Soap recipe based on a salve / Maximum EO?

[big_onion]

Hello!

I'm working on trying something out that seems a bit odd. There's a salve we like to use (it comes in a 2 oz container) with a number of essential oils (about .57oz per each 2oz of salve) to make a healing ointment -- it does pretty good for rashes and skin issues. I'm trying to figure a way of making a soap using similar oils, since I think it might be good for some larger-sized skin issues, but that ratio .57:2 is way too high for soap.

My question, then, is how much oil is too much? I'm thinking these EOs would be added at the end, but I'm thinking too much would make it a slimy mess. I'm thinking 1 oz for a 1 lb batch? Or could I go up to 2 oz? Should I not bother superfatting if I'm adding this much in EOs? (In case it matters, I'm using the crockpot hot process method. I'm too impatient for CP soap. Hehe.)

I'm fairly new to soap making -- I only have two batches under my belt! Just experimenting with some small batch stuff to learn how the whole process goes, and to try and help my girlfriend. Winter usually causes a bunch of skin issues for her, and the salve is just way too oily to use on more than a small patch.

Thanks for your help. I know I don't post much -- I'm much more of a lurker around here. This weekend I'll be taking a shot at a shaving soap. Trying to get some Christmas presents lined up.

PS. I found this out the hard way: Using a lye discount on lamb fat soap is not a great idea. It took us a few days, but after asking, "Why does it smell like meat in the shower?" we figured it out. Doh.

 

[KimHartley24]

I think typically you use 1 oz. potent oils per 1 pound of carrier oil. Keep in mind where a salve is able to sit on the skin and make it's way past skin's acid mantle (the barrier that keeps baddies out) soap is quickly washed off and most of the benefits from EOs are lost. They will work at a reduced level, of course, but compared to making a oil-in-water lotion that would be lighter and less greasy but would still have the chance to sink in over the course of the day soap just wont compare.

That aside, adding EO's to soap is better than no EO's at all! Doing HP, I would superfat at at least 10%, use very little coconut oil... if any at all... cocoa butter is good to add in because it encourages skin to renew itself quicker and remain stretchy and will add conditioning benefits to the soap. Olive oil is a good oil to have in becaue it's really gentle for those with skin issues... a lot of people who have psoriasis or eczema use castille (100% olive oil) soap and it helps their skin clear up because it's not irritating. I've heard lard or tallow are really good at creating a hard long lasting bar with good cleaning without overdrying... that might be a good base oil to have! I'm new and don't know a lot about how the carrier oils play out after saponification... if I've said anything that's wrong please correct me fellow soapers!! <3<3<3

I've also been told that curing is good for HP soap too! It'll make it gentler but also help work up a better lather and have a less slimy feeling because it will melt slower. I'd also imagine that less alkaline soap is left on the skin because it wont be as sticky... that means it'll take less time for her skin to return to a normal acidic pH level which is really important when skin is sluggish.

I have to go, but if I think of anything else that someone else hasn't mentioned, I'll come back! <3

I've been writing kinda aimlessly thinking of what would be could for sensitive/sensitized skin so sorry if I left out an element to your question or went in the completely wrong direction!! Haha

 

[orangeblossom]

When we have rashes or skin redness here, we don't use soap (gasp!) we use diluted vinegar. We often put a cup or two of any kind of vinegar into the tub, and take vinegar-water baths. It is slightly acidic, and cleans well, and has a nice affinity for the skin.

I don't think that you can get much healing from soap, as you are washing it off immediately. But scenting it the way you like makes sense. And I haven't done HP, but 100% olive oil castille soap is super gentle, and doesn't wash away so much of the skin's needed oils.


Other than that, I don't know how to answer your questions! I think that EO's evaporate some, no matter what, so yeah, adding more may or may not be useful.

 

[soapbuddy]

Whether you make the soap as CP or crockpot, you still need to superfat it. Essential oils are not used to calculate the total amount of your batch. I would add the essential oils to some mild oil like jojoba instead of using them in soap. You will get more therapeutic properties from essential oils this way.

 

[big_onion]

Thanks for the replies. My girlfriend, who tasked me with this venture, said that she's mostly looking for something that would not just be good for skin issues, but also for cleaning some light wounds (scrapes, etc.) since that's what the salve is usually used on.

I made a 1lb batch last night. The basics were:

10% Avacado
30% Coconut
30% Lamb tallow
30% Olive oil

I used coconut milk instead of water for the lye mixture, I added about .25oz of Vitamin E at trace, then added about 1.0+oz of the mixture of EOs at the end. (I had added jojoba to the EO mixture, so that was part of the 1.0oz.)

I had trace at about 2 minutes and the soap was done after about 20 mins. Maybe not even that long. I think that might've been because I had my oils a little on the hot side (I set it on high to melt them down and wait for my girlfriend to come home with the EO mixture). The coconut milk I used had a LOT of oil in it (about half the can was oil) ... when I mixed in the lye it got that yellowish "I'm about to saponify!" color, so I quickly added it to the oils. I'm guessing that oil in the coconut milk acted as an additional superfat?

There was some blue chamomile in the EO mixture, as well as some tinctures, and the whole soap turned (what I think) is a pretty lovely green.

I sliced some off this morning -- really nice bubbles, but a pretty soft bar of soap. I'm going to let it sit for a bit to harden up and see how it does.

As soon as she uploads the pictures I'll post them here.

Some things I'd change:

Probably not so much coconut oil. More jojoba at the end as a superfat. Maybe a smidge more vitamin E (.5oz instead of .25). I'd like to try more of the EO mixture, and I think it could handle it. This isn't supposed to be a pretty smelling hand soap, but a good utility soap with a special purpose. I'll have to tinker with it some more. I was really looking for a gentle soap that doesn't have TOO high a cleansing value. Since this would be for light wounds (scratches) and skin irritations, I thought a higher conditioning value and the vitamin E would be important things.

(PS - I was asked not to share the breakdown of the EO mixture, since her boss uses the salve as part of her veterinary practice. She'll be bringing the soap in to her boss to see if it's something they might be able to use there.)

 

[soapbuddy]

Unless you are doing HP or crockpot soap, there is no need to add the jojoba at the end as a superfat. At trace, the lye is still quite active and it will take whatever it wants. Add all your oils right up front.

 

[big_onion]

Unless you are doing HP or crockpot soap, there is no need to add the jojoba at the end as a superfat. At trace, the lye is still quite active and it will take whatever it wants. Add all your oils right up front.

Whoops. Definitely using crock pot method. Sorry I didn't clarify that!

 

[carebear]

use care. some EOs are not benign and using over a broad area of skin, or using when pores are open or skin is hot or flushed may not be safe.

maximum will depend on your EOs.
the decision should be made by someone who knows their EOs very well.