Diabetic foot soap.

[Desert Karen]

I am diabetic and have neuropathy in my feet. That is to say, the nerves are dying off and parts of my feet are numb. It is a very painful condition. I have been using a homeopathic oil called NEURAGEN. It's as expensive as buying a tiny bottle of patchouli. Even since I started making soap, I have wanted to make a very gentle, exfoliating foot bar, with essential oils added to give the soap a nice "numb" feel. I've found a few essential oils that fit the bill. My problem is creating a recipe so I won't waste products due to ricing, etc.
The oils I have in stock:

Olive, Palm, Sweet Almond, Vegetable shortening, Grapeseed, Castor, and Macadamia. I do not use animal products, so no tallow or lard.

Shea butter, avocado oil, cocobutter, Tea Tree oil. Peppermint, lemongrass, Neem, Lemon eucalyptus, rosemary, orange, clove, cedarwood EO. I'd like to use some Eucalyptus FO as well.

I also have some fine graded Epsom Salts that might or might not (?) make a gentle exfolliant.

I know Ill add tea tree oil as an antifungual. I'll add peppermint and rosemary as a numbing agent. I can get a numbing effect with the clove and cedarwood as well, however, I would like this soap to smell more Eucalyptusy.

Can someone help me with a recipe in ounces please. Percentages baffle me. My EO have dropper tops. I understand dropper tops, and can use measuring spoons (LOL). I'd like to make a 3lb loaf. At this juncture I don't intend to sell this soap. It will be for my personal use, and to give to my diabetic friends who suffer with this horrid pain.

I'd like the soap to be as moisturizing as possible. A slightly softer soap is okay with me. I am interested in quality, so if the bar is not as hard as a rock, I am fine with that. Us diabetics usually have dry feet. Doctors tell us to lotion up our footsies, so why not dry them out first with a crappy store bought chemical bar, right?

Thank you forum....you guys are AWESOME!! :smile::wave:

 

[rodeogal]

I don't use EO so I can't help you there. However, I do know that ground oatmeal makes a gentle exfoliator. I put mine in the blender until it is like flour, then sift it. I put it in at trace, 1TBS PPO. It is gentle, but you can still feel it. Also, my soaps with the higher OO percentages also rank higher in conditioning in the calculator. Hope this little bit helps.

 

[Desert Karen]

Ohhhh, I like the idea of oatmeal. I'm going to make a honey, oatmeal bath bar next week as well.

 

[lizflowers42]

Finely ground coffee and cornmeal are good for exfoliation!

 

[Moonshea Botanicals]

Would clove EO be good? It has a natural numbing effect. Not sure if it would be skin safe though.

 

[AlchemyandAshes]

What source are you using for your references for EOs? It takes more research than cross referencing properties of EOs to use them safely and effectively, especially if you have a medical condition like Diabetes and Neuropathy.
Be very careful using oils to "numb" your feet. I understand you are trying to dull the pain, but if you have diabetic neuropathy you probably don't have a lot of feeling in your feet either....which means if an EO is burning or causing skin irritation, you may not feel it until you have a problem.
You could try Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, and Peppermint (or Spearmint) for a "tingly" sensation. Many foot soaps are made with those EOs. In a 3 lb batch, I would use 3/4 oz Tea Tree, 1/2 oz Eucalyptus, and 1/4 oz Peppermint.
You could try Poppy Seeds for exfoliation. Their rounded shape keeps them from being too scatchy. Epsom Salts will be a mushy mess and shouldn't be used in soap. If you want to use Salt, use Sea Salt, Pink Himalayan Salt, or regular table salt.
Cocoa Butter or Shea Butter would help with the moisturizing aspect, as well as Macadamia Nut Oil.

 

[bodhi]

This is an older thread ( i found it searching something else) so you may not see it, but here goes... fwiw, i would recommend NOT using FO's, shortening, or any seeds and maybe not the cedarwood.

If i were making this soap for myself from your ingredients, I would use: Any of the other oils you have listed including neem, and I would not use an exfoliant in the soap itself. I would keep the epsoms for a soak and use a little scrubby or brush to exfoliate. For eo's, i would use any of the ones you have that you like the smell of and not worry about the usefullness of them. For the neuropathy, i would make a lotion from a high GLA oil and add peppermint, pepper and geranium to it. I would also infuse the oils with a couple of specific herbs. I know you said you are a vegetarian, so not trying to push (i was a strict vegan for a very, very long time) but you really might want to see if there is any way you could allow your decisions to be a vegetarian to incorporate an animal tallow into a lotion or soap. Not sure if you know this, but commercial soaps are made from animal tallow too. pm me if you would like explanations.