# Soap recipe for dry skin?



## Papasmurf (Dec 27, 2021)

I have a friend that has very dry skin.  Anyone have a recipe I can try to help him?


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## Nona'sFarm (Dec 27, 2021)

My first thoughts are this:
1) Soap is not a moisturizer, but you would like to keep it from stripping too many oils from the skin.
2) Keep coconut oils down to 17% - 20%. To compensate for the lower bubbles/lather, use 5% castor oil and 1-3 teaspoons of honey ppo.
3) Use the recommended superfat of 5%.
4) Use the soap calculator to plug in your oils/fats. Look for high conditioning combinations, without sacrificing too many other attributes you find important.
5) Make a body lotion bar, balm, or salve with moisturizing oils to give with the soap.


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## AliOop (Dec 27, 2021)

I agree with @Nona'sFarm's recommendations. The only thing I'll add is that if you aren't an experienced soaper, using plain white sugar instead of honey might be a bit easier for you. It doesn't tend to heat up the batter like honey does.

Here is my go-to recipe for dry-skinned folks:

75%  lard
20% CO or PKO or split
5%  castor oil
3%  SF
2 T sugar PPO

IMO, high lard bars do best after a minimum of an 8-week cure. Before then, they can feel a bit slick to the touch, with very few bubbles that take a long time to get going. Even after eight weeks, they tend to have a tight, creamy lather. A wash cloth or shower pouf can help the lather get started.

I wouldn't use fragrance, or only a very light amount of something that tends to be non-irritating, like lavender EO. For my husband, I replace 10% of the lard with neem oil. But some folks highly object to the smell of neem, so tread carefully there.

Several of my friends with dry skin rave about the following version of Zany's no-slime castile (ZNSC). High OO soaps are usually very drying for my skin, but this one isn't:

75% OO
20% CO
  5% Castor oil
1 T goat milk powder PPO (or coconut milk powder to keep it vegan)
1% SF
37% lye concentration

For the ZNSC soap, you must make and use a faux sea water. You can either look up the original recipe thread for how to make a quart of it at a time, OR use the following ratios to make just enough for your specific batch of soap:

1. calculate the total amount of distilled water to use for your recipe.
2. Add sea salt at 1.9% of the total water.
3. Add baking soda at 1.7% of the total water.
4. Make sure both are thoroughly dissolved before adding the NaOH.

These bars do not need a long cure, and are bubbly and gentle even at 2 weeks. They will be soft, however, so curing 4-6 weeks is recommended to give them time to firm up and become even milder.


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## DeeAnna (Dec 27, 2021)

The annoying thing about the "conditioning" number is that it's not as helpful as it should be for designing a mild soap recipe. This number only looks at the fatty acids common in the liquid vegetable oils -- oleic, linoleic, linolenic, and ricinoleic fatty acids. It doesn't account for the other mildness-adding fatty acids common in fats such as lard, a fat that is included in many mild soap recipes.

While a person can certainly pay attention to this number, I wouldn't make a high "conditioning" number the be-all, end-all definition of a mild soap recipe. Like AliOop, I like a recipe with a large % of lard and a low amount of coconut oil. I also include a modest amount of a high oleic oil such as olive, avocado, high oleic sunflower, etc. I don't use castor anymore, but I do try to build in a source of sugar, such as beer or aloe.

ETA -- Another ingredient that is good in a soap for dry skin is a small percentage of lanolin -- I've used lanolin at 3% to 5% of the total fat. I would not use much more than 5% because it's likely to make the soap overly soft and/or sticky. Lanolin in soap is one of the few ingredients I've found that leaves a faintly perceptible film on the skin after bathing. It will never be a replacement for a good lotion, but it's a nice addition.

An important issue to keep in mind about lanolin is a few people are sensitive to the impurities in conventionally purified lanolin, so you might want to use a highly purified lanolin (Lanisoh is one brand name in the US) which is a slightly translucent white color, rather than conventionally purified lanolin which is an opaque golden yellow. Also I'd recommend doing a skin test to ensure the person's skin can tolerate the finished soap.


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## CreativeWeirdo (Dec 27, 2021)

I also like to think about the Cleansing number.  A lower cleansing number doesn't mean that it won't clean; it will still break the surface tension and remove dirt and such, it just won't be as stripping to the skin as a higher number.


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## Papasmurf (Dec 27, 2021)

All great advice...thank you.  

Is there a reason no one is suggesting to add shea butter?  What I have read makes it sound it would help.  (I am rookie and am only 4 batches into soap making so please pardon my ignorance if this is a bad idea)


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## AliOop (Dec 27, 2021)

A fair number of people are sensitive to shea. However, if you want to add it to the high-lard recipe, I'd recommend starting at 5% to see how you like it. Maybe make a few small batches so your friend can compare them. Everyone's skin is different, so some folks will resonate with one soap formulation over another.

@DeeAnna interesting info about the lanolin. I might have to add that to my Try List.


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## DeeAnna (Dec 27, 2021)

Don't confuse the properties of the fat with the properties of a soap made from that fat. The classic example is coconut oil which is nice on skin and hair versus coconut oil soap which is very drying and harsh.

Lye breaks down a fat into its component fatty acids, so it's more important to look at the blend of fatty acids -- they have a lot more influence on the properties of the finished soap than the fats do. 

Lard and shea have a roughly similar fatty acid profile. People can and do use both in a soap recipe, if only for "label appeal" because shea has a desirable reputation that lard will never have. I used to use both in my soap making, as did my soap mentor Renae. We both agreed after some experimentation that shea didn't add much benefit to soap if it also contains a decent amount of lard.


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## AliOop (Dec 27, 2021)

Agreed that saponification changes the oil properties. However, for folks who are allergic or sensitive to shea, I still wouldn't use it in soap, since the unsaponifiables might be the allergen for them.


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## Zany_in_CO (Dec 27, 2021)

Papasmurf said:


> Is there a reason no one is suggesting to add shea butter?  What I have read makes it sound it would help.  (I am rookie and am only 4 batches into soap making so please pardon my ignorance if this is a bad idea)


As a rookie, you may want to try messing around with a "starter formula" such as the *Basic Trinity of Oils* to get a feel for what each leg of the trinity brings to the batch. Once made, try adding 5% shea to boost conditioning and 5% castor to boost conditioning & lather.

RE: Shea Butter - *67% SHEA BUTTER CP *
A sample from that batch sits in a dish at my kitchen sink with a bunch of bits & pieces from other batches. I also have dry skin and find myself reaching for it while the others wait their turn.


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## Rsapienza (Dec 27, 2021)

Not a soap recipe, but moisturizing generously within 3 minutes of getting out of shower/bath will help to seal in moisture. Just a little tip from an eczema mom


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## Zing (Dec 27, 2021)

What a good friend you are!  You've already got great tips so I won't offer any recipes.  When I started soaping, I had no idea how healthy it was for my skin -- which used to be super dry and rashy.  Homemade soap is going to be better no matter what recipe you choose.

I'm a total evangelist for lotion bars, too.  They are super easy to make and there's no cure time, and my skin has never been healthier.  I do 1/3 each of beeswax, butter, liquid oil.  For butters, I like shea or cocoa.  For liquid oil, I like coconut oil, apricot kernel, sweet almond, meadowfoam seed.  Melt everything in a double boiler.  I use silicone 'cake pops' molds but there are other options.


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## CreativeWeirdo (Dec 28, 2021)

@Rsapienza My mom gets eczema due to her auto-immune disorder.  She likes using my 50/50 Jojoba/Argan Oil blend.  What do you like to use as a moisturizer?


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## Rsapienza (Dec 28, 2021)

CreativeWeirdo said:


> @Rsapienza My mom gets eczema due to her auto-immune disorder.  She likes using my 50/50 Jojoba/Argan Oil blend.  What do you like to use as a moisturizer?


It’s actually my son who has the eczema and believe it or not, after using anything and everything, he seals moisture with Vaseline. We used to also use a product called Hydrolatum, but I believe it is no longer made.


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## LynetteO (Feb 4, 2022)

DeeAnna said:


> “…I don't use castor anymore, but I do try to build in a source of sugar, such as beer or aloe.


May I inquire as to why you are no longer using castor?


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## DeeAnna (Feb 4, 2022)

LynetteO said:


> May I inquire as to why you are no longer using castor?



Castor is just one ingredient among many that increases the water solubility and enhances the lather stability of soap.

I won't argue that adding a small % of castor_ may _cause the soap to lather better than the same soap without castor, but I don't think it _always _has that effect.

I've made batches with and without castor and couldn't tell any difference between the two. Apparently what I'm doing otherwise is enough so castor doesn't make much difference. But others swear by it. The only way to know is to test and see for yourself.


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## chigirl (Feb 5, 2022)

DeeAnna said:


> Castor is just one ingredient among many that increases the water solubility and enhances the lather stability of soap.
> 
> I won't argue that adding a small % of castor_ may _cause the soap to lather better than the same soap without castor, but I don't think it _always _has that effect.
> 
> I've made batches with and without castor and couldn't tell any difference between the two. Apparently what I'm doing otherwise is enough so castor doesn't make much difference. But others swear by it. The only way to know is to test and see for yourself.


Castor supposedly is beneficial for dry, irritated skin, too.   I always add it to my butters.


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## DeeAnna (Feb 5, 2022)

chigirl said:


> Castor supposedly is beneficial for dry, irritated skin, too.   I always add it to my butters.



Castor in a body butter, salve, lotion, etc. is one thing, but using castor to make soap, as we're discussing here, is another thing entirely.

During saponification, fats are broken apart into fatty acids (mostly ricinoleic acid for castor), and those FAs are converted into soap. The benefits or properties of the original fat/oil do not survive in soap because the fat itself has been largely destroyed.


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## TheGecko (Feb 5, 2022)

Papasmurf said:


> Is there a reason no one is suggesting to add shea butter? What I have read makes it sound it would help. (I am rookie and am only 4 batches into soap making so please pardon my ignorance if this is a bad idea)



First of all, everyone has their favorite/preferred ingredient(s), their favorite recipe...doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with other ingredients.  I use Shea Butter myself (see my recipe below which you are welcomed to try).

As noted by @DeeAnna...what goes IN the pot (fats) is NOT what comes out of the pot (fatty acids) and many of the benefits of A, B, C oils/butters are destroyed during the saponification process...where the Sodium Hydroxide breaks down the fats into fatty acids.

With that said, Shea Butter is one fat (that I know of) that is not completely broken down by the saponification process...4% to 9% of original fat remains. But that isn't why I choose it 'cuz to be honest, I didn't know squat about 'fatty acids' when I first started making soap and I'm still learning about. I just added it because I liked the net results and lucked out on making a _supercalifragilisticexpialidocious_ bar of soap.

35% Olive Oil
20% Coconut Oil
20% Palm Oil
10% Cocoa Butter
10% Shea Butter
5% Castor Oil

33% Lye Concentration
5% Super Fat

1 tea Sodium Lactate PPO
1 tea Kaolin Clay PPO


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## chigirl (Feb 5, 2022)

DeeAnna said:


> Castor in a body butter, salve, lotion, etc. is one thing, but using castor to make soap, as we're discussing here, is another thing entirely.
> 
> During saponification, fats are broken apart into fatty acids (mostly ricinoleic acid for castor), and those FAs are converted into soap. The benefits or properties of the original fat/oil do not survive in soap because the fat itself has been largely destroyed.


Thank you!  I didn’t know that.


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## Trinbago27 (Feb 6, 2022)

Hi all!  I think I’ve asked this before, but it still confuses me…if kaolin clay is known to absorb moisture, and is thus used for oily skin, won’t putting it in soap cause it to be drying to skin? I tried it in soap once and after using the soap my skin was super dry and ashy.  There was lovely slip, but so drying. Not sure if it was just me…


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## TheGecko (Feb 6, 2022)

Trinbago27 said:


> Hi all!  I think I’ve asked this before, but it still confuses me…if kaolin clay is known to absorb moisture, and is thus used for oily skin, won’t putting it in soap cause it to be drying to skin? I tried it in soap once and after using the soap my skin was super dry and ashy.  There was lovely slip, but so drying. Not sure if it was just me…



How much do you put in?  Did you disperse it first?


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## Trinbago27 (Feb 6, 2022)

I used 1tsp/pop and dispersed in the fragrance oil  to a slurry.


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## TheGecko (Feb 6, 2022)

Trinbago27 said:


> I used 1tsp/pop and dispersed in the fragrance oil  to a slurry.



I've been using KO at 1 tea PPO for well over two years and I have never had it turn a soap 'ashy' and I have made some dark soaps. How thick is your 'slurry'? How well do your mix it? Do you mix it more than once? Do you add it to your oils and then whiz it or do you add later?

It is possible that you are sensitive to Kaolin Clay...I know that I am to French Green Clay?

I also have to ask what your recipe is because is because unless you are sensitive KO, such a small amount shouldn't have a drying effect.


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