# acne soap recipe



## kimnkell (Apr 8, 2012)

Hello, I am a new soapmaker... and I would like to make my first batch of cold process soap....and I would  like to make it for acne... My teenage son has acne really bad and we have tried everything..He is on meds from the dr. . He takes pills and has 2 types of cream and he still has it bad! It's scarring too and I've heard that tea tree oil soap or oregano soap will help. Does anyone have any recipes for either of these soaps or have a good acne recipe? I am getting ready to place my order with Bramberry's. 
Thanks
Kim


----------



## Lilahblossom (Apr 9, 2012)

My first soap was fifteen years ago for my daughter and her friends who were teenagers. It was plain unscented soap because I didn't know how to color it or fragrance it. When it is well cured, the plain soap worked wonders for acne and allergies. I hope this helps. I just came across a few bars of that old soap and took one to my daughter who promptly took it in to wash her face. Now my teen granddaughters have stolen it for themselves. Imagine!


----------



## Fragola (Apr 9, 2012)

You can search the forum for acne. 

I don't have a recipe, but from my research it seems the same doesn't work for everybody. Among the ingredients other people have tried are charcoal, pine tar, salt, neem oil, clay, sulfur, aloe, zinc oxide, essential oils like tea tree, rosemary. 

A question about your son - does he eat chocolate (or various sweets with cocoa inside) ?


----------



## kimnkell (Apr 9, 2012)

Fragola said:
			
		

> You can search the forum for acne.
> 
> I don't have a recipe, but from my research it seems the same doesn't work for everybody. Among the ingredients other people have tried are charcoal, pine tar, salt, neem oil, clay, sulfur, aloe, zinc oxide, essential oils like tea tree, rosemary.
> 
> A question about your son - does he eat chocolate (or various sweets with cocoa inside) ?



Yes, but not as much as he used to. I have also cut out his soda.


----------



## kimnkell (Apr 9, 2012)

Lilahblossom said:
			
		

> My first soap was fifteen years ago for my daughter and her friends who were teenagers. It was plain unscented soap because I didn't know how to color it or fragrance it. When it is well cured, the plain soap worked wonders for acne and allergies. I hope this helps. I just came across a few bars of that old soap and took one to my daughter who promptly took it in to wash her face. Now my teen granddaughters have stolen it for themselves. Imagine!



Thank You for the info... I thought about just making my first batch plain as well... Since it will be my first batch.


----------



## Genny (Apr 9, 2012)

Fragola said:
			
		

> .
> 
> I don't have a recipe, but from my research it seems the same doesn't work for everybody.



A lot of times genetics play the biggest factor in acne & there's nothing you can really do to make them go away.
My hubby had horrible acne starting when he was 10 until he was about 17. His siblings had the same problem.  I thankfully had no problems with acne.  
Unfortunately, our 10 yr old daughter already is getting pimples.  I've made clay soap, clay masks, tea tree oil soaps, activated charcoal soap, pine tar soap and neem oil soap.  None of them do anything for her.  What does seem to work and decreases the amount of pimples she gets, is making sure she drinks mostly water throughout the day.

Good luck


----------



## kimnkell (Apr 9, 2012)

Genny said:
			
		

> Fragola said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks... he absolutely hates water but has been drinking it anyway.. I appreciate the info.


----------



## vance71975 (May 8, 2012)

You can Try this Soap 

16 oz Coconut Oil
4 oz Olive Oil
8oz Beef Tallow
10.64 oz Aloe Vera Juice instead of water to mix your Lye in
4.615 oz Lye

Super fat at trace with 2oz of Tea Tree Oil and 2 Oz Of Emu Oil.

Cant promise it will help, as others have said sometimes it is just genetic or diet related and nothing much helps. But this soap will be fairly drying so if Oily skin is part of the problem it is worth a shot.


----------



## Lilahblossom (May 8, 2012)

Genny is right about heredity for sure. And every person is different. That aloe soap sounds nice too.


----------



## Kleine Teufel (May 8, 2012)

Yuppers on the genetic factor. Hormones play a role... I have very, very unbalanced hormones (I'm bipolar, so I've got hormones all over the place), and I'll have perfectly clear skin, then BAM, I'll look like a teenager with acne all over. Salt bars are supposed to help (I think they help mine pretty darn well). They'll help dry up and heal the acne anyways. Try 100% coconut oil, 80% salt (80% of your oil weight) and a 20% superfat. You could even try some of the other things in it... Aloe for your water, etc, etc.


----------



## Yvonne (May 8, 2012)

I made acne soap with charcoal, tea tree and peppermint EOs, seems helping me and my friends


----------



## turbo (May 8, 2012)

My daughter's acne cleared up when she started changing her pillow case every night.


----------



## vance71975 (May 9, 2012)

Here is a List Of Essential Oils that are reputed to help with Acne. If i was making this soap, i would honestly drop the superfat % to zero using the recipe i posted above and add 1oz of each of these with the Super flatting oil listed. The aim of this bar is Medical not to smell go right lol

Yarrow
Vetiver
Patchouli
Niaouli
Myrtle
Linden blossom
Lemongrass
Lavender
Helichrysum
Geranium
Cedarwood
Cedarwood Atlas
Bois de rose (Rosewood)
Bergamot


----------



## RatherLather (May 9, 2012)

vance71975 said:
			
		

> Here is a List Of Essential Oils that are reputed to help with Acne. If i was making this soap, i would honestly drop the superfat % to zero using the recipe i posted above and add 1oz of each of these with the Super flatting oil listed. The aim of this bar is Medical not to smell go right lol



They key word here is reputed,  aside from changing the smell and color of the soaps we arent really sure how many of the healing properties are retained from essential oils after you add them during trace because they are plenty of chemical variables involved and not alot of studies spouting imperical fact about the impact of EO's on soap.

The real point are the base oils used, keep in mind your skin is already going to see improvements after you stop using commercial soap 
Take it from someone who suffers from skin so sensitive that I break out in rashes and acne flare ups from any commercial soap on the market

1. Wash with home made soap
2. Eat a healthy balanced diet, go easy on the snackfoods.
3. Hydrate, you should be drinking 2 litres of water a day.
4. Exercise, yes this is important because if you are inactive then you arent sweating out all the toxins that are in your skin...try to think of your skin like a filter.


----------



## judymoody (May 9, 2012)

There's a recipe on the teach soap site hosted by brambleberry.  I have used it and it has worked for a variety of people who have used it, including the kind that produces pitting and scarring.  Didn't cure the scarring, of course, and I make no medical claims.  But it's worth a try.

ETA, I would set my superfat for an acne soap at 5%  And, BTW, tea tree oil, while effective for acne, is not a superfatting oil as suggested in one of the  posts above.


----------



## brandnew (May 9, 2012)

this has nothing to do with soap but including dandelion leaves in a salad (regularly) will help detoxify the system...tea-tree and lavender applied to the acne with a q-tip (if his skin isn't over sensitive) can be helpful also, it worked for my son. And a good cleansing routine. We all have our own remedies as it can be difficult for teenagers. Good luck. Has he tried cleansing with witch hazel? I read that a woman used tea -tree and witch hazel in her soap for acne.....in the Melinda Cross book.


----------



## new12soap (May 9, 2012)

Everyone is different, and unfortunately there is no one-size-fits-all remedy. IME, constantly changing soaps and treatments can sometimes lead to more skin irritation. I would start with a very plain ordinary basic recipe, 5% superfat, and start by seeing if a homemade soap isn't a lot better than commercial soaps. I know it has been for my super sensitive problem skin, and my teenage nephew who suffers from terrible acne.

Remember, though, TOO MUCH cleansing sends signals to the sebaceous glands to produce MORE oil! I would say shower after heavy activity when he gets very sweaty or oily, otherwise I would not wash too often, and take your shower at night before bed rather than in the morning. Going to bed dirty is so much worse for skin. Just wash up gently with tepid water in the mornings.

Wear clean jammies (or tshirt or whatever he wears) every night. Ditto what turbo said, change the pillow case, add a zippered pillow protector that can also be washed, and wash the sheets and mattress pad at least once a week with bleach. Double rinse (I always double rinse, and use 1/2 cup white vinegar in the first rinse - this makes sure to get all the soap residue off the clothes).

Another thing I was thinking, it might be worth a try to use yogurt and/or honey, just rub some all over and let it sit for a while, try to let the good stuff work on the bad stuff... I would do that maybe once a week.

Another thing to keep in mind, some essential oils are thought to work well for acne, but many of them can be very harsh and irritating. If you choose to try those please proceed cautiously, make sure you are using them appropriately and properly diluted.

JM2C, I wish you the best... let us know what you try and how he is doing


----------



## Iris Reola (May 9, 2012)

judymoody said:
			
		

> And, BTW, tea tree oil, while effective for acne, is not a superfatting oil as suggested in one of the  posts above.



She didn't say it was a superfatting oil, she just said that she would add it to her superfatting oil.


----------



## vance71975 (May 10, 2012)

You could also have him try a Green or Red Clay mask made with Tea tree oil and Emu Oil and activated charcoal powder. Its very drawing and healing for the skin.

Just mix up a couple tablespoons of the clay and activated charcoal powder with enough emu oil and tea tree oil to make it into a paste, Apply to face and let dry then wash off with water.

Like everyone is saying there is on one thing fits all, you can also try adding one or two of the essential oils i listed to the mask, Slow going use it for a week or two, check for improvement, if not working change or add to it.


----------



## sudbubblez (May 12, 2012)

Most basic homemade soaps on their own will do wonders for acne and other skin conditions.  When you formulate a bar specifically for acne you are looking for oils that are non comodogenic and some with antiseptic quality, even additives that are drawing like french green clay.  I make an acne bar that consists of neem, babassu, kokum butter, jojoba oil; all great for acne and the base is coconut and olive.  I also add tea tree oil for its antiseptic properties.  The neem oil has a very "earthy" smell to it but it fades during the cure.

Keep shea butter out of an acne soap as well as anything that exfoliates.  Many people comment that shea butter on the face makes them break out.

You may want to add things that will soothe the skin, like colloidial oatmeal.  It is just oats run through your blender or coffee grinder untill they turn into a fine powder.  The finer they are ground the more of the skin soothing goodness present in oats will be released.  It can help with redness.

If he has cystic acne, I don't think a soap will do anything about those untill they actually erupt.  There are drawing salves that work wonders for pulling them out though.  He can even wash his face with raw honey, it contains oxygen as well as has antimicrobial and antiinflammatory properties.  My face is very soft after using honey as a mask.

I had acne pretty bad when I was younger and the thing that worked the best was drinking more water.  The acne bacteria are anaerobic, meaning oxygen kills them.  More water in the system and skin makes it more difficult for the bacteria to thrive.

you mentined he had a lot of scarring.  I found that straight up tea tree oil dabbed on erupted or popped blemishes almost completely eliminated any kind of a post-mark.  It can even dry up whiteheads before they have a chance to break the skin and lead to a scar.  You don't even need to special order it, Wal-mart carries it for the best price I've seen so far.  Its in the vitamin section of all places, in a glass bottle for about 6 dollars.  One thing that might also be worth looking into is a food alergy.  It can manifest itself as acne.  I have 2 family members that lived with acne untill they found it was being caused by a peanut allergy.


----------



## DragonQueenHHP (Oct 4, 2012)

I know this is a old post and I don't know if the poster is still around but I have a little input 

research has shown the thyme works wonders on acne I use it for my teenage son in his soap which is made with red clay I just add the thyme EO before pouring into mold


----------



## danahuff (Oct 6, 2012)

I would never make any claims that a soap of mine would definitely clear up acne because everyone is different, but I can tell you this recipe I made cleared my own skin up. I have always had a problem with blackheads and large pores on my nose and the areas on either side of my nose. Here is what is in it:

38% olive oil
30% coconut oil
17% palm oil
10% shea butter
5% castor oil

I usually make a batch with about 3-4 lbs. of soap and use 40 oz. of oils in my recipe, so I use 4 T or about 2 oz. of lemongrass essential oil, and then stir in sage. I haven't settled on the absolutely perfect amount of sage, but I have used 2-3 T.

I had heard thyme works well and made a thyme astringent with witch hazel for my daughter, who doesn't seem to want to use it (I think it's the strong herbal smell). I used it a few times, and it seems to work fine. I just followed these directions from Crunchy Betty to make it: http://www.crunchybetty.com/thyme-to-co ... s-and-acne.

I did a quick Google search on using sage for acne, and it looks like it's a a known herbal remedy that some folks have tried with good results, which may be why I had good luck with my soap.

I think the lemongrass essential oil and sage are responsible for reducing my blackheads and minimizing my pores. I will occasionally get a hormonal pimple, but my skin is much better. I wash it morning and night. The moisturizing oils in the soap are, I think, responsible for the fact that the soap doesn't dry my skin. I have combination skin, so I can't use certain acne treatments.

Like I said, it might not work for everyone, but as far as I am concerned, it's the best facial soap I have ever used on my own skin.


----------



## emilyr (Mar 1, 2013)

*emilyr*

I just learned a new term today - Comedogenic.

Fabulous article on comedogenic ingredients - which are great for most folks and bad for those with sensitive and acne-prone skin.  Which is me and everyone in my family.

http://www.zerozits.com/Articles/acnedetect.htm 

Found out that cocoa butter and coconut oil is comedogenic, meaning it could contribute to acne outbreaks.

I've only made four batches of soap so far, and they ALL call for coconut oil.  I found this thread when searching for an acne soap recipe and was surprised that everyone is suggesting coconut oil for an acne soap when it is comedogenic.  Am I missing something?  Maybe this doesn't apply for soap?  I certainly feel like I'm breaking out more lately, but it might be stress, diet, etc.


----------



## nebetmiw (Mar 1, 2013)

Most acne is hormone related.  Food has been found to have little effect on causing acne.  Stress will as it throws your hormones off balance.  CO in soap is cleansing and should not cause acne.  What they are refering to is cooking with it and eating it.  Even then the effect is all not that much.

I would not believe a website selling an acne product and writting an article that makes it look good.  Nothing but properganda.


----------



## DWinMadison (Mar 1, 2013)

My brother had terrible acne...mine?..not so bad. Dermatologists scoff at this today, but our dermatologist rules were:  1) Nothing the color of coke (including diet), 2) absolutely no fried food, 3) no ice cream or whole milk, 4) no fast food.  Because I started "the plan" early, I never really had anything but few pimples. I'm 51 and sodas with caramel coloring STILL break me out.  Of course, I never tried homemade soap, but I am a HUGE believer in Panoxyl with 10% benzoyl peroxide...the bar, not the squeeze tube. https://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=panoxyl+bar+10&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari&cid=6261806180850387976&sa=X&ei=4GQxUaf8G4ig8QTV-IAo&ved=0CDwQrQQ My college-age son agrees.  The bars seem expensive, but like cp soap, if you let it drain between uses a single bar lasts several months.


----------



## emilyr (Mar 4, 2013)

nebetmiw said:


> Most acne is hormone related.  Food has been found to have little effect on causing acne.  Stress will as it throws your hormones off balance.  CO in soap is cleansing and should not cause acne.  What they are refering to is cooking with it and eating it.  Even then the effect is all not that much.
> 
> I would not believe a website selling an acne product and writting an article that makes it look good.  Nothing but properganda.



Thank you for putting this into perspective for me!  I've only been making soap for a couple of months for personal use and a huge outbreak had me worried.  I think my diet, sleep, and stress are probably the biggest contributors.

I am really getting addicting to reading about soapmaking, though, and it sounds like the shaving soap with bentonite that I'm planning on making next might draw off extra oils from my skin.  Worth a shot for acne too, right?  I'm really looking forward to shaving soap and I'm hoping there will be added benefits.


----------



## Genny (Mar 4, 2013)

emilyr;309676/
I am really getting addicting to reading about soapmaking said:
			
		

> Honestly, acne/blemish wise, the clay would be more beneficial if left on the skin in the form of a mask.  In soap, the clay will be highly diluted, already soaked up oils/water from the soap & will be rinsed down the drain right away.


----------



## DWinMadison (Mar 4, 2013)

Other big contributors to acne... oily hair...especially bangs, touching your face, makeup...especially cheap makeup.  Working around hot grease like in fast food is the WORST!  My face fets oily just from handling the oils in soap making.  I had more trouble growing up with back acne than facial acne, and I still find that cheap shampoos will lead to "b'acne" as we call it around my house. Well, I'm actually the only one at my house that calls it that, but you get the point.  Hmmm zits and b'acne...i sound like quite a catch, don't I?  And they say adolescence is the "best years of your life."  I wouldn't go back for all tea in China.


----------



## soapsydaisy (Mar 4, 2013)

Although I use my own soap in the shower, I like Dr. Bronner's liquid soap on my face. It has helped a lot with my adult acne.


----------

