The local grocery store is a gold mine for soapmaking materials. For one thing, you can easily find basic supplies such as olive oil. You can also experiment with food-based colorants and additives such as spices and coffee (see Inspired by Food, page 120).
One bonus of grocery shopping is an endless supply of free molds: milk cartons, yogurt cups, even takeout containers. Of course, any food container must be thoroughly washed, rinsed well, and let to dry completely before being used to make soap.
Beyond the grocery store, you can find potential molds at the shoe store (a shoebox makes a great mold) and even at the hardware store (a piece of PVC pipe makes an unusual mold). Or invest in something special, like the silicone cupcake molds shown below and used to make the fancy soaps on page 114.
