What about this recipe for acne soap?

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sososo

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Coconut oil - 20%
Olive pomace - 20%
Palm oil - 55%
Castor oil - 5%
------
Superfat - 5%
Clay - which is the best? (green, blue, red...) - how much / pound?
Charcoal - how much / pound?
EO - which is the best? - how much / pound?
Other additives? What about honey?

When to add clay, charcoal and honey? In the oils or in the trace?
What if I add the EO in the oils, not in the trace, as is usualy recomanded?

If the above recipe is not appropriate for an acne soap, please suggest me an other.

Thank you.
 
Charcoal would be good, but you have to make sure it's a very fine powder, or it'll be too scratchy for the face. I use 3 tablespoons ppo: this makes a very black soap which will give a black lather, but people like it.

I make a clay / charcoal mask which has had great feedback and is very simple: 1/2 green clay, 1/2 charcoal. I sell it as a dry product. To use put a 1/2 teaspoon in the palm of the hand, moisten with water (or yogurt or milk) and apply to the face. Let it dry for 10 minutes and rinse off.

good luck!
 
Bentonite clay might be another option.
I have only used Activated Charcoal as a colorant, not for any benefit, and I can get away with adding a generous amount ppo.
Not sure if the honey would add any benefit to the soap. I think any of it would be gone after saponification.
Tea Tree EO is popular for facial bars.
 
Have you thought about using a salt bar for breakouts? It works for me but I eat healthy food so breakouts are minimal these days.
 
I am not sure what the clay will do for acne in a Soap. Clay is usually used in masks where it sits on the face for a length of time. It is also used in shaving Soaps to give the lather more glide.

Also, what medicinal property is dependent on the Color of the clay?

The Website that lsg provided as a link recommends Lavender and tee tree oil for acne.

I have not seen anything in the journals that suggest lavender oil is effective against acne. However, I have not researched it in this application. I will make a note to do that.

Tee tree oil has been proven to work against acne in a gel. I am writting an article about Tea Tree oil and I have found clinical studies that prove this. Tea tree oil is also effective against Dandruff and Athletes foot.

Also, the only oil with cleansing properties in your mix is coconut...20%. The more coconut oil you add the more cleansing the Soap will be. I would suggest trying a higher amount coconut oil...say 35%...to start with and reduce the conditioning oils. Then adjust the percentage of coconut oil according to the results.

Mike
 
In my opinion, acne can be a result of many different variables. Through my research I have found that one variable seems to remain constant, clogged pores=acne. Oils are rated on a scale of 0 through 5 representing an oil's propensity to clog pores. This is referred to a comedogenic rating. (0 being least likely to clog pores).

I have found that coconut oil is high on this comedogenic scale. Also, curing acne is not all about " cleansing." If the product is too strong it can strip all of the natural oils from the skin and the body will react accordingly and create more oil.

In my humble opinion it may be beneficial if you did some research on the comedogenic rating of the oils you plan on using. I want to stay away from specifics because websites rate the oils a little differently. I actually referenced an article from the journal of the society of cosmetic chemists, which proved to be very helpful. This way you get the ratings directly from the chemists going the study.

Sunflower, soybean, babassu, and safflower imho are great choices. Be careful because most suppliers only offer the high oleic acid variety, which is very comedogenic. The oils high in linoleic acid are what you are after. I know that these oils may offer there own challenges such as shelf life etc, again research on your own.

I agree tea tree eo is great. You may also want to research neem oil and/or neem powder, which has less of a smell.

I hope this helps. I know that everyone on this site has been helpful to me in my endeavor to create something special for people.
 
I made my son a salt bar with charcoal, tea tree eo, and lavender eo. His face hated it!!!!! He went back to regular soap. It may have been the salt bar portion that irritated him, so I'll try again with a regular, mild bar of soap.
 
Also, the only oil with cleansing properties in your mix is coconut...20%. The more coconut oil you add the more cleansing the Soap will be. I would suggest trying a higher amount coconut oil...say 35%...to start with and reduce the conditioning oils. Then adjust the percentage of coconut oil according to the results.


Actually, the amount of coconut TS suggested is just fine.
The more you strip your skin of it's natural oils, the more it starts producing them.
 
I am not sure what the clay will do for acne in a Soap. Clay is usually used in masks where it sits on the face for a length of time. It is also used in shaving Soaps to give the lather more glide.

Also, what medicinal property is dependent on the Color of the clay?


Mike
Here is a website that states the medicinal properties of French Green Clay. Mountain Rose Herbs is not a journal, but it most certainly considered a reputable site.

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/newsletter/06/guide_to_clays.php

Lavender essential oil is known for its soothing and antiseptic properties, which should most certainly help in a case of acne.

http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=HI05035.pdf

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/learn/eo/lavender.html

http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/therapies/essentia02.htm
 
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I have found that coconut oil is high on this comedogenic scale. Also, curing acne is not all about " cleansing." If the product is too strong it can strip all of the natural oils from the skin and the body will react accordingly and create more oil.

In my humble opinion it may be beneficial if you did some research on the comedogenic rating of the oils you plan on using. I want to stay away from specifics because websites rate the oils a little differently. I actually referenced an article from the journal of the society of cosmetic chemists, which proved to be very helpful. This way you get the ratings directly from the chemists going the study.

Cemetery you are correct in that coconut oil has a high comedogenic value. However, in Soap, the coconut oil has been reacted with the NaOH (or KOH) and is now the Sodium salts of its fatty acids (Mostly Lauric and Myristic) plus Glycerin. It is no longer "coconut oil" after the saponification reaction.

Also you are correct in that one does not want the Soap to be too cleansing...but then again not to weak in this area either. This is one of the factors that one Needs to experment with.

These are just two items.All the factors that contribute to creating an Environment where Acne vulgaris can thrive should be addressed.
 
Here is a website that states the medicinal properties of French Green Clay. Mountain Rose Herbs is not a journal, but it most certainly considered a reputable site.


On the website there is a reference to a specific clay "French Green Clay" and the properties that it has. On websites I have seen Kaolin clays offered in different colors that appeard to be only there to suit a matter of taste…like making you mask green instead of violet. This is why I was wondering what the color has to do with the properties.

Even if the clay does have medicinal properties that are beneficial, I do believe that these will be greatly reduced, if not totally negated, by applying it in a "Rinse Off" product like soap.

One of the properties that clay is touted for is its absorbent properties. It even states this on the website you referenced. Consider the different conditions of application of clay in a mask and a soap. In a mask a layer of clay is applied and is allowed to dry on skin. During the time of drying the skin has a chance to absorbe the compounds that are in the clay and the clay can absorbe the the unwanted material from the skin.

http://jing-xy.hubpages.com/hub/Wonders-that-clay-mask-can-do-for-your-skin


(I noticed the French green clay advertisedon the bottom of the page. I will be looking into this stuff now.)

If the clay is in a soap, not only does it not have the time in contact with the skin but also it is at a far, far lower concentration than with a direct application. In addition, it never gets a chance to dry before it is rinsed off with the rest of the lather in the soap.

Considering these differences, I do not agree that adding clay to a soap creates conditions where it can effectively be applied for its medicinal properties through the mechanisms as I understand them.
 
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Lavender essential oil is known for its soothing and antiseptic properties,

which should most certainly help in a case of acne.


http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=HI05035.pdf

The article that you referenced by Cavanaugh and Wilkinson does mention the anti bacterial and other properties of Lavender oil. However,it makes no reference to it being an effective treatment for acne.

I have many articles on the anti inflammatory and anti bacterial properties of tea tree oil, However only two that studied its effect on acne, two on athlete's feet and one on dandruff. These articles are written about controlled studies that focused on examining tea tree oil on the specific medical condition in question.

Lavender oil is on my list of essentialoils that I will be writing about but I did not get to it yet.

When I do research it, I will be lookingout for anything I find on acne.
 
I am sure that we will all be interested in hearing what you find in your reading and research.
 
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Cemetery you are correct in that coconut oil has a high comedogenic value. However, in Soap, the coconut oil has been reacted with the NaOH (or KOH) and is now the Sodium salts of its fatty acids (Mostly Lauric and Myristic) plus Glycerin. It is no longer "coconut oil" after the saponification reaction.

Also you are correct in that one does not want the Soap to be too cleansing...but then again not to weak in this area either. This is one of the factors that one Needs to experment with.

These are just two items.All the factors that contribute to creating an Environment where Acne vulgaris can thrive should be addressed.

Seife, your point about the oils changing to the sodium salts of their fatty acids is an interesting point and one that I certainly overlooked. Of course, any supper fatting will result in small amounts of residual oils in the finished soap, although I would imagine it's so little it would be negligible.

I am very interested in learning more about the resulting salts of the fatty acids. Are these salts comedogenic? Are they even considered when determining the comedogenic rating of a soap/cleanser? Based on your point it would seem as though comedogenicity of hand made bar soap is irrelevant and the only products that could be prone to clog pores are those mas produced that contain other added ingredients. Is this the case?

If so, I see no more need to research oils and spend extra money and effort buying oils that are of the type that are non-comedogenic for CP soap making. Thank you.
 
Cemetery said:
I am very interested in learning more about the resulting salts of the fatty acids. Are these salts comedogenic? Are they even considered when determining the comedogenic rating of a soap/cleanser?

I have only considered the comedogenic rating of an oil for the making of creams...which are a "Leave On" product (and I am really disappointed that wheat germ oil has a rating of 5...I really like that oil). If I remember correctly, I have seen fatty acids on a comedogenic list...they are also found in some leave-on products.

)

I have not heard of the comedogenic scale being applied to the saphonicated products of oils in soap making.
 
Cemetery said:
I am very interested in learning more about the resulting salts of the fatty acids. Are these salts comedogenic? Are they even considered when determining the comedogenic rating of a soap/cleanser?

I have only considered the comedogenic rating of an oil for the making of creams...which are a "Leave On" product. I was quite disappointed to see that wheat germ oil had a rating of 5...which is one of my favorite oils. If I remember correctly, I have seen fatty acids on a comedogenic list...they are also used in leave-on products.

I have not heard of the comedogenic rating being applied to soaps.
 
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