Bee of Sorcery Soap (also known as “The Soap Witch”) creates amazing products with hand molded details and shapes. She uses her own soap dough recipe to create horses, flowers, birds, books and gnomes (and so much more). Bee shares the techniques on her YouTube channel as well as her soap blog. I’m in awe of each of her projects; they are extremely innovative and push the boundaries of what can be created with cold process soap! Learn more about Bee’s journey with soap dough, including her tips on getting started in the interview below. -A.M.
How long have you been soaping for and how did you get started?
The first time I made soap was with Bramble Berry’s cold process soap kit on August 24, 2014, to be exact. Anne-Marie’s Soap Queen TV fascinated me and I trusted her information. I studied soap for almost a year before I began, and watched every video Anne-Marie offered. The clear instructions in the kit helped to calm any slight apprehensions I had about using lye for the first time. I was so excited and thrilled my hands were shaking.
What sort of advice would you give to those soapers just starting their businesses?
Do not quit. Observe the resistances that arise, observe your thoughts and emotions and move forward. Each step there is something to learn, possibly something so new you are the only one to see it. Stay observant and you won’t miss these subtle and important experiences.
One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things. ~ Henry Miller
Left to right, clockwise: Bee’s Mouse and Cheese Soap, Paint Palette Soap Cookies, Novel Soap
What is your favorite type of product to make?
Cold process soap dough. This is a specific soap recipe that is not allowed to cure until embeds, soap cookies or embellishments are molded and then exposed to the air. If created correctly its the perfect balance of hard and soft butters and oils. Soap dough is smooth and moldable and the consistency is a cross between clay and fondant, and a unique substance that is truly interesting to me. I love the colors, the feeling of it and the endless creative possibilities.
