Handmade CP soap making me break out

[AshleyR]

I purchased some handmade CP soap a few months ago from a lady online (won't mention her name/business in case she frequents here!) and I'm finding that it makes me break out.

I never, ever had acne on my chest or back until I started using this soap. :\

Does anyone know which oils in particular would cause this? I'm making my own soap now and want to steer clear of whatever it is in her soap that's making me break out. I believe she uses palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil....

I know it may be hard to tell which of these ingredients are making me break out, but I thought maybe someone who knows the qualities of the oils better than me might know which ones might cause this.

I have pretty normal skin. It's neither dry or really oily...

Any ideas?

 

[pepperi27]

Sometimes it can be the fragrance or the colorants its really hard to say. Was this the first time you've used a non commercial soap?

 

[AshleyR]

Sometimes it can be the fragrance or the colorants its really hard to say. Was this the first time you've used a non commercial soap?

Yep, it was the first time I've used handmade soap in a really long time. I bought 6 of her soaps (all different scents and colours, but the same ingredients I think).

 

[carebear]

it might be the particular colorant in that bar, or the particular fragrancing product.

or yea, it could be the oils that she uses.

(or it could be the change in season - my back is not a pretty site this past week or so)

 

[Black soap n candle lady]

Do you have any food allergies? That might help you to pinpoint it a little better.

 

[SimplyE]

I break out BIG time if I use anything with soy or eat anything with soy. My skin also does not like coconut oil. I have always had tempermental skin, though.

Good luck.

 

[cdwinsby]

It may be hard to figure out what the culprit is since it could be a number of factors. It could be something in the soap, something that has nothing to do with the soap but occured at the same time or even a combination of the two.

I recently found out I had food intolerances and it took awhile to figure out what they were...actually it took even longer to figure out that my problem was a food intolerance!

The best way to find out what is causing the acne is by process of elimination. Stop using the soap for a couple of weeks and use what you were using before the acne started. If the acne goes away then it is definately something in the soap. If not, then you know to look elsewhere.

Once you know it's an ingredient in the soap, you can start by making small batches of soaps with only a few ingredients. Use them for a couple of weeks to see what happens. If you still have problems replace one of the oils with a different one and carry on until you get a formula that works for you.

You may want to stay away from the Jojoba. Jojoba is actually a liquid wax and can sometimes clog your pores.

Good luck!