How long have you been soaping and..

[Clemmey]

Hello... my name is Clemmey and I am a soap addict.

I have been soaping as a hobbiest for a year now, and enjoy knowing how and what goes into the soap. I especially love taking something useless (animal fat) that would normally be discarded and transforming it into a useful/beautiful thing. I feel like now I can take part in my hubby's hunting and make the world a cleaner, better place. Thank you...

Where are the cookies?

 

[melstan775]

I'd be happy to learn Mel is allergic to anything specific. They can't seem to pt their finger on anything, and they refused to needle test her. I was thinking latex (because it's in everything), but now I'm wondering about soap.

Why would they refuse to needle test her? That's the STANDARD test for determining unknown allergies. I know you're a CEO of a hospital, but I'm going to say this anyway, without apology - refusal to do standard testing and determine a problem, is well, a problem in medicine and I think it kind of proves medicine is out to keep people sick, not make them better. Otherwise, why not just do it, and actually find something to treat, which is btw, the law, is it not? I'm not trying to pick on uyou, I know you run a hospital, but as a father doesn't the lack of care also frustrate you?

 

[DWinMadison]

Why would they refuse to needle test her? That's the STANDARD test for determining unknown allergies. I know you're a CEO of a hospital, but I'm going to say this anyway, without apology - refusal to do standard testing and determine a problem, is well, a problem in medicine and I think it kind of proves medicine is out to keep people sick, not make them better. Otherwise, why not just do it, and actually find something to treat, which is btw, the law, is it not? I'm not trying to pick on uyou, I know you run a hospital, but as a father doesn't the lack of care also frustrate you?

I wasn't there, and I don't know her allergist personally. He said these reactions of unknown etiology are rampant and not technically an allergic reaction. He put her on Xyzal which I found out is the mirror image, chemically speaking, of Zyrtec...but it's prescription. All I know is, it works (most days) without gorking her out a la Benadryl. He actually offered to test her, but said everything would be negative. Assumed we would try taking her off things one at a time: wheat, latex, etc but he recommended against it.

 

[KrisAnt]

I have been soaping about 15 years or more. I have had to take breaks here and there because my job interfered, but you just can stop making soap once you start. And wow have things changed. No more waiting for oils and lye to be the same temperature at the same time. I am really loving the room temperature method!!! I started because my step mom loved buying handmade soap at the craft shows and told me someday she was going to make it. She never did, but she interested me enough that I went out and bought a book by Sandy Maine and dove in.

 

[VanessaP]

Ok ladies, clearly the men are taking over. Where do you buy deer pee and testosterone FO? Brambleberry?

*snort*

For what its worth, WSP has Dirt FO And yes, it smells like a giant mound of wet topsoil. I bought it to make my nephews some Dirt shower gel LOL Hunters use it too

 

[Second Impression]

Ok ladies, clearly the men are taking over. Where do you buy deer pee and testosterone FO? Brambleberry?

Oh no, not you too! Hubs just seriously suggested I make a deer pee soap earlier...in camo. He's also suggested Old Bay (yeah, crab seasoning). I think his sniffer is broken :shock:

 

[KrisAnt]

Anise is supposed to hide human scent, and it smells so much better than deer pee!! and he probably means bay rum which smells amazing!!!

 

[Soapsugoii]

Oh snap, DW. You're in MS? I always assumed Wisconsin from your name, ha. My entire family is from MS (Natchez, Laurel and Hattiesburg). I was born in Hattiesburg myself.

Sure wish my uncle wanted to have a beer and talk soap. He does use mine though! The whole family does, hehe.

 

[DWinMadison]

Oh no, not you too! Hubs just seriously suggested I make a deer pee soap earlier...in camo. He's also suggested Old Bay (yeah, crab seasoning). I think his sniffer is broken :shock:

I'd pay my wife $10 if she would start calling me "Hubs." I would also except "Your Eminence" or "Master."

 

[Paintguru]

Ok ladies, clearly the men are taking over. Where do you buy deer pee and testosterone FO? Brambleberry?

Man soapers unite!

Yeah my co-workers give me crap about making soap (in a good way)....of course they readily accepted my samples .

I also figured it contained a bit more chemistry than candle making.

 

[Marilyna]

@DWinMadison - just wanted to say, if you think your daughter's allergic to latex, you might want to avoid shea butter.

 

[Marilyna]

I started making soap in '99. I was selling statues at a "trade days" market and I saw a lady with her soaps. I think she was selling them for $4 or 3/10. I thought it looked easy and lucrative (Ha! isn't that funny!). I asked her where she got the fragrances and she very kindly told me.

I started researching on the internet and started selling right away (but not at that market). That was a mistake and my soaps were pathetic. Anyway, I got much better as I learned and my sister and I had our business for about 2 years, while also working part time.

Then, I stopped soaping for 3 years. Began again in '05 and again opened a little business. It was going well, but in '07 my son was diagnosed with autism. I wanted to devote myself to helping him and closed my business.

About a month ago, I started looking at soap on the internet and decided to do a little. Now, I'm considering selling again, since both my kids are in school all day. The great thing is that I've already done most of the hard stuff and have learned tons of lessons, so I think I can do it even better this time around.

 

[DWinMadison]

@DWinMadison - just wanted to say, if you think your daughter's allergic to latex, you might want to avoid shea butter.

I think it's something in the air....like oxygen :-| I was thinking latex because she swims and tends to break out when she's been in the pool...could be the spandex, or might be the chlorine too. It's under control with the medicine, but what does she do when she develops a resistance to the drug and the antihistamines stop working...which they all eventually do? I'd love to think a good, natural, soothing soap would be the answer.

 

[DWinMadison]

Oh snap, DW. You're in MS? I always assumed Wisconsin from your name, ha. My entire family is from MS (Natchez, Laurel and Hattiesburg). I was born in Hattiesburg myself.

Sure wish my uncle wanted to have a beer and talk soap. He does use mine though! The whole family does, hehe.

Doesn't everyone assume Mississippi when they hear "Madison?" Well, don't be a stranger. Stop by and see me when you are in this neck of the woods, and we'll have some sweet tea. Did I see you are in "LA?" Is that Los Angeles, Louisiana or "Lower Alabama?"

 

[houseofwool]

Use it? USE it? Nobody actually USES it! It's ART! Would you rub your bum with the Mona Lisa? (Don't answer that.) Well, I Never!!! Hrmf Actually, she's been back at school while I've been soaping, but I'm not sure she would even try it if she was home. Kids don't think anything handmade can be as good as stuff from the store.

Have you ever seen the Mona Lisa? I wouldn't wipe my bum with it, but my reaction was, "meh".

Your soaps, on the other hand, are lovely.

 

[DWinMadison]

Have you ever seen the Mona Lisa? I wouldn't wipe my bum with it, but my reaction was, "meh".

Your soaps, on the other hand, are lovely.

Actually I have....it was much smaller than I had imagined. In retrospect, that comment was a bit crude, and I apologize if I went a bit far with strange sense of humor.

 

[houseofwool]

Actually I have....it was much smaller than I had imagined. In retrospect, that comment was a bit crude, and I apologize if I went a bit far with strange sense of humor.

Don't apologize, I like your sense of humor...