# What have you noticed about your skin when you switched to home-made soaps?



## Autumngrey (Jun 28, 2007)

I just wondered how everyone's skin reacted to home made, natural soaps, verses the crap in the stores that are petrol-based and heavily scented....?


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## kasaj2000 (Sep 30, 2007)

Since we have started using milk soap, we have noticed that it rinses easier, we feel cleaner and hubby's dry patches are going away. My skin is slowly starting to repair itself too.


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

It moisturizes my skin instead of drying it out. I'll never go back to store bought soap.


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## kidsngarden (Mar 24, 2006)

Well I like mine heavily scented, but the soap is still so very gentle. My hands used to crack itch from dryness - no more! And my husband shaves with it and has cheeks soft as a babies bottom (when he's clean shaven anyway!) with NO aftershaves or creams!

Bethany


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## SoINgirl (Aug 3, 2007)

My skin is so dry right now I can't tell a difference with the soap. Do you all add a certain oil or something to make it more moisturizing? I have only made a few batches of soap and with just basic oils so I don't know if there is something I should be adding or if it is just me.


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## lenii (Dec 31, 2005)

I had a massage once and the gal commented that she had never felt such soft skin. My granddaughter likes to feel my skin. I rarely use lotions, only in the winter on my dishpan hands.

I have also noticed, no soap scum in bathtub, never have to scrub it. I have been making my own soap for about 10 years. I am 68 and have few wrinkles.


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## BasicLiving (Oct 2, 2006)

I just started making soap a few months ago, so I'm not a good "case study", but I can tell you that I have really noticed two things in that short period of time 1) My hands, which normally suffer from dryness 12 months out of the year, are not nearly as dry as they used to be. When I use my bar soap it doesn't necessarily FEEL moisturizing, but I just know that my hands aren't as dry as they normally are and 2) When I shower, the soap rinses clean! At first I thought it had to be drying my skin out, but I haven't noticed that at all.

I use a lot of fragrance oils in my soap and even though I tend to have allergic reactions to heavy fragrance, I've had none with my soap.

The people who I've given my soap to love it! If I tried to keep up with requests for more soap, I'd be making soap 24/7!

Penny


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## kidsngarden (Mar 24, 2006)

Are you superfatting? I like my superfat at 5%. I find soaps with Lard a far better than soaps with palm. Also if you give your recipe we can tell you if maybe some oils need to go up or down. Too much coconut can be drying.

Bethany


SoINgirl said:


> My skin is so dry right now I can't tell a difference with the soap. Do you all add a certain oil or something to make it more moisturizing? I have only made a few batches of soap and with just basic oils so I don't know if there is something I should be adding or if it is just me.


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## halfpint (Jan 24, 2005)

I don't have allergic reactions like I did from commercial soap. My husband no longer has dry skin, and my skin is no longer dry in the winter. 

Dawn


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

I'd like to be able to add mink oil to my soaps, but I settle for using emu oil. I love the mink oil bars!


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## SoINgirl (Aug 3, 2007)

I used:
20% Tallow
20% lard
35% Olive
20% Coconut
5% Castor

Also goat's milk, honey, and oatmeal. Superfatted at 5% and used soapcalc for a 1 pound batch.


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## Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians (May 6, 2002)

Yep if you can get your soap into peoples hands during the winter, they will be your customer for life! No more itchy dry skin, and even though I make and sell lotion, I rarely use lotion anymore. Vicki


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## Fifilaflea (Sep 28, 2007)

I used to scratch until I bled. I had scaly hands and big flakes. It was ugly. It's all gone and amazing.


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## kidsngarden (Mar 24, 2006)

SoINgirl said:


> I used:
> 20% Tallow
> 20% lard
> 35% Olive
> ...


Those numbers look pretty good. Messing around on soap calc I foung that if you take your coconut to 15 and up your castor 10 you reduce your cleansing and increase your conditioning values. if you use all Lard instead of the tallow and lard mixture it will also help. 

Maybe the coconut oil really bugs your skin - you could try taking it out and using palm kernal oil or just castor. Are you sensitive to a fragrance you are using?

Bethany


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## beaglady (Oct 7, 2002)

Spinner said:


> I'd like to be able to add mink oil to my soaps, but I settle for using emu oil. I love the mink oil bars!


Just wanted to mention that turkey fat makes an excellent substitute for emu oil. I use the sap value for chicken fat on soapcalc, and use it as about 20% of my oils. And Thanksgiving is coming, so just pull out the body cavity fat around the tail before you roast yours, render and strain it.


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

i have some minor dry skin issues and a few scar tissue areas on my hands that get really, really bad in the winter. since i started making soap, the skin in my hands is much healthier. the deep scar tissue used to crack deep and bleed. i haven't had that happen much since i started using my own soap. many folks claim the glycerine in homemade soap is the key. they say glycerine is a premium product and is removed from commercial soap to be used elsewhere, and only the soap remains. since this is not done at home, homemade soap has glycerine and is better for your skin.


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## SoINgirl (Aug 3, 2007)

Thanks. I will try it next time.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

SoIngirl,

add about 15% of high linoleic oil (sunflower, safflower). Make sure it is NOT marked high oleic. Remove the castor and reduce both tallow and olive by 5%.

I concur with Beaglady - both turkey and chicken react much the same as emu.


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