soap

[dubnica]

won't comment on the search for a recipe, i guess i can understand that...

but i can't not comment on the misspellings on the website... are they purposeful because it's DRTY soap? Unusual (Unusal) and Beautifully (Beautifly are misspelled...

and those soaps are definitely CP.

Spelling on her website is none of your business. English is my second language and I misspell all the time. Geez....

 

[PrairieCraft]

I think any one would like to have help in the editing dept. If someone happened to notice I had mis spelled something I would want to know. Also, if you look at this guys previous posts they are all a little odd for someone who has been making soap long enough to sell. Also the op never comes back to respond or carry on conversation after starting a new thread and asking questions. He is probably just trying to get his website out there as much as possible and this forum is a great way to do it. Personally I don't think we need to worry about offending this one.

 

[photoshadows]

WOW...there was a discussion a few days ago about questions on the forum that the "seasoned" soapers felt like the "newbies" were asking questions that they could have easily research and that they were not taking the time prior to asking questions.

I am probably going to take a hit for this but the level of rudeness on the forum lately has surprised me. Some of the people act like people are supposed to come in tell you their life story and then ask a question. This is a forum for information sharing and if don't want to share, then don't respond. I understand that sometimes answering the same questions can be frustrating but you have to remember, some of these people are not only new to soapmaking but to the forum. They probably don't even realize that they can check the search bar for previous discussions. To be honest, I found it to be confusing.

To go out and check someone's website and post the spelling errors is just outright mean and unnecessary.....be more mature!

I honestly like the information and knowledge I have gained from this forum but the sarcasim and rudeness lately has really gotten out of hand. Can we tone it down a bit?

I agree with you ikindred. If you're offended by the question, don't answer it. And there's nothing wrong with some civility around here. This forum is incredibly useful and I greatly appreciate all the advise I've gotten--even when I asked a stupid question. Most respond with respect and courtesy. So to all of you, thank you for that! There's no need for the nastiness. Sarcasim's fine, but perhaps we should keep it to the regulars who have a better understanding of others using this forum.

 

[simple soaper]

All this person did was ask a question... I did not stop to think that I had to analyze her intentions, psychically read her mind, or check out her website before I chose to answer... I thoght this was a forum to kindly share information? I guess I was wroing... Maybe this is a place for experrts only... But I seem to be only one of the few that actually did offer an answer and even posted a reference for a book to further study... I am amazed at all the critical remarks about a person / website / products we all don't know or have tried... As an adult and an expert soap maker (who cannot spell eventhough I am college educated) I am embarassed to hear some of your comments and would still like to offer assistance courteously to the person that asked the question... If you need any other help let me know... I will be glad to answer any question I can... As a member of this forum and personally I would like to consider myself a tutor to help in any way I can... It is though sharing (duh - this is a forum) that we can all help each other imnprove...

 

[AmyW]

I haven't been here long, but I've been on various forums of various types for 10+ years and this is one of the friendliest I've seen.

I would say that everyone belongs here, so long as they aren't trying to use the other members to further their own gains with no thought of trying to return the favor. If a poster comes to a forum - any forum - and just wants to use other people's ideas, without offering any of their own - people start to wonder what is going on.

That doesn't make the people here unfriendly, and it doesn't make it a place for newbies to stay away from. The only people, IMO, that don't belong here, are those who want to take and not give.

 

[soapopera]

The only people, IMO, that don't belong here, are those who want to take and not give.

LIKED!

 

[tespring]

Which begs the question; How can a person that has little to no experience "give" to a forum with lots experienced soapers? In my experience, you have to gain experience before you can give it.


To the OP, if you want hard bars, add some stearic acid or salt to your recipe. Go to the soap calc and see which oils/butters add hardness to your bar. Good luck!

 

[lsg]

That is true. There are also those who feel it is their duty to make sarcastic remarks about suggestion made by newbies. So, many of us are somewhat hesitant to try and make contributions as we don't know how it will be received. A little courtesy costs nothing and goes a long way in establishing a friendly environment where one is not afraid to ask questions or to try and make contributions.

 

[kelleyaynn]

Which begs the question; How can a person that has little to no experience "give" to a forum with lots experienced soapers? In my experience, you have to gain experience before you can give it.

Several ways. You can comment when people post pictures of their soaps. You can thank people when they give advice that is really helpful. Or just post a comment about what a great idea someone had. You can post later and let us know how things worked out. The idea is to be part of the community, and let others know you appreciate their help, which doesn't necessarily mean you have to provide advice.

There was really only one post here that was rather sarcastic. I thought the rest of the comments were made in a reasonable manner. And I can see both sides of this discussion. Certainly there are lots of people who want to freely offer advice to questions asked. But I can also see why there where those who found the OP off-putting. I respect the opinions of both sides.

 

[carebear]

Which begs the question; How can a person that has little to no experience "give" to a forum with lots experienced soapers? In my experience, you have to gain experience before you can give it.

Several ways. You can comment when people post pictures of their soaps. You can thank people when they give advice that is really helpful. Or just post a comment about what a great idea someone had. You can post later and let us know how things worked out. The idea is to be part of the community, and let others know you appreciate their help, which doesn't necessarily mean you have to provide advice.

You can also tell us about your successes (and your failures - people learn the most from them!) Tell us about what FOs you used and what happened, what you liked, what you didn't. Talk about how your friends and family responded to your products.

Think of the forum as a "conversation" and join in.

 

[tespring]

Which begs the question; How can a person that has little to no experience "give" to a forum with lots experienced soapers? In my experience, you have to gain experience before you can give it.

Several ways. You can comment when people post pictures of their soaps. You can thank people when they give advice that is really helpful. Or just post a comment about what a great idea someone had. You can post later and let us know how things worked out. The idea is to be part of the community, and let others know you appreciate their help, which doesn't necessarily mean you have to provide advice.

You can also tell us about your successes (and your failures - people learn the most from them!) Tell us about what FOs you used and what happened, what you liked, what you didn't. Talk about how your friends and family responded to your products.

Think of the forum as a "conversation" and join in.

It would be really nice to think of this as a conversation, but when snark comes up, it is no longer a conversation but a competition. The OP did not ask anything wrong at all, she wasn't asking for anyone's personal recipe, just for A recipe for a harder sudsy bar.

Some people just do not share as quick as others do and if I would have came across this snark in the first two months I was here, I would have left running. Some people are shy. Do we really have to put our expectations onto others of what they SHOULD do and a time line for when they should start doing it? Some people jump right in, others test the waters first. Who is right and who is wrong? IMO, neither, just different strokes for different folks.




Also, to the OP, some people say that adding sugar to your lye water adds bubbles and someone actually did an experiment on it, look back and see if you can find the post, it was rather interesting. I wonder if it has something to do with specific oils or butters.

 

[lsg]

I often add a tsp. of sugar per pound of oils to my water and dissolve well before adding the lye. In my opinion it does make a sudsier bar. Also adding a little salt to the water before adding the lye might help with the water evaporation rate of the finished bar.

 

[carebear]

tespring, you asked and I answered. if you didn't want input then you shouldn't have asked?

We've seen several bits of helpful information and several points of view.

Time to move along.