Pine Tar & Neem Oil CP Recipe

[JonQ]

I recently made a batch of Pine Tar soap using the following recipe.
60% Olive Oil
20% Coconut Oil
5% Castor Oil
15% Pine Tar
I also added Activated Charcoal and I was very pleased with the results. I would like to make another small batch and introduce Neem Oil. My thought was 10% Pine Tar and 5% Neem Oil or is that too much or too little? I have no experience with Neem Oil. Any thoughts on adding Neem to my recipe?

 

[Twinkle]

I make a 100% neem oil soap and i love it. I dont mind the smell at all, is quite solid and lathers well. As such, i believe you will be fine with any amount you choose to add.

 

[Obsidian]

I'd add at least 10% neem, reducing the OO. I personally use 25% and like it. It does have a very strong smell but it fades a lot during cure.

 

[JonQ]

I really like that suggestion of replacing 25% of the Olive Oil. I love the smell of Neem, so that should work out well.
Thank you!

 

[JonQ]

I make a 100% neem oil soap and i love it. I dont mind the smell at all, is quite solid and lathers well. As such, i believe you will be fine with any amount you choose to add.

Thank you Twinkie, I may try that sometime!

 

[DeeAnna]

Neem soaps fine at higher %. I've done 85% with no trouble, and I think Obsidian has done 100%.

I am a little hesitant to wholeheartedly recommend that much neem in soap, however. Neem, while reasonably safe on the skin, can be toxic if ingested. If a child or pet were to eat a high-neem soap, it could cause real trouble. Neem is awfully bitter, I know, but people and pets sometimes do crazy things.

Up to 20% to 25% is probably a wiser upper limit for neem, IMO. That amount is high enough to be efficacious, but low enough so it's cost effective and relatively safe. Here's a recent discussion: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/using-high-of-neem.72618/ And here's another: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/neem-oil.69716/

I do want to ask why you want to mix all of these active ingredients into one soap? Are you taking "if a little is good, more is better?" approach? I question whether this is wise or necessary, to be honest. If you're dealing with skin problems such as dermatitis, acne, etc., it's possible that mixing "medicines" could be counter productive.

 

[JonQ]

Neem soaps fine at higher %. I've done 85% with no trouble, and I think Obsidian has done 100%.

I am a little hesitant to wholeheartedly recommend that much neem in soap, however. Neem, while reasonably safe on the skin, can be toxic if ingested. If a child or pet were to eat a high-neem soap, it could cause real trouble. Neem is awfully bitter, I know, but people and pets sometimes do crazy things.

Up to 20% to 25% is probably a wiser upper limit for neem, IMO. That amount is high enough to be efficacious, but low enough so it's cost effective and relatively safe. Here's a recent discussion: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/using-high-of-neem.72618/ And here's another: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/neem-oil.69716/

I do want to ask why you want to mix all of these active ingredients into one soap? Are you taking "if a little is good, more is better?" approach? I question whether this is wise or necessary, to be honest. If you're dealing with skin problems such as dermatitis, acne, etc., it's possible that mixing "medicines" could be counter productive.

Good point, I will adjust to 20%. I'm using a bar of Pine Tar with Neem now that I purchased from a local artisan soaper and I just love it. I use it all over in the shower including face and scalp.

 

[DeeAnna]

If it is working well for you, that's good to hear! Do you think you're seeing any benefits from the neem + pine tar combination?

I am using my 85% neem soap and my spouse is using his pine tar soap, but neither of us has skin problems that neem or pine tar are supposed to be good for. He just likes the scent of his pine tar soap -- I make it specially for him. He shares a few bars with his hunting buddies.

As for me and the neem soap ... well, I have 4 bars of 85% neem soap to use up, and I don't want to give or sell it to anyone. It's actually quite nice now that's it's got, oh, about 8 months of cure, so I truly don't mind using it. It's nicely lathery, physically hard, mild to the skin, and (surprisingly) very mild to the nose.

 

[JonQ]

If it is working well for you, that's good to hear! Do you think you're seeing any benefits from the neem + pine tar combination?

I am using my 85% neem soap and my spouse is using his pine tar soap, but neither of us has skin problems that neem or pine tar are supposed to be good for. He just likes the scent of his pine tar soap -- I make it specially for him. He shares a few bars with his hunting buddies.

As for me and the neem soap ... well, I have 4 bars of 85% neem soap to use up, and I don't want to give or sell it to anyone. It's actually quite nice now that's it's got, oh, about 8 months of cure, so I truly don't mind using it. It's nicely lathery, physically hard, mild to the skin, and (surprisingly) very mild to the nose.

It's difficult to say because I actually use a medicated oil on parts of my scalp and forehead once a week. I'm hoping this could reduce the frequency. If not, I enjoy the earthy tones.

 

[amd]

If you do the neem and pine tar soap... be super ready for acceleration! Neem accelerates trace, as does pine tar... I'm really interested to hear your results back if you do it.

 

[JonQ]

I received my Neem Oil today. I'm somewhat concerned that the consistency is that of jelly and not a smooth oil. Is that normal, does it need to be heated like Coconut and Palm oil?

 

[DeeAnna]

Neem has a lot of palmitic and stearic acids in it, so it's going to act more like unhydrogenated lard or palm than a typical liquid oil (olive, canola, etc.) It's probably going to be liquidy at warm room temps and solid-ish at cool room temps. The pantry where I store my neem is in the mid to lower 60s F this time of year, and my neem is a soft paste -- you might call it a jelly texture. I bring it into my warmer kitchen and it liquefies in a few hours.

 

[JonQ]

Neem has a lot of palmitic and stearic acids in it, so it's going to act more like unhydrogenated lard or palm than a typical liquid oil (olive, canola, etc.) It's probably going to be liquidy at warm room temps and solid-ish at cool room temps. The pantry where I store my neem is in the mid to lower 60s F this time of year, and my neem is a soft paste -- you might call it a jelly texture. I bring it into my warmer kitchen and it liquefies in a few hours.

Oh good, I will begin soaping

 

[newlife]

When my neem oil solidifies, I put the container in the sink with warm water. It works really well.

 

[laurahatt214]

If you do not mind me asking, where do you get your pine tar from? Thank you!

 

[amd]

Look for places that sell horse supplies. I bought mine locally at Tractor Supply Co in their Equine section.

 

[newlife]

Please make sure to buy PURE pine tar as some are adulterated. 100% pine tar preferably organic is what you want. There are some out there that are compounded and for use on hoofs. You do not want to use this for your soap. Auson is a good one and can be had on Amazon ( at least in the US anyway). Check the Nerdy Farm Wife site. She has a link to it.

 

[DeeAnna]

I've never, ever seen "organic" pine tar, so I'm curious about this. Auson pine tars are not certified or described as being "organic." Can you recommend a source for pine tar that is?

 

[Deborah Long]

Oh, heck. So of course I bought Bickmore... lol The label says 100% light pine tar. That leads me to believe there's no additives, right?

 

[Meena]

Oh, heck. So of course I bought Bickmore... lol The label says 100% light pine tar. That leads me to believe there's no additives, right?

I hate to say this and to feel this way, but no producers of virtually any products can be trusted, IMO. I am an inveterate label-reader. I'm hell at potlucks and such because I won't eat anything that I can't read the label of.

Just took a closer look at mica samples I got tonight before soaping, and one should not be called a mica -- it's 2 chemicals and ALUMINUM!! "How 'bout a little Alzheimer's with that shower, lady?"