This is the kind of thing that makes my head hurt

[gigisiguenza]

Pardon my rant...

I'm on YouTube, doing my usual soap p*rn searches (don't judge me, you know you do it too lol), and I come across a video about packaging. I'm interested in anything related to the packaging design (can't help it, it's my art background showing), not really listening to the video, when something catches my ears and I rewind... to hear again the soapmaker say "our soaps take three weeks to produce! We set them aside to let them harden..."

And my head begins to hurt. Sigh. These people spend money on exotic ingredients (which they make a point to highlight, as it's obviously part of their brand identity) only to do none of those ingredients true justice by selling immature soap...

Is this the only place on the internet where people understand *why* soap needs more than three weeks? I'm a newbie, and even *I* have learned what a difference there is between immature and mature soap. And that's just using ordinary ingredients, nothing exotic! If letting my *peasant* soaps mature can make a drastic difference in their performance (which it does!) then how much more a difference would it make for a luxurious soap full of higher level, exotic ingredients?

But no, let's spend a fortune to fill the soap up with luxury oils etc, so it sounds divinely luxurious and worth your purchasing... only to sell it too soon, so the user will never have a chance to really appreciate the loveliness of a well made, hard, bubbly luxury ingredient soap - because most of it will disappear down the drain because it's not hard enough to last longer than a week or two.

Ugh.

Here's the video link, for anyone interested
http://youtu.be/BiztOCJt8qI

 

[Susie]

Gigi, there are videos every week about soapmaking that would make my head hurt if I allowed them to. I try to gently educate where necessary (like the video that said to use vinegar to neutralize spills), but for the most part, I just try to let it go. Those folks are just not worth my time and emotional energy.

I do try to steer the few I care about here by dropping a comment like, "Oh, have you seen the awesome soapmakingforum.com? It is a great place to learn about making soap!" So that they or maybe a viewer or two can come here to get truth.

 

[CTAnton]

I ran into a fellow soaper at a holiday craft fair last weekend.She only sells one soap which is her olive oil soap with sunflower added. Can't say what percentage is olive oil but I'm sensing close to 70%. All in all a lovely conversation and very informative but my ears perked up when she said a 6 week cure and their out of her house.Not that I'm an authority but I can't imagine with so high a percentage of olive oil that a longer cure would improve her product....

 

[gigisiguenza]

Gigi, there are videos every week about soapmaking that would make my head hurt if I allowed them to. I try to gently educate where necessary (like the video that said to use vinegar to neutralize spills), but for the most part, I just try to let it go. Those folks are just not worth my time and emotional energy.

I do try to steer the few I care about here by dropping a comment like, "Oh, have you seen the awesome soapmakingforum.com? It is a great place to learn about making soap!" So that they or maybe a viewer or two can come here to get truth.

Susie, true, and most of the time I don't react. I think I did this time because the sophistication of the packaging and their brand leads you to assume they are experienced and professional, so it got under my skin. When I see newbies saying such, i point them at good resources, including here. But if I say a word of contradiction to anyone who sells or has been soaping for a while, I'd get blasted immediately, my lack of experience and age as a soaper being the justification for blowing me off. I keep my head low and go about my business. I get less migraines that way LOL. I just couldn't contain my reaction to this one.

 

[Obsidian]

I think a lot of sellers only cure for 3-4 weeks, otherwise they would need a huge space to store the curing soap in different stages. At this stage, the scent is also strong which most buyers want.
Three week old soap isn't the greatest but most of it is tons better then the store bought crap and if buyers are happy with it, who are we to judge? As soap makers we know better and get to enjoy better aged soap, its one of the many perks of crafting for ourselves

I've seen much worse. There is one video of a lady selling her HP at craft fairs, she takes whole fresh loaves and cuts bars as they sell. Nothing like wet, spongy HP lol.

Then there was a local lady selling soap at a market. It was obviously HP but had a very different and pretty appearance. I asked her about it and she didn't even know what HP was or if thats how she made the soap.

She couldn't tell me the percentage of coconut either, her friend had given her the recipe. I refused to buy any but she did talk me into taking a sample of beautiful, lovely scented soap that was so drying, I couldn't even use it on my hands.
I believe someone gave her a recipe, taught her how to cook it and she made a bunch to sell at a local fair. Its sad really as she had a fair amount of customers and the worse soap I've ever used.

There was another seller with quality soap, complete with labels and she knew her product. She had very few customers because her soap didn't jump out out you, it had subtle scent and natural colors. I bought a bar of strawberry and it was really nice, I hope she is successful because she deserves it.

Lets not forget the local soap supply store, their main business is selling soap but they also have a lot of supplies. Very nice lady owns the store but she is a bit clueless. She doesn't understand SF, has no idea what a salt bar is and can rarely answer even the most basic question like flash points or acceleration issues with FO's.
When I asked her about the KOH purity, that really confused her "its 100% KOH, she says" looking at me with a "are you a idiot" face.
Last time I was there, she had a neon pigment, I asked her if it glowed under black light. Of course she had no idea what I meant so I pulled out my little black light flashlight and showed her. She had a blast playing with the glowing soap samples lol.

 

[gigisiguenza]

Obsidian, I guess that's a fair statement. It is indeed better than a day out of oven, cut and selling, because "cooking it cures it". If I ever sell, I'll be the loony lady, who pays rent for a two bedroom because I need a room to store soap LOL. I feel anxious sharing 6 week old soap with my volunteer test buddies, for Pete sake. And I have used it for a week myself first. I get your point, but I can't see bothering to sell anything but a quality product that I feel confident in - to me that means mature soap that I know will be lovely because it's had time to become that. My overachiever, ocd, perfectionism rearing its head I suppose.

 

[Susie]

If you read through this forum, the folks who are actually able to support themselves making soap and other products are the perfectionists, the OCD folks, the overachievers. You are in good company.

 

[spenny92]

I use my own soap at the 2-3 week mark, and find that it lasts a good 4-6 weeks when used regularly - it doesn't just melt down the drain. I don't think it's wise to make assumptions like that about their soap without knowing their soaping techniques and curing conditions - 3 weeks cure must be the right length of time for them.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Not "must be" - could be, certainly, but it is also not a given that they are selling a quality soap

 

[shunt2011]

I'm a perfectionist. Soap does not leave my home for minimum 4 weeks. Most times 6 or longer. Yes it may be okay at 3 weeks but customers aren't getting it yet. I carry 30 plus fragrances.

I sell no soap before a good cure.

 

[Dana89]

Aside from cure time I do love their packaging. I am going through such an ordeal to get a decent label and name it is pathetic.
Everytime I think of a great name that fits me and my soap I google it first and someone had THE NERVE to think of it first!
How DARE them!