Teach Soap

I'm sure you've all been waiting on the edge of your seats for this . . . .

Nothing much new in the way of hair-tearing stuff. I did hear the instructor telling someone that she uses cocoa butter for her superfat. As she was on the other side of the room, and talking to a particular person instead of the class as a whole, I didn't leap into that conversation. I will invoke Kevin Dunn's research if I get the chance.

We made a lotion and a lip balm this week. I've already pitched the lotion (and what we made last week as well), which is pretty much a shame - it had a nice fragrance. (But I know where I can get the FO and have already ordered some! )

The technique for the lotion was to put all the ingredients (including the water) into a container, then heat it in what amounted to a double boiler. It was a really cute little double crock-pot thing. As with last week, no hand washing, no gloves. There was no discussion, much less doing, of heat and hold.

I might use the lip balm - haven't decided yet. The instructor didn't use as much flavor oil as I do, so it's pretty faint. And no sweetener.

I did get to witness a bit of drama. There are 12 of us in the class. There is a mom with two grown daughters (twins, I think), who seem to be in their early 20's. One of the girls evidently has super, super, super sensitive skin. I didn't see how this started, but somehow someone got the bright idea to put some oils and/or butters and/or who knows what on the sensitive one's skin to see how she reacted to them. Well (and I could have predicted this), the answer was "Not Well". The oils and stuff were being applied to the back of her neck, and she was getting a big ugly itchy/burny welt.

I didn't get a chance to say anything to her or her mother, but I was going to suggest a bar of my Kuikui Nut and Oatmeal bar. I used to have a customer who had really sensitive skin, and she loved it. I'm all out, but will be making a big batch, probably later today. I'll see if I can talk to them about it next week.

On the other hand, evidently some of what I said last week made an impact on some of my fellow students, as several of them asked for my card. Also, I found myself in conversations with other students on various topics related to the class. So maybe I can get someone thinking there are other ways to do this.

And on an unrelated note, I just ordered a copy of Swift's e-book on formulating/making hair care products.

We do have two classes left, so I'll let you all know how it goes.

Anita

Yikes on applying the stuff to the woman's neck. Seriously crazy. If I were the instructor I would have put a stop to that immediately. There's a reason that doctors do the skin tests in their offices & don't send you home to do random testing on your own.

There are tons of soapers out there that use specific oils for superfat when they're CP'ing. Many of them will fight you to the death before admitting that there is no difference between adding the oil with the other oils or adding it at the end.

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Genny

And the saga continues... At least it wasn't quite as bad as last week!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Thanks for the update. Many, many moons ago it used to be thought that if you add your superfat at trace it will stay as a superfat. We now know that it isn't true. Some of the older books on the market still suggest it. I'm glad that some of the students talked to you and you set them straight. Sounds like you might get some business from this.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Where are you taking this class at? This instructor sounds like a serious nut job. I'm just wondering if there is someone in charge of whatever facility she is at (is it like a community center or something) that you could talk to. Just reading your last post and now this one I would be freaking out about the other people in the class believing everything this lady says (especially about lotions) and something not good happening. This teacher just sounds no good to me.

I never ever apply neat anything to my skin. If I am thinking of using a bioextract in a cream or serum, I make an 'insult patch' out of a band-aid at the same % concentration as in the complete formula. I wear it an hour and take a look, and if all well, leave it on overnight.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Even if they didn't want to use parabens in their lotions, there are still other preservatives that CAN be used.

I've only had one person ask about why I use parabens in my lotions since they "cause cancer". Having done my research on parabens prior to using Phenonip, I was able to give him the facts - including websites he should check out about parabens. He was surprised to learn that the American Cancer Society has a whole page devoted to this subject and the fact that there is no conclusive evidence to support parabens causing cancer (when used in the recommended amounts).

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Anita, I give props to you for going to this class and not snapping. I have very short patience when it comes to this area and people being careless, stupid, and ignorant. It drives me insane. My other problem is I just don't know how to keep my mouth shut when I see something that upsets and aggravates me.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Hey I want to hear about week 3!

Lumpy deodorant? The only thing that I can think of is someone used too much corn starch. A lotion bar would not go directly on my face. That's what a facial serum is for.

I'm not sure I would want to teach someone how to make soap in my home. Actually, I don't. I tell them that my liability insurance does not allow it.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.