The Search for an Anti-Acne Soap

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I'm sorry, no one in my household is going to quit eating dairy products. It's just not going to happen. 🙂
If that is the cause of her acne, then she's just going to have acne. 🤷‍♀️ That's what she said when I told her. 😉
I don't remember all the differences between goat and cow milk, but they are different. I know that cow's milk seems to be a trigger for me - other cow dairy products, not so much. Though I love cheese and yogurt, I don't ever consume much of them at any one time, so maybe that is why. But I digress, my point is goat milk may not be a trigger anyway as it has different properties.
I hope to have dairy goats one day, so I guess I will test it out then.
 
years ago, i had a boyfriend with cystic acne (before i made soap) his dermatologist gave him doxy but it was not great so i looked for a natural remedy, doxy wasn't nearly as effective as oregano oil was. oregano oil is one of natures antibiotics but much more effective honestly. his face was clear for the first time in 6 years after using it daily with a q-tip and he was so grateful. which brings me to this
For a soap recipe i have looked EVERYWHERE and i don't see any super reliable recipes for adding oregano oil to a soap base or cp/hp soap. oregano is super strong and can tingle on your skin which is why i wanted to find a recipe that works but doesn't tingle much but i haven't found one i'm sure of. the struggle is real lol hope this somehow helps! maybe someone here will know of a good recipe using oregano oil :p
 
So did he put the oregano oil directly on his face or diluted with a carrier oil? I do have some oregano eos. 🤔 She has a face lotion that she makes for herself and has been experimenting with different types of eos. Maybe oregano would be one to try. Smellin' like pizza would be a bonus. 🍕😄
 
I don't remember all the differences between goat and cow milk, but they are different. I know that cow's milk seems to be a trigger for me - other cow dairy products, not so much. Though I love cheese and yogurt, I don't ever consume much of them at any one time, so maybe that is why. But I digress, my point is goat milk may not be a trigger anyway as it has different properties.
I hope to have dairy goats one day, so I guess I will test it out then.
I was wondering this myself. Goats milk tend to be a lot easier for your body to digest than cows milk. We haven't been drinking it exclusively for very long, but maybe that alone will make a difference!
 
Here's some of the things I try to have my almost 15 year old daughter do: lots and lots of water, minimal to no sugar and sugar containing foods, change her pillowcase several times a week as the oils build up fast in the fabric, and try not to pick.
 
I know I wrote this in another thread, but I am going to repeat it here. I am 70 years old with sensitive dry skin, and about 2-3 years ago, I developed cystic acne around my mouth, chin, nose. It is called perioral acne. It preceded the pandemic by several months, so it wasn't caused by wearing a mask during the pandemic. Anyway, there are lots of things that can cause it, so I began trying them all, one at a time. (In fact, changing toothpaste, eating acidic foods, etc. can cause this in some people, and I have found that many toothpastes will make me break out.) Nothing I had done got rid of it. I went to the dermatologist, knowing she had little to offer me in the way of a "cure", but I wanted to get her advice. (I should say at this point that I am an advanced practice nurse, and I had done lots of research into this problem. What helps one person doesn't necessarily help another.) She didn't have any recommendations that I had not tried. In further research, I found that some people saw real improvement by using a face wash with salicyclic acid, so I bought a kit from Exposed Skincare and tried it. It comes with a SA face wash, SA toner, benzoyl peroxide cream, SA gel, and moisturizer. I thought this would give me several products to try in combination to see which combo might help. It took about a month to see improvement and then in another month, it was gone. I had totally clear skin again!

Through experimentation, I figured out that the SA face wash, SA toner, and benzoyl peroxide cream was what cleared my skin. I did not buy another kit, and I still have some product left from the first kit I bought. I now use only CeraVe Renewing Face Wash with Salicylic Acid on my face, and it has remained clear for the most part. When I have a minor flare, I use the benzoyl peroxide cream on that area, and it goes away quickly. I found using SA wash to be a minor miracle for my skin. The CeraVe does not dry my skin, but it makes it clear and smooth as a baby's butt. It is difficult to find in stores, so I order it from Target online. A bottle of it lasts forever. I am not affiliated with Exposed Skincare or CeraVe, so this is not a commercial announcement!
 
This is a great recipe and I use sweet orange essential oil instead of tea tree bc I just can't stand the smell 🤢

https://www.brambleberry.com/shop-by-product/kits/soap-making/charcoal-facial-soap-kit/V700037.html
Hi there,
I’m a new soap maker, but I’m experienced with essential oils, and I just saw your comment about using sweet orange oil for your face soap. You may already be aware, or have greater knowledge than I do, but I just wanted to let you know to be careful about putting citrus oils on the skin, because they can make you photosensitive. I’m not sure about the soaping process on essential oils, regarding how much is lost during saponification, but I’d hate for someone to use a bar of soap as a cleansing facial bar for acne, only to get a sunburn afterwards. Have a great day!

So did he put the oregano oil directly on his face or diluted with a carrier oil? I do have some oregano eos. 🤔 She has a face lotion that she makes for herself and has been experimenting with different types of eos. Maybe oregano would be one to try. Smellin' like pizza would be a bonus. 🍕😄
Please never put oregano essential oil directly on the skin. It is a hot oil, and it will most definitely burn the skin. Any skin. Always use a carrier oil with oregano.
 
I absolutely would not waste my money on that kit. Tamanu oil is an expensive waste in soap and all the properties of the wonderful Tamanu are lost in soap. It is an oil you want to use in a leave-in product.

I used to make a light salt bar with 20% neem oil that sold fantastically to girls with acne. I sold it as Trouble Friendly. It was the only "Salt Bar", that was only 20% salt and contained charcoal and low CO/PKO. I also made a Charcoal Soleseife bar that sold well, which was my only higher superfat, 11%, bar due to the high charcoal and 25% salt brine solution.

Good Morning as a follow up to your suggestion on making salt bars, I find salt bars "sweat" a lot and so its difficult for to sell unless its a custom order. Even wrapping in saran wrap doesnt help.. it gets messy. How do we prevent the "sweat"/
 
Good Morning as a follow up to your suggestion on making salt bars, I find salt bars "sweat" a lot and so its difficult for to sell unless its a custom order. Even wrapping in saran wrap doesnt help.. it gets messy. How do we prevent the "sweat"/
Okay, I don't know much about soap making yet, but I do know about salt.

Did you use natural salt like Himalayan or dead sea salt? Those attract moisture from the air and "sweat". Something like table salt shouldn't do that.
 
Used in a high enough quantity, any salt will make soap sweat, unless the soap is stored in a fairly low-humidity environment. Since "salt bars" usually contain 50% to 100% salt as a percentage of oil weight, they can and frequently do get sweaty. I happen to live in a fairly dry area, and only use 50% salt, so my salt bars don't sweat until I leave them in the shower, where the shower steam does cause sweating.

Regarding Dead Sea Salt, that should not be used in soap at all. The minerals and other compounds will not only cause the bars to sweat; the soap will eventually dissolve into a gooey messy puddle.

Himalayan salt is typically way too scratchy to use in soap; it can actually cut the skin. I've had good luck with the finely ground Himalayan salt from Costco, but I seem to be an anomaly in that.
 
Once I get some basic recipes under my belt, I would love to try and find a cold process soap to make for my sister who suffers from acne, face and body. She has loved charcoal soap in the past so I definitely want it to include charcoal, but other than that she doesn't really have any preferences. Anyone have a "life-changing" acne fighting soap recipe? 😅

Just wanted to jump in here to suggest Zany's No-Slime Castile soap recipe. Having had a child with severe acne as a teen, I'm of the opinion that no soap will really fight acne. I think the best it can do is clean gently and not aggravate it. Zany's recipe will certainly do that. I use it regularly on my 55 year old face and love it. (I do use a slightly higher lye discount.) And this reminds me...I'm down to one bar so I better go make a batch. Thanks Zany!
 
Right. That scared me a little. Wasn’t sure who to reply to, but I figured my comment would get seen one way or another. Oils are great, but they still have to be treated with knowledge, care, and respect.
I completely agree, it was smart of you to point it out. 🙂 You never know what kind of foolish things might get into a beginner's head.
 
Please never put oregano essential oil directly on the skin. It is a hot oil, and it will most definitely burn the skin. Any skin. Always use a carrier oil with oregano.
Thank you for chiming in. With most hot oils, I can't use them in any amount on my skin, even heavily diluted, whether in soap or oils. My skin burns and turns red, my blood pressure shoots up, and my heart begins racing. If I had a heart condition, this level of reaction could send me into cardiac arrest. Even tea tree is a no-go for me unless it is very small amounts that are heavily diluted.

I also have to be careful with how much rosemary EO I use around my house, because it triggers seizures for a friend who has epilepsy.
 
Thank you for chiming in. With most hot oils, I can't use them in any amount on my skin, even heavily diluted, whether in soap or oils. My skin burns and turns red, my blood pressure shoots up, and my heart begins racing. If I had a heart condition, this level of reaction could send me into cardiac arrest. Even tea tree is a no-go for me unless it is very small amounts that are heavily diluted.

I also have to be careful with how much rosemary EO I use around my house, because it triggers seizures for a friend who has epilepsy.
Did you know that sniffing rosemary can improve your memory? Although i don't know how Rosemary feels about that.
 
Once I get some basic recipes under my belt, I would love to try and find a cold process soap to make for my sister who suffers from acne, face and body. She has loved charcoal soap in the past so I definitely want it to include charcoal, but other than that she doesn't really have any preferences. Anyone have a "life-changing" acne fighting soap recipe? 😅
I I was advised many years ago to start using dandruff shampoo with salicylic acid (aspirin). I did, and my forehead, shoulder and chest acne cleared right up. I'm 58 now and I still use it...because if I don't (even at my age), I'll break out. And yes, dairy does cause acne, but if it's not possible to stop consuming it, look into a good dandruff shampoo....and moisturize after. I make my own beeswax/shea/meadowfoam seed oil lotion bars.
 
Good Morning as a follow up to your suggestion on making salt bars, I find salt bars "sweat" a lot and so its difficult for to sell unless its a custom order. Even wrapping in saran wrap doesnt help.. it gets messy. How do we prevent the "sweat"/

Okay, I don't know much about soap making yet, but I do know about salt.

Did you use natural salt like Himalayan or dead sea salt? Those attract moisture from the air and "sweat". Something like table salt shouldn't do that.
Used in a high enough quantity, any salt will make soap sweat, unless the soap is stored in a fairly low-humidity environment. Since "salt bars" usually contain 50% to 100% salt as a percentage of oil weight, they can and frequently do get sweaty. I happen to live in a fairly dry area, and only use 50% salt, so my salt bars don't sweat until I leave them in the shower, where the shower steam does cause sweating.

Regarding Dead Sea Salt, that should not be used in soap at all. The minerals and other compounds will not only cause the bars to sweat; the soap will eventually dissolve into a gooey messy puddle.

Himalayan salt is typically way too scratchy to use in soap; it can actually cut the skin. I've had good luck with the finely ground Himalayan salt from Costco, but I seem to be an anomaly in that.

I think it's hard to make a blanket statement when there are so many variables around the world.

I made salt bars with an equal amount of table salt to the same amount of oils. (100% salt or a 1:1 ratio of salt to oils). I live in a very humid area during the summertime, but there are far more humid places on earth, and even in my own country, so I decided to do a test of said soap in a higher humidity climate. I also wrapped my bars in Shrink Wrap, the smell-through kind. I did not leave any holes in the shrink wrap knowing that I'd be going to a high humid area; I double shrink wrapped a couple of bars because they had a tiny hole at the seams and I wanted to be sure they were as well wrapped as possible.

With the shrink wrap on tight and not opened, the bars did not sweat in the high humidity of Hawaii on either of the two islands where I tested the soap. I left the soap (wrapped) outdoors on the lanai for 48 hours and still no sweating.

But as soon as I removed the shrink wrap, they beaded up like dew on the morning grass and never lost that dew except while in use, then later beaded up again as they sat around in the humidity.

Now, I cannot say that had I been in Jamaica or Florida or a rain forest that the result would have been the same, because I truly do not know. I also know that plastic wrap is permeable so some moisture can pass the barrier (reference), so eventually, I do believe the high humidity would be a problem if I were to leave these shrink wrapped soaps out and exposed to the humidity.

However, I do NOT keep my wrapped salt soaps out in the open. I keep them inside a box where they are protected from the humidity.

So my suggestion to anyone living in a very humid climate is to shrink wrap your salt soaps AND store them in a container like a cardboard box with a tightly fitting lid and possibly put a desiccant in the box with the soaps, and check on them regularly to see if the desiccant needs to be replaced. Additionally, if your humidity is so high that it makes your cardboard boxes soggy (I have seen this happen in high humidity), you may need to take further measures to reduce humidity in your storage area, such as a dehumidifier.
 
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