The Worst Salt Bar in the World

[cmzaha]

Tonight I conned one of my market buddies to purchase a Dead Sea Salt bar from the vendor I am thinking about having removed from the market. First off my friend asked for a vendor discount and they said, "we do not give vendor discounts," bad plan. So I paid 8 bucks for the worst bar of soap I have ever used. This was after she told me last week, before she knew who I was, how wonderful it lathers and how fantastic dead sea salt is in soap. Well this soap actually looks like curdled milk when you use it, granted you can work up a weak lather but it feels awful. I really did not think there was a salt bar in existence that I would not like. Here is the ingredients list in order from the label. The label says, Dead Sea Salt. Olive Oil, Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil, Palm oil. Talking about all the lather killers in one salt bar

The reason I forked out the 8 bucks was because last week I had a couple of people stop at my booth to see what I am selling they proceeded to comment they would never buy handmade soap. After asking why they informed me they purchased such bad soap a few week ago they would never buy it again. I gave out samples and two came tonight and purchased soap. Bad soap is very had on business Of course the hubby chewed me out for wasting $8 on a soap I knew had to be bad, but she raved so much about it I just had to try it

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

That is really not good - a bad soaper ruining it for others. What is worse is that she is ruining the experience of homemade soap for these poor customers.

 

[shunt2011]

Just another reason folks are so hard on beginners who start selling right away.

Just so sad. Unfortunately it hurts those who have done their homework and tested and retested their product and actually know what they are doing and selling

Someone needs to give that person the lurch lever. What a waste of money.

 

[Dharlee]

What is a salt bar for exactly? I figured it was like an exfoliating bar. Am I wrong?

 

[maya]

That really sucks! Who terrible those people won't try handmade soap from a different soaper. Can you, would you, give them a could of big samples so they can see what good handmade soap is like?


Dharlee, a salt bar is also called a spa bar. They are generally made with at least 50 percent coconut oil because it's the only oil that after saponification lathers in salt water.

I use 100 percent coconut oil and between 50 percent and 100 percent salt (by weight.)

 

[Susie]

Every thing I ever read about salt bars always said to never use Dead Sea Salt. Apparently the mineral composition makes soap sweat, and sometimes causes other issues:

http://www.soaprecipes101.com/homemade-soap-recipes/sea-salt-soap-recipe/

 

[commoncenz]

That really sucks! Who terrible those people won't try handmade soap from a different soaper. Can you, would you, give them a could of big samples so they can see what good handmade soap is like?


Dharlee, a salt bar is also called a spa bar. They are generally made with at least 50 percent coconut oil because it's the only oil that after saponification lathers in salt water.

I use 100 percent coconut oil and between 50 percent and 100 percent salt (by weight.)

Bear with me, it's early on a Saturday and I haven't had my coffee. But, for the average person at home, what is the use of a bar of soap that's special property is that it lathers in salt water? Is there something else about this type of soap that makes it desirable? I know a lot of the folks on here make them.

 

[Obsidian]

Oh yes, the lather of a salt bar is divine. Its thick, rich, creamy and leaves your skin soft. Salt bars are also know to help with various skin issues.
The bars themselves are super hard and wear down to be extremely smooth, almost like a river stone and they last forever. The more salt used, the hard they are. Fine salt is the best use, anything larger and it can cut your skin.

 

[cmzaha]

What is a salt bar for exactly? I figured it was like an exfoliating bar. Am I wrong?

Salt water is actually a natural exfoliant, but the salt bars do not stay scrubbie, they become very smooth

Bear with me, it's early on a Saturday and I haven't had my coffee. But, for the average person at home, what is the use of a bar of soap that's special property is that it lathers in salt water? Is there something else about this type of soap that makes it desirable? I know a lot of the folks on here make them.

I have very itchy eczema that breaks out, salt bars help stop my itching and really help my skin heal. I shower daily with an emulsified salt scrub that make and/ or a 100% salt bar. I used to spend every weekend on the ocean now I bring the beach to my shower :-D

 

[boyago]

After asking why they informed me they purchased such bad soap a few week ago they would never buy it again. I gave out samples and two came tonight and purchased soap. Bad soap is very had on business

I'm curious and you'd probably have a good handle on this with your market experience, would it be worth it to make a sign along the lines of "if you have had a poor experience with hand made soap in the past stop by for a free sample" or would that just burn up a bunch of samples as some people will take anything that's free whether they want it or not?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

As for lathering in salt water, it needs the coconut for that - the two go together well indeed!

 

[rparrny]

I've had my 90% CO salt curing since August...can't wait to try them out, it was my first attempt and I'm curious.

 

[boyago]

Bear with me, it's early on a Saturday and I haven't had my coffee. But, for the average person at home, what is the use of a bar of soap that's special property is that it lathers in salt water? Is there something else about this type of soap that makes it desirable? I know a lot of the folks on here make them.

I like salt bars for their own qualities but, if you were looking for a practical reason you would need a bar to lather in salt water I figure if you do any ocean fishing they would be handy (or for coastal hobo-ing).

 

[newbie]

Carolyn, I think you should take the bar to the board who decides on the vendor and let them try it themselves. Hard evidence would be useful if you will be asking them to remove someone. It might even be worth another $16 to get two other bars so they don't think the one crappy bar is a fluke. Consider the money an investment in your own business.

 

[cmzaha]

Carolyn, I think you should take the bar to the board who decides on the vendor and let them try it themselves. Hard evidence would be useful if you will be asking them to remove someone. It might even be worth another $16 to get two other bars so they don't think the one crappy bar is a fluke. Consider the money an investment in your own business.

Fortunately I have a bit of an edge in this market, and the other soapmakers have been allowed to stay because I agreed to it. Many times it pays to give supreme support to your market owners :silent:

 

[amd]

The reason I forked out the 8 bucks was because last week I had a couple of people stop at my booth to see what I am selling they proceeded to comment they would never buy handmade soap. After asking why they informed me they purchased such bad soap a few week ago they would never buy it again. I gave out samples and two came tonight and purchased soap. Bad soap is very had on business

As a consumer this mentality makes no sense. When I buy a soap (or anything) at the store and I don't like or have a bad experience, I don't stop buying soap (or whatever) at the store, I try a different brand or a different store. It seems it should be the same way with homemade too.

 

[DeeAnna]

I see your point, amd, but I tend to see things this way --

Sally Consumer pays a premium for her first bar of handcrafted soap. The soap is marketed as doing everything except making the coffee in the morning. When she tries it, however, that $8 bar of handcrafted soap is way worse than the consumer soaps she uses that sell for 1/8th to 1/4th the price.

What incentive does Sally have for traipsing to the market to go through this process again -- with some suspicion now that she's likely to get ripped off again? Why shouldn't she go back to the mass market brand that she knows works fine?

In Sally's mind, at least at first, soap is soap is soap. She doesn't necessarily equate "handcrafted soap" as being especially different than "mass market soap" until she has reason to think otherwise. Being ripped off by a bad product is good reason to go back to mass market soap. A stellar experience with handcrafted soap is good reason to buy handcrafted soap again. Only after that good image is built up, then Sally might understand, as you do, that one rotten apple doesn't mean the whole barrel is bad.

 

[shunt2011]

^^^^
I totally agree with this. I've had that experience a handful or more times. Sad but true.

 

[IrishLass]

As a consumer this mentality makes no sense. When I buy a soap (or anything) at the store and I don't like or have a bad experience, I don't stop buying soap (or whatever) at the store, I try a different brand or a different store. It seems it should be the same way with homemade too.

Unfortunately, that is not often the case with handmade. I think the reason why is because of how handmade soap made with lye has been perceived down through the years......as something harsh and skin-stripping that's fit only for laundry...... which is what it actually used to be for the most part back in great-grandma's day.

Although handmade soap has come a long way since then, what with all the newfound knowledge we've gained about oil properties and proper SAP numbers, etc..., the general public, I think, is still leery in large part because of the brainwashing campaign that's been waged through the years by the commercial syndet companies against 'great- grandma's lye soap' (think of the commercials by the company with the flying bird logo).

Unfortunately the truth of the matter is that general perceptions like the above have been (and continue to be) a huge hurdle to overcome depending on what type of negative 'propaganda' people have been exposed to............... or what type of handmade soap they have been exposed to that supports that negative 'propaganda'.

That's one of the reasons why the more experienced of us passionately get on a soapbox here when newcomers to the craft decide to sell after only a few weeks or a few months of making soap. They don't know what they don't know yet in so many different ways. And as much as they are enjoying their new-found craft and would never think of wanting to hurt it, they may actually be doing just that by selling an inferior soap or else an untested soap that morphs into something bad after 6 months (people do oftentimes wait that long before they use a soap they bought).

Unfortunately, such things play right into the hands of the ongoing negative propaganda by cementing those negative perceptions in people's minds to the point where they think that all handmade soap must be like the inferior bar they bought.


IrishLass

 

[Consuela]

I've been making a Dead Sea salt bar but I'm only using 1 Tbs Ppo and I find it to be alright. I didn't even know dss wasn't recommended until another thread around here.

But I find it to be okay at that use age. Still needs to be cut right away and for all intents, it behaves like a salt bar. But now I wonder if I'm the only one who thinks it's awesome... No testers have ever complained or have given bad feedback..

Alright. Who wants to try one for me? Carolyn? Deanna?