# Neem oil



## cathym (May 21, 2010)

I just bought some Neem oil. Can anyone tell me what to do with it? Is it suppose to smell so strange?  I had planned on using it in a salve recipe.
Thoughts?


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## flowerpower (May 22, 2010)

Neem is a pretty strong smelling oil, but it's great for problem skin. I'm sure it'll be great for a salve!


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## IanT (May 22, 2010)

cathym said:
			
		

> I just bought some Neem oil. Can anyone tell me what to do with it? Is it suppose to smell so strange?  I had planned on using it in a salve recipe.
> Thoughts?



it has a variety of applications.... you can make soap with it, use it in scalp treatments, use it for bug prevention, flea/tick control on your fur family, you can mix it with water and spray on plants to keep bugs away from them....

yeah its got a pretty strong smell to it.... very distinct... like gym socks and old roasted walnuts or something lol...

ive heard it grows on you after a while lol


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## Maria (May 24, 2010)

I bought some to make a spray for Wilbur's pig mites.  He usually gets a shot of ivermectin to control them but his vet was on maternity leave for a couple more weeks and he was itchy. The spray worked promptly but the smell was horrendous.  To me it smells like roasted garlic, sulfur and raw oysters mixed together.  The vet came the other day and commented how good his skin looks.  No sign of mites, he doesn't itch and his skin looks moist. I let her smell the neem spray and she gagged. 
I would like to make a soap from it but I am still thinking over whether I want to add with the oils up front or wait until after the cooking is done. It would be great in a skin cream if the smell could be toned down some.


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## carebear (May 24, 2010)

Maria said:
			
		

> To me it smells like roasted garlic, sulfur and raw oysters mixed together.


You left out the indian food and rotting gym clothes


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## sajupillo19 (May 25, 2010)

Don't be shattered by its smell, just consider its multiple benefits . To me the best use of Neem oil is while taking bath.

_spammy link deleted - the mod team_


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## djk17 (May 30, 2010)

I just made some neem and beer shampoo bars...they have just been put to bed so I am curious to see how they will turn out! I used a lot of eo to mask the scent, so far, so good.


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## AZ Soaper (Jul 5, 2010)

I made some soap with neem and a bunch of other oils and it still smelled a little bit. I used Absinthe FO from Savon Scents. It covered it very well though!


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## Stinkydancer (Jul 30, 2010)

If your neem didn't stink, I would question the quality of the neem.  :shock: 

Yes, it's distinct a.k.a. stinky as heck but it's awesome for acne.


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## Lindy (Jul 30, 2010)

Neem is considered one of the most healing and versatile wellness oils available.  I have some but haven't worked up the courage to try it....


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## Stinkydancer (Aug 1, 2010)

I just made some lotion with it and it smells remarkably like pee... :shock: Just to make it worse- I used a little tea tree. It's for my face so if it works on my acne- I'm going to be a happy camper-I'll take the smell. 
If not, ughhh I don't know what else to do for my adult zit attacks.


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## Lindy (Aug 2, 2010)

You can make a soap with Pine Tar, Charcoal, Need Oil, Tomato Paste (or juice or soup), Olive Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Lanolin, Jojoba Oil, Shea Butter, Avocado Oil, Lavender EO & Tea Tree Oil.

It is going to be a really black soap with a grey lather, but it works.  Play with your percentages in SoapMaker keeping in mind that you're looking for a very moisturizing product which is why I haven't included Coconut Oil or Palm.  A good substitute for those is Tallow.  Keep your lanolin down to 6%, Pine Tar at 5%, Charcoal 1% and then the rest is created to your skin preferences.


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## Stinkydancer (Aug 2, 2010)

Thanks so much-I'll try this out today!  I appreciate it!


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## funnyfarm319 (Aug 3, 2010)

I have been doing some research on neem  oil and turmeric for acne.  It is supposed to be an ancient combination for the face.  I found one soap that is neem oil, cocoa butter and coconut oil with turmeric.  I can't seem to figure out on soap calc.net a good combo for these. Everything I put in is to cleaning, or not moisturizing.  I have my own recipe, but i was curious about theirs.  Any one a whiz with soapcalc?


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## Lindy (Aug 3, 2010)

Try this:

* Olive Oil 40%
* Neem Oil 10%
* Cocoa Butter 30%
* Grapeseed Oil 10%
* Jojoba Oil 10%

Tumeric needs to be less than 1% PPO because it is a sensitizer and a possible skin irritant.  I didn't include CO because it can be such a harsh cleanser but if you really wanted to you could use it at 10% for the bubbles.

For this I used 35% Lye Concentration & 8 % Superfat which gave me the following on Soacalc:

Hardness  33:30
Cleansing 0:0
Condition 63:61
Bubbly 0:0
Creamy 33:30
Iodine 89:75
INS 124:109


So in plain English what this means is that with a 0 in cleansing you have a very gentle bar of soap, at 30 it will be hard; very conditioning at 61.  The lather will be very creamy and thick rather than big bubbles.  To get more bubbles you might want to add sugar to your water before adding lye of add glucose to your water.

You might want to also consider Tomato Soup or Paste as part of your water as well as Goat's Milk.  Both are fantastic for an acne bar.

HTH


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