Soap is drying out my skin

[winusuren]

Hi,
I am a new soap maker from India and have made 6 batches of soap so far and learning a lot each time I make soap from the forum mainly. I would like to thank each and everyone in this forum for sharing your experience. Now the problem is I feel all my soaps to be too drying. I used 30% CO, 30% palm, 30 olive, 5 castor, 5 sesame and superfatted with 5 percent shea butter in my first recipe and it was too drying. Then I reduced my CO to 25% with the combination of same oils and Shea butter in the last three batches with 5 percent superfat. Even that was too drying for me. Now after learning from the forum, I've planned to reduce my CO btw 16 to 18 using the same combination of oils and Butter. When I run my recipe in the lyecalc, I could see that the saturated:unsaturated is 38:62 or 40:60. I'm planning to add 7% SF, to make my soap even more milder but I'm afraid my soap will develop DOS. What am I supposed to do??? Has anybody superfatted your soap at 7% with the above sat:unsat ratio???

 

[cmzaha]

Welcome to soapmaking and the forum.

I would try lowering your CO to 18% Upping your shea to 10% Take your palm up to 32-35%, 5% castor, then tweak your liquid oils to get up to 100%. What do you have readily for affordable readily available liquid oils? Some folks have issues with OO drying their skin at high percentages. I realize animal fats are out for you, or assume they are, which is why I did not mention them, so maybe no one else will, so let's see what else we can work with.

 

[jcandleattic]

How long are you curing? Cure times can also determine the mildness of a soap. If you are not waiting at least 4-6 weeks the bars can be harsh and have a drying affect to the skin.
I personally find oils high in stearic to be drying to my skin - such as palm and shea butter. Maybe you are like me and can't tolerate high amounts of stearic also?

 

[winusuren]

How long are you curing? Cure times can also determine the mildness of a soap. If you are not waiting at least 4-6 weeks the bars can be harsh and have a drying affect to the skin.
I personally find oils high in stearic to be drying to my skin - such as palm and shea butter. Maybe you are like me and can't tolerate high amounts of stearic also?

I cure all my bars more than 6 weeks.

I would try lowering your CO to 18% Upping your shea to 10% Take your palm up to 32-35%, 5% castor, then tweak your liquid oils to get up to 100%. What do you have readily for affordable readily available liquid oils? Some folks have issues with OO drying their skin at high percentages. I realize animal fats are out for you, or assume they are, which is why I did not mention them, so maybe no one else will, so let's see what else we can work with.

Thank you so much for your suggestion. As I want to stick to unrefined oils except the palm, sesame is the only option. I know sesame has a shorter shelf life but the one I'm buying is unrefined and very pure. So don't want to miss that in my soap. The others oils that I can use includes rice bran refined, sweet almond(too costly) sunflower(not willing to use it as it has a shorter shelf life and I find only refined oils which we don't ever prefer for cooking in my family due to the high chemical process people do for refining the oil. Then I can't even think of adding animal fats to my soaps..

How long are you curing? Cure times can also determine the mildness of a soap. If you are not waiting at least 4-6 weeks the bars can be harsh and have a drying affect to the skin.
I personally find oils high in stearic to be drying to my skin - such as palm and shea butter. Maybe you are like me and can't tolerate high amounts of stearic also?

Yes

 

[senaraj]

Is the palm you are using Palmolein or Palm oil?

 

[winusuren]

Is the palm you are using Palmolein or Palm oil?

Palm and not palmolein

 

[cmzaha]

I cure all my bars more than 6 weeks.
Thank you so much for your suggestion. As I want to stick to unrefined oils except the palm, sesame is the only option. I know sesame has a shorter shelf life but the one I'm buying is unrefined and very pure. So don't want to miss that in my soap. The others oils that I can use includes rice bran refined, sweet almond(too costly) sunflower(not willing to use it as it has a shorter shelf life and I find only refined oils which we don't ever prefer for cooking in my family due to the high chemical process people do for refining the oil. Then I can't even think of adding animal fats to my soaps..

I will mention by the time lye is done with saponification most everything has changed drastically so the refined oil properties are not there anyway. Also, you are using a wash-off item that does not absorb into the system, basically, you are not eating soap. Sesame oil really does not make a nice soap, it makes a soft prone to DOS, more so than Canola. So I would just up the OO, Shea, and Palm if that is what you choose to use.

 

[winusuren]

I will mention by the time lye is done with saponification most everything has changed drastically so the refined oil properties are not there anyway. Also, you are using a wash-off item that does not absorb into the system, basically, you are not eating soap. Sesame oil really does not make a nice soap, it makes a soft prone to DOS, more so than Canola. So I would just up the OO, Shea, and Palm if that is what you choose to use.

Ok. Thank you so much for your suggestion. Is ricebran ok to be used as a replacement for some olive??? I can add a small amount of sweet almond too..

 

[cmzaha]

Ok. Thank you so much for your suggestion. Is ricebran ok to be used as a replacement for some olive??? I can add a small amount of sweet almond too..

Yes, it is. I make 59% Shea butter soaps, 12% CO, 24% RBO, 5% castor. If Shea is not an outrageous price for you, with a 5-6 month cure it lathers fantastically after adding in some sugar. It will later after a 4-month cure but 6 months or longer it becomes primo. I usually do not share but I decided to give this one up. I originally made and sold it as a facial bar, but it does make a nice body bar for sensitive skin and is quite long-lasting. I do not add milks to this recipe to deter from lather. My liquid of choice is for another post and there are some about it.

 

[winusuren]

Yes, it is. I make 59% Shea butter soaps, 12% CO, 24% RBO, 5% castor. If Shea is not an outrageous price for you, with a 5-6 month cure it lathers fantastically after adding in some sugar. It will later after a 4-month cure but 6 months or longer it becomes primo. I usually do not share but I decided to give this one up. I originally made and sold it as a facial bar, but it does make a nice body bar for sensitive skin and is quite long-lasting. I do not add milks to this recipe to deter from lather. My liquid of choice is for another post and there are some about it.

That's so kind of you for sharing your recipe. Thank you so much...

 

[cmzaha]

That's so kind of you for sharing your recipe. Thank you so much...

Your welcome

 

[penelopejane]

Hi,
I am a new soap maker from India and have made 6 batches of soap so far and learning a lot each time I make soap from the forum mainly. I would like to thank each and everyone in this forum for sharing your experience. Now the problem is I feel all my soaps to be too drying. I used 30% CO, 30% palm, 30 olive, 5 castor, 5 sesame and superfatted with 5 percent shea butter in my first recipe and it was too drying. Then I reduced my CO to 25% with the combination of same oils and Shea butter in the last three batches with 5 percent superfat. Even that was too drying for me. Now after learning from the forum, I've planned to reduce my CO btw 16 to 18 using the same combination of oils and Butter. When I run my recipe in the lyecalc, I could see that the saturated:unsaturated is 38:62 or 40:60. I'm planning to add 7% SF, to make my soap even more milder but I'm afraid my soap will develop DOS. What am I supposed to do??? Has anybody superfatted your soap at 7% with the above sat:unsat ratio???

You might want to cut out coconut oil altogether.
this is a great recipe as a soap (don’t use soap as shampoo - search the forum for the reasons).
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/shampoo-bar-thanks-lindy.30946/
or try 5% coconut and see if your skin can tolerate it.

 

[winusuren]

Is the palm you are using Palmolein or Palm oil?

Hai..I have been using Palmolein and not palm. I found that out recently only. I buy from a local supplier and I thought it was palm all these days..

 

[Saponificarian]

Hai..I have been using Palmolein and not palm. I found that out recently only. I buy from a local supplier and I thought it was palm all these days..

I actually prefer Palm Olein to Palm so but it should make any noticeable difference at the percentage you are using it. Any higher than 45% then Palmolein is better.

 

[winusuren]

I actually prefer Palm Olein to Palm so but it should make any noticeable difference at the percentage you are using it. Any higher than 45% then Palmolein is better.

I've used 28 to 33%. Never tried more than that.

 

[winusuren]

I actually prefer Palm Olein to Palm so but it should make any noticeable difference at the percentage you are using it. Any higher than 45% then Palmolein is better.

Hi..I recently tried a recipe with 50% Palm Olein and the rest of the oils being coconut, castor, rice bran and a little olive(less than 5%). Surprisingly my skin really felt better. It didn't dry out my skin at all. Thanks a lot for your suggestion @Saponificarian.
My only concern is 65% of the recipe contains refined oils. The soap won't cause any skin problems when used for a long time right? I know many people here have been using refined oils in soaps for years and years without any problem, but I'm little afraid to continue with this recipe. Kindly share your suggestion.

 

[Saponificarian]

Hi..I recently tried a recipe with 50% Palm Olein and the rest of the oils being coconut, castor, rice bran and a little olive(less than 5%). Surprisingly my skin really felt better. It didn't dry out my skin at all. Thanks a lot for your suggestion @Saponificarian.
My only concern is 65% of the recipe contains refined oils. The soap won't cause any skin problems when used for a long time right? I know many people here have been using refined oils in soaps for years and years without any problem, but I'm little afraid to continue with this recipe. Kindly share your suggestion.

Using refined oils hasn’t been a problem for me, and I have been soaping for almost seven years now. However, I understand that each person is different.

I know some people prefer unrefined oils for leave on products but I can’t use some unrefined oils like olive oil. I get a terrible rash if I use it in leave-on products. My point is trial and error is how you learn what works for your skin as there is no one size fit all.

 

[winusuren]

Using refined oils hasn’t been a problem for me, and I have been soaping for almost seven years now. However, I understand that each person is different.

I know some people prefer unrefined oils for leave on products but I can’t use some unrefined oils like olive oil. I get a terrible rash if I use it in leave-on products. My point is trial and error is how you learn what works for your skin as there is no one size fit all.

Thank you so much for your quick reply. I too never use refined oils for leave on products and always choose the best quality oils(extra virgin, cold pressed) for the leave on products. My doubt is only for the soaps. So based on your reply, I'll conclude that there is no issues in soaping with refined oils. I've been already selling soaps for the past 2 years and I always add a note recommending the customers to do a patch test.

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

Did you ever try the soy wax in your soap @winusuren? If so, how did it compare to the palm olein in your current recipe?

Why are you afraid of using refined vegetable oils? I confess I never really thought about it before because I assumed the safety standards for oils consumed as food is more than good enough for a rinse off product like soap. I find there’s lots of misinformation about so-called all-natural products with condemnation of refined products. So I’m wondering if there is a reason that you fear refined food safe oils that you are using as long as they are coming from a reputable source.

Where are you in India? I got to visit Rajasthan in 2016 along with New Delhi. A school I visited made soap for washing laundry and other household cleaning, but they had never tried making bath soap. I should get back in touch with the head of the school and see if my friend or someone else there could start reading SMF.

 

[winusuren]

Hi...