Need ideas for soap for a surgeon with sensitive skin

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Hey, y'all. Until I retired from anesthesia 3 years ago, I worked with an amazingly-skilled general surgeon. He is a very humble and kind person that is beloved by all his patients and the staff who work with him. I would like to make a special soap for him as a thank you for the surgery he recently performed on my husband. Unfortunately, his hands are very sensitive to hospital scrub soap so he brings in a bar of Dove soap to scrub up and has to wear special cotton liners under his sterile surgical gloves. I would like to make a soap that produces lots of cleansing lather, but will not irritate his hands. I thought of a 100% CO with a high superfat and goat milk. I'm also working on a 50% Lard recipe on soap calc. In the meantime, I'm waiting for a call back from his nurse to find out if he has any allergies. I would be grateful for your feedback.
 
If he has to use dove to scrub down, I am not confident that this surgeon could handle handmade soap without it being a syndet. I would definiately keep any cleansing oil you use at a 10% marker for the batch but after that, it becomes a guessing game. You would need to know the extent to his sensitivities to begin really planning. Knowing allergies may not be enough- if he can't use fragrance, you might need new liners that have never had a scented soap of any kind in it, if you use liners.
 
Yeah, if he can use a lye-based soap, I'd think 100% coconut oil soap would be a bad idea. I can't use it comfortably even with a high superfat, and I don't consider myself to have sensitive skin.

IMO, it isn't lather that is the amazing thing about soap as an antimicrobial agent. It's the emulsifying ability of soap (or syndet, for that matter) that's the important point. For example,when people speak of soap being effective against the corona virus, it isn't lather they talk about. It's the ability of soap to emulsify and destroy the fatty outer covering on the virus particles.

What lather does -- again IMO -- is encourage people to wash longer. Lather feels good on the skin, it acts as a lubricant to make skin glide during handwashing, and is a visual reward that a person is "doing something".
 
My son in law has to use dove, its the only store bought soap that doesnt3 irritate his sensitive skin.
He can also use my basic high lard soap, unscented and uncolored.

50% lard
20% olive oil
20% coconut
10% castor
5% superfat
 
Yeah, if he can use a lye-based soap, I'd think 100% coconut oil soap would be a bad idea. I can't use it comfortably even with a high superfat, and I don't consider myself to have sensitive skin.

IMO, it isn't lather that is the amazing thing about soap as an antimicrobial agent. It's the emulsifying ability of soap (or syndet, for that matter) that's the important point. For example,when people speak of soap being effective against the corona virus, it isn't lather they talk about. It's the ability of soap to emulsify and destroy the fatty outer covering on the virus particles.

What lather does -- again IMO -- is encourage people to wash longer. Lather feels good on the skin, it acts as a lubricant to make skin glide during handwashing, and is a visual reward that a person is "doing something".
He has to scrub for about 2 minutes. I would like to make something that lathers, though so he feels like he’s getting something.

My son in law has to use dove, its the only store bought soap that doesnt3 irritate his sensitive skin.
He can also use my basic high lard soap, unscented and uncolored.

50% lard
20% olive oil
20% coconut
10% castor
5% superfat
Yes, this is what I was thinking since, I believe, lard is similar to human skin properties.
 
He has to scrub for about 2 minutes. I would like to make something that lathers, though so he feels like he’s getting something.

Even a 100% lard soap will lather nicely, especially if used with a scrub brush.

But there are lots of tweaks to add lather --
Use 10% to 20% coconut to it if he can tolerate a small amount of coconut oil soap.
Or try 5% KOH to increase the solubility.
Or add sugar, honey, beer or other source of sugars. Or use sorbitol.
 
I made one for my niece's 1st birthday that was pretty well received.
8% avacado oil
5% shea butter
34% lard (pig)
33% vegetable shorting (crisco, with palm)
12% olive oil
5% castor oil
3% coconut oil


Soapcalc recipe attached

SoapCalc.jpg

SoapCalc2.jpg
 

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