Face Soap

[tomahtashi]

Hi there,
I make cold processed soap and recently experimented with kaolin clay for the first time.
Implementing this clay got me thinking - what other ingredients would be good to add to a batch that is beneficial as a face soap?
I want to make soap with ingredients that enhance the soap for face use, but I also don't want to make cosmetic claims (as I don't plan to get permit/license for cosmetic use)

TLDR;
What are the best soap ingredients for cold processed face soap?

 

[Relle]

I'd just use your normal recipe you already have, you don't need soap for your face anyway, just use water.

 

[Elise]

Kaolin clay is a good idea already. What I would do myself, is more about the choice of oils. I would use way less coconut oil than in my base recipe so the soap won't be drying. I would also up the butter content. Maybe make it 1 or 2 % more superfatted.

I do think that it is important not to overclean your face, but I still need to use a cleaning agent as I use sunscreen and/or rich face creams. So I just try to use very gentle soap.

I actually want to try making a 100% shea butter face soap, but I fear fake trace :'(

 

[Relle]

I use sunscreen daily, I have to, even to the letterbox, no choice, it washes off with water. I slather it on.

 

[Elise]

I use sunscreen daily, I have to, even to the letterbox, no choice, it washes off with water. I slather it on.

Mine doesn't
I don't mind it that much since I don't wear it every single day, due to living in a way less "sun intense" country than you.

 

[Ekuzo]

I actually want to try making a 100% shea butter face soap, but I fear fake trace :'(

Why the fear? If temp is high enough, it should be fine

 

[Elise]

Why the fear? If temp is high enough, it should be fine

I just never did it and usually don't soap with vety high butter recipes. I also usually soap at near room temp. So I fear things will be moving faster than I'm used to. I will try someday for sure, but it is on the long list of stuff I want to try I don't have a lot of soaping time rigt now, so I tend to go toward easy/without many new parameters recipes atm.

 

[tomahtashi]

Kaolin clay is a good idea already. What I would do myself, is more about the choice of oils. I would use way less coconut oil than in my base recipe so the soap won't be drying. I would also up the butter content. Maybe make it 1 or 2 % more superfatted.

I do think that it is important not to overclean your face, but I still need to use a cleaning agent as I use sunscreen and/or rich face creams. So I just try to use very gentle soap.

I actually want to try making a 100% shea butter face soap, but I fear fake trace :'(

Good points. What's fake trace?

I use sunscreen daily, I have to, even to the letterbox, no choice, it washes off with water. I slather it on.

Do you have skin sensitivity?

 

[Tammyfarms]

Choice of oils would be my first place to start. I love a high lard or tallow soap. For the below soaps I used 75% lard or tallow, 20% coconut oil and 5% castor. Some people will say that’s too much coconut, you could always use 10% each coconut and another liquid oil. I understand not everyone wants to use animal products so that’s a personal choice.
On my face no I am currently using a triple rice soap I learned about here on SMF and I really like it. Here is the link.
Thread 'Triple rice soap'
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/triple-rice-soap.73935/
Is it worth the extra work to make it? Maybe? Is it better than the colloidal oat soap I made with the same oils? Maybe?
One caution I do have is if you use fragrance keep it light and make sure it’s something you want to smell until the smell disappears, or don’t use any.

 

[dmcgee5034]

I make a facial soap with a go-to recipe. In What soapy thing thread, you’ll see a version with AC and Tea Tree EO I recently made. I can’t figure out how to link it
I agree with @Tammyfarms, keep your EO/FO light. I use a s,all amount of coconut citrus sorbet from BB in my version with the AC.

 

[dmcgee5034]

I used a classic 75% lard, 20% coconut, 5% castor; with AVJ as the liquid, 1% ea of sorbitol and sodium citrate, 3% GMP, and 1% AC. EO blend of 66% Orange10x and 34% Tea Tree.

This is the best I could figure out to link and show you the facial soap recipe, @tomahtashi

 

[Tammyfarms]

I make a facial soap with a go-to recipe. In What soapy thing thread, you’ll see a version with AC and Tea Tree EO I recently made. I can’t figure out how to link it
I agree with @Tammyfarms, keep your EO/FO light. I use a s,all amount of coconut citrus sorbet from BB in my version with the AC.

I just figured out the linking thing! Well, I think I did…. When looking at the message you want to link, at the top of that message there is a date and/or time the message was sent. To the right is a little triangle with circles on the tips. Click on that and paste it in the message to link.
I see you have already linked the post but maybe this will help for future use.

This is the best I could figure out to link and show you the facial soap recipe, @tomahtashi

Just to clarify, for the EO blend what percent ppo?

 

[dmcgee5034]

Thanks for the linking a post tip, @Tammyfarms
I checked EO usage rates, and then did my blend to be a total of 2% of fats.

 

[Ekuzo]

I just never did it and usually don't soap with vety high butter recipes. I also usually soap at near room temp. So I fear things will be moving faster than I'm used to. I will try someday for sure, but it is on the long list of stuff I want to try I don't have a lot of soaping time rigt now, so I tend to go toward easy/without many new parameters recipes atm.

Oh, so you're missing out on the 100% CO soap, which is a good one! CO is not exactly butter, but it's close enough. It will be a good point of reference for a one-oil-soap if you want to delve deeper with shea butter and stuff, definitely try it if you get the time!

Good points. What's fake trace?

Fake, or false trace - is when you soap at a lower temp and some of the hard fats start to solidify within the mixture, making it look like part of it is emulsifying while it's actually not. It can happen if you use waxes or butters, but not only.

 

[Elise]

Good points. What's fake trace?

When you notice your batter thickening but it is not actually emulsified yet, its just your butters hardening back.

Oh, so you're missing out on the 100% CO soap, which is a good one! CO is not exactly butter, but it's close enough. It will be a good point of reference for a one-oil-soap if you want to delve deeper with shea butter and stuff, definitely try it if you get the time!


Fake, or false trace - is when you soap at a lower temp and some of the hard fats start to solidify within the mixture, making it look like part of it is emulsifying while it's actually not. It can happen if you use waxes or butters, but not only.

I do stain sticks with 100% coconut oil

 

[Ekuzo]

I do stain sticks with 100% coconut oil

Good, fear is almost concurred then

 

[Relle]

Do you have skin sensitivity?

No, I don't.

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Oh, so you're missing out on the 100% CO soap, which is a good one! CO is not exactly butter, but it's close enough. It will be a good point of reference for a one-oil-soap if you want to delve deeper with shea butter and stuff, definitely try it if you get the time!

Be careful with 100% coconut oil soap for the face.
1) When it is fully saponified, it is extremely drying to most people's skin.
2) If you use a high SF% the unsaponified oil may make your skin break out, if you're prone to acne. The comedogenic rating is 4: "most people will break out using this oil, unless they have a good tolerance for it." from Holistic Health Herbalist, The Complete List of Comedogenic Oils.

Coconut oil is an ambiguous oil in my book. As an oil it is very slow to absorb, but is moisturizing. I like putting some in foot balm.
In soap, saponified coconut oil is drying to most people's skin. That's why I keep my CO to no more than 20% in my regular soap recipes.

Personally, for my face, I prefer my neem oil soap (@ 15% of oils). It does take a longer cure, just to get rid of the neem oil scent. I do add EOs as well, can't remember which ones at the moment, that help offset the neem oil smell as well.

 

[AliOop]

I agree with @Nona'sFarm. Use little to no CO and a low superfat for any soap you plan to use on your face.

The only soap I can use on my face that doesn’t break me out or make me peel is very high in lard, very low in CO, with goat milk (I use powdered) and sorbitol to help with lather.

But I do make a charcoal bar with tea tree and lavender for a few friends with teenagers, and one for a friend’s husband who gets “bacne.” They love it and say it helps.

 

[Ekuzo]

Be careful with 100% coconut oil soap for the face.
1) When it is fully saponified, it is extremely drying to most people's skin.
2) If you use a high SF% the unsaponified oil may make your skin break out, if you're prone to acne. The comedogenic rating is 4: "most people will break out using this oil, unless they have a good tolerance for it." from Holistic Health Herbalist, The Complete List of Comedogenic Oils.

Coconut oil is an ambiguous oil in my book. As an oil it is very slow to absorb, but is moisturizing. I like putting some in foot balm.
In soap, saponified coconut oil is drying to most people's skin. That's why I keep my CO to no more than 20% in my regular soap recipes.

Personally, for my face, I prefer my neem oil soap (@ 15% of oils). It does take a longer cure, just to get rid of the neem oil scent. I do add EOs as well, can't remember which ones at the moment, that help offset the neem oil smell as well.

My post was a little off-topic, about soap made with one oil only - unrelated to facial soap per se. But I get your point distinguishing the two, someone may get confused while reading the thread.

Actually, I'm one of those who like high CO soap and use 25% of it in my regular recipes. I have oily skin and it feels good and not drying to me - but I agree that there are no 2 people with the same type of skin