Sensitive Skin / Moisturising Soap

(Sydney Australia)

Hi there, I was wondering if you have a recipe (or which of your recipes listed on your site) would you recommend for sensitive skin.

I get a blotchy red reaction from using cheap supermarket soaps and so have had to resort to buying the very expensive sensitive soaps such as QV or sorbolene soap.

I was thinking that making my own might be more cost effective (and they way also I could actually add a bit of essential oils to make it smell nice too as the bought and expensive ones of quite bland as they are usually frangrance free).

Thanks sooooooo much.

Answer:

Many people are sensitive to the chemicals in commercial soaps while some are sensitive to certain base oils or even the fragrances/essential oils.

The key to finding a soap for your sensitive skin is finding out what it is that you are sensitive too.

Coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, castor oil and cocoa butter tend to be the base oils that some people are sensitive too.

I would suggest that you obtain small amounts of these oils and do some sample testing on your skin. This is done by rubbing a very small amount in sensitive areas like the inside of your elbow or behind your knee. Do this for a few days...if any irritation occurs then you will know not to use that ingredient in your soap recipe.

Do the same with some essential oils. You will probably need to avoid those which are known sensitizers such as those from the spice family (cinnamon, clove, etc.) and the mint family (peppermint, etc.). Lavender, chamomile and rosewood are a few that tend to be better for sensitive skin. Do a search for each scent you are interested in to see if it would be appropriate for sensitive skin.

Once you have an ingredient list to work with, you can start formulating or finding a recipe that should work for you.

Take a look at my recipes page for Basic Homemade Soap Recipes to see if one of those would work for you.

Good luck and have fun,
Cathy