Darn that coconut oil itch!

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Arthur Dent

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Location
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I can tolerate (and quite like) salt bars with 80% or so coconut oil and 20% sf and various percentages of salt, so I don't think I have a general intolerance to coconut oil. But any time I try to use much more than 5% CO in a "normal" recipe it makes me itchy. I have played with high olive oil, high lard, and many in between, with sf from 3% up to 8%. I have a couple of high lard recipes with 5% and 0% CO that are my go-to recipes, but of course they are low bubblers. I have tried up to 2 tbsp sugar ppo and it helps, but just isn't the same. (I have plenty of honey from our hives, haven't tried that yet) I have recently started playing with dual lye, those batches are still curing.
I haven't played with any fancy oils, mostly lard, palm, olive, coconut, avocado, HO safflower, HO sunflower, and castor.
So am I making this more difficult than it needs to be? Should I just take one of my go-to's, add some CO, and start upping the sf and see if it hits a "sweet spot" or just gets icky? I know too high a sf will start cutting the bubbles.
 
Arthur, I think your idea of adjusting your go-to recipe a tiny bit at a time to find that 'sweet spot' is a rational starting point.

Another thought I have is egg yolk. My skin doesn't like high CO content in soap either, but I find that with egg yolk as one of the ingredients in a higher than normal-for-me CO content soap is more acceptable. Maybe you might experience the same.
 
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The babassu oil is very expensive, your soap will cost a lot if your recipe is 80%. The 1000 grams of babassu in uk cost £14.50.
 
The babassu oil is very expensive, your soap will cost a lot if your recipe is 80%. The 1000 grams of babassu in uk cost £14.50.

Thankfully a lot cheaper in the US where OP is located.

https://www.soaperschoice.com/babassubabassu $4.32/lbs on here, sold in 7lbs tubs.

For smaller amounts to try, there's always Bulk Apothecary: http://www.bulkapothecary.com/raw-ingredients/bulk-natural-oils/babassu-oil/ (15oz for $9).

And he mentioned that he can tolerate high CO salt bars, but is trying to find a solution to use it in smaller percentages in non-salt bar recipes.
 
My mother has had itchy skin issues even using Dove body wash, so I made her some HP soap with cocoa butter and shea butter as super fat.

She used it the first time today, and reports that she doesn't have itchy skin, at least for tonight.

Might want to give it a try
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll do some experimenting with upping the sf on one of my "good but itchy" recipes and see how that goes. And I must read up on the use of egg yolk, had not heard of that until now. I'll reserve the babussu, PKO, and butters for a last resort, as I hate ordering stuff unless I just have to.
 
the best soap for my itchy skin is Buttermilk baby soap with Zinc oxide, it is loved by me like no other soaps and actually I have almost 600 bars. People claim that the ones i put shea butter in it, it helps with itchy skin ....... Coconut milk and Zinc oxide for people with itchy skin, works like a charm
 
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