Soap Is Not Moisturizing?

[Dean]

On break at work, checking out Reddit when I come across this post about baby soap not burning the eyes while regular soap burns like hell....

Second paragraph he/she mentions moisture and I about lost my shhhhh laughing, after all the discussion we’ve had here in this thread....

Interesting article. My early soaps use to burn my eyes. I attributed it to the short cure time. Maybe that wasnt the cause for the stinging after all. Those early soaps also had very high cleansing values. I think unnecessarily high cleansing values is one of the most common newbie mistakes.

 

[Meena]

@Hendejm's description most closely fits how I think about all this. Here's why.

I had been washing my face with the same soap for about 7 years, but last year my lower face started pulling into weird 'folds' after washing, which I would then get rid of with my moisturizer -- hopefully before anyone saw me! When I joined SMF and started seeing that coconut oil was highly stripping (cleansing), I knew I had to get rid of my beloved coconut oil based soap. However, I thought that I "should" stay kind of middle-ish on the SoapCalc numbers, and also felt I needed coconut for the hardness and bubbles. I've laid out all my soap properties and formulas on an "at a glance" sheet, so I know that my soaps 1 through 9 have cleansing numbers of 17, 16, 16, 18, 14, 14, 13, and 5. (Yes that's 8, not 9. My 8th soap was never intended for use, only for the Feb challenge. And yes, it took me a frightful amount of time to reduce the coconut oil enough!!)

I've not had the chance to try the C-5 soap yet, it's 10 days old today, and just made my 10th batch at C-0 (which really isn't true, but SoapCalc doesn't handle Olive Oil correctly, at least in terms of the cleansing #). But I have tried all the other soaps. This is what happened:

All my soaps have ameliorated the weird alien-face pulling, but I still feel varying amounts of tightness. After washing my face with the first few soaps, there was a short delay before some tightness set in. With the C-14 and 13 soaps, there's a longer delay of 2 or 3 minutes before I have to reach for the moisturizer. I am expecting that with the C-5 and C-0, whether I moisturize will become a choice rather than a necessity. Why? I've had plenty of my own skin oil most of my life (Sicilian = grease bucket!!), and still have more than some people regardless of age. It is appearing that, to the extent I can leave my own skin oils intact, my skin feels not necessarily moisturIZED, but still moist -- or what's that word having to do with oil? Has an emollient feel, maybe. I think it just doesn't feel dehydrated, as I get closer to my ideal soap formula.

The oils in soap are no longer oils after saponification, and my SF is kept in the 1% - 3% range. [Most of the time, only 1 or 2% to ensure I never have a lye-heavy result.] What I mean is that, in my case, I don't think the beneficial result is a function of what oils were used or traces that may remain, but of gentleness and less disturbance to the oils which are part of the skin's protective acid mantle.

 

[Donee']

Loving this thread - learning so much - thanks guys - and not one single person has been crucified - awesomeness!
I still think more information needs to be found out about skin and not soap.
Now of course - another touchy subject - when and where to sell your soaps?

I will start a new thread for the anti-bug soap. Because I have a 9 in 1 soap as well.

We dont have Dr Bronners here - anyone used it? Is it as fabulous as they say?

 

[Meena]

Loving this thread - learning so much - thanks guys - and not one single person has been crucified - awesomeness!
I still think more information needs to be found out about skin and not soap.
Now of course - another touchy subject - when and where to sell your soaps?

I came way too late to this party. Looks like they've all gone home, Donee'.

We dont have Dr Bronners here - anyone used it? Is it as fabulous as they say?

It's great camping soap. That was pretty much its start, the liquid stuff pitched as a good environmental choice for campers. I'd never wash my face with it, and it's pretty cleansing, but I've always kept some in the house. They make bars now, too, and I've loved the Peppermint one in the summer, but the Hemp Rose is my true favorite. But $4.50 or more a bar, I can't have that be my regular soap, especially since it doesn't last a long time. It has been my "treat" soap. I'll send you a bar or two, if you'd like.

 

[Donee']

I came way too late to this party. Looks like they've all gone home, Donee'.

I just woke up
the wonders of living on the dark side of the moon
But maybe just maybe I will get some soap work done today

 

[Meena]

I just woke up
the wonders of living on the dark side of the moon
But maybe just maybe I will get some soap work done today

It's past my bedtime, lol! Ah, the lands "down under"!! Hope your day is as productive as you'd wish.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I just got home from work - between us all we're 24/7 soaping!

 

[Teresa408]

So I have felt in my super noob opinion that generally a soap being moisturizing, or feeling moisturizing is overall is a product of several things:

How stripping is the soap
How much oil does it leave behind
How much glycerine/humectant is present
What type of oils are left behind

The last one occurs to me more recently, as I am trying oil cleansing for my face again lately and I’m noticing the way some oils behave/react with my skin.

 

[hungryhawaiian]

We dont have Dr Bronners here - anyone used it? Is it as fabulous as they say?

I’ve had the same bottle of Dr Bronners peppermint soap in my bathroom for almost two years. I tried washing with it but it really burns on my um.... man parts, and I definitely can’t use my fingers to take out my contacts after washing with it. Oh, and during the winter it makes it feel like I’m naked in Alaska in the middle of a blizzard... So I only use it on hot days in the summer, oddly enough when I’m not actually working in Alaska during the summer lol.

The citrus scent is good but in general I’m not a liquid soap kind of person. Body washes, lotions, creams and liquid soap actually gross me out. Just another one of my ocd’s...

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

I’ve had the same bottle of Dr Bronners peppermint soap in my bathroom for almost two years. I tried washing with it but it really burns on my um.... man parts, and I definitely can’t use my fingers to take out my contacts after washing with it. Oh, and during the winter it makes it feel like I’m naked in Alaska in the middle of a blizzard..

hmmmm I made a bar of just peppermint. haven't tried it yet--now I am kinda scared to . I did send one to my son and daughter in law--better warn them about their privates. I need to grab a bar for my morning shower I think--oh boy!!

 

[Dean]

I've laid out all my soap properties and formulas on an "at a glance" sheet, so I know that my soaps 1 through 9 have cleansing numbers of 17, 16, 16, 18, 14, 14, 13, and 5. (Yes that's 8, not 9. My 8th soap was never intended for use, only for the Feb challenge. And yes, it took me a frightful amount of time to reduce the coconut oil enough!!)

I've not had the chance to try the C-5 soap yet, it's 10 days old today, and just made my 10th batch at C-0 (which really isn't true, but SoapCalc doesn't handle Olive Oil correctly, at least in terms of the cleansing #). But I have tried all the other soaps. This is what happened:

All my soaps have ameliorated the weird alien-face pulling, but I still feel varying amounts of tightness. After washing my face with the first few soaps, there was a short delay before some tightness set in. With the C-14 and 13 soaps, there's a longer delay of 2 or 3 minutes before I have to reach for the moisturizer. I am expecting that with the C-5 and C-0, whether I moisturize will become a choice rather than a necessity.

I had similar results. As I stepped dn the cleansing valued the amt of time b4 I needed moisterizer shortened. Even when I got to 0 I still needed moisterizer but later. Im intetested to know ur results for C5 and C0. Please share when they r ready.

Im currently soaping at C7 myself.

Just started showering my version of the @Zany_in_CO zoap (C-O) although I’m not crazy bout the low lather and oleic gel, my skin felt amazing after. My hands were SO soft. Im going to give this recipie some more thought.

Btrw...I was an Italian grease bkt until accutane and then later when I entered my 50s when my skin totally dried out.

@Donee' Bronner was my go to soap until I started making my own. It was good at the time but not fab. I have some liquid that Im using up for hand washing. Its very drying compared to my bars.

 

[cmzaha]

hmmmm I made a bar of just peppermint. haven't tried it yet--now I am kinda scared to . I did send one to my son and daughter in law--better warn them about their privates. I need to grab a bar for my morning shower I think--oh boy!!

Do not use Peppermint soap on girlie parts, you will be hating it I put a warning label on my Peppermint EO soaps, it does not happen with Fo or not with any Peppermint FO I have tried. It will burn most mucous membrane.

 

[Donee']

I had similar results. As I stepped dn the cleansing valued the amt of time b4 I needed moisterizer shortened. Even when I got to 0 I still needed moisterizer but later. Im intetested to know ur results for C5 and C0. Please share when they r ready.

Im currently soaping at C7 myself.

Just started showering my version of the @Zany_in_CO zoap (C-O) although I’m not crazy bout the low lather and oleic gel, my skin felt amazing after. My hands were SO soft. Im going to give this recipie some more thought.

Btrw...I was an Italian grease bkt until accutane and then later when I entered my 50s when my skin totally dried out.

@Donee' Bronner was my go to soap until I started making my own. It was good at the time but not fab. I have some liquid that Im using up for hand washing. Its very drying compared to my bars.

I have just heard so much about bronners - it seems like the miracle "organic" soap that all the vegans go for. It also seems to be a multi-tasker soap.

 

[cmzaha]

I hate Bronners

 

[Meena]

I have just heard so much about bronners - it seems like the miracle "organic" soap that all the vegans go for. It also seems to be a multi-tasker soap.

It's a multi tasker alright. It was the organic go to because it was the pioneer and all we had competing with Lever Bros. et alia.
I would have bought it forever if I didn't start making my own.
I always diluted it, which is or was the directions. It would be more cleansing if undiluted .

 

[Donee']

It's a multi tasker alright. It was the organic go to because it was the pioneer and all we had competing with Lever Bros. et alia.
I would have bought it forever if I didn't start making my own.
I always diluted it, which is or was the directions. It would be more cleansing if undiluted .

But there is just no going back when you make your own soap
And everyone will agree on that one!

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

Do not use Peppermint soap on girlie parts, you will be hating it I put a warning label on my Peppermint EO soaps, it does not happen with Fo or not with any Peppermint FO I have tried. It will burn most mucous membrane.

I must not have used enough cuz it was a very refreshing shower--loved the smell and no burn. mine is an EO

 

[dibbles]

I must not have used enough cuz it was a very refreshing shower--loved the smell and no burn. mine is an EO

If you were happy with the amount of scent and didn’t have any bad reactions, I’d say you used just the right amount.

 

[IrishLass]

I find Dr. Bronners to be great for cleaning things rather than my actual body, because it's just way too cleansing/drying to my skin. With the first 3 ingredients being Coconut oil, KOH and PKO, it's no wonder. My brother bought a gallon container of it once with which to shower, and after just one use he removed it from the shower and relegated it to the cleaning closet to be used as a cleanser for his toilet instead. lol

Do not use Peppermint soap on girlie parts, you will be hating it

Or on guy parts either. I make what I find to be a lovely, refreshing peppermint soap with WSP's Peppermint Stick FO, which my hubby and son promptly dubbed the "Evil Soap' after just one use. Yeahhhhh..... it's the only soap of mine that they steer clear of. I love using it in the summertime when temps soar into the triple digits. I only ever use enough of the FO to feel refreshing to me without burning, but apparently my 'just enough' turned out to be way too much for them.

it does not happen with Fo or not with any Peppermint FO I have tried.

You should try WSP's Peppermint Stick.....or on second thought, maybe not.


IrishLass

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

I only ever use enough of the FO to feel refreshing to me without burning, but apparently my 'just enough' turned out to be way too much for them.

peppermint pansies haha--sounds like some people don't have a problem with peppermint