ash on brown skin

[Guest]

today will be my first "no lotion" day. I've been using my soaps for about two months. I haven't used commercial soap in about a year or more. My soap making goal was to create a formula that is moisterizing to the skin.

As an African American with brown skin, I suffer from dry skin and ash, meaning when I wash my skin, I look like I'm covered with a thin coat of baby powder after I dry off and my skin is UNBEARABLELY tight. This tightness and ash is so annoying, I would go without bathing if I didn't have a bottle of rich creamy lotion at hand. I realize the dry skin and ash are two different phenoms. When I use my handmade soap my skin feels good, not dry, but visually I still have light ash, mainly on elbows and my legs.

So this will be my first voluntary no lotion day, I will lightly oil my legs and elbow, a a smidge on my face.

 

[ChrissyB]

I've noticed the "ash" on my own skin, since using hand made soap. I did read about it somewhere but I can't remember where. It's sort of like the soap leaves a "residue", but I do rinse throughly. It shows up on me more on areas like between my fingers, in the crease of my elbows. It's sort of like a bloom on my skin, like fruit gets.
My skin type is a bit schizophrenic, in summer it's super greasy oily, in winter it's so dry that it chaps and cracks and bleeds. So as it's getting quite cold here at the moment, and I am showering with hotter water, my skin is getting dryer. But still I haven't had to use a separate moisturiser.
I am also obsessive compulsive about hand washing, and I don't even have to use a hand cream when I use hand crafted soap.

 

[Guest]

I've noticed the "ash" on my own skin, since using hand made soap. I did read about it somewhere but I can't remember where. It's sort of like the soap leaves a "residue", but I do rinse throughly. It shows up on me more on areas like between my fingers, in the crease of my elbows. It's sort of like a bloom on my skin, like fruit gets.
My skin type is a bit schizophrenic, in summer it's super greasy oily, in winter it's so dry that it chaps and cracks and bleeds. So as it's getting quite cold here at the moment, and I am showering with hotter water, my skin is getting dryer. But still I haven't had to use a separate moisturiser.
I am also obsessive compulsive about hand washing, and I don't even have to use a hand cream when I use hand crafted soap.

It is amazing how different skin types are, do you know if I don't use lotion after one bath, then go two days without bathing, my skin will still be miserablely dry. (yes I've went at least two days without a bath, LOL).

In my daycare business I see children all the time with painful "looking" dry skin and my husband had to care for an uncle with cancer whose skin was just flaking away from dryness. You don't know how everyday I wish I'd been making this soap at the time his uncle was alive. My husband was so distraught seeing his uncle's skin like that, when he bathed his uncle they both cried :cry:

 

[Guest]

My skin is like yours Phillysoaps after a bath, it drives me crazy .It is better since using handmade soap , but I have use something after a bath . I can't figure out what is up with that. Whipped shea butter takes away the white "bloom" look and keeps my skin softer longer. A salt scrub with nice ( read expensive) oils helps too.

Kitn

 

[SimplyE]

I used to have that dry skin, itching problem, like crazy. I have spent months trying to figure out a recipe that does not do that for me, though. I think I am pretty close. I will put lotion on once in a while, on those extra-dry days or after too much sun, etc. I live in an overly dry, desert state, too. But I don't use lotion much anymore, except for on my hands and face.

 

[tincanac]

Hey Phillysoaps

I have the ashy problem too - I have to slather on big ol vats of cream after bathing. I recently discovered Avocado oil - I slap it on as is - it seems to work......but I am not entirely sure that pure oil on skin is that advisable - I just know that I wont sue me if something clogs up!

 

[carebear]

we find that the Vaseline Intensive Care Total Moisture (white bottle) really keeps the ash away all day.

 

[Tabitha]

My personal experienece, in & around the medical field, is that straight vasaline works wonders on African American skin. Slathered on heavy, 3x weekly for 4-6 months can heal even the worst of dry skin. It is ofetn ordered by doctors when all else has failed.

 

[tincanac]

Tabitha - You mean Vaseline BP Jelly? Or Vaseline Lotion? How interesting - I always though BP Jelly was drying!

 

[Guest]

My personal experienece, in & around the medical field, is that straight vasaline works wonders on African American skin. Slathered on heavy, 3x weekly for 4-6 months can heal even the worst of dry skin. It is ofetn ordered by doctors when all else has failed.

to a certain extent vasaline works, but who honestly "wants" to have to slather on vaseline. As a kid in the winter we used vaseline and ponds cold cream. I think the key lies in homemade soaps, commercial soaps are too drying to most AA skin

 

[Tabitha]

The jelly. I mix 1 part jelly w/ 1 part lotion. Whatever the PTs lotion of choice is & slather it on thick. It acts as a softener and may loosens the dry scaly skin which can flake of to reveal new skin underneath. Because it is waterproof, it also acts as a barrier to prevent moisture from leaving the skin.

Disclaimer: Any & all info I share is not offered as medical advice and should not be considered medical advice :wink: .

 

[ChrissyB]

But handmade soap, lovely as it is, is still a wash off product. You just can't get that level of moisturisation in a product that you wash off.
Maybe a handmade moisture lotion would be a good solution? I know Monet (Heartsong) has posted a couple of recipes for lotion made with olive oil.
What is sorbolene cream made out of?

 

[Tabitha]

but who honestly "wants" to have to slather on vaseline

No one does. It's icky & sticky. The story about your husband's uncle spurred my PJ comment.

 

[ChrissyB]

I've used Petroleum Jelly on my kids when they were babies to get rid of cradle cap. It works exactly as you said, Tabitha.

 

[carebear]

But handmade soap, lovely as it is, is still a wash off product. You just can't get that level of moisturisation in a product that you wash off.
Maybe a handmade moisture lotion would be a good solution? I know Monet (Heartsong) has posted a couple of recipes for lotion made with olive oil.
What is sorbolene cream made out of?

I agree that a lotion or oil is the best final solution, but I have found that commercial soaps/detergents definitely exacerbate the problem.

I absolutely support that soap simply isn't a moisturizing product.

 

[Maria]

When I was selling my soap at the green market, early in the season a Haitian woman bought some. She loved it enough to start selling it at her business. She sells to mostly dark skinned people and she says the reason they buy it is because they do not have ashy skin after using my soaps. She only sells about 5 varieties, cocoa butter is her top seller and then a honey soap that contains beeswax. She is getting requests for a soap called African Black Soap. I looked into getting a recipe but am not up to roasting plantains and it looked like the main ingredient was shea butter at a very percentage. All of my soaps are superfatted with jojoba and shea butter.

 

[Guest]

but who honestly "wants" to have to slather on vaseline

No one does. It's icky & sticky. The story about your husband's uncle spurred my PJ comment.

oh yes, he needed it, no one had been caring for his skin until my husband took over by then it was pretty close to the end

 

[Guest]

When I was selling my soap at the green market, early in the season a Haitian woman bought some. She loved it enough to start selling it at her business. She sells to mostly dark skinned people and she says the reason they buy it is because they do not have ashy skin after using my soaps. She only sells about 5 varieties, cocoa butter is her top seller and then a honey soap that contains beeswax. She is getting requests for a soap called African Black Soap. I looked into getting a recipe but am not up to roasting plantains and it looked like the main ingredient was shea butter at a very percentage. All of my soaps are superfatted with jojoba and shea butter.

I tried the black african Soap, it's ...okay...at the time I tried it was a lil too moisturizing in all the wrong places :wink:

 

[AshleyR]

I have never had to use lotion on my skin after showering, even before using handmade soap! The only part of my body that gets remotely dry, and only in the middle of winter - is my legs. I very rarely use hand cream, either. When I do use any type of lotion it is more for the scent than to moisturize.

 

[krissy]

since this is kinda about dry skin, anyone got an idea what i can do for my DD's scalp? it is DRY. i have tried head and shoulders and t-gel and the H&S worked a little but not totally. she is itchy and miserable and no matter what i do it doesnt get better. she is about to go into the 4th grade after summer and i don't want her going to school and being made fun of because of being "dirty". i have tried both washing more and less often. nothing seems to work and because her hair is almost to her waist, i don't think vaseline is feasible.