100% neem oil soap?

[Bhagyalakshmy]

Was wondering whether anyone has tried 100% neem oil soap? Will it smell horrible?

 

[Obsidian]

I did. It was smelly but not excessively horrible. Unfortunately, I can't find where I hid it so I don't know how it mellows with age.

 

[Bhagyalakshmy]

I did. It was smelly but not excessively horrible. Unfortunately, I can't find where I hid it so I don't know how it mellows with age.

thank you. It’s supposed to be good for skin. So was wondering. May be should try with 50% CO and 50% neem oil.

 

[Obsidian]

I've also made soap with 35% neem and it also smelled pretty strong.

A 50% coconut oil soap will be harsh. What other oils do you have available.

 

[Bhagyalakshmy]

I've also made soap with 35% neem and it also smelled pretty strong.

A 50% coconut oil soap will be harsh. What other oils do you have available.

I have castor oil, coconut oil, groundnut oil, sesame oil and olive pomace. I have Shea Butter too.

 

[DeeAnna]

An 85% neem, 15% coconut oil blend makes soap that lathers well yet is mild to the skin. The neem I used has cured out to a mild odor something like black tea. I gather the odor of neem can vary, so I can't guarantee your soap will smell the same.

I made one batch to learn that it can be done, but I won't do it again -- I'm sticking to about 20% neem. Just because some neem is useful and good for the skin doesn't mean more neem is automatically better. And I'm concerned about the safety of soap with a very high percentage of neem especially for children. In the thread referenced below, I said --

"...From what I can tell, neem oil seems to be reasonably safe for use on the skin -- although neem oil is often used in lower concentrations, it appears that full strength neem oil can be safely used on the skin. Neem seed oil is toxic if ingested, however, so a person would want to wash hands carefully after applying neem and before eating. I also know little kids will put all sorts of stuff in their mouths. I'd err on the side of using less neem seed oil in soap if little kids have access to the soap. Maybe that's why (in addition to the expense) that most neem soaps contain neem oil at 20% or less...."​

Also the taste of the 85% neem soap is horribly bitter, so use caution when washing your face. Even a tiny bit of lather in the mouth is a memorably bad experience. A 20% neem soap does not taste nearly as bad. (Yes, I know the bad taste should theoretically discourage kids, but a person simply cannot assume this will be a deterrent.)

Obsidian and I and others talked about neem soap in this thread -- https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/neem-oil.69716/

 

[Dawni]

My recent neem soap, although only 15% had shea, coconut, castor n rice bran, which is my replacement for olive oil. You have all you need to make good soap!

 

[Obsidian]

My 35% neem also cured out to smell like black tea. I do want to try a 100% again some but it will only be a few bars.

I do agree with DeeAnna, there really isn't any reason to use so much need. Maybe try something like.

40% olive
30% neem
20% coconut
10% shea

 

[cmzaha]

I use it at 27% after checking my notes.

 

[Bhagyalakshmy]

Thank you for all your replies. I shall certainly try it with a lesser percentage.

going off tangent, in my part of the world, if a child has nail biting habit, elders apply a bit of neem oil on the fingers of the child to stop him or her from biting nail

 

[Dawni]

Thank you for all your replies. I shall certainly try it with a lesser percentage.

going off tangent, in my part of the world, if a child has nail biting habit, elders apply a bit of neem oil on the fingers of the child to stop him or her from biting nail

It'll be so bitter even if they didn't mind the smell haha. It was bitter even at 15%. I was gonna link to mine earlier but forgot. Here's what I did with my soap, with the recipe too. You can play around with numbers to suit your needs or go a totally different way.

Just remember that for most people, coconut at above 20-25% is drying (even less is in my case) unless you superfat high enough. Your ground nut and sesame oil apparently make nice bubbles but they're also prone to DOS more than some other oils so most would suggest not using more than 10-15%. Shea will make the bar harder but a lot of it would cut lather if only cured a short time.

Enjoy experimenting!