- Arwen Falvey
Custom Order FAQ
Want some soap for your special event? Wedding favours? Baby shower? Family reunion? Comic Con? Kaleidosoap does custom orders and here are a few things to consider when deciding if you want to do special soap or body care items for your event!
How much lead time is necessary?
This is an important factor in designing and producing custom soaps and body products. It takes at least a month to make a batch of soap from scratch if I have all the necessary ingredients in stock already. If your order requires something I don't usually stock, such as specific fragrances or extracts, it will take even longer. If the ingredients you're after have to be imported from the United States it will take even longer as the items will have to be shipped and clear customs before I can even begin. Less complicated items, like melt-and-pour soaps or shower gels, can be done in less time but it's best to assume at least a month of advanced warning is necessary.
Are there any allergies to be accounted for?
While I generally do not use most of the nut oils, I do often use almond oil. Other oils to be aware of include corn oil (which I only use when asked for or when making a Mayan themed soap) and wheatgerm (which is excellent for skin but too expensive to use commonly). If there are fragrance allergies, I can do unscented or essential oils depending on the severity of the allergy.
Can you do any scent?
No. Fragrance oils in soap are a very finicky thing actually. Anything with a vanilla component will turn the soap brown. Sometimes very brown. Like this one that was meant to be purple.
Some fragrances do a thing called seizing, which is when the soap transforms from a thick liquid to a hard solid almost instantaneously. It happens so quickly that you can't even get the soap out of the pot and you end up with a concrete glob on the end of a spoon. Others cause ricing, which is when the soap takes on a sort of tapioca like consistency. Sometimes that can be corrected but not always. Occasionally fragrance oils will morph (change scent upon saponification or upon introduction to hot water) or fade, leaving little to no trace of the scent in the resulting soap. While some suppliers test their fragrances you can never be sure of the result until you make the soap yourself, so every batch is an adventure.
Can you do any colour?
Also no. As mentioned above, some fragrance oils cause browning. Sometimes it's manageable. Other times it is resistant to anything I do to correct it. Anything vanilla or bakery scented will most likely turn brown. Often I incorporate the brown into my design, sometimes leaving a large portion of the soap brown and colouring only a small portion that remains unscented.
Our Voodoo Soap is a good example of a soap that is part brown and part coloured.I usually do colours with oxides and micas but I can also do dyes which gives a wider range of colours but is less natural. It's best to check with me about your proposed colours and I can give you an idea as to whether I can pull it off or not.
Can you do personalized labels?
Yes I can. Be aware that there are certain things that I am legally required to include on the labels such as an ingredient list and my contact information. My company name will also be included on the label but it needn't be the centre of attention. Other things that should appear on the label include approximate weight or volume and the type of item (such as "soap" or "bath bomb") in both French and English. Aside from that I can design a specialized label just for you with names or dates or whatever else seems appropriate.
Can you design a soap inspired by my favourite place/time/story/show/fandom/etc?
I can certainly try! However I may not be familiar with your particular interest right away. Information that can help me includes any colours that might be significant, any scents, foods, drinks, plants, or animals that are important.
What kind of "feeling" are you going for? Are there any design elements that might be of use, for example I embed a moon into my Werewolf Soap, or I can add imprints or swirls or layers. It is possible to do 3D molds, although that will be more expensive.
What sizes are available?
I can do full logs of soap that you can cut yourself (but I don't recommend it due to the hardness of the soap after curing). I can also do my regular sized soap, half sized soaps, or Guest sized soaps that are approximately 0.8oz each. Volumes for shower gels and liquid soaps or lotions range from 2oz to 16oz hitting every 2oz mark in between.
Is there anything you don't do?
Yes. I don't use animal oils. I also don't use palm oil due to the rampant deforestation and wholesale slaughter of elephant herds and orang-utans that get in the way. Not to mention the use of fire to clear land for palm oil that ignites peat fires in the ground that can burn for hundreds of years.
I also am making the move to only vegan, cruelty-free, biodegradable bio-glitters. That means no standard cosmetic glitters. This is a small difference but an important one as cosmetic glitters are largely plastic and too fine to be filtered out by sewage filtration systems and water treatment plants.
Kaleidosoap tries to do everything with love, honour, inclusion, and respect. That means that I won't do anything racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, or designed to offend or belittle anyone based on their age, race, ability, orientation, gender, or identity. I also reserve the right to end any transaction if you behave towards me in an offensive or insulting way. I am very sad that we live in a world where any of this must be said, but unfortunately we do.
Can you give me a deal?
If I can I will, however it is best to assume a custom order will come to at least normal price. Each custom order will be calculated based on the ingredients used at the time that the recipe is designed. If your request requires a great deal more time or equipment than I usually use that will also be reflected in the price. I make excellent soap from high quality ingredients and I charge comparatively little for them when all factors are taken into account. My soaps are worth the price. In fact they are usually worth more than the price.
So next time you have a special event that needs a special treatment, let me know. I'm always up for a challenge!
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