# Let's talk Neem



## Skatergirl46 (Oct 28, 2013)

If the tracking is correct I should be receiving my order of Neem oil today. I plan to make a batch of HP for myself and my son. We are both having hormonal acne issues. I have read some of the threads here about Neem and its benefits, and its pungent odor. I have a few questions:
1. What percentage should I use in soap to receive its benefits?
2. Should I leave the CO and Palm out of the recipe? (so it's gentle)
3. Should I make this outside because of the odor? (I am a garlic lover)

Thank you in advance for any info. you can provide.


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## lsg (Oct 28, 2013)

Nature's Garden recommends 5% maximum usage rate, but I have used up to 20% in my dog shampoo bar. I always make my soap inside even with neem seed oil. I wouldn't leave out the coconut oil.

Here is the recipe I used, you can use it, change it or ignore it.

coconut oil    24%
grapeseed oil 15%
rice bran oil    11%
palm oil         20%
neem seed oil 20%
Castor oil       5%
Hemp oil        5%


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## Skatergirl46 (Oct 28, 2013)

lsg said:


> Nature's Garden recommends 5% maximum usage rate, but I have used up to 20% in my dog shampoo bar. I always make my soap inside even with neem seed oil. I wouldn't leave out the coconut oil.
> 
> Here is the recipe I used, you can use it, change it or ignore it.
> 
> ...



Thank you Isg! I like the look of that recipe. I have most of those except I only have PK Flakes, and I am out of Grapeseed oil.


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## lsg (Oct 28, 2013)

You can leave out the palm or use shea butter as a substitute, just run the recipe through SoapCalc.  This recipe only showed a 16 in cleansing value, that was one thing I liked about it.  Do you have any sweet almond oil, you might try that instead of the grapeseed, again run the recipe through a lye calculator.


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## Skatergirl46 (Oct 28, 2013)

lsg said:


> You can leave out the palm or use shea butter as a substitute, just run the recipe through SoapCalc.  This recipe only showed a 16 in cleansing value, that was one thing I liked about it.  Do you have any sweet almond oil, you might try that instead of the grapeseed, again run the recipe through a lye calculator.



I do have Shea and Sweet Almond Oil. Yes, I always run recipes through soap calc. ;-)


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## lsg (Oct 28, 2013)

The values were almost the same subtituting sweet almond and shea butter for palm and grapeseed oils.  If you have a favorite oil, plug it in and see what soapcalc says.  You might get better numbers than I had.


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## Skatergirl46 (Oct 29, 2013)

Yay, my Neem oil finally arrived. It has a pungent odor but not nearly as bad as I expected. It reminded me of an asian sauce of some kind, almost like a Thai sauce. Anyway, I HP'd a batch in my kitchen. I was trying to think of a scent that might go along with this batch and I remembered that I had a tiny sample of BB's Woodland Elves. It's kind of juniper-like so I thought it might mask the Neem smell a bit. I made the batch very gentle because it's intended as face soap for me and my son. I thought it actually smelled fairly decent when I was done. Of course, my son walked in and the first thing he said with a scrunched up nose is "Eeeww, what's that smell?"
:lolno: Oh well, I'll use it.  

I didn't color the batch other than a little TD. It's a light tan color. Zap tested negative. I've used the little ball from my crock pot and my hands are pretty soft right now.


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## eyeroll (Oct 29, 2013)

I love my neem oil facial bar!  I hope yours treats you well too. 


Sent from my iPhone using Soap Making


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## shivani (Oct 31, 2013)

We have a lot a of neem here in india..n I used all the parts of the tree in my soap..it was a wonderful soap n soothing..may be bcoz I added many herbs..all the best with urs!! 

Sent from my C1604 using Soap Making mobile app


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## Skatergirl46 (Oct 31, 2013)

Here is my Neem soap. Nothing special to look at. I hope it works for my acne.  
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n229/passthebait/Neembar_zps43404c67.jpg


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## lsg (Oct 31, 2013)

I think it looks pretty good!  Hope it works for you.


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## Obsidian (Oct 31, 2013)

Its really pretty and I'm surprised by the color. Was your neem green or red? I used red neem and my bars are a reddish brown.


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## Skatergirl46 (Oct 31, 2013)

Obsidian said:


> Its really pretty and I'm surprised by the color. Was your neem green or red? I used red neem and my bars are a reddish brown.



My Neem is a dark brown color, like the color of cola.  I put a little TD in the batch.


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## Skatergirl46 (Oct 31, 2013)

Going to use it again in a little while. I've been using the little ball from my crock pot and it is making my hands really soft. 

*********************TMI ALERT********************
*

I got an unwanted gift for my birthday in the form of a yeast infection. :Kitten Love:   I read online that Neem helps with all sorts of fungal maladies. Used it in the shower and the next day the relief is amazing! Just saying.


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## Obsidian (Oct 31, 2013)

I haven't used mine too much. I have so much soap I need to start washing each limb with a different bar.


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## CaraBou (Oct 31, 2013)

I hope the neem works for your face. I bought a bar with high hopes for my face, but the hormones won out.  I get one deep and painful zit every month.  I have started to name them after the planets, as these days they are getting so big, that is what they remind me of.  I am still at a loss for how best to treat this kind of cystic acne, especially when trying to balance those needs with my every day rosacea (the rosacea will flare from almost anything that touches my face; even the neem affected it after repeated use).  I ended up making my own very gentle face soap with things like evening primrose oil, jojoba and just a smidge of lavender EO, and although it is a very lovely soap, the hormones still laugh and continue to fill the solar system.  

My best luck has been by spot treating with tea tree EO in a small amount of carrier oil, but if I don't get on it when I first feel development, the planets will form and throw my whole universe out of whack.  Where are the black holes when you need them??


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## lsg (Nov 1, 2013)

A long time ago a lady that worked in the pharmacy section of our local Walmart told me to use zinc dietary supplement for my son.  It seemed to help him.  You might try it for a couple of weeks to see if you notice a difference.


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## Skatergirl46 (Nov 1, 2013)

Obsidian said:


> I haven't used mine too much. I have so much soap I need to start washing each limb with a different bar.



Haha, same here! Every time I get into the shower I stand there for a minute trying to decide which soap to use.


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## A1will (Nov 2, 2013)

I've been looking to make a neem and tea tree oil combo soap (small quantities in a gently cleansing recipe) to try to prevent monthy hormonal breakouts also. I'm curious to see how this works for you skater.  

What other properties are you trying to focus on with your recipe? Gentle cleansing I would assume. Are you trying to stay somewhat neutral in regards to cleansing/moisturizing and let the antibacterial properties do it's thing?

Also where'd you order your's from? 

Hope it works for you!


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## cmzaha (Nov 2, 2013)

CaraBou said:


> I hope the neem works for your face. I bought a bar with high hopes for my face, but the hormones won out. I get one deep and painful zit every month. I have started to name them after the planets, as these days they are getting so big, that is what they remind me of. I am still at a loss for how best to treat this kind of cystic acne, especially when trying to balance those needs with my every day rosacea (the rosacea will flare from almost anything that touches my face; even the neem affected it after repeated use). I ended up making my own very gentle face soap with things like evening primrose oil, jojoba and just a smidge of lavender EO, and although it is a very lovely soap, the hormones still laugh and continue to fill the solar system.
> 
> My best luck has been by spot treating with tea tree EO in a small amount of carrier oil, but if I don't get on it when I first feel development, the planets will form and throw my whole universe out of whack. Where are the black holes when you need them??


 
My daughter uses a paste she came up with that helps her cystic acne. She can only use very plain handmade soap and cannot use neem soap at all. It helped her for awhile but now makes her worse. My daughter uses a past of activated charcoal, licorice root and clay with a couple of extracts. I know it really helps when she gets a spot. She also uses a Cetaphil wash for her face. Sometimes you just gotta do what works...:roll:


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## cmzaha (Nov 2, 2013)

Obsidian said:


> Its really pretty and I'm surprised by the color. Was your neem green or red? I used red neem and my bars are a reddish brown.


 
Interesting where did you buy red neem oil. I use a lot of neem and have never seen red. Red palm yes, but not neem. Just curious. 

Also I make a neem bar that is a very good seller for me, higher in neem but much lower in coconut. I find acne does not need the extra harshness of the lauric and mystric acids. I also make a milder neem with tomato extract and no grapeseed that is very gentle. I find OO goes very nicely with neem oil. Keep in mind that palm kernel and palm oil are very different. palm kernel is usually used in place of coconut or babassu but if both are used lower the coconut and pko percentages. Acne just does not usually need harsh cleaning just gentle cleaning


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## Skatergirl46 (Nov 2, 2013)

cmzaha said:


> Also I make a neem bar that is a very good seller for me, higher in neem but much lower in coconut. I find acne does not need the extra harshness of the lauric and mystric acids. I also make a milder neem with tomato extract and no grapeseed that is very gentle. I find OO goes very nicely with neem oil. Keep in mind that palm kernel and palm oil are very different. palm kernel is usually used in place of coconut or babassu but if both are used lower the coconut and pko percentages. Acne just does not usually need harsh cleaning just gentle cleaning



I used less CO and a different recipe than what was posted. Mine has a cleansing value of 5 on Soap Calc. It's super conditioning and creamy. I used 15% Neem.


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## CaraBou (Nov 2, 2013)

cmzaha said:


> My daughter uses a past of activated charcoal, licorice root and clay with a couple of extracts. I know it really helps when she gets a spot. She also uses a Cetaphil wash for her face. Sometimes you just gotta do what works...:roll:



Thanks for the tip, anything is worth a try. I have been using cetaphil every morning for at least 15 years. It is great for my rosacea but sometimes I wonder if it just doesn't cleanse my pores well enough.


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## cmzaha (Nov 3, 2013)

Skatergirl46 said:


> I used less CO and a different recipe than what was posted. Mine has a cleansing value of 5 on Soap Calc. It's super conditioning and creamy. I used 15% Neem.


It should be a great bar of soap. I love Neem oil!


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## seven (Nov 24, 2013)

how's the progress so far with the neem soap, skatergirl? does it help with the acne?


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## Crombie (Nov 25, 2013)

lsg:   Would you share you dog shampoo bar recipe using Neem oil?


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## A1will (Nov 25, 2013)

While. We're on the topic of skin care, does anyone have an anti-dandruff shampoo bar recipe?


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## Obsidian (Nov 25, 2013)

cmzaha said:


> Interesting where did you buy red neem oil. I use a lot of neem and have never seen red. Red palm yes, but not neem. Just curious.



I just seen this, sorry it took so long. My neem came from the sage 
https://www.thesage.com/catalog/products/Neem-Oil.html the description says its a dark greenish brown but mine didn't have any green to it. It was just a dark reddish brown, the finished bars are sort of a caramel color.

I used my neem bar for the first time last night, left my skin really soft.


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## Neve (Nov 25, 2013)

Regarding the cystic acne- I think that might be what I had for a very traumatic month or so. It has gone away. I use my own cp bar which is really gentle and no fragrance - just EO - but what I think may have done the trick is the oil mix serum I use after cleansing. I have no idea what I put in it. I took it on the road trip and when I got back I added more oils, in particular a blend with a very strong rosemary infusion. 

My skin loves it and freaks out if I use anything else. And then I read yesterday that Rosemary is antibacterial and very good for acne. Happy coincidence for me and my now clear skin.


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## Skatergirl46 (Nov 25, 2013)

seven said:


> how's the progress so far with the neem soap, skatergirl? does it help with the acne?



It seems to be helping in some places more than others. My face is better but I still have some blemishes now and then.


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## jnl (Jan 25, 2015)

if i add neem oil to hot process soap AFTER the processing, how much should I add?  because it wont be eaten by the lye, i can probably add much less.  I was thinking maybe 2%?  (and also 2% argan oil and 2% jojoba oil)


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## cmzaha (Jan 25, 2015)

Because of the strong smell of neem I seriously would not add it as a superfat, you will want it to saponify. I use neem in soap up to 25% but not hp. Why do you want it as a superfat?


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## jnl (Jan 25, 2015)

i read it ruins the good properties of the oil when exposed to lye.  and adding things at the end of HP you can add much less.  if you add 25% of the recipe in CP with a 10% super fat, then there should still be about 2.5% of unsaponified neem oil after the lye is done (assuming the lye equally eats all fats).  So why not just add 2% at the end?

i have seen other peoples CP recipes that only have 2% or 5% neem.

no way to know unless i try it

there seems to be very little information on the web about hot process.  no one does it?  yeah its a pain, but i dont want my argan oil destroyed by the lye!  and i dont want to have to add such a high % of it so some survives the saponification process.  and re-batching sounds even more annoying than HP.




cmzaha said:


> Because of the strong smell of neem I seriously would not add it as a superfat, you will want it to saponify. I use neem in soap up to 25% but not hp. Why do you want it as a superfat?


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## cmzaha (Jan 25, 2015)

jnl said:


> i read it ruins the good properties of the oil when exposed to lye. and adding things at the end of HP you can add much less. if you add 25% of the recipe in CP with a 10% super fat, then there should still be about 2.5% of unsaponified neem oil after the lye is done (assuming the lye equally eats all fats). So why not just add 2% at the end?
> 
> i have seen other peoples CP recipes that only have 2% or 5% neem.
> 
> ...


I do not superfat high, 2-3% and I have a lot of return customers for my neem soaps. I really do not believe all properties are destroyed, and I have one daughter that breaks out everytime she uses a soap other than my neem soap. If you want the full benefit of the neem, argan or any oil for that matter, just use the oil, or use it in a lotion or balm not a washoff.


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## jnl (Jan 25, 2015)

the soap is for my dog, so it needs to be fatty in the bar.  adding lotions or oils to a furry dog doesn't work well, i've tried.  the moisture needs to come during the shampoo for it to spread and get to the skin.

even for myself, i find i like things that have much higher oil contents than normal, probably because i have super dry skin.  i want to make myself a lotion-soap.  i made a lotion bar, but that was too hard to apply.  it just doesn't glide like soap does.  plus I haven't found a preservative yet that I can tolerate, so i'm currently stuck with chemical filled gasoline-based lotions.

worst case scenario i have to re-batch, or throw out a batch.




cmzaha said:


> I do not superfat high, 2-3% and I have a lot of return customers for my neem soaps. I really do not believe all properties are destroyed, and I have one daughter that breaks out everytime she uses a soap other than my neem soap. If you want the full benefit of the neem, argan or any oil for that matter, just use the oil, or use it in a lotion or balm not a washoff.


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## Obsidian (Jan 25, 2015)

A lot of people do HP, there is a ton of info on this site bout it. What exactly do need help with? I think 2% neem for SF should be just fine but expect it to smell bad.


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## snappyllama (Jan 25, 2015)

I don't think this is right spot for this, but I thought I'd share something that one of the holistic dog groomers in my area offered... They had a moisture treatment where they would take warmed shea butter & honey & and some puppy-safe EO and massage into the dog's skin. Then they would gently rub colloidal oatmeal into the the skin for exfoliation. Then they would rinse and bathe as normal. My collie never got to experience this because it was crazy-expensive. But she does have problems with dry paws in the winter so I'll rub in a little shea and that seems to help her.

I'd give a link, but I think their spoon-bending and chakra-aligning business took off (I'm not kidding), and they no longer do dog grooming.


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## couch0 (Oct 9, 2015)

Skatergirl46 said:


> Here is my Neem soap. Nothing special to look at. I hope it works for my acne.
> http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n229/passthebait/Neembar_zps43404c67.jpg


That looks great


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## cmzaha (Oct 10, 2015)

I use 28% neem in my facial bar with 10% Babassu, avocado palm and castor. Makes a great facial bar. I do not hp, I cp but it does move quickly. Neem accelerates


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## lsg (Oct 10, 2015)

Crombie said:


> lsg:   Would you share you dog shampoo bar recipe using Neem oil?



I will see if I can find it.  :-D
ETA:  Here it is.

5%  Castor oil
20% coconut oil
25% neem seed oil
25% palm oil
25% rice bran oil

I used 5% superfat
1 part peppermint EO
1 part lemongrass EO
1 part lavender EO

Please note that some dog breeds are highly sensitive to certain essential oils, so use with caution.


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## couch0 (Oct 10, 2015)

Do you find that the neem smell fades as the bar cures?


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