Gentle soap for older, oily skin?

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

Hi everyone,
Does anyone know what would be a good recipe for an older person with oily skin? Since my mothers surgery almost 6 years ago she can't shower that often, and she has oily skin. I'm looking the make a soap that is gentle, yet stripping enough to get all the built up oils off, but without being too drying if that makes sense. She complains that regular soaps don't work very well.
Most of the soaps I make are more geared towards dryer skin, so they have creamy lather, high superfat, etc.
So do I just lower the superfat to what %, use different oils, both? I'm a little lost. Right now I use coconut oil, palm, castor and shea, sometimes I add avocado oil.

Ideas, recipes and opinions are greatly appreciated! Thanks again!

 

[KristaY]

When she says "regular soaps don't work very well" does she mean OTC soap or the ones you make? If it's OTC, have her try one of yours. If it's soap you make then you could adjust your SF down to 2% or so and use CO at 10% or less. The problem with oily skin is you don't want to strip it all off. That's what her body likes and may go into overdrive making more. It could result in her having more oily skin. Any soap will clean even if the "cleansing" numbers are in the basement (as we know from looking at 100% OO castile soap). So if you have a recipe you like that's more gentle, I'd have her try it.

She's a lucky mom to have a soap-crafting daughter ready to make something special just for her. Good luck to you both!

 

[Obsidian]

Gentle and stripping don't really go together but the first thing I though of was a 100% coconut oil with 20% SF. Its cleansing but the high SF prevents it from being too stripping. This soap really needs a good cure though, I like at least 4 months.

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

OTC soaps and definitely my current soaps. My skin loves a 12% SF with shea being about 20% of the recipe so that wouldn't work well for her at all. She found my olive oil, sunflower oil and coconut oil soap at a 5% SF with fine ground oatmeal (not colloidal) for exfoliant to be too "greasy" I guess would be a way to put it.
I was thinking about a 100% CO soap but I'm wondering if even at the minimum would 20% SF would slightly be too high?

How she put her skin issue is because she can't shower very often, her skin is like if you didn't wash your hair for a month; oily and greasy + dirt because she's in the country. She can only shower once a week or every week and a half usually.

 

[Seawolfe]

Gosh given that description I'd almost recommend a salt bar. That gets you good and clean without stripping.

 

[snappyllama]

I was thinking salt bar also. I like those in the summer when I feel sweaty. They seem to get me squeaky clean and then put back on just the right amount oils back onto my skin. It might be a little too harsh for older/thinner skin though. They also really need a good four month cure to feel really good.

You might consider a gentle true Castille since I might be more worried about thin, sensitive skin depending on your mom's age... Of course, they really need at least 6 months (preferably a year) cure time.

In between showers, can you mom use a body powder to help? I am not a long distance athlete (ha!) and haven't used it, but I've seen women at the gym mentioning "anti monkey" powder as working really well at preventing chaffing and feeling fresher. I'll bet it's just talc + a few other things...

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

What SF should I try with castile? And a salt bar? I've never made salt bars before, so I'll have to do some research on that. She doesn't have that thin of skin, so she should be fine with a salt bar I would think, as long as it's not super abrasive.

Thanks for all the help guys!

 

[Obsidian]

Salt bars aren't abrasive, just make sure you use fine salt. A salt bar needs to be 80% or higher coconut oil and have a SF of 20%. I though salt bar too at first but wasn't sure if the salt would be a good idea.
If she doesn't like your regular CP, I doubt she would care much for castile. Its super low cleansing and I never feel clean when I use it, especially if I'm oily at all.
I have a ton of aged salt bars, I could send you one if you want so she can test it out. PM me if you are interested.

 

[Soapmaker145]

I suggest a 25% coconut, 25% tallow or lard, 5% castor and the rest olive/avocado/canola/hazelnut or whatever other liquid oils you like in whatever combination you prefer. Keep the superfat at 5 to 6%.

Do you think she would be willing to use an astringent toner with a wash cloth in between showers?

 

[cmzaha]

When she says "regular soaps don't work very well" does she mean OTC soap or the ones you make? If it's OTC, have her try one of yours. If it's soap you make then you could adjust your SF down to 2% or so and use CO at 10% or less. The problem with oily skin is you don't want to strip it all off. That's what her body likes and may go into overdrive making more. It could result in her having more oily skin. Any soap will clean even if the "cleansing" numbers are in the basement (as we know from looking at 100% OO castile soap). So if you have a recipe you like that's more gentle, I'd have her try it.

She's a lucky mom to have a soap-crafting daughter ready to make something special just for her. Good luck to you both!

I have to agree with Krista on this one. I would make a very gentle very low coconut or no coconut oil soap. You do not want to strip off all the oil on your skin and oily skin certainly does not need high superfat. I would start with a 2-3% superfat, 7% coconut oil, lard, olive oil, sunflower, rbo etc and 5% castor. This will make a very gentle soap, that will rinse off well. I find a higher superfat in a very low cleansing bar will not always feel like it is rinsing off. Yes all soap cleans, what you are mainly forfeiting with low coconut is bubbles. I make a facial bar similiar to this and it is wonderful. As much as I love salt bars I would not necessarily start her on a salt bar, with the high coconut and high superfat. Even a 100% lard soap is lovely. Makes lots of test bars