Let's talk Neem

[cmzaha]

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.

Interesting where did you buy red neem oil. I use a lot of neem and have never seen red. Red palm yes, but not neem. Just curious.

Also I make a neem bar that is a very good seller for me, higher in neem but much lower in coconut. I find acne does not need the extra harshness of the lauric and mystric acids. I also make a milder neem with tomato extract and no grapeseed that is very gentle. I find OO goes very nicely with neem oil. Keep in mind that palm kernel and palm oil are very different. palm kernel is usually used in place of coconut or babassu but if both are used lower the coconut and pko percentages. Acne just does not usually need harsh cleaning just gentle cleaning

 

[Skatergirl46]

Also I make a neem bar that is a very good seller for me, higher in neem but much lower in coconut. I find acne does not need the extra harshness of the lauric and mystric acids. I also make a milder neem with tomato extract and no grapeseed that is very gentle. I find OO goes very nicely with neem oil. Keep in mind that palm kernel and palm oil are very different. palm kernel is usually used in place of coconut or babassu but if both are used lower the coconut and pko percentages. Acne just does not usually need harsh cleaning just gentle cleaning

I used less CO and a different recipe than what was posted. Mine has a cleansing value of 5 on Soap Calc. It's super conditioning and creamy. I used 15% Neem.

 

[CaraBou]

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:

Thanks for the tip, anything is worth a try. I have been using cetaphil every morning for at least 15 years. It is great for my rosacea but sometimes I wonder if it just doesn't cleanse my pores well enough.

 

[cmzaha]

I used less CO and a different recipe than what was posted. Mine has a cleansing value of 5 on Soap Calc. It's super conditioning and creamy. I used 15% Neem.

It should be a great bar of soap. I love Neem oil!

 

[seven]

how's the progress so far with the neem soap, skatergirl? does it help with the acne?

 

[Crombie]

lsg: Would you share you dog shampoo bar recipe using Neem oil?

 

[A1will]

While. We're on the topic of skin care, does anyone have an anti-dandruff shampoo bar recipe?

 

[Obsidian]

Interesting where did you buy red neem oil. I use a lot of neem and have never seen red. Red palm yes, but not neem. Just curious.

I just seen this, sorry it took so long. My neem came from the sage
https://www.thesage.com/catalog/products/Neem-Oil.html the description says its a dark greenish brown but mine didn't have any green to it. It was just a dark reddish brown, the finished bars are sort of a caramel color.

I used my neem bar for the first time last night, left my skin really soft.

 

[Neve]

Regarding the cystic acne- I think that might be what I had for a very traumatic month or so. It has gone away. I use my own cp bar which is really gentle and no fragrance - just EO - but what I think may have done the trick is the oil mix serum I use after cleansing. I have no idea what I put in it. I took it on the road trip and when I got back I added more oils, in particular a blend with a very strong rosemary infusion.

My skin loves it and freaks out if I use anything else. And then I read yesterday that Rosemary is antibacterial and very good for acne. Happy coincidence for me and my now clear skin.

 

[Skatergirl46]

how's the progress so far with the neem soap, skatergirl? does it help with the acne?

It seems to be helping in some places more than others. My face is better but I still have some blemishes now and then.

 

[jnl]

if i add neem oil to hot process soap AFTER the processing, how much should I add? because it wont be eaten by the lye, i can probably add much less. I was thinking maybe 2%? (and also 2% argan oil and 2% jojoba oil)

 

[cmzaha]

Because of the strong smell of neem I seriously would not add it as a superfat, you will want it to saponify. I use neem in soap up to 25% but not hp. Why do you want it as a superfat?

 

[jnl]

i read it ruins the good properties of the oil when exposed to lye. and adding things at the end of HP you can add much less. if you add 25% of the recipe in CP with a 10% super fat, then there should still be about 2.5% of unsaponified neem oil after the lye is done (assuming the lye equally eats all fats). So why not just add 2% at the end?

i have seen other peoples CP recipes that only have 2% or 5% neem.

no way to know unless i try it

there seems to be very little information on the web about hot process. no one does it? yeah its a pain, but i dont want my argan oil destroyed by the lye! and i dont want to have to add such a high % of it so some survives the saponification process. and re-batching sounds even more annoying than HP.

Because of the strong smell of neem I seriously would not add it as a superfat, you will want it to saponify. I use neem in soap up to 25% but not hp. Why do you want it as a superfat?

 

[cmzaha]

i read it ruins the good properties of the oil when exposed to lye. and adding things at the end of HP you can add much less. if you add 25% of the recipe in CP with a 10% super fat, then there should still be about 2.5% of unsaponified neem oil after the lye is done (assuming the lye equally eats all fats). So why not just add 2% at the end?

i have seen other peoples CP recipes that only have 2% or 5% neem.

no way to know unless i try it

there seems to be very little information on the web about hot process. no one does it? yeah its a pain, but i dont want my argan oil destroyed by the lye! and i dont want to have to add such a high % of it so some survives the saponification process. and re-batching sounds even more annoying than HP.

I do not superfat high, 2-3% and I have a lot of return customers for my neem soaps. I really do not believe all properties are destroyed, and I have one daughter that breaks out everytime she uses a soap other than my neem soap. If you want the full benefit of the neem, argan or any oil for that matter, just use the oil, or use it in a lotion or balm not a washoff.

 

[jnl]

the soap is for my dog, so it needs to be fatty in the bar. adding lotions or oils to a furry dog doesn't work well, i've tried. the moisture needs to come during the shampoo for it to spread and get to the skin.

even for myself, i find i like things that have much higher oil contents than normal, probably because i have super dry skin. i want to make myself a lotion-soap. i made a lotion bar, but that was too hard to apply. it just doesn't glide like soap does. plus I haven't found a preservative yet that I can tolerate, so i'm currently stuck with chemical filled gasoline-based lotions.

worst case scenario i have to re-batch, or throw out a batch.

I do not superfat high, 2-3% and I have a lot of return customers for my neem soaps. I really do not believe all properties are destroyed, and I have one daughter that breaks out everytime she uses a soap other than my neem soap. If you want the full benefit of the neem, argan or any oil for that matter, just use the oil, or use it in a lotion or balm not a washoff.

 

[Obsidian]

A lot of people do HP, there is a ton of info on this site bout it. What exactly do need help with? I think 2% neem for SF should be just fine but expect it to smell bad.

 

[snappyllama]

I don't think this is right spot for this, but I thought I'd share something that one of the holistic dog groomers in my area offered... They had a moisture treatment where they would take warmed shea butter & honey & and some puppy-safe EO and massage into the dog's skin. Then they would gently rub colloidal oatmeal into the the skin for exfoliation. Then they would rinse and bathe as normal. My collie never got to experience this because it was crazy-expensive. But she does have problems with dry paws in the winter so I'll rub in a little shea and that seems to help her.

I'd give a link, but I think their spoon-bending and chakra-aligning business took off (I'm not kidding), and they no longer do dog grooming.

 

[couch0]

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

That looks great

 

[cmzaha]

I use 28% neem in my facial bar with 10% Babassu, avocado palm and castor. Makes a great facial bar. I do not hp, I cp but it does move quickly. Neem accelerates

 

[lsg]

lsg: Would you share you dog shampoo bar recipe using Neem oil?

I will see if I can find it. :-D
ETA: Here it is.

5% Castor oil
20% coconut oil
25% neem seed oil
25% palm oil
25% rice bran oil

I used 5% superfat
1 part peppermint EO
1 part lemongrass EO
1 part lavender EO

Please note that some dog breeds are highly sensitive to certain essential oils, so use with caution.