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Green Mountain Farm

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Hello! I am making soap for my sisters baby (due in January). What oils should I use/stay away from? My idea was to make round or oval soaps (I wanted to add some white kaolin clay but will that harm baby?) and then pipe “BABY” on them with blue soap colored with indigo (is that also safe?).

Thoughts?
 
Soap for babies up to at least 12 months of age should be fragrance-free, and as gentle as possible and without added surfactants or harsh substances. Clays can be drying, so I would avoid that. Coconut, babassu & palm kernel (PKO) oils should be avoided as well because they are high in lauric acid (a fatty acid) that in lye soap can strip the skin of natural body oils. The soap often recommended these days for newborns is either no soap, only warm water & a washcloth or specially formulated gentle baby soaps or very mild non-lathering mild soaps.

Many of us have grown children whose babies were washed in plain soap, but many are much younger and have more experience with what pediatricians are now recommending for bathing babies. What you sister decides to do is really between her and her baby's pediatrician, so she may choose to use soap or she may not. Don't be offended if she chooses not to use soap.

However, if you do make soap for your niece or nephew, I would recommend either a 100 olive oil soap as @lsg recommends and warn your sister to wait to use it after the baby is at least 6 months of age, or even better after 12 months. Castile (100% olive oil) soaps are very mild and were long recommended for babies. Just remember, no additives at all. The goal is mildness, fragrance-free gentle soap that won't strip the baby of the natural fats in the underlying surfaces of the skin.

If you want to provide a gentle soap that your sister can use for herself, that would be nice as well, and she wouldn't have to wait as long as with Castile if you make a gentle soap for her, but leave out the clay because is she nurses, adding anything drying to the skin really would not be a good idea. So for a new mom, I'd make a gentle soap without any additives.

A couple of references regarding bathing babies and soap:
https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-basics/care/newborn-bathinghttps://www.babycenter.com/baby/bat...i-start-using-regular-soap-on-my-baby_1368465
 
Hi! and Congratulations on the new baby in the family!
Castile soap would seem a mild soap for baby; but it takes a while to cure.
While this used to be the case, it is no longer true if you make
Zany's No Slime Castile (aka ZNSC)
Castile (100% olive oil) soaps are very mild and were long recommended for babies. Just remember, no additives at all. The goal is mildness, fragrance-free gentle soap
:thumbs: I agree. Use 100% olive oil (not EVOO). no additives, no fragrance, no color. If you follow the directions for ZNSC precisely, your Baby Mild Castile Soap will be ready in plenty of time for the baby's arrival.

Here's a video that shows how easy it is to make, and how soon it is ready to unmold and cut. NOTE: Andrea's batch is slow to trace because she soaped at 85°F. The directions are to use 100-110°F.

It's best to make the "faux sea water" ahead of time and store it in the fridge until ready to soap. Use it cold directly from the fridge to help the lye solution to cool faster.

I would recommend making a small trial batch first then make a large enough batch for you and your sister to enjoy as a gentle facial soap as well.

If using individual cavity molds you may want to take the necessary steps to "force gel" to make it longer lasting. ;)
 
Hi! and Congratulations on the new baby in the family!

While this used to be the case, it is no longer true if you make
Zany's No Slime Castile (aka ZNSC)

:thumbs: I agree. Use 100% olive oil (not EVOO). no additives, no fragrance, no color. If you follow the directions for ZNSC precisely, your Baby Mild Castile Soap will be ready in plenty of time for the baby's arrival.

Here's a video that shows how easy it is to make, and how soon it is ready to unmold and cut. NOTE: Andrea's batch is slow to trace because she soaped at 85°F. The directions are to use 100-110°F.

It's best to make the "faux sea water" ahead of time and store it in the fridge until ready to soap. Use it cold directly from the fridge to help the lye solution to cool faster.

I would recommend making a small trial batch first then make a large enough batch for you and your sister to enjoy as a gentle facial soap as well.

If using individual cavity molds you may want to take the necessary steps to "force gel" to make it longer lasting. ;)

The salt and baking soda are ok for baby’s skin?
 
I made ZNSC on 10/17/21. Tried one this weekend & they are already a great gentle soap.
03EA97FD-CB18-485D-9FF7-9C8CD49FEEB7.jpeg
 
The salt and baking soda are ok for baby’s skin?
I had the same thought, which is why I didn't mention it. But honestly, when the bicarb combines with water it changes, then when it combines with NaOH, it changes again. Same is true with salt. Both are in fairly small amounts, so perhaps it is insignificant, but as a non-chemist, I am unqualified to say.

Perhaps Zany can speak to anecdotes from baby mommas who may have shared their thoughts? Or others here who may have the same experience?
 
I had the same thought, which is why I didn't mention it. But honestly, when the bicarb combines with water it changes, then when it combines with NaOH, it changes again. Same is true with salt. Both are in fairly small amounts, so perhaps it is insignificant, but as a non-chemist, I am unqualified to say.

Perhaps Zany can speak to anecdotes from baby mommas who may have shared their thoughts? Or others here who may have the same experience?
In ZNSC original post she says that soap is safe & gentle enough for sensitive skin & those undergoing chemo & radiation.

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/zanys-no-slime-castile.72620/post-914405
“Unscented, this soap is suitable for babies, sensitive skin, and for cancer patients undergoing radiation. Add 5% castor oil and 10% coconut oil for bubbles and an even milder soap.”
 
Zany's No Slime Castile (aka ZNSC)

:thumbs: I agree. Use 100% olive oil (not EVOO). no additives, no fragrance, no color. If you follow the directions for ZNSC precisely, your Baby Mild Castile Soap will be ready in plenty of time for the baby's arrival.

Zany, asking for a friend, could someone add coconut milk powder to your recipe? Or would that blow up the universe?
 
Ok. So, I forgot to check back here and made my soap last night. I just did plain olive oil, lye, and water soap, no fancy techniques or Zany’s soap because I was nervous about adding anything. It’s about 8:30 here and the soap seems like it’s a super thick trace, it’s so soft! I was hoping to unmold 24 hours after making it so I could pipe a word on top and bring it to my sisters baby shower tomorrow just to show her before curing it. What should I do?
 
Could I make Zany’s soap now and would it be unmoldable tomorrow morning? I was wondering if the piping would dry in a morning. Especially if I went ahead and used my normal coconut oil and olive oil recipe for the piping. Since there is such a tiny amount it should be fine for baby, and I can tell my sister what is in the piping and she can scrape it off if she’s nervous.
 
You can pop it in the oven at 140 for an hour or so to try to gel it and that might help it set up quicker. I'm assuming however that you used full water, so even gelling might not help. Piping would not dry in a morning.
 
I forgot to check back here and made my soap last night.
Tsk tsk. 😂
I just did plain olive oil, lye, and water soap,
Uh oh. 100% olive oil castile soap made this way normally sits in the mold for days until it is firm enough to unmold. Once unmolded, it may be several days before it's firm enough to cut. Cure takes 3 months minimum. Some soapers wait a year for a longer cure. It will be slimey. It's just the nature of 100% olive oil soap. 😕

"Slimey" is not necessarily a bad thing. The "slime" is the "unsaponified" bits that olive oil castile is known for. Some people love it for that reason. :thumbup:

My advice is to make a pretty Gift Certificate promising delivery after cure in 3 months. Even wrap it in a fancy box. I'm sure your effort will be much appreciated. Just be patient and let the castile soap do its thing. You won't be disappointed. ;)
 
If a gift certificate alone doesn't appeal to you, take a photo of the soap (if it's done before the shower) and show her what's coming. It really is best not to give away soap that is too new. No matter how much we want to believe the giftee will follow direction, it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to new soap. Saponification is not even complete in a slow moving soap recipe in the first 24 hours, unless it is made via Hot Process or has the assist of Oven Process after made via Cold Process. Very slow moving recipes may take up to 72 hours to saponify, particularly if they don't gel.

The "slime" is the "unsaponified" bits that olive oil castile is known for. Some people love it for that reason
Just to clarify for the @Green Mountain Farm, the unsaponified bits are components in the oil that cannot saponify to begin with. Most oils (maybe all?) have a certain amount of unsaponifiable components that the lye cannot combine with and those will remain in the finished soap in some form.
 
If the baby was older than 24 months, I'd say go castile but babies younger than that, especially within the first year of their life, should never have soap used on their skin. The pH is too high in the case of classic hand made soap.
 
babies younger than that, especially within the first year of their life, should never have soap used on their skin. The pH is too high in the case of classic hand made soap.
This makes me wonder how I survived being soaped up as a baby! ???
My kiddos too! ??? ;)
I'm sure you have a lot of SMF support and, no offense intended, @Arimara, but "never" is a very strong word for making that statement. You are certainly entitled to your opinion, based on your experience, of course. My experience is not the same.
 
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Long time child care professional here; I agree with Arimara.
1)Not only does baby's skin not handle the pH, but they don't have a developed skin mantle or microbiome.
2) Their skin is more permeable, easier to irritate, and capable of absorbing far more toxins than adult skin
3) Their skin actually has a higher pH than adults to help ward off bacterial infections, but this doesn't mean that using a high pH soap is a good thing because it can cause interfere with healthy development of the skin mantle, not to mention just be too irritating - which can lead to infection even if there is no tear in the skin (due to the permeability of baby's skin)

Pediatricians recommend no soap until after 2 years. Many recommend using only water for the first year.

I know you're excited to make something special for the baby. So many a 100% olive oil Castile soap for now - and present it at the baby's 2nd birthday! A two year cure for Castile is a special thing.
 
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My children were born in '87 and '89. Even back then our pediatrician recommended not using soap until they were at least a year old. My grandchildren are a little over 2.5, 13 months and 1 month old. Their pediatricians are recommending no soap for two years.

Make something special for your sister. She will appreciate it.
 

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