Let's talk Neem

[Skatergirl46]

If the tracking is correct I should be receiving my order of Neem oil today. I plan to make a batch of HP for myself and my son. We are both having hormonal acne issues. I have read some of the threads here about Neem and its benefits, and its pungent odor. I have a few questions:
1. What percentage should I use in soap to receive its benefits?
2. Should I leave the CO and Palm out of the recipe? (so it's gentle)
3. Should I make this outside because of the odor? (I am a garlic lover)

Thank you in advance for any info. you can provide.

 

[lsg]

Nature's Garden recommends 5% maximum usage rate, but I have used up to 20% in my dog shampoo bar. I always make my soap inside even with neem seed oil. I wouldn't leave out the coconut oil.

Here is the recipe I used, you can use it, change it or ignore it.

coconut oil 24%
grapeseed oil 15%
rice bran oil 11%
palm oil 20%
neem seed oil 20%
Castor oil 5%
Hemp oil 5%

 

[Skatergirl46]

Nature's Garden recommends 5% maximum usage rate, but I have used up to 20% in my dog shampoo bar. I always make my soap inside even with neem seed oil. I wouldn't leave out the coconut oil.

Here is the recipe I used, you can use it, change it or ignore it.

coconut oil 24%
grapeseed oil 15%
rice bran oil 11%
palm oil 20%
neem seed oil 20%
Castor oil 5%
Hemp oil 5%

Thank you Isg! I like the look of that recipe. I have most of those except I only have PK Flakes, and I am out of Grapeseed oil.

 

[lsg]

You can leave out the palm or use shea butter as a substitute, just run the recipe through SoapCalc. This recipe only showed a 16 in cleansing value, that was one thing I liked about it. Do you have any sweet almond oil, you might try that instead of the grapeseed, again run the recipe through a lye calculator.

 

[Skatergirl46]

You can leave out the palm or use shea butter as a substitute, just run the recipe through SoapCalc. This recipe only showed a 16 in cleansing value, that was one thing I liked about it. Do you have any sweet almond oil, you might try that instead of the grapeseed, again run the recipe through a lye calculator.

I do have Shea and Sweet Almond Oil. Yes, I always run recipes through soap calc. ;-)

 

[lsg]

The values were almost the same subtituting sweet almond and shea butter for palm and grapeseed oils. If you have a favorite oil, plug it in and see what soapcalc says. You might get better numbers than I had.

 

[Skatergirl46]

Yay, my Neem oil finally arrived. It has a pungent odor but not nearly as bad as I expected. It reminded me of an asian sauce of some kind, almost like a Thai sauce. Anyway, I HP'd a batch in my kitchen. I was trying to think of a scent that might go along with this batch and I remembered that I had a tiny sample of BB's Woodland Elves. It's kind of juniper-like so I thought it might mask the Neem smell a bit. I made the batch very gentle because it's intended as face soap for me and my son. I thought it actually smelled fairly decent when I was done. Of course, my son walked in and the first thing he said with a scrunched up nose is "Eeeww, what's that smell?"
:lolno: Oh well, I'll use it.

I didn't color the batch other than a little TD. It's a light tan color. Zap tested negative. I've used the little ball from my crock pot and my hands are pretty soft right now.

 

[eyeroll]

I love my neem oil facial bar! I hope yours treats you well too.


Sent from my iPhone using Soap Making

 

[shivani]

We have a lot a of neem here in india..n I used all the parts of the tree in my soap..it was a wonderful soap n soothing..may be bcoz I added many herbs..all the best with urs!!

Sent from my C1604 using Soap Making mobile app

 

[Skatergirl46]

Here is my Neem soap. Nothing special to look at. I hope it works for my acne.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n229/passthebait/Neembar_zps43404c67.jpg

 

[lsg]

I think it looks pretty good! Hope it works for you.

 

[Obsidian]

Its really pretty and I'm surprised by the color. Was your neem green or red? I used red neem and my bars are a reddish brown.

 

[Skatergirl46]

Its really pretty and I'm surprised by the color. Was your neem green or red? I used red neem and my bars are a reddish brown.

My Neem is a dark brown color, like the color of cola. I put a little TD in the batch.

 

[Skatergirl46]

Going to use it again in a little while. I've been using the little ball from my crock pot and it is making my hands really soft.

********************TMI ALERT********************


I got an unwanted gift for my birthday in the form of a yeast infection. :Kitten Love: I read online that Neem helps with all sorts of fungal maladies. Used it in the shower and the next day the relief is amazing! Just saying.

 

[Obsidian]

I haven't used mine too much. I have so much soap I need to start washing each limb with a different bar.

 

[CaraBou]

I hope the neem works for your face. I bought a bar with high hopes for my face, but the hormones won out. I get one deep and painful zit every month. I have started to name them after the planets, as these days they are getting so big, that is what they remind me of. I am still at a loss for how best to treat this kind of cystic acne, especially when trying to balance those needs with my every day rosacea (the rosacea will flare from almost anything that touches my face; even the neem affected it after repeated use). I ended up making my own very gentle face soap with things like evening primrose oil, jojoba and just a smidge of lavender EO, and although it is a very lovely soap, the hormones still laugh and continue to fill the solar system.

My best luck has been by spot treating with tea tree EO in a small amount of carrier oil, but if I don't get on it when I first feel development, the planets will form and throw my whole universe out of whack. Where are the black holes when you need them??

 

[lsg]

A long time ago a lady that worked in the pharmacy section of our local Walmart told me to use zinc dietary supplement for my son. It seemed to help him. You might try it for a couple of weeks to see if you notice a difference.

 

[Skatergirl46]

I haven't used mine too much. I have so much soap I need to start washing each limb with a different bar.

Haha, same here! Every time I get into the shower I stand there for a minute trying to decide which soap to use.

 

[A1will]

I've been looking to make a neem and tea tree oil combo soap (small quantities in a gently cleansing recipe) to try to prevent monthy hormonal breakouts also. I'm curious to see how this works for you skater.

What other properties are you trying to focus on with your recipe? Gentle cleansing I would assume. Are you trying to stay somewhat neutral in regards to cleansing/moisturizing and let the antibacterial properties do it's thing?

Also where'd you order your's from?

Hope it works for you!

 

[cmzaha]

I hope the neem works for your face. I bought a bar with high hopes for my face, but the hormones won out. I get one deep and painful zit every month. I have started to name them after the planets, as these days they are getting so big, that is what they remind me of. I am still at a loss for how best to treat this kind of cystic acne, especially when trying to balance those needs with my every day rosacea (the rosacea will flare from almost anything that touches my face; even the neem affected it after repeated use). I ended up making my own very gentle face soap with things like evening primrose oil, jojoba and just a smidge of lavender EO, and although it is a very lovely soap, the hormones still laugh and continue to fill the solar system.

My best luck has been by spot treating with tea tree EO in a small amount of carrier oil, but if I don't get on it when I first feel development, the planets will form and throw my whole universe out of whack. Where are the black holes when you need them??

My daughter uses a paste she came up with that helps her cystic acne. She can only use very plain handmade soap and cannot use neem soap at all. It helped her for awhile but now makes her worse. My daughter uses a past of activated charcoal, licorice root and clay with a couple of extracts. I know it really helps when she gets a spot. She also uses a Cetaphil wash for her face. Sometimes you just gotta do what works...:roll: