Damaged skin, dry skin, oily skin, and sensitive skin oh my! All types of skin can get seriously damaged if you are not cautious with the soaps that you keep on using. The harsh chemicals in store bought soaps do not contain organic ingredients, which is why they can be dangerous for your skin habitat. The use of such regular soaps can be damaging for your healthy skin. Those who suffer from seriously sensitive skin, their skin can break into million patches of dry and irritated scales. That is when gentle soaps come into play.
All those tired of this tough routine because their skin is either sensitive or dry need to make sure that the skin barrier is intact, no matter what. It also helps with all the inflammation processes.
Thus today, we will be sharing some key points and recipes that you need to keep in mind if you make gentle soaps at home. These recipes are not only good for skin care, but you can also use these soaps for body wash. So, sit tight as we will dive deep into these matters.
But the things that you need to keep in mind here are that these are some things that you need to avoid when it comes to such recipes. You have to avoid the irritants for starters, such as fragrance, synthetic fragrance, skin irritation ingredients, paraben, artificial colors, scent, overly cleansing ingredients, and last but not least scratchy exfoliants. These materials are irritating and can also be devastating for various types of skin conditions.
DIY; Choose a recipe for gentle soaps
1- Extra Gentle Unscented Soaps that have Aloe
It is pretty obvious here that sensitive soap is a good choice. This is mainly because of the factor of aloe vera. Aloe vera is needed to ensure that the moisture is not lacking from the skin.
Furthermore, the aloe vera adds a layer of smoothness to the skin. You can also use aloe liquid for that said purpose. If you are using aloe liquid, you can enjoy the benefits of liquid soap. But in some cases, if you do not have these materials, you can also use the distilled water to prepare regular soap. If you have a skin condition such as skin sensitivity, you should use this antibacterial soap. Thus also provides you protection against germs. It is also an amazing hand soap for eczema. You can also use this bar soap for hand wash. It is also rich in vitamin E, and that's another benefit of this mild soap.
Another ingredient that can also add value to this recipe of gentle soaps is milk. Milk also helps to lock the moisture in the skin, which can be the substitute for aloe vera for your sensitive soap making recipes.
The ratio in which you have to use the ingredients is given below:
- Aloe liquid or distilled water: 234 g
- Lye or sodium hydroxide: 107 g
- Olive oil: 50%
- Coconut oil: 18%
- Sunflower or sweet almond oil: 15%
- Shea, cocoa, or kokum butter: 12%
- Castor oil: 40 g
2- Creamy Shea Butter Unscented Bastille Soap
This is one of the best recipes out there if you are looking for gentle soaps. It is also the best soap for itchy skin. This bath soap also boasts a high amount of olive oil among shea. Among all other things, it also has shea butter which has numerous skin benefits. From conditioning the skin to providing enough moisture, shea butter helps the skin in numerous ways.
Moreover, castor oil is also helpful as it boosts the presence of lather. You can also squeeze in milk and Aloe if you do not want to use water, as we have mentioned above.
- Distilled water/aloe liquid/milk: 227 g
- Lye or sodium hydroxide: 101 g
- Olive oil: 75%
- Shea Butter:16%
- Castor oil: 9%
Do not lose hope if you are unable to find shea butter. There are several options that one can choose from. For example, you can opt for mango butter, cocoa butter, lard, or tallow.
Because the lye will still fall and will not surrender to change.
How to make Gentle Soaps; A Directional Guide
- First, you have to be sure that you are wearing personal protective equipment such as eyewear and glasses. You have to be very careful while dealing with the lye because it is basic and can be corrosive in one way or another. Furthermore, avoid any respiratory activity in those fumes because they can be very strong.
- Then you have to put aside the solution that contains lye to a safe space where its temperature can get cooled. The temperature will get cool to around 100 to 110 degrees F.
- Melt out the fats and oils in the solution.
- The next step is to pour the cooled lye solution into the oils that have been warmed up.
- Then make use of the combination of both hand stirring and immersion blender to mix up the soap until it becomes one and whole.
- Please use the mould and then pour the mixture mentioned above of soap into it.
- Then you have to cover the mixture of soap in the mould with the help of a light towel.
- Keep the Mold in its place for about two days and then release it slightly.
- Then slice the soap into bars, or you can keep it there as you like it. You also have to keep the soap in the open air. Those soaps with high olive oil content, such as bastille soaps, improve the more time you give them to age. Thus if you have decided to give them a three plus month cure time, you will enjoy the benefits like no other.
Some Other Gentle Soaps to Try
Do not limit yourself by thinking that this is all that you will get information about in terms of gentle soaps.
1- Chamomile Soap
This is one of the great soaps for itchy skin because it is purely natural ingredients. All you need is two types of oil; one is olive and the second one is castor.
But if you want the benefits of unscented ones, you can omit chamomile. This way, you can enjoy the benefits of a soap that does not smell at all. You can freely use this soap for the case of irritated skin.
You have to be very careful regarding the measurements of this soap. Make sure to do all the measurements by weight.
The given below ingredients are required in the mentioned below quantities.
- Cold chamomile tea: 248g
- Sodium hydroxide: 105g
- Chamomile infused olive oil: 737g
- Castor oil: 85g
- Essential oil according to your preference: 35g
The result of this recipe, as mentioned above, will be almost 7 to 8 bars.
The things you need to know before you start making this soap are given below:
Make the Lye Solution
Make sure to use personal protective equipment before you dive deep into making sensitive soaps. Then you have to weigh the chamomile tea in a stainless steel pitcher. You can also use a plastic one as it will also work. You need to know that you should never use aluminum utensils or pots while making soap because these materials can react with the lye, and the results will be drastic.
The next step is to weigh the lye in a small container. Remember only to put the lye into the water and not the other way around because you might get a lye volcano this way. Then you have to stir the mixture well with the help of a spatula. Keep on repeating this process until all the lye is dissolved.
The temperature of the mixture will rise. The chamomile in the mixture can get converted into an orange shade. But you do not have to worry as this is perfectly normal. You have to ensure that you need to work in an open space or near a window.
Ensure that you are not working in a closed space. Furthermore, it would be best to never breathe in such dangerous fumes as they are highly toxic. If you are suffering from respiratory issues, you should only work with these things if you have a mask on.
Keep the lye solution at a safe distance where no one will disturb it, and let it cool for a time duration of about 30 to 40 minutes. You also need to check the temperature of the mixture and make sure to maintain it around 100 to 110 degrees F.
Weigh and then Heat the Oil
First of all, you have to weigh the types of oil, both castor, and olive. Then you have to heat it out gently around the temperature of about 90 to 100 degrees F.
Temperature is not that big of a matter here as there are soaps that can get prepared at around room temperature. This is dependent on the temperature factor.
Mix It Up
The next thing that you have to do is mix it all up. For this purpose, you can use an immersion blender. You cannot use a spatula because this is not something that can be mixed with your hands.
Turn the motor on for a minute and then blend the solution for the said time. Remember that you do not have to run the stick blender because it can put your motor at risk. It can also lead to air bubbles in the soap mixture.
Repeat this method until you have what they call a trace. Trace is when the soap batter is thick enough to touch the ground.
But if you are using any essential oils, you can use hand stirring.
Pour it into Mold
Chamomile gentle soap is a cold soap recipe. This means that you do not have to worry about cooking or adding heat to this mixture. After that, all you have to do is that you have to pour into Mold.
Then you have to place a cover on the top of this Mold. This can be parchment paper or a net sheet. You can also use a light blanket for this purpose.
Keep an eye on these soaps. If, because of high temperatures, there is a crack developing in the soaps, then you can move these soaps to a cool place.
If you see that the soap is changing color, it is an identification that the gentle soaps are settling. You might also get a translucent, jelly type texture. This one will be the most visible in the center of the soaps. But it is not a matter of concern as it is normal for your soaps to go through this gel-like phase.
After a day, you have to remove the freezer paper or other sorts of coverage that you might have placed. Then let the mold stay uncovered for a span of 2 to 3 days. Only remove it from the mold when you are sure it will not lead to a disaster. You can also keep the mold in the freezer for some days. This will also speed up the whole process.
Cure and then Use!
As we have mentioned before, after processing with the unmolding, you have to keep the soap open for some time. Then you can slice the soap bar as you like them.
You need to know about Castile and almost Castile soaps because they need much time to get cured. You have to cure these soaps for at least 6 to 8 weeks before you opt out to use them. Although an even longer time is needed, you can also work with this time limit.
Protect your gentle soaps from all the heat and excessively cool temperatures. If you are interested in increasing the shelf life of your soap, you can try to add 20 to 30 drops of antioxidants. You need to add this to the mixture before you add the lye.
2- Oatmeal Honey Soap
You can also make this easy gentle soap for itchy skin at home in a crackpot. This way, you can use this soap sooner than the average period. If you want it to be unscented, you can leave out the lavender essential oils. This way, you do not have to worry about the rashes and all the associated stuff.
These sensitive soaps can be made with the help of the following ingredients.
- Olive oil: 482 g
- Coconut oil; 277g
- Sweet almond and sunflower oil: 43g
- Castor oil: 28g
- Lye: 111g
- Tamanu oil: 14g
- Powdered oatmeal: 1 tablespoon
- Honey: 1 tablespoon
- Lavender essential oil: quarter teaspoon
The basic yield of this gentle soap caters up to almost 42 ounces. If there are any allergies you have had in the past, you can try using babassu oil as a replacement. For this, you might have to change the amount of lye you will add, but the rest of the recipe remains intact.
In another scenario, if you are unable to get your hands on sweet almond or sunflower oil, then you can use the following ones:
- Avocado
- Apricot
- Kernel
- Olive oil
But we would tell you one thing: you have to be very sure about the amount of lye that you will be needing.
You can also replace the tamanu oil with the oil. For the substitute, you can use one of the following ones:
- Shea
- Mango
- Cocoa butter
As we are adding this ingredient when the oil is near completion, that is why you do not have to worry about such matters of cooking again.
Basic Gentle Soaps Recipe
Well, do not get bothered by the word basic because it is as creative as it can get. Although this recipe is a plain one, you can customize it to how you like it, and then you can enjoy the benefits of sensitive soaps.
The ingredients that are used in this basic gentle soaps recipe are as follows:
- Olive oil: 354g
- Sunflower or sweet almond oil: 12.5g
- Coconut oil: 227g
- Kokum or cocoa butter: 113g
- Lye: 112g
- Distilled water: 241g
3- Healing Skin Bar
For this soap recipe, you can use all the possible herbs you might want to work with. For example, you can try using the following herbs for this healing skin bar recipe;
- Lavender
- Calendula
- Comfrey leaf
- Comfrey root
- Plantain leaf
- Rose petals
- Violet flowers
- Olive leaf powder
You have to start by putting all the dried herbs, flowers, or petals inside a jar. Then make sure to add simmering hot water to them. Let it stay overnight. Then proceed with straining it. This mixture might smell a bit and give a weird color when you mix it with the lye. But rest assured, as this is a normal process in making sensitive soaps. If you are using strong herbs to make soaps for itchy skin, be ready to get a dose of a brownish or tan color.
The ingredients of this gentle soap recipe are given below:
- Infused olive oil: 345g
- Sunflower or sweet almond oil: 99g
- Coconut oil: 227g
- Kokum or cocoa butter: 113g
- Lye: 112g
- Cooled herbal tea:241g
- Tamanu or rosehip seed oil: 1tablespoon
- Lavender essential oil: 20g
- Tea tree essential oil: 10g
Noteworthy Ideas For Customization of Gentle Soaps That You Need to KNOW!
1- Rosy soap
You can try to stir up 25 g of geranium essential oils and mix them in your gentle soaps recipes at the point of trace. This is mainly because it smells like roses, but it is a cost effective substitute as well.
2- Oatmeal and Honey Soap
You have to properly stir a teaspoon of honey and mix it with a teaspoon of warm water. It would be best if you also tried adding ground oats at the tracepoint.
3- Lemon Poppy Seed Soap
Make sure to stir a 20 gram sample of lemongrass essential, and then you can also add a teaspoon of poppy seeds at the point of trace in the gentle soap mixture.
Make Your Gentle Soaps
Gentle soaps are a great way to ensure that your skin's ecosystem is intact. The use of too many chemicals can be quite damaging and dangerous. Thus, be sure to use these materials that will lock the moisture in the skin and are also great for the protection of skin layers.
