facial soap for oily skin

[yumie]

Hi, everyone.
I would really like to know which oil I should use for oily skin people. I live in Japan, and many of us have dry skin. So I used to make sesame oil or olive oil base soap. However, my friends in Taiwan said my soap doesn't clean oil enough... I've never thought about making soap for oily skin people, so I need an advice(any kind of advice is appreciated. not only about main oil), please.

Here is my recipe for dry Japanese people
sesame oil 44.4%
palm oil 27.8%
coconut oil 27.8%
additive:gum syrup
Super Fat/Discount 10%

Thank you!

 

[Genny]

I would increase your coconut oil. Coconut oil is very good at cleansing oil from skin.

 

[dyclement05]

Adding some Activated Charcoal might help. It has oil absorbing properties.

 

[yumie]

Hi, Genny

Thank you for an advice. If I increase coconut oil, how far can I go?? I mean what% do you recommend?? I cannot just make 100% coconut oil soap, right?

Yumie

 

[yumie]

Hi, Dyana

Activated Carcoal! I've never seen+used that. I'll look for that, and try. Thank you!!!

Yumie

 

[Trxflyer]

You could also use clays. I haven't used them because our skin is dry, but there are a lot of postings and users on this forum who do use clays.

 

[Lindy]

Drop your Superfat to 6%...

 

[yumie]

Hi, TRXFLYER,

Clay... I'll try to send them the one I made with clay. I really hope they would like it. Thank you for your advice.

Yumie

 

[yumie]

Hi, Lindy

If I drop superfat to that low level, do I have to wait longer before I start to use?? I usually let my soaps dry for a month...

Yumie

 

[andoy]

I have oily skin. I always thought it was a curse, but it means my skin has more protection and better moisturised. The down side was I suffered badly from acne. So used all sorts, but found the best thing was to leave well alone and stop trying to strip all the oils off my skin. I found it was counter productive and made the problem worse.

So I would say there isn't really much difference except you need milder soap with less super fattening than other soaps.

For spot prone skin, some antiseptic additives; witch hazel, tea tree (but not too much) and even some essential oils like lavender & rosemary can help. Clays may also help, but not much experience of them personally.

 

[yumie]

Hi, andoy

mmm... I think you are right. Trying to cleanse all oil from the skin may not be good, but my Taiwanese friends are not used to that. So far, I'm having hard time convincing them to use my original soap for dry skin people. I guess I should try harder.

Antiseptic additives, I never thought about using them, even essential oils.(I always use fragrance oils) I'll give it a try, and see how it differ. Thank you for your help and advice with real experience!!!

Yumie

 

[andoy]

My father has Eurasian heritage (which includes Filipino & Chinese), while my mother is British. My mother, like most Northern Europeans had drier skin and my father had very oily skin. The natural oils on the skin protect it with a barrier. Drying out the skin with soaps/detergents/alcohol exposes it to bacteria which can get into the pores or damaged skin. The oil the skin secrets then provides a medium for bacteria to grow.

One of my friends suggested to stop washing my face altogether. I dismissed this suggestion for years, but then tried it. That was when my spots disappeared (that was in my mid thirties). Obviously it's not practical stop washing face, but it's important not to over wash and strip it of oils. What seems to happen is that the more I tried to remove the oils in my skin, the more oil it seemed to produce (to compensate)

 

[andoy]

oh yeah, superfat of 10% is way too much for oily skin, drop it down to at least 5% or even 3%

 

[Desert Karen]

I have oily skin. I always thought it was a curse, but it means my skin has more protection and better moisturised. The down side was I suffered badly from acne. So used all sorts, but found the best thing was to leave well alone and stop trying to strip all the oils off my skin. I found it was counter productive and made the problem worse.

So I would say there isn't really much difference except you need milder soap with less super fattening than other soaps.

For spot prone skin, some antiseptic additives; witch hazel, tea tree (but not too much) and even some essential oils like lavender & rosemary can help. Clays may also help, but not much experience of them personally.

Do you have a recipe that includes witch hazel? I don't have clay in stock, but I do have witch hazel, tea tree, lavender and rosemary. Personally I don't want to add sesame oil to my soap. Just a personal preference.

 

[andoy]

you get witch hazel in liquid form. I haven't used it in solid bars (just in my liquid soaps), but I have seen bars with it in. I would guess you add it at trace to your soap and subtract an element of water, but you don't need a lot of it to be effective. I wouldn't add it to the lye solution in case it reacts. I suspect it will accelerate trace.

 

[Genny]

I suspect it will accelerate trace.

It will, due to the alcohol content.

You could always make a witch hazel infusion using the herb.

 

[yumie]

Hi, andoy

People around me in Japan do not have problem with pores, but my Taiwanese friends do! And I was asked to make soaps to cure (mmmmm... "cure" is not the right word I want to use, but I don't know the exact word... sorry my English is not good enough.) their pores. I've been thinking if I make good soap for oily skin, it would help preventing pores. Now I know how to tell them! Thank you.

Superfat of 3%!!!!! That's so low! I'll try to make tiny batch, and let them try.

Again, I really really really appreciate your nice advice.
Yumie

 

[yumie]

Hi,　Desert Karen

You don't want to add sesame oil to your soap because it smells, right? In Japan, there is clear-white non-smell sesame oil with all good characteristics of sesame oil, called "Taihaku sesame oil". Adding this oil makes rich+fluffy bubble, and it works well for dry skin.

For your reference...
http://www.gomaabura.jp/english/index.html

Yumie

 

[hoegarden]

Hi, andoy

mmm... I think you are right. Trying to cleanse all oil from the skin may not be good, but my Taiwanese friends are not used to that. So far, I'm having hard time convincing them to use my original soap for dry skin people. I guess I should try harder.

Antiseptic additives, I never thought about using them, even essential oils.(I always use fragrance oils) I'll give it a try, and see how it differ. Thank you for your help and advice with real experience!!!

Yumie

I am kind of surprise your friends are not using your soap. I thought soaping is now coming up in Taiwan. I got my supplies there when I went on trip last year.

Anyway, personally I do not think increasing the coconut oil is good although it cleans oil very well, it will strip your skin of all the oils. In fact i think you should drop the CO slightly. Maybe to 25%. Striping oil on the face too much will cause the face to over produce oil when in need to replenish the facial oil.

I think adding the active charcoal or bamboo powder will be a better idea.

 

[andoy]

Hi, andoy

People around me in Japan do not have problem with pores, but my Taiwanese friends do! And I was asked to make soaps to cure (mmmmm... "cure" is not the right word I want to use, but I don't know the exact word... sorry my English is not good enough.) their pores. I've been thinking if I make good soap for oily skin, it would help preventing pores. Now I know how to tell them! Thank you.

Superfat of 3%!!!!! That's so low! I'll try to make tiny batch, and let them try.

Again, I really really really appreciate your nice advice.
Yumie

Your English is better than my Japanese, that's for sure! :lolno:

I know quite a few Japanese with oily skin, though it's more common with people with darker skin types. I presume you mean "clean or unblock their pores"... there is a limit to what a soap can do. Soaps don't cure skin conditions, they can help some symptoms like dryness or have antiseptic properties. I suspect your customers further south are really complaining that your bars too oily for them at 10% superfat. I only tend to superfat at 5% for all my bars.

Try making a soap specifically for oily skin. In addition to reducing superfat; You could also drop coconut oil down to 20% and add something like castor oil. Castor oil creates a lovely luxurious lather (think lots of small thick foam) that is kinder to the skin. One of my favourite soaps is transparent bar high in castor oil. You can also replace sesame oil for Pomace (grade of olive oil)... it has strong scent but if you are using lavender EO or tea tree it is not noticable and it creates a reasonably solid bar (even on it's own as single oil bar). I don't think olive oil is as close as sesame seed oil (i.e. think it has larger structure).

hoegarden, I've never heard of bamboo powder. That sounds like a fun additive. I gotta try to find that over here!