Santa Barbara Soapers Network Local Resources

One of the challanges facing soap makers is obtaining the ingredients at a reasonable price. I suppose you could save table scrap and render your own oils and do it the old fashion way, but most of us prefer to go to the store and purchase our bulk oils. The quality is more consistant and you can get a larger selection of oils. Below I list some of the places I have found to buy oil in the Santa Barbara area.

Avocodo Oil

Expensive! Over six dollars for a tiny bottle at Lassen Natural Foods. Compare this to 20 dollars a quart or 40 dollars a gallon at naturaloils.com.

Coconut Oil

I looked all over Santa Barbara before I found a local source of Coconut Oil at Lassen Natural Foods in Goleta. Four dollars for a 14 fl oz jar of Spectrum Naturals Coconut oil is not cheap but it is all I have found so far. Compare this to ten dollars a gallon or 45 dollars for 5 gallons at naturaloils and I guess it is not all that bad.

Lard

I found Smart and Final to be a good source of Lard as well as other oils. I will fill in the oils I found there soon.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is one oil that is easy to find here in Santa Barbara. Costo is a good source, as is Trader Joe's.