Might get into this.

[Renraw9002]

Most of the ones she has says they can be used topically, but should be mixed with carrier oils. They're Doterra brand mostly if that helps.

 

[Jennifer Horne]

Most of the ones she has says they can be used topically, but should be mixed with carrier oils. They're Doterra brand mostly if that helps.

I doubt they will hold up but i guess its worth a try

 

[penelopejane]

Most of the ones she has says they can be used topically, but should be mixed with carrier oils. They're Doterra brand mostly if that helps.

Topical ones should be ok. They are going to be hugely expensive to use in soap because you need to use them at about 4% and the vast majority of them fade really quickly so it's a bit of a waste in soap.

 

[TheGecko]

"Renraw9002, post: 790406, member: 34015"]I'll likely only ever make 1lb batches since I don't think even my wife will use anything I make so I'm sure even a 1lb batch will last me a good long time, but still good advice for sure.

My 1lb mold gives me 4 bars of soap.

A fairly decent beginning recipe:



I rounded the weights since I resized it. It’s what I started with though I have now adjusted it to include Cocoa and Shea Butters.

I would start with an unscented soap since you have more sensitive skin and let it cure a full six weeks. Surprisingly, my husband likes cantaloupe. My preference is Black Raspberry Vanilla Goat Milk Soap and I made a killer batch this weekend.

Guess now's as good a time as any to ask this by the way. Where on earth do people buy the oils and butters? I mean lye, distilled water, CO, and OO are easy enough to come by, but where would you go for pure shea butter or pure avocado oil?

I get my Olive and Coconut Oil from Costco, and if my Avocado Oil experiments works out, I will buy it from there also. But I got my first bottle from the ‘oil’ aisle at the local grocery store. I get my Cocoa and Shea Butters from Rustic Escentuals, and Palm and Castor Oils from Brambleberry. I am looking at getting a new supplier for Palm Oil as I want a ‘no-stir’ oil.

Where I purchase my Essential Oils, Fragrance Oils, Micas, Clays, Oxides, etc vary as do additives. I only buy small quantities the first time I use something new...a little speedy up front, but a savings if I don’t like it. Currently I buy from Brambleberry, Rustic Escentuals, BeScented and Nurture Soap.

Oh...and I get my Sodium Hydroxide from Amazon, Essential Depot brand.

 

[Jennifer Horne]

I get my OO at sams club and castor oil,lye, palm, shea and coco butters from essential depot on amazon, FO and micas from nurture soap and natures garden

 

[cmzaha]

There is pharmaceutical grade, food grade, cosmetic grade (lips and skin safe) and non skin safe products which include artists clays.

At least here in the US Cosmetic grade oils are mixed oils that make up the fatty acid profile of the main oil such as Avocado Oil. Soapers Choice sells some Cosmetics grade oils.

Probably not bc most of those are therapeutic grade and not body safe

I really think you are confusing EO's with non-body safe FO's. Maybe I am incorrect but I have not heard of non-safe body EO's other than restricted usage EO's per FDA. There are certainly burning fragrance oils that are not body safe.

 

[Jennifer Horne]

At least here in the US Cosmetic grade oils are mixed oils that make up the fatty acid profile of the main oil such as Avocado Oil. Soapers Choice sells some Cosmetics grade oils.


I really think you are confusing EO's with non-body safe FO's. Maybe I am incorrect but I have not heard of non-safe body EO's other than restricted usage EO's per FDA. There are certainly burning fragrance oils that are not body safe.

Doterra oils are for burning and diffusers, i was a doterra sales agent for two years but if anyone wants to waste the money, as they are pricey and soap with them go ahead.

 

[Deb Walker]

A multilevel company (think it was DoTerra) came up with a sales term, "for therapeutic use" this implies that "other" essential oils may not be. Herbs are either organic or not, or wildcrafted or not (any herb that is wildcrafted has far higher medicinal qualities - not that planted herbs don't have therapeutic benefit). Oils from these are either pure or not pure.

Because of the aggressive marketing strategies by multilevel marketing groups many people have some confusion over what can be used. Its all about money and justifying the extraordinary high prices multilevel marketing companies charge.

DoTerra like other ML companies say their oils are the best in the world - well... good marketing but there are many other companies that do good oils and I have found several issues with theirs (eg Peppermint is refined and Lang lang should always be labelled as 1st 2nd or 3rd press) so this puts a question mark over things I don't know - not that this is an issue with soap making.
If you are very sick and are using Aromatherapy to get better, yes find the best, but I'm not going to concern myself unnecessarily when using EO as a soap additive. A company I buy from sells bottles between 10ml and 5 Litres. They are happy to show you their chemical profile tests they take of their oils (to satisfy them that they are pure). It is far cheaper to buy this way. So just because an outlet sells in bulk - or bigger bottles, doesn't mean they are not pure oils.
Even so, my EO price doubles the cost of the soap ingredients (I only use basics) which I am still happy with.

I have read the marketing advice from an Australian government initiative recommending Australian companies only sell in small bottles so they can charge higher prices

Essential oils enter the body easiest via the lungs, this is why it is called aromatherapy - smelling them works best, so diffusers are used. Using them on your skin also works. All essential oils work this way, its not company specific. Essential oils in soap do have an effect and it is positive (outside of allergies etc).

Yes, there seems to be confusion between Essential oils and Fragrances (because of perfumers secrecy laws there is no requirement to show what chemicals are in them and many do have toxic chemicals).

 

[Renraw9002]

Oof maybe I should come here more often.

Topical ones should be ok. They are going to be hugely expensive to use in soap because you need to use them at about 4% and the vast majority of them fade really quickly so it's a bit of a waste in soap.

I doubt they will hold up but i guess its worth a try

Doterra oils are for burning and diffusers, i was a doterra sales agent for two years but if anyone wants to waste the money, as they are pricey and soap with them go ahead.

Thank you all. I was still on the fence about using them. I did a lot of googling and saw both sides of the argument for and against using doterra, but the biggest deterrent is definitely price. I suppose it's time for an update.

I got two 42oz silicone loaf olds from Amazon, made a wooden frame to hold them steady and love them. Best purchase ever.

I also bought some titanium dioxide and black mica cause I wanted to try a black and white swirl. I made a batch for my mother that's eucalyptus scented (her choice) for a Christmas present and attempted the swirl. It came out... ok-ish. When I cut it up into bars it's definitely sorta swirly inside. So I come bearing more questions.

What's the proper way to use titanium dioxide and black mica? I'm not positive I did it right.

I attempted, unsuccessfully (twice), to make a cutter, planer, and beveler with leftover wood and wire I have lieing around. I just can't seem to keep the wire taut enough to plane soap without snapping it. Guess I need an actual blade for that operation.

On a positive note I've been using my first real batch for a few weeks now. My acne is gone, my skin is almost as smooth as a baby's behind, and my back doesn't itch like a bear's every night. I'm still a hairy man beast so the back itching is unavoidable, but it's definitely lessened. I'm officially hooked on making my own soap.

I also gave a couple bars to my brother-in-law who has a worse skin condition than I do and he called me the other day to say how much he loves the soap too. This is impressive in itself cause he's usually a giant grouch.

 

[TheGecko]

What's the proper way to use titanium dioxide and black mica? I'm not positive I did it right.

It would help to know how you 'did it' to be able to properly advise you. With that said, first...it your TD water or oil soluble? Mine is water and I have it premixed in a bottle (previous lesson learned); I use 1 tea TD to 1 Tab Distilled Water and shake the bottle well before using. How much I use is dependent on 1) the natural color of my oils/butters, and 2) how 'white' I want the soap to be. And don't forget that TD will accelerate trace and it has to be stick blended in. When it comes to black...I just used Activated Charcoal for the first time and despite what I heard about it, that it doesn't come out truly black, mine did. Of course, there was an accidental spillage and I didn't gel. I was told for a true 'black', you should mix Black Oxide and AC together (I would recommend dispersing in oil first).

 

[Jennifer Horne]

Most people use one teaspoon per pound of oils u are trying to color

 

[Renraw9002]

It would help to know how you 'did it' to be able to properly advise you. With that said, first...it your TD water or oil soluble? Mine is water and I have it premixed in a bottle (previous lesson learned); I use 1 tea TD to 1 Tab Distilled Water and shake the bottle well before using. How much I use is dependent on 1) the natural color of my oils/butters, and 2) how 'white' I want the soap to be. And don't forget that TD will accelerate trace and it has to be stick blended in. When it comes to black...I just used Activated Charcoal for the first time and despite what I heard about it, that it doesn't come out truly black, mine did. Of course, there was an accidental spillage and I didn't gel. I was told for a true 'black', you should mix Black Oxide and AC together (I would recommend dispersing in oil first).

It says it disperses well in oil or water, but I weighed out my distilled water then took out 2 Tsb to 2 tsp titanium dioxide, heated the water a bit, then mixed the TD in the hot water, then put it in half of my oil/ butter mixture. I repeated this for the black mica, but I don't think it worked as well. It came out more grayish than black.

 

[TheGecko]

It says it disperses well in oil or water, but I weighed out my distilled water then took out 2 Tsb to 2 tsp titanium dioxide, heated the water a bit, then mixed the TD in the hot water, then put it in half of my oil/ butter mixture. I repeated this for the black mica, but I don't think it worked as well. It came out more grayish than black.

I use room temp distilled water for my TD, Oxides and Clays and whatever oil for my Micas. Unless I’m doing a single color with Mica and then I had it dry to my oils.

 

[Renraw9002]

wow it's been almost a year since I've been on here. Came back with more questions. I updated my soap recipe and the attached recipe is what I've made a few times now and have given some to a few coworkers who all seem to like it. I forgot to add honey to this current batch I'm using and I can tell the difference cause my hands feel drier than before. Probably doesn't help my new job has me constantly wearing latex gloves and washing my hands every time I come in or leave the lab. Apparently the hair and beard nets we wear also cause dryness in your hair, as told to me by a few women I work with who were noting the bald spot over a scar on the back of my head is growing, I never would've thought a hair or beard net could do that. anyway onto the questions.

does honey really make that much difference? if so is there really any benefit to using say manuka honey as opposed to the regular cheapo honey you get from the regular grocery store? the cheap stuff seems to work fine for me. didn't think the massive uptick in expense for manuka would be worth it.

has anyone here tried using borage oil? I'm reading that it's a really good oil for people (like me) who have sensitive skin. I'm tempted to try it, but again it's a lot pricier than the oils I've been using.

Since I shower literally every day, sometimes twice, can I swap coconut oil out for something else or should I keep it in there to do some actual cleaning of my skin?

Also curious about wheat germ oil. I attached a "possible soap recipe" I'd like some feedback on.

Finally I'm at getting to the age where my thinning hair is an actual concern, plus I'm trying like heck to find a recipe for beard oil and butter to make my beard nice and soft cause no matter what I do it's dry and scraggly, same with my head hair. I also shared a possible beard oil and butter recipes I wrote up just from researching stuff online.

 

[TheGecko]

You might want check into a leave-in conditioner for your hair. My BIL wore a ball cap when he went to work for a concreate company when he was 16. Less than a decade later, he had lost most of the hair under the ball cap. It wasn't the cap, but the dust from the aggregates used in making concreate that got trapped under the cap and wore away his hair follicles. If you ask older ladies who have worn slacks/jeans for a number of years, you will find that we have little to no hair on the backs of our legs...same thing.

One thing I have learned about soap making is not use a lot of expensive ingredients as the saponification process destroys almost all of the benefits. Best to save those ingredients for lotions. And not to forget, soap is a wash on/off product...how long is it actually on your skin, before it is rinsed back off.

 

[AliOop]

Wheat germ oil does not make nice soap. Likewise, jojoba and borage are best used in beard oils and balms where you can get more benefits from the high cost. For soaping oils, think about using lard, which combines well with tallow to make a very gentle soap that is easy on sensitive skin. You might also consider adding some neem oil or pine tar.

I also started making soap because of very sensitive skin, both my own and that of others in my family. What works best for me in soap is high lard, low CO, no OO, vinegar for the lye water, colloidal oat powder, and powdered goat milk. I have used honey but prefer regular sugar or sorbitol because they are both easier to use and create just as many bubbles, if not more.

But cheap honey is just fine, although many of those are mixed with HFCS, which is very controversial as to its health effects. Aloe vera juice for the lye water is a another nice way to add sugar, although I prefer vinegar since it also hardens the soap and, IMO, softens the lather a bit.

 

[Renraw9002]

You might want check into a leave-in conditioner for your hair. My BIL wore a ball cap when he went to work for a concreate company when he was 16. Less than a decade later, he had lost most of the hair under the ball cap. It wasn't the cap, but the dust from the aggregates used in making concreate that got trapped under the cap and wore away his hair follicles. If you ask older ladies who have worn slacks/jeans for a number of years, you will find that we have little to no hair on the backs of our legs...same thing.

One thing I have learned about soap making is not use a lot of expensive ingredients as the saponification process destroys almost all of the benefits. Best to save those ingredients for lotions. And not to forget, soap is a wash on/off product...how long is it actually on your skin, before it is rinsed back off.

I ordered some leave-in conditioner that was on sale. garnier. only $3 so if it doesn't work I can't be upset. Thanks for the tip. Wonder if it'll help with my scraggly beard hair too.... oh well i'll give it a try. That's good to know that saponification destroys most benefits. I'll just stick with my normal recipe cause it's definitely not broke so I'm not gonna fix it. That definitely makes sense and I kinda assumed that those expensive oils won't do much more good than the cheaper alternatives since the soap's only on your body for a few seconds. Thanks again.

Wheat germ oil does not make nice soap. Likewise, jojoba and borage are best used in beard oils and balms where you can get more benefits from the high cost. For soaping oils, think about using lard, which combines well with tallow to make a very gentle soap that is easy on sensitive skin. You might also consider adding some neem oil or pine tar.

I also started making soap because of very sensitive skin, both my own and that of others in my family. What works best for me in soap is high lard, low CO, no OO, vinegar for the lye water, colloidal oat powder, and powdered goat milk. I have used honey but prefer regular sugar or sorbitol because they are both easier to use and create just as many bubbles, if not more.

But cheap honey is just fine, although many of those are mixed with HFCS, which is very controversial as to its health effects. Aloe vera juice for the lye water is a another nice way to add sugar, although I prefer vinegar since it also hardens the soap and, IMO, softens the lather a bit.

I've actually been reading and watching several places mentioning jojoba specifically for beard oils/butters. I'll have to give it a try when I place my butter order. adding vinegar, oat powder, and milk is probably a bit out of my depth atm. I've only made around 3 batches so far.

Thank you two for the advice

 

[AliOop]

Good on you for taking it slowly! I will say that adding colloidal oat powder and goat milk powder is very simple - just stick blend both as dry powders right into the oils before adding the lye solution. If you can do honey, you can definitely do one or both of those powders if you want to try them.

Vinegar is a bit more complex due to the extra lye needed, so it is not a bad idea to wait on that till you feel more comfortable. All in due time, right?

 

[Dawni]

I've sent out a few testers of beard oil... Mind you, Filipinos aren't known for their beards, more like well known for a lack of em hahaha but some do have em. Mine currently has sunflower, rice bran, sweet almond, jojoba, Pili nut (our local, similar to olive, oil), Moringa oils and a teensy amount of castor, and marula Tetradecane (natural silicone replacement supposedly).

I'm sure even just one of those will help. Cold pressed sweet almond and sunflower are popular with most face oils, beard oils and body oils, and are easy to source and not very costly where you are I think.

 

[KiwiMoose]

@Renraw9002 - how about trying an oat milk soap? I make my own oat milk and then freeze it into small containers or bags. Then I haul it out when i want to make an oat milk soap. I use this recipe: How to Make Oat Milk
I use the oat milk as half of the water content for the soap. If I use it at 100% of the water it goes too gluggy and I have to pass the lye solution through a sieve - but it is doable.
The other item I use a a lot of is aloe juice ( I cut it off my own plant, peel it and juice it - then freeze it too). This can be used as 100% of the water in your soap and is great for adding bubbles.