Tips on Facial Soaps?

[cursivearts]

I've gathered some stuff from searching past threads, like what clays are best for what, but a lot of the information seems to differ and I have yet to find any recipe suggestions, but maybe I am missing something. So a few questions:

How much clay ppo do you like to use? When you use EOs for their properties (ie lavender and tea tree) do you use as much as you would to fragrance it or considerably less? What are you favorite oils for facial bars? How much do you like to superfat?

I want to make both an oily skin bar (me) and a dry skin bar (my husband). The biggest issue I find with most facial bars I have used in the past is they tend to be toooo drying, which I think could be counteracted with a good cleansing oil and a higher superfat, but I could be wrong. I want to each recipe fairly simple, as the more oils and additives, the more likely I am to forget something. I plan on using french green in the oily and kaolin (french white) in the dry. But I also want to hear what has worked for other people!

TIA!

 

[Mockingbird Ramble]

I made a face bar that works wonders on my skin, I follow the oil cleansing method in the winter and still rub jojoba oil on my face after I use my bar.

I went for a low cleansing lard, olive oil, castor, coconut and jojoba and high-ish superfat. Used tea tree at trace with activatred charcoal and butermilk powder.

I can not find my formula which sucks because it is an awesome bar for my skin. I made a tiny batch 250 grams so I am going to have to figure it out afain.

 

[cursivearts]

Do you have oily or dry skin, Mockingbird?

 

[Mockingbird Ramble]

Winter I am pretty dry, then summer I am a little on the oily side. I spend all day outdoors, sweating like a logger (which is actually what I did all last year) so being able to clean pores, but not strip protective oils off my face was important.

I get pimples that never come to a head, just ugly red bumps, and my pores get BLACK but unless I cant wash my face for a week or more I dont get the black heads.

I get the hormone acne mostly.

 

[Clemmey]

Well about a year ago I made a soap for my babyshower guests that was SOOO popular! Guess what, it was a facial bar recipe! I tweaked a recipe that I found on Soap Queen's blog and it is WONDERFUL! Since I was so new I didn't do any additives, and it turned out marvelous. My friends still want the "ugly" pieces from that batch, the ones that you hide and rebatch because they are not "presentable"... they want those! lol

 

[lizflowers42]

I dunno, I used to use a bar soap called Cuticura or something like that on my face until I started making my own soap and my skin looked better using that than the facial soap I made using the Teach Soap recipe! I think it is too drying for my oily skin and so my pores are working overtime to compensate. I am thinking I am going to make an uncolored castile soap and add in some french green clay and tea tree oil for acne next...

 

[mel z]

I dunno, I used to use a bar soap called Cuticura or something like that on my face until I started making my own soap and my skin looked better using that than the facial soap I made using the Teach Soap recipe! I think it is too drying for my oily skin and so my pores are working overtime to compensate. I am thinking I am going to make an uncolored castile soap and add in some french green clay and tea tree oil for acne next...

liz, I can't say it enough, I have problem skin. But, I have gotten older and that includes weary skin and skin allergies. I've tried a few of the popular skin bars but they are not for my skin. Castile works best for my face, with a good superfat (not what you wanted to hear given a good cure time). I've added some OO soaked calendula, with calendula strained out before soap making, and that is okay too.

What works for my body doesn't work for my face anymore. I was disappointed when the *Masters* of soap recipes didn't work for me, however, I realized what works for one may not work for another.

 

[Miz Jenny]

Our climate is ultra dry so skin hydration is very important. I made a very simple soap calling for sweet almond oil, fractionated coconut oil, water & lye. It's all I've used for a year and I love it. I also make my face moisturizer: co & fco. My skin looks better than in my 40's (65 in July). I'm gonna have to rethink it, though, because of the low melting point and summer and it turns to liquid and doesn't travel well. LOL Thinking of adding cocoa or soy butter, along with the co & fco. Any thoughts on that?

 

[cursivearts]

I think that's the big issue with a lot of facial soaps for 'oily' skin, lizflowers. It's always too drying. I am thinking of making a lower cleansing, higher conditioning soap, but add the french green clay for drawing out oils. If I use any essential oils, they will be very minimal. I have calendula-infused OO I will use. Anyone know what the ppo for french green clay is (for it's properties, not it's color)?: I've seen everything from 1 tsp to 1 T.

I have been using a facial bar I bought off Etsy awhile back and I love it; it leaves my skin feeling clean but not dry and tight which I think is the key. I'll just have to wing it from there on dry skin (maybe a higher superfat and the white clay?). I have never ever had a dry skin problem, so that one is harder for me to solve....

 

[Lotus]

I have never liked putting anything on my face. Nevertheless, I'm really interested in this thread. Great read, guys. : )

Edit: I have dry skin. Definitely not oily.

Edit again: Don't you all find it interesting that some people just have oily skin, and others have dry skin? Such a strange thing for humans to have in such variation.

 

[Bicycle808]

I make soap. I don't make any claims to any voodoo properties, nor do I try to tell folks how/where to use it. I hawk it as "all purpose" and leave it at that. I just make it, sell it, and make some more.

That being said, my best-selling soap is a OO/PO/CocoO/CastO amalgamation, 5% superfat, with green tea, rolled oats, and ginger. Most of the folks who use it are ladies who go on about how they like it for their face; some say it's moisturizing, others say it prevents them from breaking out. I understand a bit about oatmeal's properties, but I can't say for sure how it translates to use in soap. (I can say that I just de-molded and milled 38 four-oz bars of it...)

All I know is, I'm happy that they're happy. Maybe try some oatmeal in your soap, instead of (or in addition to) esoteric clay additives?

HTH
-Rob

 

[cursivearts]

I am going to try the clay, because I have the clay on hand (they sell it at the local bulk/health food store that is literally right down the road). Ironically, the only oatmeal I have in my house is microwave cinnamon spice. Lol. I normally have baby oatmeal, but they last time I went to buy some they only had banana baby oatmeal or multigrain so I went with multigrain and I'm not sure how much good barley and spelt are for the face, haha. Though ground barley might be an interesting thing to add to beer soap? Hmmmm....

 

[Miz Jenny]

Actually, I'd classify my skin as normal. Too rich or too lean causes problems. I've found the perfect balance.

 

[paillo]

I cannot use anything but salt soap on my face without major breakouts - not even my mildest, most favorite soaps. In summer I use an activated charcoal one 'cuz I spend a lot of time out sweating in the yard. Wintertime it's pink Himalayan salt. Counterintuitively, salt bars help balance the skin's pH and I don't find them too drying at all. I go heavy on the clays in these, too. Dead Sea mud in the black one, French pink and kaolin in the pink one, and essential oils.

 

[Bicycle808]

I am going to try the clay, because I have the clay on hand (they sell it at the local bulk/health food store that is literally right down the road). Ironically, the only oatmeal I have in my house is microwave cinnamon spice. Lol. I normally have baby oatmeal, but they last time I went to buy some they only had banana baby oatmeal or multigrain so I went with multigrain and I'm not sure how much good barley and spelt are for the face, haha. Though ground barley might be an interesting thing to add to beer soap? Hmmmm....

Ground barley would be interesting in pretty much any kind of soap.

I think I'm going to try soaping with ground flaxseed soon, b/c the stuff is cheaper than air at the Asian market (typically sold as "alsi"), and I want to test my theory that white women will buy ANYthing with flaxseed in it. :Kitten Love:

 

[Lotus]

Ground barley would be interesting in pretty much any kind of soap.

I think I'm going to try soaping with ground flaxseed soon, b/c the stuff is cheaper than air at the Asian market (typically sold as "alsi"), and I want to test my theory that white women will buy ANYthing with flaxseed in it. :Kitten Love:

Ha! I take it you're not white? I don't personally take particular interest as to what's in your soap. I just know when I like a bar. (I'm a white woman. : )

 

[Bicycle808]

I'm white, but I'm not a woman. I'm just an analytical person, and I've noticed some patterns with the flaxseed, is all.:lolno:

 

[Lotus]

That's cool. : ) Thanks.

 

[cursivearts]

Bicycle, let me know when you make that flaxseed soap. I bet my mother-in-law will buy it. I'm a white woman and I don't think I've ever bought anything with flaxseed in my life, but I know exactly the kind of woman you're talking about. I live near that part of town in my city, where there is an Earth Fare across the street practically from Whole Foods and a local health food store 5 minutes in the other direction. Of course, these are the same women that will freak out if you tell them lye is in soap.

 

[CaraCara]

Hmmm..flax seed. Would be good for a kitchen or scrubby type of soap. Personally it shreds my innards so I steer clear of ingesting it or the oil, but I've got a big bag of it in my pantry that I was feeding to a pet mouse. Wonder how fast it would go rancid if it was finely ground. I agree with Rob about oats in facial soap. My skin is very oily but products for oily skin leave it feeling stripped so I am using one of my oatmeal honey milk bars I made and the difference is noticeable.