilo + £3 postage.
The second one (which I found after I'd placed the other order) arrived today 1.9kg cost £12.50 including postage. There are 29 bars of soap and at least 9 varieties. Not individually labelled but there is a list of ingredients for each colour soap - if you can match them! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174644732494?...SwdGtgL8Rs
Although they're sold as "wedges" you wouldn't really notice the taper on most of them.
Smell nice too!

Have you bought these all to use yourself? I thought maybe pass some on as 'stocking fillers' to family for Crimbo, or is that being mean?  

On a different tack, I buy a lot of scented candles and don't like to throw the remains away or the glass jars. I bought some wicks but could deffo ge into making candles from scratch,I just don't know how to start?

I was thinking a few soaps for Christmas presents. I’ll decide when they arrive.

as for candle making.there’s loads of companies that specialise in the equipment . I used to make them , but decided I wasn’t very good and got quite board with it. I’d start with YouTube videos. I’d probably would of been better at it if I’d done that.

They're all for me, Vinny - I don't give Crimbo presents - but they would make nice stocking fillers - maybe wrapped in tissue paper?

As for scented candles. I "think" you can heat the jars in hot water/microwave to soften the wax and pour it all into a jar with a wick, dangling in it.
We used to make beeswax candles and the wax was heated in a double boiler saucepan - a pan sitting over another pan containing water that is heated. The hot wax was poured into a glass candle mould with a wick coming out of the top and bottom.- but any heatproof container would work as well.

I know its not a 'manly' subject but I enjoy the various candle scents. My favourite at the moment is Gingerbread which I love.  Its better than my stinky dog who now has Blueberry doggy deodourant!

I have tried the joss sticks but they are too intense and don't last long, much prefer the candles but hate wasting the containers or the wax thats left. I might give it a go and be able to give family members 'home made' candles and possibly soap as stocking fillers. I might even you tube soap making as well.

 My Daughters friend has a small business doing just that and attends craft fairs as well as selling on ebay methinks? I don't want to pick her brains though in case she thinks I am muscling in on her business!

I can see where SC is coming from with candle making  being boring, but some people may find fishing, reading or playing chess boring, so unless I give it a try, and start up costs aren't too expensive, I will never know?

Now to go and find some youtube videos................. where would we be wthout youtube?

I've done exactly what you describe Vinny - saved every scrap of wax from scented candles, and not scented too, melted it down and poured it into a jar that had already had a candle in it.

If you want to do your own scented candles, just buy beeswax or normal candle wax in bulk - available on fleabay, and the essential oils, also on fleabay dirt cheap. The more essence you add to the wax, the stronger it smells. It's good fun I think! I never did it to sell though.

My other Soap Offcuts have arrived from https://madaboutnature.uk/products/1kg-h...9942591621
These really are Offcuts - some are very scrappy. Will need to go into a washbag to be usable. Won't buy these again.

I know its not a 'manly' subject but I enjoy the various candle scents. My favourite at the moment is Gingerbread which I love.  Its better than my stinky dog who now has Blueberry doggy deodourant!

I have tried the joss sticks but they are too intense and don't last long, much prefer the candles but hate wasting the containers or the wax thats left. I might give it a go and be able to give family members 'home made' candles and possibly soap as stocking fillers. I might even you tube soap making as well.

 My Daughters friend has a small business doing just that and attends craft fairs as well as selling on ebay methinks? I don't want to pick her brains though in case she thinks I am muscling in on her business!

I can see where SC is coming from with candle making  being boring, but some people may find fishing, reading or playing chess boring, so unless I give it a try, and start up costs aren't too expensive, I will never know?

Now to go and find some youtube videos................. where would we be wthout youtube?

They are lots of kits out there, so you can give it a go before you go into full production   . Have a look on eBay. 

https://eco-ness.com/products/eco-soy-ca...1156&_ss=r

if you find these guys on fb they’re are currently running a competition to win one of these.

I know its not a 'manly' subject but I enjoy the various candle scents. My favourite at the moment is Gingerbread which I love.  Its better than my stinky dog who now has Blueberry doggy deodourant!

I have tried the joss sticks but they are too intense and don't last long, much prefer the candles but hate wasting the containers or the wax thats left. I might give it a go and be able to give family members 'home made' candles and possibly soap as stocking fillers. I might even you tube soap making as well.

 My Daughters friend has a small business doing just that and attends craft fairs as well as selling on ebay methinks? I don't want to pick her brains though in case she thinks I am muscling in on her business!

I can see where SC is coming from with candle making  being boring, but some people may find fishing, reading or playing chess boring, so unless I give it a try, and start up costs aren't too expensive, I will never know?

Now to go and find some youtube videos................. where would we be wthout youtube?

They are lots of kits out there, so you can give it a go before you go into full production   . Have a look on eBay. 

https://eco-ness.com/products/eco-soy-ca...1156&_ss=r

if you find these guys on fb they’re are currently running a competition to win one of these.

Maybe its  me being a tight git but I think 30 squidish for a kit is a bit too much to pay for summat I might not enjoy doing? I wonde how many candles the kit makes as I can buy the finished article  for about 70p each!  I've been having a look on you tube and its a bit more contrived than I at first thought with formulae for how much wax and smelly to add, critical temperatures for melting and pouring wax etc. I might just buy a meat temp probe, some soy wax, some smelly additive, colourant and I really like the look of, and idea of ,wooden wicks and supports? I haven't checked out how much that will sting me but hopefully under 15 squid to try it out. I have loads of old candle jars and small jam jars which I need to get rid of anyway!

We used pure beeswax because that's what the bees gave us for free! By coincidence I found a slab of it in the garage last week but I won't be making candles with it - may try lip salve or handcream. We made furniture polish too - it lasts for ever (when you don't do much polishing)

I remember making candles years ago with the kids it was from a birthday prezzie kit it seemed very messy but that was with them helping I think.

My box of soap has arrived. It all smells lovely.
I’ll try to work out what I’ve got tomorrow in daylight. And have a count of how many I’ve got.