Facial Bar Recipe Critique

AngelMomma · Feb 25, 2013

We (immediate family) have all been using our regular body soap bars on our face. But sometimes the kids have a mild acne breakout and their cousins have severe acne. I have been reading alot about acne/facial bars over the last few weeks. I have come up with a recipe based on what I have read and what supplies I have available. I would like input from people who are experienced in this area.

5% Castor
20%Coconut
40%Olive Oil
5%Shea
15%Sunflower
15%Lard

Additives
charcoal
rose clay
olive leaf pwd
Tea Tree EO
Lavender EO
Patch EO

sodium lactate and a little salt because the recipe comes out on the soft side.

I am wondering if I should use lard at all in a face bar. And if sodium lactate is ok for a face bar too.

My aim was to get a bar that will cleanse well, have antiseptic properties, cleanse away excess oils and impurities but not completely strip the natural skin too much. Thanks in advance.

AngelMomma · Feb 25, 2013

OH!

And I also am thinking of sub-ing out some of the plain olive oil for some calendula infused olive oil. As well as considering using Green Tea as the liquid for the lye water.

AngelMomma · Feb 26, 2013

Opps, I should have put this in Recipe Review :/

lsg · Feb 26, 2013

Your additives are ones used in a lot of soap and skin care products.

thefarmerdaughter · Feb 26, 2013

My facial/acne bars share many of the same ingredients that your considering. I do not use that may soft oils, but I do use lard, which has not caused and issues. Some claim it exaggerated zits, but I haven't found that to be true at all. I use charcoal, lime for its antiseptic properties, Tee tree EO. My brother has had acne since he was 13, he's 18 now, and been using these bars for about 6 months and he's very happy with them, and I have to say his face looks much better, only the occasional break out. I know acne depends on many factors, and I'm not claiming my soap "cures" it. Just throwing in my 2 cents!

new12soap · Feb 26, 2013

I don't have a lot of experience with acne soap, but this one looks very conditioning to me, something more suited to normal perhaps starting to mature skin than younger, oily, and/or acne prone skin. I did not take into account your additives so that may help.

My two experiences with soap + acne were with one "manly" soap, which was a very basic recipe that was higher on the cleansing (more coconut oil), with activated charcoal in it (I just used the charcoal for color but feedback said it helped with acne), and the other was my nephew that had tried all sorts of things for his acne and had been using a neem oil soap that he loved until he tried a salt bar. He said the difference in his skin since using the salt bar (in the shower and as a face bar) has been like night and day for his acne, and I can cleary see the difference.

JM2C