Teenage skin recipe advice needed

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Like this soap sounds amazing but just thinking about everything I'd have to buy gives me a headache
https://nurturesoap.com/blogs/nurture-soap-blog/your-amazing-face-my-favorite-face-soap-recipe
Erp. And nestled in all of those words is a deterrent to the entire recipe:
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Specifically, "soap is a wash-off product." Exactly. All that effort (dang, that is a lot of effort) and expense for ingredients that will go right down the drain and won't spend a lick of time on your skin. 😂
 
I have acne prone skin and use a 50% lard bar of soap with 18% CO and the rest oils to your liking. It’s a nice mild bar and gently cleansing. My opinion on activated charcoal in soap is that it’s all gimmick. Better option would be a good acne mask.
Well said. I couldn't agree more. :thumbs: :thumbs:
@artemis - Post #12 Good advice. Thanks for taking time to share. :thumbs::thumbs:
@The Phoenix - Bless your heart! ❣
Thanks for sharing your experience and giving @AAShillito a good hard look at the analysis an experienced soapmaker goes through to rate a recipe. Few of us have the time it takes to write all that out, especially in a manner that a Newbie can understand. We can only hope she (and others who read it) take a moment to process it and move forward a wee bit wiser.
 
For my teenagers, simple seems to be best. I get them to use rose hydrosol as a cleanser/toner (spray on and wipe off) and jojoba oil in a dropper bottle, essential oils can be added. A couple of drops is all it takes to moisturise the face. I never used soap on my face, which is a sad thing to admit on a soap making forum 🤦‍♀️

This is an ingredient that you wouldn't add to a soap recipe, it's water soluble, so I will add it to the kids hydrosol, urea. I've just learnt about it and keen to trial. Sounds great for acne skin.
 
I started soaping with BrambleBerry recipes and products. Their Charcoal Facial Soap with Tamanu oil is tried and true. My brother is a Fireman and has lots of skin issues due to the carcinogens. I have been making that soap for him for years. The entire family requests it on a regular basis. Yes you can make it and cut it as a slab.
I made a loaf today except I subbed sweet orange oil for tea tree as the smell makes us all nauseous. And have ptsd from when we had to use it for months and months when my daughter was little ( lice infestation at school)I did run it through an eo calculator 1st to get an appropriate percentage for use.
 
I made a loaf today except I subbed sweet orange oil for tea tree as the smell makes us all nauseous. And have ptsd from when we had to use it for months and months when my daughter was little ( lice infestation at school)I did run it through an eo calculator 1st to get an appropriate percentage for use.
LOL! We have the same ptsd reaction to tea tree oil for the same reason. I still find myself staring at my daughter's hair, though I have to be covert about it because it "triggers" her and she freaks out when she catches me.
 
No worries. First, I did want to relay some of my experience during my time as a beginner soaper relying heavily on BB's recipes. The first batch of soap I made was a BB recipe, which included avocado butter. Now, there is nothing wring with avocado butter, but it's quite expensive. But, not knowing a whole lot about swapping out less expensive yet comparable ingredients, I bought the avocado butter from BB and made the soap. It was a small quantity of soap, but the avocado butter, at $12.99 for a pound, made it a somewhat expensive batch of soap. I didn't know anything about fatty acid profiles, and I trusted BB's expertise.

That said, now that I've had a good look at the recipe you asked about, it's a decent recipe, though 25% CO is 5% more than I'd be comfortable with as a facial bar. Second, at 5%, the tamanu oil would barely give the soap noticeable character. Third, the FA (fatty acid) profile of tamanu oil is very similar to the much less expensive rice bran oil. I created a FA profile spreadsheet when I first started to analyze ingredients and make a real go at making a better bar of soap.

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That tells me that I can easily swap out the two fats, save some money, and generally get the same benefit. Keep in mind that any other characteristics of tamanu oil will be lost in the harsh environment of cp soap-making. That, for me, is the big ugly bummer about soap-making truths. Which is that oils that have unique benefits as a leave-on product (like tamanu) are lost in soap for two reasons: the saponification process loses certain properties and because soap is a wash-off product the skin does not have time to absorb those lovely properties.

And that stinks because tamanu oil, as I mentioned, is lovely oil. In fact, after my reply last night, which reminded me of how much I love tamanu, after washing my face, I applied a thin layer to my face. This morning my skin is so soft, supple, and hydrated.

The same, sadly, goes for activated charcoal. Any benefit your skin might gain from the product, because it spends so little time with your skin, just washes down the drain. It's great label appeal. And heck, a black bar of soap looks so cool!

Having said all that, I'd like to add a caveat that I learned about making soap by making soap. So on the one hand I'm more of an "give it a shot and see how it goes" than tell people what to do/what not to do. But on the other hand, I'd like to spare you the expense of buying tamanu oil to put in soap. Will it make a good bar of soap? Yes, most definitely. In fact, I think I might make one bar of soap using tamanu and see what is does in soap. But I would not make a habit of relying on tamanu in soap for the reasons I noted above.

I do want to encourage you to keep making soap, and experimenting with different fats/oils/butters. That's how we gain experience.

To wrap up, I am of two minds about BB. They offer a great starting point for beginning soap makers. That batch of soap I told you about? It's cured for well over a year and its a wonderful bar of soap. In fact, I use it on my face because it's so lovely. But I could have made the same bar of soap at half the cost using shea butter instead of avocado butter.

Anyway, that's a lot of words to say "go for it but proceed with a few things in mind." :D
That brings to mind rice water. The experiences of @Dawni and @Misschief encouraged me to try using rice water and rice slurry in my soaps. Apparently the Asians have been using pure rice water for years on their skin: What Is Rice Water and What Is It Good For?
maybe search for @Dawni's Triple Rice Soap on here and give that a whirl?
 
My now 17 y.o. granddaughter has inherited her father's cystic acne prone skin, unfortunately. She has been using a doctor recommended regime but also swears by two of my soaps. She loves both my Charcoal Castile (based on Zany's No Slime Castile recipe) and my Salt Soap recipe. Both she and her mother love the salt soap. Her mother, incidentally, also still breaks out occasionally and she's in her early 40's.

Having said that, I can only reiterate what others have been saying - everyone's skin is different. What works for one may not work for another. I'm one of those rare people who, as a teen, never had a breakout. I have always had dry skin and I ended up using only water to clean my face as soap dried it out even more.
 
Unless I was skimming too fast, I haven't seen anyone mention Abyssinian oil? Everyone's skin is different (it's been said lots above and it's true) but there are some things you should avoid. I would look at the comedogenic ratings of the oils if you are making facial soap.
My son has lovely olive complexion with oily tone and is prone to comedones. He washes with activated charcoal mixed with my special mix of salts, abyssinian and rosemary oils. Once a week he uses aloe (straight from the plant) rubs it all over his face and lets it dry naturally.
My 15 yr old daughter likes the facial salt scrub I make with citrus infused vodka, actually it's one of my most popular products. I make it for several clients. It's moisturising enough to use daily but doesn't feel oily. It's great for people with oily - combo skin. Interestingly her skin is dryer (and alabaster) but she tolerates it well.

I don't like washing my face with soap but I don't mind washing it with salt soap (although not really soap, more syndet)




(I know I said I was going back to my corner and lurking, but figured, I commented and wasn't told it was "carcinogenic noodles" so thought I might as well comment again)
 
(I know I said I was going back to my corner and lurking, but figured, I commented and wasn't told it was "carcinogenic noodles" so thought I might as well comment again)

Eek. This right here is a reminder to us all to be measured in how we respond to people when they share ideas. I sometimes forget myself and throw my opinions around as if it's the "last word" and forget that we are all individuals with different experiences and tolerance for risk. And the fun in experimenting and testing and trying things is really half the fun. Being told "don't do that" is a mistake because the craft of soap-making is dependent on trying and either failing or succeeding.

For me, the one big piece of advice I feel compelled to share from my limited experience is to not spend more than is necessary. If a comparable ingredient with the same benefits is cheaper, that's the wisdom I'd like to share.

Anyway, I love carcinogenic noodles! 🤪
 

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