My charcaol soap causes pimples

[Faithhhh_]

Hi guys. I'm a new soap maker here. I just want to ask why does my charcoal soap causes pimples. Here's the recipe that I'm using. I hope that someone will help me.

Castor oil (5%)
Coconut Oil (25%)
Pomance Olive Oil (40%)
Palm Oil (25%)
Argan Oil (5%)
Sodium hydroxide lye (5 percent superfat)
Distilled water
Tea Tree Essential
2 tbs. Activated Charcoal

 

[CpnDouchette]

That looks like quite a lot of coconut oil which might be drying out your skin too much. This will cause your skin to overproduce oil to compensate leading to spots.

Does it happen with other recipes or just this one?

 

[Faithhhh_]

That looks like quite a lot of coconut oil which might be drying out your skin too much. This will cause your skin to overproduce oil to compensate leading to spots.

Does it happen with other recipes or just this one?

Just this once. I already made a big batch of this charcoal soap and it causes my skin to start having pimples. Should I put my coconut oil to 15-20 percent only?

 

[kagey]

Hi guys. I'm a new soap maker here. I just want to ask why does my charcoal soap causes pimples. Here's the recipe that I'm using. I hope that someone will help me.

Hey @Faithhhh_

I've heard that new soap can sometimes cause underlying dirt to surface - causing pimples - when first used... so this is actually a good thing. But if you've been using it for a week, then, that's a different issue. So -- how long have you been using it?

 

[GemstonePony]

I generally stay under 20%CO, and most of my soaps are 15% or less. Also, charcoal doesn't get along well with my skin. I can use a little as a color element, but too much has a drying effect on my skin.

You might need to make a number of small batches of soap using different oil combinations to discover what soap base works best for you, then make the best of it again with additives.

 

[amd]

I have a similar issue with anything with charcoal in it - while I don't get pimples all over, I do get 3-4 pimples in the same locations every time and they don't go away until I stop using the charcoal product. My theory: these are "exit points" for the detox properties of the charcoal. I think this simply because they are in the same spot every time. Maybe you could chalk it up to coincidence, but the only time I get a pimple on my hip is when I'm using a charcoal product. It has never had a pimple at any other time. The only time I get a pimple on my neck... etc.

I also wonder if it could be a reaction to tea tree oil. I'm one who can't use tea tree anything because it makes acne worse for me.

I don't think it's the soap recipe itself - although the CO is "highish" for dry skin, I wouldn't think it would contribute that much to drying out your skin to the point of causing more acne, especially with a superfatted soap. I think argan oil has some unsaponifiables, but I'm not sure off the top of my head. I'm more inclined to use argan as a moisturizer than in soap. The charcoal could contribute to a drying factor though... so it's possible that the recipe with charcoal is contributing to drying.

Last thought I have is that you have no animal fats in the recipe, are you adverse to using them? If not, I would swap out the palm for tallow or lard. I can't use vegan soaps on my face without breaking out (the rest of my body seems to be indifferent). There's something about the animal fats that my skin likes.