Why could this soap be making me itchy?

[Cuckoo Bananas]

I really can't figure it out. Of all the soap I have ever made none has ever made me itchy but this batch is. And it is very sporadic, it's not all over itchy, one time it was just a couple of itchy spots on my torso and then just now it has been my legs...weird because I am using it on a washcloth all over my body, itch isn't sever and goes away in a hour but still annoying.

Somebody else used it and I asked them - they said they used it in the bath and didn't notice their body itchy but had an itchy hand the other day and had no idea why.

I've used all these ingredients before but in different ratios and like I say never had a problem with them - could it be that any of these things are known for itchyness when used in these ratios?

Recipe:

24.95 oz palm oil
8.15 oz shea butter
6.9 oz jojoba oil

15.2 oz water
4.80 oz lye

Tiny bit of red oxide mixed in for colour, I used such big amounts of shea and jojoba because I needed to use them up.

 

[Lindy]

Do you have a sensitivity to latex? If you do the shea could be bothering you...

 

[Sunny]

no FO?

 

[herbaliser]

Tiny bit of red oxide mixed in for colour, I used such big amounts of shea and jojoba because I needed to use them up.

dun dun dunnnnn

Actually I have no idea.

 

[Pretty n Plain]

cb are you sure it's the soap? I ask this because on the odd occasion I would break out in an itch (not all over just some parts like on my belly or neck) after a shower, it wasn't until later I found out that it was the towel, one of our dogs would like the feeling of the towel rubbing over her back whilst the towel was hanging on the railing outside, it took a few times for me to realise what was going on.

 

[Sunny]

cb are you sure it's the soap? I ask this because on the odd occasion I would break out in an itch (not all over just some parts like on my belly or neck) after a shower, it wasn't until later I found out that it was the towel, one of our dogs would like the feeling of the towel rubbing over her back whilst the towel was hanging on the railing outside, it took a few times for me to realise what was going on.

HA! my dog wants to do this too. If I hang my towel over the radiator (closer to the ground) instead of the shower rod, my dog wants to rub on it. loves wet towels.

I agree that it could be something else besides the soap... could be anything. If you used a FO/EO that's my first guess but you didn't mention it.

 

[Healinya]

My dog does that, too... I thought he was such a weirdo, but glad to see it's pretty normal. If I am laying in my recliner with a blanket, he walks back and forth under my feet.. towels hanging in the garage, and also tablecloths lol

I would lean towards thinking it isn't the soap as well, because of where you say the itching occurs... You say it's sporadic, on torso and legs... If you experienced it in more sensitive areas (like neck, underarms, inner thighs, under the breasts) then it would be a little more possible.

Also, keep in mind, that anybody can become allergic to anything at anytime.. our bodies protect us from elemental/foreign hazards, and sometimes mistakes something safe as toxic.. Your recipe is so peaceful tho, nothing should really be irritating in there..

However, now I just ran recipe through soapcalc.. It shows a superfat of just about 4%. Is that normal for you? Most people consider 5% to be standard starting point, so maybe if your other batches are higher, you are noticing the difference..

 

[Cuckoo Bananas]

It could well be something else, I just washed with it again, and hardly no itch this time.

There was no FO or EO in this one, just what I wrote out as the recipe. And I had just punched the numbers thro soap calc at the default 5% superfat setting to get the lye and water amounts. When I did it it did say lye to be something like 4.78oz but because my scales don't read that I just found a spot between 4.75 and 4.80 oz when I did it but wrote 4.8oz in my soap diary.

I think everything else is fine as I was keeping everything the same but just alternating the soaps to find that the bar in question was making me a little itchy. It could well be something creepy crawly that may have wandered over that soap bar though, as I do leave them outside on a shelf to cure, it does have a cotton cover but creepy things have been known to get in there at times, and I do get itchy from lots of creepy things.

 

[soapbuddy]

For me, that would be shea that's the culprit.

 

[Soapy Gurl]

Shea and jojoba are some of the least irritating butter/oils known. They are always recommended for skin irritations. Shea butter is in everything! Jojoba is the closest oil to sebum so it absorbs wonderfully and doesn't cause irritation. I have used both individually as moisturizers for my face since I have acne issues. I think your soap would be great! But we all can have individual sensitivities.

 

[Cuckoo Bananas]

OK so the soap doesn't make me itchy at all anymore, infact I'm loving the bar, very strange, I wonder why on earth I was feeling itchy, guess I'll never know...

 

[Sunny]

OK so the soap doesn't make me itchy at all anymore, infact I'm loving the bar, very strange, I wonder why on earth I was feeling itchy, guess I'll never know...

Watch what you are eating and see if anything affects you...

 

[AmorAroma]

could it possibly have just needed a longer curing time?

I find some formulas do need an extra week or two...

 

[soapbuddy]

could it possibly have just needed a longer curing time?

I find some formulas do need an extra week or two...

I bet that's what it was.

 

[Cuckoo Bananas]

I bet that is so what it was - it just needed that extra week!!! So makes sense now ....ahhhh the satisfaction of knowing - or at least thinking I know now haha