SOAPCALC - What doe these numbers tell you about your soap?

[KristaMarie]

Those fats are just fine. Adding fancy oils is fun, but totally not necessary! You can just make it 40% olive and it'll be just as non-drying.
I actually really like neem, despite it's stinkiness, just wanted you to be prepared

 

[Susie]

Sorry, did not read before posting.

OK, we need to talk about eczema. Again. Please use the search to look up eczema, or use Google to look up "Soapmaking forum/eczema."

First off, eczema does not have any magical cure. However, if you take away the cause, then you get less(or no) more eczema. So, the idea is to remove potential causes FIRST.

Start with soap, yes. Quite often people find that their eczema is minimized in the extreme JUST by switching to a true soap, and away from the synthetic detergents in most commercial soap. Mine is completely gone now. The soap is not the cure, though. It is simply taking away the trigger.

Secondly, though, you need to look at laundry detergent and/or dryer sheets. You need to(and everyone else) switch to either "free and clear" products, or make your own soap and skip the fabric softeners.

Then, if that does not work, you have to go to a doctor and figure out what is causing the eczema.

Now, for what kind of soap you are looking to make, I would avoid all fragrances until everyone is eczema free. I would also avoid high coconut oil soaps-stay with 15% or less. I LOVE my lard soaps for how conditioning they are. This is my (current) favorite recipe:

Lard 80%
Coconut Oil 15%
Castor Oil 5%

Superfat 5-8%(5% for summer, 8% for winter)

If your nose is sensitive, though, you could go more to this:

Lard 55%
Olive 25%
Coconut Oil 20%
Castor Oil 5%

Superfat 5-8%

 

[not_ally]

I think eczema, Susie, right P? P, have you done a search for that on the forum? I know I have come across references to it many times. It might make more sense to see if someone has made one that worked well than to try it as one of your first soaps w/untested ingredients. Eg, here's one I did by typing "eczema" into sitecomber w/smf as the search site, there are quite a few results:

http://sitecomber.com/search.php?domains=www.sitecomber.com&client=pub-1307489338039489&forid=1&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&cof=GALT%3A%23008000%3BGL%3A1%3BDIV%3A%23FFFFFF%3BVLC%3A663399%3BAH%3Acenter%3BBGC%3AFFFFFF%3BLBGC%3A150567%3BALC%3A000000%3BLC%3A000000%3BT%3A0000FF%3BGFNT%3A0000FF%3BGIMP%3A0000FF%3BLH%3A0%3BLW%3A0%3BL%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fsitecomber.com%2Flogo-490x90.jpg%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.sitecomber.com%3BFORID%3A11&hl=en&channel=5823071447&q=eczema&sitesearch=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.soapmakingforum.com&sa=Search&safe=active

ETA: cross-posted w/susie ...

 

[DeeAnna]

This topic has morphed from what do the soapcalc numbers mean ... to making a special soap for a special friend ... to making soap for someone with eczema. Whew!

As far as eczema goes, listen to Susie and Not_ally. We (and you) are not qualified to diagnose eczema, and now is not the time to play doctor with all the unusual ingredients. You could do more harm than good.

 

[pschoe]

Maybe for the reader the topic morphed a bit - but for me I have learned a lot, I have ran each suggested recipe or change through the lye calculator - Then looked at the numbers again - see what changed and then trying to figure out which numbers show a better soap.
The attachments will show what we've been doing so far. I truly appreciate all the input I received
The first photo is the numbers we started with.
The second photo is 80% lard
The third photo is 55% lard
The Last photo is the recipe with out the argan oil suggestion.

 

[shunt2011]

In your last recipe, you have too much Castor. You have a lot of liquid oils going on and that high Castor may make it even softer and stickier. I don't go above 7%. You just need to make the recipes and let them cure then see how you like them and compare them.

 

[not_ally]

P, I think it is great that you care so much about your friend and that you want to help him. What if you do this: do a search, pick out a post with a recipe that looks like it would be effective. Make it. Also make the one that you come up with yourself. Give him both and say "here's a couple of options, I wanted to make sure you had choices since this is so important." That way he really will have a chance to see if his eczema responds to handmade soap.

I understand why brand-new soapers want to try out new things, I really do, it is fun and seems like such a wide open world. But he is someone who could potentially really benefit from the right soap, you don't want to dissuade him from finding it/using it if yours is not the one *because* it is the result of inexperience. Plus it will make you feel bad if that happens. If he even tells you, he might not want to hurt your feelings. I hope I haven't, like I said, I think it is a lovely thought in the first place.

 

[Obsidian]

I know you keep getting a lot of recipe suggestion but here is one more for you to look at. I would leave out the shea for now, it can irritate some people and it really doesn't do much for soap besides make creamy lather.

You'd need to re run this through soapcal to adjust batch size and superfat. Neem smells like rotten garlic and/or peanuts. The smell settles some with a long cure.

 

[pschoe]

I know you keep getting a lot of recipe suggestion but here is one more for you to look at. I would leave out the shea for now, it can irritate some people and it really doesn't do much for soap besides make creamy lather.

You'd need to re run this through soapcal to adjust batch size and superfat. Neem smells like rotten garlic and/or peanuts. The smell settles some with a long cure.

Thank you so much - I appreciate your input and the recipe. I really feel sorry for him, because he have it on his knees, elbows and hands, he is a very sweet guy, and it make him self-conscious. And he often need to meet with new clients for work. So I hope with a good soap, lots of care and love, and some faith, we could bring some relief for him.

If all goes well - I will make your recipe in the morning - do you use HP Or CP, I was thinking to do HP and add the neem after the cooking process - What's your thought?

 

[LittleCrazyWolf]

I really like not_ally's suggestion of giving him two different soaps to try. It will be easier for him to compare and say "this one helped more than this other one" and that will help you revise your recipe if necessary.

I haven't used neem or shea so can't advise you there except that I know some people are really sensitive to shea. I would try the neem in one of the batches and see how you like it.

I make a soap for sensitive skin and don't use any of the "cleansing" or "bubbly" oils. The lather is still really nice (I add goats milk), instead of big bubbles I get more of a creamy foam. My son and I both use this and it cleans well and we don't need to lotion up after (he has eczema and I have dry/sensitive skin).

I'm also a huge fan of lard in soaps, to me it adds hardness as well as being gentle. It's actually my favorite oil to soap with. I can't say enough good things about it.

 

[not_ally]

Lard is the bomb. Other things are good with it, but if I had to pick one in the whole wide soaping world, lard would be it.

 

[Susie]

The friend needs to use all of one bar before starting the other. He needs to give each soap a whole month to work before judging.

 

[pschoe]

Thank you all for your input and advice. I will make more than one soap for him. I know this will be a journey but one that is worth going on - Hope you all will have a Blessed day and happy soaping - I will post photo's of the recipes I make for him

 

[pschoe]

I've made the Neem soap today - My daughter said it smell like peanut butter
I wasn't sure if I was suppose to add the neem from the beginning or at the end so Added it kinda half-way through
I was afraid the heat could cook out all the goodness of the neem.

 

[KristaMarie]

Awesome! I can't remember if this has been covered in this thread yet, but make sure you give it at least a 4 week cure. Hot process is safe to use same day, but still benefits from a good cure!

 

[not_ally]

Oh, good, peanut butter is a lovely result compared to uncooked neem! I am really curious to see how it comes out after cure, and if your friend loves it, let us know.

 

[pschoe]

Thanks - I will post an update when it is cured abit more
It was difficult to do the ZAP test - the Neem is really nasty on your tongue - I did it once then cook another 30 minutes just to be sure