Insights on facial bar soap

[mymy]

Hello people!

I have been reading this thread for like hundred times yet I am still confuse on what kind of soap that I should make for people with sensitive and acne prone skin.

I made several recipes such as cocoa butter soap, water lily and pink himalayan salt bars yet I am scared to try them on my face untill I have gotten a real deal recipe for face.

My cocoa butter soap(HPed) is ready to be used and I just tried it, worked well on my body but my face felt squeaky and tout afterwards. I have been a loyal user of Cetaphil Facial Wash for years. Now I am looking for an alternative which I do know of what my face cleanser is made of. I am leaning toward cetaphil because it has no colorants and fragrances.

What kind of soap that you guys would suggest me to create? I would like to have something mild and can be used everyday. I have an oily face, breakouts come once in a while. Thank you in advance. Peace.

 

[songwind]

You might try a 100% olive (castile) bar. They're very mild, and the oil stripping qualities aren't overwhelming the way coconut can be.

You might also consider adding additional glycerin for some extra humectant love.

 

[Arimara]

I also made a HP soap with cocoa butter. Waiting a few weeks more will really help you out. I can now use that soap on my face and it doesn't leave my skin feeling as dry or tout as it did before. If I let them cure a few weeks more, I'm sure I would have a very good facial soap.

I was also told by two people, one here on the forums and one in my neighborhood that HP soaps do better with at least 8 weeks curing time. I'm actually rethinking my stance on HP vs CP based on the truth of that.

 

[traderbren]

You will get a lot of different opinions on this as everyone has different skin. My facial bar is very low in coconut oil since I find it drying. Some people leave the coconut oil out of facial bars completely, and some have no issues with using CO. Your cocoa butter bar- how much (if any) CO is in it? How long has it been curing?

 

[shunt2011]

Yep, you'll get as many opinions as recipes. I personally like a salt bar for my face. Which is 80% CO, 15% Avocado & 5% Castor with a 20% SF and some kind of milk as half the water amount.

I also make a facial bar that's high olive.

What works for one person may not work for another.

 

[TwystedPryncess]

I have crazy acne, even at age 41! My face is oily and actually seems to be allergic to makeup. My basest three oil recipe helps...CO, lard, olive. I put activated charcoal in my facial bar, but I am still experimenting. You will get lots of advice. My advice is take what you need from the responses you get, and learn from them. Leave the rest. Learn about exfoliants .....my fave is walnut powder. Learn your choices on additives. Reasearch recipes, and dissect Cetaphil's ingredients list the best you can. Look up what all the chemical names are and what they are used for. Then have fun experimenting and figuring out what works best for you. I got lucky in that even the most basic recipe of handmade soap helps my face, so for me it is really nowhere but up from there, and I realize not everyone is so lucky. Of course, others have peaches and cream complexions without help from Urban Decay and Revlon, too! LOL. Ok, moral of story....experiment, end ramble .

 

[Arimara]

Yep, you'll get as many opinions as recipes. I personally like a salt bar for my face. Which is 80% CO, 15% Avocado & 5% Castor with a 20% SF and some kind of milk as half the water amount.

I also make a facial bar that's high olive.

What works for one person may not work for another.

I really want to try a salt bar. I've never heard of them til I joined here. Can you use salt from the store?

 

[lenarenee]

Just fyi; there are some people who simply can't use cp soap on their face no matter how "gentle" or "natural" it is.

 

[dixiedragon]

There is no one right answer for all faces because faces are different. Even for people with sensitive skin, b/c they are sensitive to different things. There are folks on this board who have found that MP works better for them than CP. Some people find that a detergent bar works better than any soap. Some people use an oil cleanse. Some people are fine with any soap recipe as long as it has no fragrance. Lots of variables.

A good starting point might be to buy a few different bars, try them out, and see which ones work best.

 

[cmzaha]

And some like me only use water, or once in a while a salt bar

 

[traderbren]

I really want to try a salt bar. I've never heard of them til I joined here. Can you use salt from the store?

I used Sea Salt from the grocery store for my salt bars.

 

[mymy]

You might try a 100% olive (castile) bar. They're very mild, and the oil stripping qualities aren't overwhelming the way coconut can be.

You might also consider adding additional glycerin for some extra humectant love.

I bought one last few months. I found it so strippy. Made out of 100% olive oil but it has colorant and fragrance in it. So harsh to the skin even my hands are exfoliating like snakes are going through edysisa. Haha

I also made a HP soap with cocoa butter. Waiting a few weeks more will really help you out. I can now use that soap on my face and it doesn't leave my skin feeling as dry or tout as it did before. If I let them cure a few weeks more, I'm sure I would have a very good facial soap.

I was also told by two people, one here on the forums and one in my neighborhood that HP soaps do better with at least 8 weeks curing time. I'm actually rethinking my stance on HP vs CP based on the truth of that.

I only used 20% of cocoa butter for the recipe and waited 2 weeks before using it. Maybe I should have waited a couple of week more though because they still look moist. Right now I'm using the one that I thinly cut it, it dried faster that the others. I am quite shocked now that HP needs more curing time compared to CP but hey good things don't come cheap right?

You will get a lot of different opinions on this as everyone has different skin. My facial bar is very low in coconut oil since I find it drying. Some people leave the coconut oil out of facial bars completely, and some have no issues with using CO. Your cocoa butter bar- how much (if any) CO is in it? How long has it been curing?

Yes I would admit that everyone has different skin and reacts differently on the same soap but most people with sensitive skin would be fine with mild soap(as far as i know of). I put 10% of coconut oil in it and 30% palm oil. Waited 2 weeks for them to cure. Maybe I will make them cure a little longer though.

Yep, you'll get as many opinions as recipes. I personally like a salt bar for my face. Which is 80% CO, 15% Avocado & 5% Castor with a 20% SF and some kind of milk as half the water amount.

I also make a facial bar that's high olive.

What works for one person may not work for another.

I made a CPed pink himalayan salt bars too. Now waiting for them to cure. It has been two weeks still and they are sweating like a lot, I wonder why?

I have crazy acne, even at age 41! My face is oily and actually seems to be allergic to makeup. My basest three oil recipe helps...CO, lard, olive. I put activated charcoal in my facial bar, but I am still experimenting. You will get lots of advice. My advice is take what you need from the responses you get, and learn from them. Leave the rest. Learn about exfoliants .....my fave is walnut powder. Learn your choices on additives. Reasearch recipes, and dissect Cetaphil's ingredients list the best you can. Look up what all the chemical names are and what they are used for. Then have fun experimenting and figuring out what works best for you. I got lucky in that even the most basic recipe of handmade soap helps my face, so for me it is really nowhere but up from there, and I realize not everyone is so lucky. Of course, others have peaches and cream complexions without help from Urban Decay and Revlon, too! LOL. Ok, moral of story....experiment, end ramble .

I know right. Puberty ruins everything, I started to have breakouts since I am 13 and now 24. Getting better as I optioned out to use "mild" products which consist not colorants and fragrances. I find these 2 culprits make my skin even worst. I want to leave Cetaphil because people have been posting that it has a carcinogenic long term effects.

I really want to try a salt bar. I've never heard of them til I joined here. Can you use salt from the store?

What kind of salt from the store? As many bloggers wrote to don't use epsum and generic NaCl for salt bars. They tend to seize the batter.

Just fyi; there are some people who simply can't use cp soap on their face no matter how "gentle" or "natural" it is.

Really? I have never tried CP soap that I made because all of them are still curing. The castile soap that I bought was milled I guess. My soapmaking materials supplier gave me two nicely made CP soaps but I gave them to my friends because they had colors and fragrances. Hmmm.

There is no one right answer for all faces because faces are different. Even for people with sensitive skin, b/c they are sensitive to different things. There are folks on this board who have found that MP works better for them than CP. Some people find that a detergent bar works better than any soap. Some people use an oil cleanse. Some people are fine with any soap recipe as long as it has no fragrance. Lots of variables.

A good starting point might be to buy a few different bars, try them out, and see which ones work best.

I have tried so many products out there. Clinique's bars worked best but the effect seemed to fade by time. Then I tried Simple's bars, quite good but not as good as Clinique's. Cetaphil is what I am using till now. Gotta try something that I made by myself instead. I can share then with my frieds too.

And some like me only use water, or once in a while a salt bar

Yes, water is the purest cleanser, I can't deny that but I need something thicker to gently shed dead skin outta my face. Hehe

 

[cmzaha]

I have one daughter that still fights acne at 40 and all she uses are salt bars. I would wonder about the castille soap you tried and if it was honestly 100% olive, or if you are sensitive to the olive oil. Although I do not really like them I do make 100% castille unfragranced, no color and age for a year. If you would like to have one to try pm me and I would send you out one, along with a year old salt bar chunk

 

[shunt2011]

I have one daughter that still fights acne at 40 and all she uses are salt bars. I would wonder about the castille soap you tried and if it was honestly 100% olive, or if you are sensitive to the olive oil. Although I do not really like them I do make 100% castille unfragranced, no color and age for a year. If you would like to have one to try pm me and I would send you out one, along with a year old salt bar chunk

That's exactly why I use salt bars. Almost 56 and still have adult acne but, my skin is in the best shape ever thanks to those. My daughters love them as well.

 

[mymy]

I have one daughter that still fights acne at 40 and all she uses are salt bars. I would wonder about the castille soap you tried and if it was honestly 100% olive, or if you are sensitive to the olive oil. Although I do not really like them I do make 100% castille unfragranced, no color and age for a year. If you would like to have one to try pm me and I would send you out one, along with a year old salt bar chunk

PMed. You're indeed a nice bud. ;-)

That's exactly why I use salt bars. Almost 56 and still have adult acne but, my skin is in the best shape ever thanks to those. My daughters love them as well.

So salt bars are good for acne prone skin? Will pink himalayan salt work well?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

In the mornings I just use water and a face cloth - the cloth provides the scrubbing!

 

[penelopejane]

I bought one last few months. I found it so strippy. Made out of 100% olive oil but it has colorant and fragrance in it. So harsh to the skin even my hands are exfoliating like snakes are going through edysisa.

Until you use 100% olive oil castille soap with no colour or fragrance that has been aged for 12 months or more you won't know how olive oil goes with your skin.

 

[IrishLass]

I do the same as Carolyn and the good Gent- just water and a cloth to wash my face. I find the weave of my terry facial cloth provides me with plenty enough exfoliation. It's been working great for me for several years now, and I get lots of compliments on my complexion.

Before that, I used to wash my face with Neutrogena, but even that would dry my face out and make it feel tight as a drum. And before that, I used to use Dove (with same drying results).

Even though my facial skin is picky about what I wash it with, the rest of my skin is perfectly fine with all of my different formulas of handmade soap.

Have you taken a look at Genny's shampoo bar thread? http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=30946 Lots of people say it doubles great as a facial bar.


IrishLass

 

[mymy]

In the mornings I just use water and a face cloth - the cloth provides the scrubbing!

Good to know! I have been reading a lot of people say it is not advisable to use facial cloth on sensitive skin so I just bought facial cloth and didn't use any.

Until you use 100% olive oil castille soap with no colour or fragrance that has been aged for 12 months or more you won't know how olive oil goes with your skin.

So 100% OO soap is best to use after 12months?

I do the same as Carolyn and the good Gent- just water and a cloth to wash my face. I find the weave of my terry facial cloth provides me with plenty enough exfoliation. It's been working great for me for several years now, and I get lots of compliments on my complexion.

Before that, I used to wash my face with Neutrogena, but even that would dry my face out and make it feel tight as a drum. And before that, I used to use Dove (with same drying results).

Even though my facial skin is picky about what I wash it with, the rest of my skin is perfectly fine with all of my different formulas of handmade soap.

Have you taken a look at Genny's shampoo bar thread? http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=30946 Lots of people say it doubles great as a facial bar.


IrishLass

2 peeps with facial cloth. I guess I need to start to use it right away!
Whenever i wipe my face using paper towels I could see lots of dead skin. Maybe that is why I keep getting breakouts occasionally? Yes I already checked it out, gonna try to make it soon right after I got my Avocado oil. That one is missing in my inventory.

 

[mandy318]

I'm 37 and have oily skin that, in the past few years, has almost entirely stopped breaking out.

I wear makeup and use makeup removing wipes, but other than that only the occasional exfoliation with co & sugar. Normally just water and a wash cloth. I haven't used soap on my face in years.

I also moisturize with an oil moisturizer. I know, I know--moisturize oily skin??? But it works and seems to keep my skin from over-producing oil. I use a brand called Fresh that is expensive, but I got cheap from a friend. I believe there are cheaper drugstore options now, but when I run out I'll be trying to make my own.