# Salicylic Acid in anti-acne soap?



## Miss_Melissa (Jul 16, 2009)

Hi, I've heard about adding a salicylic acid to the soap. Does anybody have an experience of doing that?  :roll: 
Does it make sense, we leave a soap on skin for a very short time and then wash it out - salicylic acid has no time to have an effect?
If  salicylic acid is good in soap, how much and when should I add it in hot and cold process?


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## dagmar88 (Jul 16, 2009)

:? Acid is the opposit of lye, so I doubt it's going to work out. '
If you have or know someone who's having a pretty bad acne problem; I started the regimen from acne.org a few days ago.
Made my own soap with lavender, eucalyptus and geranium essential oil and added mashed carrots and tomato puree. 
After that I use the benzoyl peroxide cream (get it from the pharmacy at about 4 dollars for a tube, and certainly has a way longer effect as opposed to using a rinse off product) and moisturize with tea tree day & night cream.
I'm seeing a LOT of difference now, even in my period!.


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## ChrissyB (Jul 16, 2009)

My teenage son suffers from teenage acne. Not big cycstic acne, but more surface pimples and blackheads, and his skin is quite oily, greasy by the end of the day.
I have had wonderful success with his skin with a soap that I made with some bentonite clay and tea tree oil and lavender essential oil, and I used aloe vera juice for half of my water amount.
I have since made some more of this soap but without the tea tree, I am quite sensitive to it, it doesn't react well to my skin.
And I also found that increasing the superfat to 7% works for DS. I think that there is some truth in the theory that if you strip all the natural oils from your skin then your skin goes into over drive and over produces more oil, to counteract the oil that has been stripped out.
Charcoal also makes a nice addition to soap made for acneic skin.
I also once a week make a paste with some bentonite clay, aloe vera juice and a drop of tea tree oil and put this one his face as a facial mask. Rinse off when dry.
This seems to calm down any open inflammation that he has, and it has definitely got the blackheads under control.

I am in no way shape or form a dermatologist, but this is what seems to be working for my son. Just had to say that!!! :wink:


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## Miss_Melissa (Jul 16, 2009)

*ChrissyB*, *dagmar88*, thanks a lot! 
That's a good idea about carrots and tomato, and about aloe vera juice too! I’ve never done such kind of soap before! I’ll certainly try to do it.

About a salicylic acid… if we add it after gel in hot process, we have no lye at that moment already… I don’t  know… will it take anti-acne effect or not?


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## misty (Jul 16, 2009)

Chrissy, your teenage son sounds like my teenage grandson. Would you have used the regular oils like coconut, olive & palm for your soap or are there certain oils used for acne prone soap....


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## artisan soaps (Jul 16, 2009)

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## ChrissyB (Jul 16, 2009)

No I just made one of my regular recipes of 30% Rice Bran, 20% Co, 30% Palm, 15% Macadamia, 5% Castor. I superfat this one at 7%. I think any recipe would be fine, I think it's the clay the the tto that does the hard work.


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## heartsong (Jul 16, 2009)

i use american sweet yellow birch essential oil in a soap.  it contains salicylic acid and is also good for "non specific dermatitus". it smells like wintergreen and i use it at .7 ppo in a mild bastile soap.

i make this for a couple of neighbors who have psoriasis and tho it isn't a cure, it does afford them some relief.

for facial skin problems you might consider a toner made with equal parts witch hazel and a strong chamomile tea.  add a few drops of tea tree oil and yellow birch.  keep refridgerated and shake before using.

i also make an olive oil and beeswax salve using yellow birch for the hard scaley itchy dry patches.

hope this is useful.


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## LJA (Jul 16, 2009)

Someone on YouTube puts meadowsweet in their soap because it has salicylates in it - that's her theory anyway.  Whether it survives the lye is the question.  I have no idea.


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## misty (Jul 16, 2009)

thank you ChrissyB, for your help, may I borrow your recipe? Will need to get some macadamia & bentonite clay, tho....


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## Miss_Melissa (Jul 17, 2009)

I’m very appreciated your answers, thanks!!


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## ChrissyB (Jul 17, 2009)

Misty absolutely make it any way you like. 
Like i said I think it's the clay that does most of the work. Bentonite clay is especially good for oily skin, it sort of works to draw out the oil, if you know what I mean.
You don't necessarily need the macadamia oil, just use whatever recipe you are normally using and try it with the bentonite or other clay. Kaolin works well also.
I just take a couple of cups of the soap out at light trace and add the clay to that and make sure it's mixed well, then add that to the main batch, doing it that way will ensure you have no lumps and no pockets of clay that didn't get mixed in properly.
I have made this soap with charcoal also, and that works quite well also.


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