Teach Soap

Adding my little pet peeve: at least in the US, dismal science education and a general avoidance of anything too "sciencey" in otherwise intelligent people. Too many seem to fail to grasp there is a complex chemical process going on with CP soap, with its own chemical "rules" that can't be bent, and understanding of that process is key to success. Too many scared of the math as well, despite the fact that its pretty basic, grade school stuff.

Too much "How do I do this..." and not enough "Why am I doing this..."

Oh my Hitchens, this is the second soap box I've been on today. Time for a shower and some TV. I am comforted by how many remember card catalogs!

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The Soapinatrix! *whip-crack*
- Posting the trials and tribulations of my Soaping Journey!

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Making soap one loaf at a time - it's better than bread 'cause soap doesn't have calories!

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Genius is 1 % inspiration and 99 % perspiration

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

I was one of those idiot noob's 9 years ago. Didn't test or anything, just made and attempted to sell. but I was a 20 year old kid. Now I am staring down 30 and this time i plan on doing it right. I plan on fully vetting my recipes on my mom who has uber sensitive skin and a few others. I can't test out the bombs and salts, cause of a mental issue with my brain, my back surgery and sitting in water.

but everything will be tested for the next 6 to 12 months. I learn by reading and then trying to dup the results in the book myself. If i can't create what the book did, then i re read and do more research so i have a much better understanding and then i try again.

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"suffering in any form can make you stronger or weaker. I chose stronger"

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

And then there is that free book that tells you how to make soap in a blender. Lets just face it, soaping is a journey. We all learn as we go along. I look at everything I do and believe, then ask myself "will this be true 15 years from now". New things and ideas are discovered everyday, better ways for doing things. Example- at one time I truly believed the standard must have been to add the superfatting oils after the trace, now we know its not necessary. We just need to keep an open mind and continue to be helpful.
My DH thinks I am a little overboard for the amount of reading or researching I do on soap... I just tell him it is fun!

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

*pops up as a hologram* weeee!

I researched CP and HP for literally years before I finally took the step and tried it. My first HP was a potential disaster. The book I had was all wrong and could have caused serious injuries to myself or the people using my soaps. LUCKILY I stumbled upon these forums and knew to zap test the soap. It didn't zap. I ran it through soap calc and discovered that it really should have. It was lye heavy (theoretically). My saviour? The kitchen scale I had used for my measurements. It was extremely non-accurate. When I look back at all of the potential hazards its a miracle that nothing bad happened.

After that I decided to apply to the forum and use it as a source of information. And honestly between here and youtube I learned an awful lot awfully fast. I'm sure I still do things that would make seasoned soapers cringe (soaping in bare feet for example), but that is how we learn. We experiment, we test our ideas, we come here and troubleshoot our problems.

Google is my best friend. I can find literally ANYTHING. But I've grown up with it, google is the brains of my generation. Does this mean everyone can find everything? Of course! But it takes a while to learn google, like any program. And even then you get bad information mixed with alright information mixed with good information (no commas, say that all in one breath really quickly!). How do you know the difference? Either you experiment and test it for yourself, or you look for differences in the information you're researched. If 4 sites say lye into water and 1 says water into lye then there is a very good chance that that 1 site is wrong. Is this method 100%? Nope. Honestly if it has to do with lye ASK HERE! If it has to do with a recipe poke soapcalc. If it has to do with anything else that is potentially harmful, ask us!

The best part about soaping is the learning! Seeing all these folks who sell soap and have no clue what saponification is really irks me. Sure you may not understand the chemistry, but knowing that saponification is the conversion of fat molecules into soap via lye is pretty darn easy. I've been working on some brochures for my future company and am seriously considering adding a small section on saponification so folks can understand what happens to the lye. So many people think that it is still capable of burning them after the soap is finished. I've also been seriously considering setting up an anonymous email addy and emailing some "soapers" that same material so they have a clue what they are actually doing.

Now... /end rant
*hologram poofs*

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

Nice rant, Hologram Hestey!

I can't tell you how many older people ask me if my soap is "lye soap" or say that their mother or grandmother made lye soap and it would "wash you raw". I like it though because it gives me a chance to explain "modern" soapmaking and how much easier we have it now.

As for those other soapers you were referring to, I doubt they would even bother to read an email.

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

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Lisa
“What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul” ~ Yiddish proverb

I totally agree! Teach Soap is an awesome resource - almost as good as having an experienced soaper in your back pocket!

There's also a facebook group that I really like called Soaper's Retreat - I've learned a ton from them too!

I bought The everything soapmaking book, and The Soapmakers Companion. I basically read both cover to cover before I bought any supplies. I LOVE reading though, in general and definitely to learn something new.
Both books offered great knowledge IMO and I constantly refer back to them to make sure it all makes sense before trying anything new.

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Jen
"Soap and water and common sense are the best disinfectants." William Osler

Well, my reading has been these forums. Then when I couldn't wait for stuff to come in the mail, I bought some MP to have some fun with. I devour these forums because I only have a small amount of time to read. Fortunately I was gifted with COMMON SENSE. I never took chemistry in school (wasn't required), but I know if it says Poison it is either not good for you or it's a perfume that smells like RAID that you pay big bucks for.

In all seriousness, I read at the craft store in a soapmaking book where it had pineapple listed as an ingredient. All I could think of was MOLD. Yuk! And, no, I did not buy the book.