I need help with my recipe.

[sara.runs.wild]

Hi!

I made this soap and have been testing it out. It seems really drying to me but this also could be just my own skin as in the winter my hands get really red and dry. So I was just wondering if someone could look at the recipe and see if there would be anything that you could think of that could be super drying. I also do High Temp Hot process if means anything. It has cured for almost 4 weeks now.


960g Lard
240g Coconut oil

166g lye
420g distilled water

---added after the cook----

5-6 TB yogurt

64g Essential oil blend
(28g Eucalyptus, 28g Peppermint, 8g Tea Tree)

2 TB White Kaolin Clay

1TB activated Charcoal

1 TB Nettle Powder

 

[IrishLass]

Hi Sara. You got a couple of things going on that may possibly be contributing to how the soap is making your hands feel:

1) the clay.....although clay lends a nice 'slip' to soap, it also lends a bit of a drying effect.

2) the charcoal.....it can also have a drying effect

3) too high an amount of a sensitizing EO blend. Each of the EOs in your blend are potential skin sensitizers and need to be used with a light hand. You used a 64g total, which is somewhere between 5% and 6% worth of EO ppo in your batch, which is pretty high where EOs are concerned normally, because of their medicinal effects. It is generally recommended by those that are licensed aromatherapists to not ever go over 3% EO ppo in soap batches, i.e., 14g or .5oz ppo ( see this thread here for an explanation ), and to go even lower than 3% with the more sensitizing EOs, such as the type you have in your blend.

The soap formula itself doesn't look too horrible, although if I were to make it for myself, I most likely would've added some castor and maybe superfatted it just a little more to be more compatible with my skin likes....like maybe 9% or 10%. But that's just me and my skin...everyone's skin is different. You might want to try making this recipe again, but without the additives, just to get a baseline for how it feels on its own.


IrishLass

 

[Dawni]

I do HP too and you don't need as much EOs in HP as the recommended amount in the calcs, because those are meant more for CP.

I use less than half the amount sometimes and I still get a faint smell, even in some of the soaps that have been curing since October.

EOs will fade eventually though....

 

[sara.runs.wild]

Hi Sara. You got a couple of things going on that may possibly be contributing to how the soap is making your hands feel:

1) the clay.....although clay lends a nice 'slip' to soap, it also lends a bit of a drying effect.

2) the charcoal.....it can also have a drying effect

3) too high an amount of a sensitizing EO blend. Each of the EOs in your blend are potential skin sensitizers and need to be used with a light hand. You used a 64g total, which is somewhere between 5% and 6% worth of EO ppo in your batch, which is pretty high where EOs are concerned normally, because of their medicinal effects. It is generally recommended by those that are licensed aromatherapists to not ever go over 3% EO ppo in soap batches, i.e., 14g or .5oz ppo ( see this thread here for an explanation ), and to go even lower than 3% with the more sensitizing EOs, such as the type you have in your blend.

The soap formula itself doesn't look too horrible, although if I were to make it for myself, I most likely would've added some castor and maybe superfatted it just a little more to be more compatible with my skin likes....like maybe 9% or 10%. But that's just me and my skin...everyone's skin is different. You might want to try making this recipe again, but without the additives, just to get a baseline for how it feels on its own.


IrishLass

I do HP too and you don't need as much EOs in HP as the recommended amount in the calcs, because those are meant more for CP.

I use less than half the amount sometimes and I still get a faint smell, even in some of the soaps that have been curing since October.

EOs will fade eventually though....

Thank you for your responses!

I am having huge doubts now though, I went crazy and made a bunch of soaps. Now I am worried I made them all wrong. I researched and everything, apparently I went to the wrong sites.

This is where I got the basics for the recipe.

https://basicsoapmaking.com/lard-soap-recipe/

 

[Chris_S]

This is where I got the basics for the recipe.

https://basicsoapmaking.com/lard-soap-recipe/

soap queen and soap101 are great beginner sites to look at. What irish lass has said sounds like great advice and i learnt something new too i didnt know clay and charcoal was drying but that again iv only tried both of them once like a week ago i did slightly increase sf for that batch though.

What i will say about you having made a bigger batch than you probably needed. Iv done that before i knew i was happy with the recipe and made some terrible soaps. try to keep to smaller batches until you know you like the recipe you have used as irishlass said it depends on individual skin as to what you will like using. Iv been making soap since july and honestly im still very much in the try and see what i prefer phase it wont happen after the first batch but for me thats the best part about soaping constantly trying to improve and trying new things out good luck on your soapy ventures

 

[amd]

I have really dry skin, and I have trouble with high lard soaps, I also have trouble with soaps that have more than 20% CO. This recipe with only lard and CO wouldn't work for my skin at all. If I were reformulating for me, I would add in some other oils to get the lard down to 30-50% range.

 

[sara.runs.wild]

I have really dry skin, and I have trouble with high lard soaps, I also have trouble with soaps that have more than 20% CO. This recipe with only lard and CO wouldn't work for my skin at all. If I were reformulating for me, I would add in some other oils to get the lard down to 30-50% range.

Thank you! I have reformulated adding Avocado oil to the recipe, and then also adding more avocado as a superfat at 3-5% added in after the cook.

 

[Dawni]

Thank you! I have reformulated adding Avocado oil to the recipe, and then also adding more avocado as a superfat at 3-5% added in after the cook.

That sounds lovely.. Avocado oil is great. Let us know how it goes