I made the sensitive skin bar (FKA "eczema bar")!

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JayJay

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Hi everyone! Last week I posted a question about making an eczema safe soap for my coworkers hubby and toddler. I got LOADS of wonderful information, along with warnings against making soap (as a beginner) for people with eczema. As a result, I decided to just make a mild bar for myself instead of making and "eczema soap" for my co worker. People gave me lots of suggestions, including the following recipe from Susie.

"Try something like this, I think you will love it.

Coconut Oil 15%
Olive Oil 20-25%
Castor Oil 5%(got to have my lather)
The remainder in lard.
Superfat 5-8%(I do not like higher superfat, I think it decreases my lather)
Sugar 1 tsp/PPO

Cure minimum 4-6 weeks. Then please let us know what you think, so we can help you tweak it to your preferences.(Might be wise to start a new thread then with the recipe and what you think of it.)"

So, I tried it. It went off without a hitch! Here is a picture of the bars while they cure.

I also became anxious and cooked the extra batter in my crock pot so that I can test the soap sooner than 6 weeks. Hey, I'm still new and excited(hehe). Here is a pic of the HP soap as well.

I tested a little of the HP batch and I like it already. It feels silky to the touch and it feels gentle on my skin! Thanks Susie!

I really appreciate everyone for their help! I can't tell you how nice it is to have others to talk to about soap. No one in my real life is interested. :)

Thanks for being awesome!

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Very nice, but wait for cure and then you are going to love it. I bet you will not touch commercial soap again, It happened to me. I would touch commercial but my family will not;))
 
good job

i have super sensitive skin and i see people sticking things that are irritants in bars of soap and labeling it as a soap for sensitive skin. things like mango butter (astringent) and tea tree oil (an irritant for many people). any time a fat says its astringent, dont use it for a sensitive skin bar.

and for me, a big one is ALOE. sooooooo many people put aloe in soap for sensitive skin, and maybe it does work for some, but for me it burns my skin off!!!! before i started making my own stuff it was sooooo hard for me to find products for sensitive skin that had no aloe!

best to keep sensitive skin bars free from pretty much everything!! and i find having creamy fats in there helps (like cocoa butter or shea). i dont know if lard acts similar because i dont use it and have not used a bar with it.
 
jnl said:
good job

i have super sensitive skin and i see people sticking things that are irritants in bars of soap and labeling it as a soap for sensitive skin. things like mango butter (astringent) and tea tree oil (an irritant for many people). any time a fat says its astringent, dont use it for a sensitive skin bar.

and for me, a big one is ALOE. sooooooo many people put aloe in soap for sensitive skin, and maybe it does work for some, but for me it burns my skin off!!!! before i started making my own stuff it was sooooo hard for me to find products for sensitive skin that had no aloe!

best to keep sensitive skin bars free from pretty much everything!! and i find having creamy fats in there helps (like cocoa butter or shea). i dont know if lard acts similar because i dont use it and have not used a bar with it.
Click to expand...

How does your doing react to soap made with coconut milk?
 
jnl, do you not use lard b/c you are vegeterian or otherwise opposed to animal fats, or b/c you think you won't like it? Just curious. I kind of love the stuff - also it is cheap, so much more so than butters - but am not vegetarian/vegan.
 
i eat meat (rarely) but i think smearing a dead animal on me is gross. i dont think an animal should die for me to have soap. and the argument that the animal is going to die anyways has no merit with me. any time you use a product, you increase the pressure on the market for it. i am not 100% against it, i just dont want to use it. and have not felt the need to use it either.

if i cared about making things as cheap as possible i would use olive pomace and canola and other GMO or solvent extracted oils.
and if i cared about price i would go to the dollar store and buy my soap there.

if im going to make soap (and other stuff), i want the best quality i can get, and as ethical as i can make it.

even loading my products up on cocoa butter and argan oil and camelina oil is still cheaper than buying store bought garbage.
 
With animal fats, are you actually increasing the pressure? The majority of animals killed is for meat, which leaves a ready supply of fats for us to use. I doubt that more animals would have to be killed to keep up with the fat demand.

So if anything, using lard is very ethical as it reduces waste.

Also, consider how much of the fat is left as fat. If you do a 50% lard soap with a 5% sf, only 2.5% of the lard is still dead animal, the rest is a salt. So then how much soap do we use per use? A tiny amount. 2.5% of that tiny amount is lard.

Personally, I get more animal fat on my face when I eat meat than I do when I use my soaps!
 
I am so glad that recipe worked well for you! And trust me, after using your own soap for a month or so, you will never want to use store bought soap again! I bring my own soap when I go out of town, I don't even want to use the hotel soap for one or two nights!
 
"Personally, I get more animal fat on my face when I eat meat than I do when I use my soaps!"

EG, this made me laugh. I don't eat that much red meat these days, but if I order a hamburger in a good place, I want it to pose the danger of dripping down my chin. If I am w/others, I will try to avoid disgusting them by using a knife and fork, though :)
 
You all are funny!

Thanks for the complements. :)

All of the handmade soaps that I have purchased at farmers markets and such were all vegetarian or vegan. I have never seen lard listed on an ingredient list of a handmade soap. Maybe the folks this area is not animal fat friendly.

I can picture my house guests freaking out after they ask me what's in the bar of soap that they just enjoyed in the shower.
 
If people are asking what is in the soap, just explain what the scent is. That is usually what they want to know after smelling the yummy stuff they just showered with. Only explain the oils if they specifically ask about the other ingredients. Unless you have crunchy vegan friends and family, in which case, it is more soap for you, LOL.
 
I like the recipe, plan to try it and incorporate goat milk as well. Re: the animal fat controversy, I was a totally proud vegan soap maker for years then decided to try making goat milk soap - how nice that stuff is, a prime ingredient for me these days. Having taken that leap (and "sensing" a coming resurgence for lard/tallow) I tried both and what a difference! There are misconceptions about lard/tallow not based on meaningful facts - same as "organic", what does that really mean? A little research might be an eye-opener in both areas.
 
MM, I recently let someone stay in my apt for a month who was a vegan ( I was staying with my sister for health reasons, the visitor was a friend of my best friend). I kind of admire vegans generally b/c they give up a lot, although the Lord (or whatever is out there) knows I will never be one.

When I came home I discovered her soaps in my shower (BF/Ryan, our mutual friend was like "really? Soap is the last thing someone would need to take into your apt, a steam cleaner would have been better.") Anyway, it was kind of interesting to try her soap, it was v. cleansing but v. drying, obviously no animal fats and also a super low SF amt.

I don't think this is so much about soapmakers rather than individual vegans - obviously you can make a nice, moisturizing soap w/all vegan ingredients - but it did make me think about the fact that I don't want to give up lard, tallow and 7.5 superfat. Just woolgathering, sorry.
 

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