# Eczema Soap Ingredients/Recipe



## Luckyone80 (Aug 6, 2015)

Ok so I have several people asking me to make them a soap to help with eczema so I've been researching ingredients I can use that could help with the problem. Now I just have to narrow the list so I don't have 15 ingredients in the soap.

-Neem Oil &/or Powder
-Sunflower Oil
-Avocado Oil
-Olive Oil
-Coconut Oil
-Sweet Almond Oil
-Shea Butter
-Oatmeal
-Honey
-Goat's Milk
-Lavender EO
-Peppermint EO
-Tea Tree EO
-Geranium Oil

Does anyone have a tried and true recipe that helps with eczema or what ingredients would you recommend from my list above?


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## KristaMarie (Aug 6, 2015)

There is no tried and true recipe, as there are different triggers/sensitivities for everyone. You're probably aware of this, but it's unlikely that your soap is going to cure eczema, but it is likely that just switching to homemade soap will help the symptoms your friends are experiencing. 
Keep in mind that an oils properties are not the same in soap. I would absolutely not consider sodium cocoate to be beneficial to eczema as it can be harsh. You want to keep your soap non-drying/irritating. 
I'd stay away from most EOs, but some lavender might be ok.
Basically, avoid potential irritants and keep your cleansing number low


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## Luckyone80 (Aug 6, 2015)

Yeah I was wondering why some recipes called for coconut oil. 

I was thinking of maybe a castile recipe with goat's milk, oatmeal and lavender or tea tree eo?


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## KristaMarie (Aug 6, 2015)

Personally, I would stay away from the tea tree, and I LOVE tea tree. But it's all hit or miss anyway, so why not? Lol

The rest of the ingredients sound lovely!


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## kumudini (Aug 6, 2015)

As Krista suggested, everyone's triggers/ allergies are different. Many kids are sensitive to milk, I've seen kids who are sensitive to oatmeal. Lot of food allergies present as eczema. So you do need to work with everyone individually and customize accordingly if you really want to help them. Homemade soap might help individuals with dry skin but not necessarily those with eczema.


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## TeresaT (Aug 6, 2015)

I noticed you don't have chamomile on the list.  I made a soap with an infusion of chamomile and lavender tea (VERY strong) and added chamomile and lavender EOs to it.  My coworker's daughter has eczema and it was helpful for her skin.  Of course, the soap didn't cure it; however, it was soothing and less drying than other products they've used for her.  I used 70% tallow, 20% coconut and 10% olive with an 8% SF.  (It was one of my first soaps.  Today, I would probably switch the CO and OO amounts and change the tallow to lard.) I would definitely make the tea and add the two EOs again.  The other friends I shared that particular soap with liked it the best.


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## KristaMarie (Aug 6, 2015)

Oooh yes! Chamomile! Calendula infused oils are nice too.


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## Luckyone80 (Aug 6, 2015)

I read about the chamomile after I posted this, so you use the chamomile/lavender infused tea for the water in the recipe?


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## TeresaT (Aug 6, 2015)

Luckyone80 said:


> I read about the chamomile after I posted this, so you use the chamomile/lavender infused tea for the water in the recipe?



Yes.  I replaced all of the water with the tea.  FYI:  In the bars (I have three left) that I added the EOs to, they are perfect.  In the bars that I did NOT add the EOs to, each of the two bars I have left has developed one spot of DOS.  I made them the same day.  I actually split the batter and scented half, so I'm not sure what happened.


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## Luckyone80 (Aug 6, 2015)

Great, thanks!


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## TeresaT (Aug 6, 2015)

KristaMarie said:


> Oooh yes! Chamomile! Calendula infused oils are nice too.



I have some calendula petals that are just dying (no pun intended) to be infused in SOMETHING, but I don't know what.  What would you suggest?


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## KristaMarie (Aug 6, 2015)

I just infused mine in olive oil, in a jar in the crockpot. It smells so uniquely sweet and delicious! I used the infusion in a body butter for a friend with eczema actually


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## Luckyone80 (Aug 7, 2015)

Will the dried Calendula petals and dried Chamomile flowers from places like Nature's Garden work for infusing? Versus if you have the plants growing outside and you dry them yourself.



TeresaT said:


> Yes. I replaced all of the water with the tea. FYI: In the bars (I have three left) that I added the EOs to, they are perfect. In the bars that I did NOT add the EOs to, each of the two bars I have left has developed one spot of DOS. I made them the same day. I actually split the batter and scented half, so I'm not sure what happened.


 
How much chamomile and lavender EO did you use per pound?


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## Susie (Aug 7, 2015)

If I were making soap for people with eczema, and bear in mind that the reason I started making soap was that I and my children all had eczema, I would start with a very basic soap with NO additives whatsoever.  I would make a high conditioning, low cleansing soap.  The less triggers you have in that soap, the more people you can give it to, and then you can start seeing who is responding to it, and who is not.  Then you can individualize from there.  No soap "cures" eczema, but using that rather than commercial syndet "soaps" is that you remove all the possible triggers from the commercial products.  Using additives could possibly provide new triggers. 

I would use something along this line to avoid having a 6+ month cure:

Lard/Tallow/Palm oil(not PKO) 55-75%
OO 20-40%
Castor Oil 5%
Sugar 1 TBLSPN PPO
Superfat 5-8%


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## TeresaT (Aug 7, 2015)

I would follow Susie's advice, *NOT MINE*!!  However, to answer your question,  I think I just got lucky, actually.  That was when I first started making soap and didn't know enough to keep meticulous records.  However, I'm a creature of habit and always soaped at 1 "bottle" EO ppo.  I would have mixed them equally, so it would have been .33 oz for the Chamomile and .5 oz for the Lavender.  (I have a few bottles in my stash.) I sourced my EOs at Whole Foods at the time and they only sell the tiny bottles at a price I was willing to pay to play with soap.


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## biarine (Aug 7, 2015)

Don't used geranium and tea tree my friend had eczema geranium and tea tree makes her itchy. Lavender and chamomile are good combination


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## Dahila (Aug 7, 2015)

My grandchild and my son respond very well to soap like Susie gave above, plus buttermilk.  It seems not to irritate their skin.  I also have atopic dermatitis and it was a reason to make first lotions, then soap ) The only synded bar I use is shampoo bar and it is made with extra mild things) 
with eczema you need; gentle mild soap, and not to many EO the best is no scent


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Aug 7, 2015)

I think one thing that is a common theme in these examples is that it tends to be "I know someone who reacts badly to x.  Don't use x" - which as Susie pointed out is due to the fact that there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer here. Someone might react badly to one ingredient that then works wonders for someone else. 

Start very plain with no additives or even eo, as Susie said.


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## Luckyone80 (Aug 7, 2015)

Thanks everyone for your words of wisdom. I know there isn't a "cure" per say but rather something that can at least "help" to some degree.

I asked my one friend if her son had any allergies (dairy, nut, etc) and she said no so I think I will take Susie's advice and just make a simple bar, I had already decided on a mostly lard type bar with maybe oats and chamomile tea infusion. 

In the meantime I have an Oatmeal Milk and Honey soap already made that is about 5 months old that I might have her try and see if it does anything to help just until I get the new soap made.


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## TeresaT (Aug 7, 2015)

My very first soap was 100% lard with no additives.  That really helped relieve my skin issues.  Then I started "playing" with formulas and ingredients.  I haven't used commercial soap since I started making soap and I don't have the problems I used to have.  The real test for me will be when winter comes.


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## Dahila (Aug 7, 2015)

If only more people would believe that most of their skin problems are connected to excess of chemicals and using a lot of synthetic ingredients, they could relieve it  sooner


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## SplendorSoaps (Aug 7, 2015)

My son suffers from eczema, and I've found that a bar that I make with oatmeal (finely ground), honey, and almond milk (homemade to avoid any of the weird stuff that they put in store bought almond milk) seems to soothe his symptoms. As other posters have mentioned, soap isn't going to "cure" anything, but may help with some people's skin issues. I'd also throw oat milk into the list of possible helpers. I have a calendula and oat milk bar that's been very helpful for my son as well.


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## TeresaT (Aug 8, 2015)

Dahila said:


> If only more people would believe that most of their skin problems are connected to access of chemicals and using a lot of synthetic ingredients, they could relieve it  sooner



I agree to a certain extent.  I believe most of the skin problems (and most health problems) are related to nutrition.  Proper nutrition and "clean" eating promote good skin (and health).  We eat far too much processed food and empty calories (says the woman that just ate a big bowl of gelato). I know when I was juicing, I was getting the nutritional benefits from approximately 5 to 7 POUNDS of fruits and vegetables a day; mostly vegetables.  My skin looked great and I had more energy than I did as a teenager.  However, dealing with all of the fruits & vegetables every day and grocery shopping every two or three days was too much of a hassle for me.  I'm back to "instant" food.


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## fuzz-juzz (Aug 8, 2015)

I have some eczema on my face and for me only works lard, OO, avocado, almond oil and castor oil in different combos. No coconut oil, no fragrance or EOs. I also have some on my tummy and my hands, but it's fine with normal bar soap as long as there is not much coconut oil. The reality is, at least for me, that   it will never go away, but flare ups are rarer, less painful and red, and there is less need for cortisone creams. I've been using same tube for the past 2 years.

But as many already pointed out, we are not all the same. It's up to you to try different combos of ingredients and see what works for each person with eczema. I would probably stay away from plants, herbs, EOs, FOs. Oatmeal should be OK, it was supposed to be soothing. Many commercial gentle bars contain oatmeal.


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## kumudini (Aug 8, 2015)

TeresaT said:


> I agree to a certain extent.  I believe most of the skin problems (and most health problems) are related to nutrition.  Proper nutrition and "clean" eating promote good skin (and health).  We eat far too much processed food and empty calories.


And there are other issues in modern day living like the pollution, increased stress levels, odd working hours, highly sedentary lifestyles etc. But I agree, clean eating does mitigate these ill effects to a certain extent.


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## Luckyone80 (Aug 8, 2015)

So I made this recipe last night:

65% Lard
30% Olive Oil
5% Castor
with
6% SF

Chamomile tea as the water, finely ground oats, chamomile EO and lavender EO. The soap is still too soft to unmold but it smells pretty good and looks really creamy. I hope it turns out ok and helps my friend's son.


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## Luckyone80 (Aug 10, 2015)

I Love the way this soap came out, had to wait 3 days to unmold b/c of the high lard content but it came out wonderful! I can't wait to see if it helps my friends son.


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## KristaMarie (Aug 10, 2015)

It looks great!


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## tbeck3579 (Aug 10, 2015)

Babassu oil is non-drying and has similar properties to coconut oil.  It helps with itching.  I have dry skin and winter would bring on unbearable itching. I began making my own soap and decided to use it.  I don't know if it's because I make my own soap or the Babassu, but I don't have any more problems with itching.  It's more expensive than coconut oil so I use it in combination with coconut oil in my soap recipes.  Bulk Apothecary is charging $8.84 for 15 oz -- it could be cheaper elsewhere???


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