Here's a photo of the bars after 2 weeks of curing. I planed a light shaving off the faces of the bars, and that odd orange mottling disappeared. I like how the bars turned out.
Here's a photo of the bars after 2 weeks of curing. I planed a light shaving off the faces of the bars, and that odd orange mottling disappeared. I like how the bars turned out.
Your neem soap turned out just like mine do. Not sure why your neem did not accelerate trace, mine always does, but I am not home to check my recipe, since I have not made neem soap in a couple of years not sure of my full recipe. I no longer do the market where it sold well so have not made any latelyHere's a photo of the bars after 2 weeks of curing. I planed a light shaving off the faces of the bars, and that odd orange mottling disappeared. I like how the bars turned out.
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I know this is an old conversation, but I've been wanting to make a neem soap for my sister who has psoriasis, and I have been looking for information on a safety concern she brought up. She says that neem is not safe for use in pregnancy because it can cause miscarriage. Has anyone else heard of that? I'd still like to make a batch of neem soap for a friend, but having recently had a miscarriage myself, I'm not willing to handle anything that could potentially cause another one, or have my neem soap cause problems for someone else. Also, where does one source neem oil? I only want a little. Can I pick it up at a garden center, or does it have to be specifically for soapmaking?"...I apply it straight to my skin..."
Oh, that reminds me of something I wanted to share --
I was looking into the safety of neem oil after I made my soap. I thought maybe an 80% to 100% neem oil soap might not be such a good idea from a safety point of view. (edit: I got caught up in the technical challenge of making a soap high in neem, and then my training in safety finally caught up with my science-y enthusiasm.)
From what I can tell, neem oil seems to be reasonably safe for use on the skin -- although neem oil is often used in lower concentrations, it appears that full strength neem oil can be safely used on the skin.
Neem seed oil is toxic if ingested, however, so a person would want to wash hands carefully after applying neem and before eating. I also know little kids will put all sorts of stuff in their mouths. I'd err on the side of using less neem seed oil in soap if little kids have access to the soap. Maybe that's why (in addition to the expense) that most neem soaps contain neem oil at 20% or less.
This is the beginning of my research. If neem is toxic whenMy neem is from Soaper's Choice. Not sure if garden neem is 100% plain neem or if there are other things like emulsifiers in the preparation. If the product you're looking at is 100% neem, I'd be okay with that. But if there's anything else ... nope.
As far as toxicity, what research have you or your sister found that says neem applied to the skin is hazardous? I think you need to know that information before you can make an educated decision. I know neem if ingested can be toxic, but that's not the same as neem put on the skin.
Here is a link from WebMD on neem oil. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-577/neem. I will let you make your own conclusions.This is the beginning of my research. If neem is toxic when
taken internally, it wouldn't matter if a person is pregnant or not to be harmed by it. My sister can have - interesting opinions, shall we say - about some things, but the last thing I want is to injure someone. I wonder if whatever makes it "bad" is even left after soponification. I guess in that case, the SF would have to be 0% though. From the sounds of it, neem makes a beautiful soapy!
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