@museumchick
This isn't meant to be rude or harsh so please don't take it that way.
I'm not saying you haven't done research or experimented with different ingredients. It just would have come across better if you had stated that you had tried doing "something" but it didn't work. So, you decided to try another ingredient but the resulting cream was too waxy and caused the cloth diaper to be difficult to wash. You're now wondering if you should try lanolin but you're concerned it won't work well because of it may hold too much moisture against the baby's skin. Then asked for suggestions or advice. Basically show us you sincerely want to learn how to formulate the best possible cream for your baby. Asking for a recipe also doesn't allow for a discussion on the different merits of alternate ingredients. Asking closed end questions isn't the way to interest people into finding a solution. Asking open ended questions allows for people to brainstorm and seek a solution. Basically, people need to be intrigued by a problem in order to solve it. This shows you've done research and inspires people into helping
you find a solution to your problem. It also has the benefit of teaching you and other people new methods or finding out about a new ingredient. (It may not be a new ingredient but something that may not be familiar to many people.)
People on this forum are normally very helpful and are willing to help others learn a new skill. But many of them have spent a lot of time and money in experimenting with different ingredients and developing their favorite recipes. They're very happy to teach others how to formulate their own recipes but not so keen about handing over a recipe they've invested so much into developing.
birdcharm said:
I think it's an interesting question ... one that I have not read before. I've been thinking of creating such a thing with the addition of natural antibacterials that are safe for sensitive skin. The coconut oil issue and temperature for washing it away makes good sense.
Personally, I'd like to thank you for your question, some questions make people think and if we all just go out and do our research and don't talk to one another, then what's the point of having a forum in the first place?
:shock:
Kathy
The only questions she asked in her post were "Anyone want to share their favorite recipes?" and "Whats your favorite recipe?" How are these interesting questions? I've also seen these questions posted on this forum numerous times so I don't know why you haven't read them before.
Now if she had stated she is infusing coconut oil with herbs and then asked questions like
"What do you think would be more beneficial - using just a calendula infused oil or a blend of calendula, lavender and burdock root?"
"Would it be better to add a drier oil like grapeseed in with the coconut oil to offset some of the greasiness of the coconut?"
"I've read cocoa butter has vitamins C, A and E and can be safely used on a baby's bottom to help with chapping. Would cocoa butter be a good additive since it's emollient and might serve as a preventative to diaper rash?"
I would consider these interesting questions.
It
is poor forum etiquette to ask someone to give you a recipe. It gives the appearance a person hasn't done any research on the properties of ingredients and doesn't care to learn how to formulate a recipe. The main point of the forum is for teaching people how to make their own products. Once someone learns ingredient properties, what an ingredient contributes to a formulation, what potential issue an ingredient can cause, possible synergistic reactions of oils, then the person will know (or at least have a good idea) of why a formulation succeeds or fails in its purpose. If the person isn't happy with the result, it's much easier to tweak a recipe by knowing a certain ingredient might be the contributing factor. An alteration could be either reducing the percentage used of an ingredient or substituting another ingredient with similar properties.
I'm sorry you consider this forum pointless but not everyone would agree with you. I've learned a tremendous amount from this forum. When I joined, I read sections starting from the very first post and reading forward to the current posts. I searched the forum and most of the time found the answers to my questions. Sometimes I found answers for questions I wouldn't have thought to ask. I asked for help when I couldn't find an answer. I learned a lot because I put the effort into learning. Obviously, people who aren't willing to make the effort to learn
are going to miss the point of this forum.
