So Long, Goodbye . . . Soapmaking?

[MissE]

Hi, everyone,

I'm new-ish to soapmaking, and by that I mean that I've been soaping for a really long time in my head, but I've got a few small batches under my belt now---with some really good ones.

So, I made this batch with 0% superfat and 100% coconut oil which is supposed to be drying (for some, at least) but the skin on my body loves it! In fact, my facial skin seems to think it too much of a good thing and it's breaking out in zits like no man's business! It seems my pores are clogged from all this wonderful oil!

Does anyone know a recipe that would work for my face to dry or clear out the clogs? Or is this goodbye soapmaking?

Thanks for your helpful suggestions!

 

[SoapAddict415]

I'm no expert but I'm wondering if it could be that the soap is over drying your facial skin, forcing it to produce more oil than usual and that's what is causing the zits?

 

[Rusti]

I'm no expert but I'm wondering if it could be that the soap is over drying your facial skin, forcing it to produce more oil than usual and that's what is causing the zits?

This would also be my guess.

 

[Cellador]

I know this sounds crazy, but it might be that this soap is,indeed, too cleansing & stripping the natural oils from your skin. I have suffered from oily skin & acne my whole life, and my skin is the best it's ever been since using a balanced soap recipe. When you strip too many oils from your skin, your body reacts by producing more oil. Maybe try a recipe with a combo of cleansing & moisturizing properties. My skin also loves salt bars with activated charcoal.

 

[Obsidian]

I'm no expert but I'm wondering if it could be that the soap is over drying your facial skin, forcing it to produce more oil than usual and that's what is causing the zits?

Thats exactly what is happening. Your skin isn't loving it, its freaking out from being so stripped on natural oils and is going into overdrive trying to stay hydrated.

You need a really gentle soap for your face. This shampoo recipe is wonderful and gentle. If you don't have any neem, simple add the extra 5% to the avocado amount.

http://www.evernote.com/l/ANi0chvOL_5PbJrp3vjvBfXtKCUp6FlLEsg/

another option is no soap on the face at all. My face isn't fond of soap so I've switched over to a two step cleansing using ponds cold cream followed by a gentle foaming cleanser like eucerin. I no longer have zits or dry patches.

 

[MissE]

Wow...now that all of you guys are saying this I remember I have this knowledge somewhere in my head! I am sure you guys are all right.

Well, I made a new batch just today and I used the standard percentage balance of oils (33: 33: 33). I know it will take a while before I can use it and come back with a report but I will sure keep you guys posted.

Thanks, guys.

 

[jewels621]

I don't think your skin loves it at all, MissE! Eek! That's the exact recipe I use to make stain sticks for laundry because it's so harsh it gets the stains out of fabrics! Be nice to your face, darling.....you deserve a luxuriously gentle soap for your skin!

 

[MissE]

I know this sounds crazy, but it might be that this soap is,indeed, too cleansing & stripping the natural oils from your skin. I have suffered from oily skin & acne my whole life, and my skin is the best it's ever been since using a balanced soap recipe. When you strip too many oils from your skin, your body reacts by producing more oil. Maybe try a recipe with a combo of cleansing & moisturizing properties. My skin also loves salt bars with activated charcoal.

I don't know about the salt bars but I'm jumping on that activated charcoal next to see, I've always heard wonderful things about it!

Thanks, Cellador.

 

[Dahila]

I made a soap with babbasu, avocado, silk and avocado puree, it is so awesome on face , everyone loves it, My hubby who does not care what soap he use , refuse now activated charcoal and uses only the silky one. No Co in it, Very gentle and does nto tight my face skin at all,
Misse just keep in mind that 33% of CO still will dry the skin, If you prone to acne, only activated charcoal (well balanced) low cleansing number , and with lard will help to balance the oils in your skin. Use oat milk to wash your face so you can heal the skin. You made laundry soap and cleansing number is 69 or more. For face you lower than 10

 

[MissE]

I don't think your skin loves it at all, MissE! Eek! That's the exact recipe I use to make stain sticks for laundry because it's so harsh it gets the stains out of fabrics! Be nice to your face, darling.....you deserve a luxuriously gentle soap for your skin!

You are so convincing, Jewel621, I think I agree my face deserves better :mrgreen:
Looks like my body is good with it, though. Serious. However, I've just made a more balanced batch and I will see if it feels different on my body and face.

Feeling like a guinea pig but I'm sure others will thank me for my selflessness and great service to humanity when I become a great soapmaker in future, having learnt all my lessons firsthand!

Thats exactly what is happening. Your skin isn't loving it, its freaking out from being so stripped on natural oils and is going into overdrive trying to stay hydrated.

You need a really gentle soap for your face. This shampoo recipe is wonderful and gentle. If you don't have any neem, simple add the extra 5% to the avocado amount.

http://www.evernote.com/l/ANi0chvOL_5PbJrp3vjvBfXtKCUp6FlLEsg/

another option is no soap on the face at all. My face isn't fond of soap so I've switched over to a two step cleansing using ponds cold cream followed by a gentle foaming cleanser like eucerin. I no longer have zits or dry patches.

Hello Obsidian, thanks so much for the link and the no-soap suggestion. I think I'll take it, at least until I figure out something for my face and then I might also use it for my body. For now I love how my body feels. But maybe it might just be the switch from commercial soaps is still good enough. I can't wait to figure out the best recipe for me now!

Thank you again.

 

[Obsidian]

If you like the 100% CO soap, wait until you start using a gentler, more balanced recipe. You will be amazed at how different your skin can be just by switching recipes.

Personally, I wouldn't be able to use the 33% recipe either, too drying. I only use 15-20% coconut oil. If you want to try another recipe, this one is very good. use 5% superfat

lard or palm oil 50%
olive or avocado 30%
coconut 15%
castor 5%

 

[MissE]

If you like the 100% CO soap, wait until you start using a gentler, more balanced recipe. You will be amazed at how different your skin can be just by switching recipes.

Personally, I wouldn't be able to use the 33% recipe either, too drying. I only use 15-20% coconut oil. If you want to try another recipe, this one is very good. use 5% superfat

lard or palm oil 50%
olive or avocado 30%
coconut 15%
castor 5%

I hear you about the co. And I like the simplicity of the recipe here. Will def try it! What other oil can I sub for the palm oil, please? I have some canola, olive and (of course the errant) coconut and castor too. Can I sub canola for something here? I wouldn't want to buy any more oils right now unless I absolutely have to.

I made a soap with babbasu, avocado, silk and avocado puree, it is so awesome on face , everyone loves it, My hubby who does not care what soap he use , refuse now activated charcoal and uses only the silky one. No Co in it, Very gentle and does nto tight my face skin at all,
Misse just keep in mind that 33% of CO still will dry the skin, If you prone to acne, only activated charcoal (well balanced) low cleansing number , and with lard will help to balance the oils in your skin. Use oat milk to wash your face so you can heal the skin. You made laundry soap and cleansing number is 69 or more. For face you lower than 10

Thanks, Dahila, I'd love to incorporate the avocado puree in my soap, and it will be easy to achieve per availability and cost.

 

[Obsidian]

palm really can't be subbed for anything besides lard or tallow. Its a hard oil so the liquid oils you have won't work. Some butters can be used in place of hard oils but not at 50% that recipe has.

In all honesty, to create a good bar of soap, palm or lard is really, really helpful. I know there are some people here how make vegan soaps with good results but I've never been able to, they are all lacking in something.

I don't care for canola, at a high % it can cause your soap to go rancid due to the short shelf life. If you do want to use it, don't use more than 15%

 

[MissE]

palm really can't be subbed for anything besides lard or tallow. Its a hard oil so the liquid oils you have won't work. Some butters can be used in place of hard oils but not at 50% that recipe has.

In all honesty, to create a good bar of soap, palm or lard is really, really helpful. I know there are some people here how make vegan soaps with good results but I've never been able to, they are all lacking in something.

I don't care for canola, at a high % it can cause your soap to go rancid due to the short shelf life. If you do want to use it, don't use more than 15%

Never heard this about canola oil, but thanks for that info. But just how short a shelf life would I get with it?

On another note, how exactly can you know when soap is drying if your skin does not flake, peel, crawl, tighten, eek eek . . . I just had a thought that I might not really know what it means for soap to be 'drying'! I mean, if it wasn't for the zits on my face and coming here with that problem, I would never have guessed that this soap was too drying for me!

 

[Obsidian]

Depends on how much canola you use. If you keep it at a small %, it shouldn't affect shelf life. The one time I used it around 35%, it went rancid in just a couple months.

For me, my skin gets really tight when soap is too drying. I don't get flaky, itchy or peeling skin. You can try running your fingernail up yuor leg or down your arm, if it leaves a white trail it could be dry skin.

I didn't realize I had dry skin when I was using store bought soap and shower gel. I guess I was just used to the feeling of dry skin so it didn't seem unusual for me. A few months back, I used a bar of store soap, it was absolutely terrible. My skin felt like I had rubbed it with sandpaper.
You see the difference once you use a good balanced bar for awhile.

 

[Steve85569]

Welcome to the forum Miss E.

Obsidian has already said it. The best is yet to come!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Also, don't be a martyr - if you don't want to buy more oils at the moment then I take it that you're not up for burning money. In which case, do please check here with a full recipe and your thought process before you go ahead and make it. Learning by doing is one thing, but if your recipe is going to be totally unsuitable for your intended use (as this was) then you might reconsider making it.

Get your experience making useful and (most importantly) usable batches of soap

 

[BattleGnome]

For now I love how my body feels. But maybe it might just be the switch from commercial soaps is still good enough. I can't wait to figure out the best recipe for me now!

When I first fully switched I had the exact same reaction. No matter what recipe I used, everything was fantastic. It's been about 1.75years since I made the switch and I found just after the year mark I started to get more discerning and analyzed why I liked certain bars better than others. You might like 100% coconut now but just wait.... try a salt bar with a 15-20%SF. World of difference.


On your current questions about canola and coconut:
I use up to 30% canola in my recipe and have had no issues. I wouldn't make a 100% canola but moderation is fine.

A recipe suggestion with the oils you listed: (similar to the recipe I've settled on)
5% castor
15% coconut
30% canola
50% olive oil

5% Superfat, 30% lye concentration (if you want to play with those numbers)

If you are concerned about canola and rancidity just add the remainder to the olive. Sit on your hands for 6 weeks before trying it, but longer is better

 

[SunRiseArts]

May I suggest something different? 50 % coconut oil and 50% olive oil. They would just need a little bit longer to cure. A full 6 weeks minimum.

I personally superfat at 2 or 3%. Gives me the right balance I like. 0% might be too harsh, specially if you are using just coconut.

 

[MissE]

That's good advice, The Efficacious Gentleman, thank you.

I've gotten a lot of those here, thanks again, Obsidian, Steve85569.

When I first fully switched I had the exact same reaction. No matter what recipe I used, everything was fantastic. It's been about 1.75years since I made the switch and I found just after the year mark I started to get more discerning and analyzed why I liked certain bars better than others. You might like 100% coconut now but just wait.... try a salt bar with a 15-20%SF. World of difference.


On your current questions about canola and coconut:
I use up to 30% canola in my recipe and have had no issues. I wouldn't make a 100% canola but moderation is fine.

A recipe suggestion with the oils you listed: (similar to the recipe I've settled on)
5% castor
15% coconut
30% canola
50% olive oil

5% Superfat, 30% lye concentration (if you want to play with those numbers)

If you are concerned about canola and rancidity just add the remainder to the olive. Sit on your hands for 6 weeks before trying it, but longer is better

BattleGnome, I am glad for you, you seem to know where I am right now! I think everyone has helped me to see that 100% coconut oil isn't the best but I know it is so different to those commercial soaps it is just great . . . now I can't wait for things to go truly magical.

Thanks for your thoughts and for the recipe!

May I suggest something different? 50 % coconut oil and 50% olive oil. They would just need a little bit longer to cure. A full 6 weeks minimum.

I personally superfat at 2 or 3%. Gives me the right balance I like. 0% might be too harsh, specially if you are using just coconut.

That is something to consider, thank you, SunRiseArts!