Parents with children who have very sensitve skin.

[Lane]

I'm not trying to freak anyone out or step on any toes... But in the thread titled something about some base sucking... (That thread was blocked...) There was a parent who had mentioned trying CP to help her daughter...
To that parent... Or any other parents for that matter...or grandparents, or cousins, aunt, uncles, friends, babysitters...etc....

If you make MP, have you tried a Calimine Soap (sp?? Ya know, that pink stuff we cover our kids in when they get chicken pox...) It's quick and easy and works great with a suspending base, plus you can shape it really cute... For those more into MP, do they make a 100% natural suspending base?

If you make CP, have you tried a high % shea butter recipe? My son has skin problems and it really helped him a lot. Generally I keep the coconut oil low by halving it with PKO.

*looks around* Steps out of room unharmed....

 

[Guest]

I agree Lane -

Coconut is harsh on eczema. I have it and so do my children. Using CP soap with low or no coconut oil has really controlled the outbreaks. I've recently switched to one bar exclusively for my kids that contains 90% Olive, 10% castor and 100% GM. I also add oatmeal for soothing. It's very similar to the bars the dermatologist asked us to buy without the $11/bar price tag and synthetic ingredients. So far no outbreaks in the dead of winter. Knock on wood.

Everyone's skin responds to different treatments though. My neighbor has eczema very bad and I sent a bar home for her to use plus an a highly superfatted all coconut bar for her hubby to test. She loved the smell of the all coconut and used it instead and it didn't set off her eczema. It does mine.

Marr

 

[scaligirl]

Lane, I had never thought of that!! I have tried goats milk both base and added to a clear base as well as oatmeal and aloe. She has done better with this than commercial (out of the store) soaps. I was wanting to try CP so that I could make a bar with flax seed oil. Flax is wonderful for the skin.

How much Calamine to say 2lbs of MP base? In most footnotes that I have read no more than 2TbS are recommended. Or about 2%. When I add my goats milk or oatmeal it was to either a gm base or a clear base. it seemed to stay pretty well blended even though it was not a suspension base.
Walnut oil is also good but, someone allergic to tree nuts may not be able to use it.

 

[Lane]

Everyone's skin responds to different treatments though.
Marr

I completely agree! No matter what kind of CP I made, my little brother (has eczema) always does better with Calamine MP bars. But they never helped my son...

 

[Lane]

How much Calamine to say 2lbs of MP base? In most footnotes that I have read no more than 2TbS are recommended. Or about 2%. When I add my goats milk or oatmeal it was to either a gm base or a clear base. it seemed to stay pretty well blended even though it was not a suspension base.
Walnut oil is also good but, someone allergic to tree nuts may not be able to use it.

I usually add about 3 to four Tablespoons to one pound, with the suspending base it is able evenly hold that much...but I don't add anything else, with MP, for me, it seems the more "stuff" you add, the less lather...But with that much Calamine, it makes a nice, creamy MP bar.

 

[Guest]

My son is the reason why I got started making soap to start with.

My son just turned 7 years old, and last winter his shrink started him on some really strong meds. They are in the anti-psychotic class of drugs to help him sleep at night. (Otherwise he would be up and wild all night long literally, not exagurated because he has severe ADHD with other problems, and he doesn't respond well to the newer classes of ADHD meds either. But a really old one works half way decent for him.)

Anywho. this drug has the side effect of causing sun senstivity. And so in the spring when it got nice out he started having severe reactions wearing a short sleeve shirt outside for 10-15 minutes at recess at school, and at home on the weekends were really hard as well. His skin would get red itchy and sunburned. And it was similar to a chemical burn more than a sunburn. It was horrible. He would cry and scream that it hurt. And anything topical that I put on it over the counter made it worse. So we tried baths with nothing but water. And soon we added colloidal oatmeal which helped a great deal. But we soon found out that while his skin was senstive and burned commercial soaps made it worse and hurt it more.

So I went online and bought some handmade soap from a lady on ebay. And that helped big time. He could wash without it hurting. And since I've been crafty since I was a child I started to read up to learn how to make soap. And I did learn how. And it's only getting better ever since.

And my kids all love it, and thank goodness when I started making handmade soaps CP or HP method, I had only 1 bar of store bought soap in the house. And it's odd that it just dissapeared.

But the funny thing is for a long time I had a blue bar of lever 2000 and my handmade soap in the bath that had a fun scent for the kids. And even my 3 year old wanted the brown soap that I made instead of the blue bar.

And my husband now laughs and jokes. He tells me if we ever get a divorce, he's going to make sure it's written in it, and it will be just as important as custody of kids. That I will have to provide him with my handmade soap for the rest of his life. So that is a big joke between us now.

Anywho so that's how I got started and my story.

and I love learning new things to be able to make a better bar and a higher quality bar of soap!!!

 

[Lane]

I started soaping because of my son too! I posted this in the introduction forum...

I started with M&P and just loved it! It was so simple and yet you could create the most amazing and beautiful creations! I made a basic calomine lotion soap with suspending soap base and it helped both of us. But then I began reading about CP. I waiting two years before I tried it and my first two or three batches were completely horrible...It took making a batch everyday for a MONTH before I felt comfortable in my techniques!

Even tho the MP helped my skin and my sons skin, I can't say enough about what the CP has done! For the first time in three years, my son doesn't have itchy, scaly, bleeding patches all over his body! (His skin itches and burns when ANY sort of chemical comes into contact with his, he would scratch at it until it bled and then it became an open sore...UGH) Mine never got that bad as an adult because I can stop my self from itching!

I digress!! I just started selling my soap to help cover the costs of my oils. I figure, I have to make this soap anyway (and I LOVE to do so) So I might as well help by selling some of it to cushion my cost. Since I am at a no profit level I really try to consintrate on Eco, Earth friendly, and Recycling.

 

[Guest]

Lane do you make your own laundry soap as well?

If not that would be another way to reduce the amount of detergents and other nasty stuff his skin comes in contact with. Plus it sure saves money.

I am proud to say that I haven't bought laundry soap in months and months...... But I do make my own laundry soap

 

[scaligirl]

Moms are awesome!!! I wonder how many products / inventions have been created because of the love of a parent for a child??
I want to make a body butter as well. At this point I use only Aquaphor on her skin but feel she needs more than expensive vaseline to sooth and moisturize. I have been doing a lot of reading on oils that would best treat such skin conditions. if she is itchy I put witch hazel infused with Chamomile on the patches.

 

[Lane]

Moms are awesome!!! I wonder how many products / inventions have been created because of the love of a parent for a child??
I want to make a body butter as well. At this point I use only Aquaphor on her skin but feel she needs more than expensive vaseline to sooth and moisturize. I have been doing a lot of reading on oils that would best treat such skin conditions. if she is itchy I put witch hazel infused with Chamomile on the patches.

My son hated aquaphor! Said it made him hot and sweaty! LOL... I use 100% shea butter on him... But then, I think Shea Butter is the cure all to everything!! Does your daughter get those scaley, red raised patches? Thats what my son had and he scratched them until they bled and turned into scabs...

 

[scaligirl]

Yes so bad that she can't sleep at times. The local herb and spice shop I get my organic stuff from suggested that I find what she is allergic to( wheat ,gluten, peanuts etc.) and treat the allergy and thus threat the eczema. Also, sprinkle her food with flax seeds or drizzle flax seed oil or walnut oil if there is no allergy to tree nuts.

 

[Lane]

WOW! She sounds just like my little boy... He would scratch his spots when he was really little and in the morning there would be Blood all over his crib. NOT a sight a mommy wants to see in the morning!! The trouble was, when we took his to see doctors, they wanted to put chemical junk all over him and I was like "wait! they are OPEN SORES! won't the chemicals then have a way directly into the blood stream??" I can t even count the number of doctors I yelled at.

The problem is, you have to HEAL the spots first before you can treat them. Hence why I went with Shea Butter, heck, you can eat shea butter, if you really want to (but not in high amounts I am sure...) Shea heals and conditions, while protecting... Plus it never burned my boy. I think what it came down to was my son has a chemical intolerance. OH! What do you wash her clothes in? This is another big one! Tide and Gain made his skin worse, I can only use All Free and Clear detergent and fab. softener. (I am in the process of making a laundry soap...but having a hard time with a formula that really works well with stains...kids seem to like stain their clothes...)

 

[Lane]

My son just turned 7 years old, and last winter his shrink started him on some really strong meds. They are in the anti-psychotic class of drugs to help him sleep at night. (Otherwise he would be up and wild all night long literally, not exagurated because he has severe ADHD with other problems, and he doesn't respond well to the newer classes of ADHD meds either. But a really old one works half way decent for him.)

Anywho. this drug has the side effect of causing sun senstivity. And so...etc...

I JUST re-read this... With my little brother...SAME thing... it was his sleeping medication that caused his sensitivity... He has ADHD and severe night terrors.

 

[scaligirl]

I only use All or dreft in the laundry. Since we have a HE washer I can use less detergent.
I am going to order my butters this weekend. Have you tried WSP aloe & shea butter? From the reviews people go nuts over it.
I also have to get a stainless steel bowl or two.

 

[Zenobiah]

A nice laundry soap recipe might be nice? :wink:

 

[Lane]

scaligirl- I just placed my order for WSP and then came back over to the forum and read the reviews about the Shea/Aloe. I WILL be ordering some next week. It looks so smooth! Plus NON greasy!!??

Zen- You have a good recipe??

 

[Guest]

My son just turned 7 years old, and last winter his shrink started him on some really strong meds. They are in the anti-psychotic class of drugs to help him sleep at night. (Otherwise he would be up and wild all night long literally, not exagurated because he has severe ADHD with other problems, and he doesn't respond well to the newer classes of ADHD meds either. But a really old one works half way decent for him.)

Anywho. this drug has the side effect of causing sun senstivity. And so...etc...

I JUST re-read this... With my little brother...SAME thing... it was his sleeping medication that caused his sensitivity... He has ADHD and severe night terrors.

My son is on Zyprexa and it's one that you have to weigh the risks against the benefits. And least to say that's what he's on.... We tried all others sleeping medication and they either didn't work, or had the opposite effect. Now that was hard to take...... before he was even more hyper than before. He's been on sleeping meds since he was 4 when we decided enough was enough and had him formally evaluated for ADHD by a shrink and the psychologist.

I hate to have him on such strong drugs but on the other flip side of the coin I about can't stand to be around him when he is not on medication. He just can't function at all without it.

And he is so senstive to touch as well, it's so bad that his own clothes drive him nuts. The feel of satin rubbing against it's self calms him down. I have worked hard with massage and this other brushing technique given to me by OT to help with other touch senstivitiy. And the texture of many foods he can't deal with either.

He works hard with PT because he has poor motor skills as well. And gym class is very difficult for him, and PT recommended in his IEP that he have special 1 on 1 time with the gym teacher before gym to learn the needed skilll for class to save on his own embarassment.

He spends much of the day out of class and doing special 1 on 1 becuase there is to much going on in his class room to deal with. And because of that he gets teased a lot.

Yet his lowest numberical grade is a 92 because he's very smart and remembers everything. It's hard to watch your child struggle so much...... with things that should be simple.


Going back to the medication we tried to switch off the zyprexa because of the sun sensitivy as well as the cost. (our insurance covers about 485 a month and we pay 140 for a month supply. so it's really spendy stuff) Anywho we tried thorsine (which was easier on the budget) but he also had side effects of facial ticks so that has to go and we went back to the zyprexa.

I dread summers now because he want's to be outside and it's hard, even with sunblock on. He even has to get dosed up with sunblock before going out side for recess and lunch at school in the spring....... He's that super senstive to the sun on this med.

sorry for babbling..........

 

[soapgardener]

I LOVE castor oil for eczema. I spread it all over my son's body right after his bath.... it really helps.

 

[Lane]

I have never heard of this before...castor oil...hmmm... my soap has huge amounts of shea and castor...

 

[Zenobiah]

I found this laundry soap recipe today but haven't tried it yet.
It does not contain borax (borax is banned in a lot of countries for being a carcinogenic).