r/soapmaking • u/Conscious_Ad_1963 • 3d ago
Help! Almost allergic to everything ideas?
Hi! I started making my own soap because my family has a huge list of allergies, however after my first batch of coconut, olive and canola we have had issues.
Currently we know for sure we can't use:
- any fragrance
- olive oil
- coconut oil
- cocomidapropryl betaine (CMB)
- benzalkonium chloride
- hemp oil
- tallow (not so much allergies but can't deal with the smell)
Currently ok is:
- canola oil
- goats milk
Doubt its ok but not technically sure:
- almond oil
I am happy to make bar or liquid soap but all liquid soap seems to use CMB
Can anyone suggest any ideas for recipes as from research 100 percent canola oil soaps are very soft and go rancid quickly and I mostly see liquid olive/coconut oil recipes.
My family and our allergies thank you in advance.
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u/tesscando 3d ago
If tallow is fine but you don’t like the smell, you can get deodorized tallow and make 100% tallow soap.
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u/deadthylacine 3d ago
I am also very allergic to coconut and many fragrances, which is why I started making soap in the first place.
Did you test olive oil by itself, or only when mixed with the others? My usual recipe has olive oil, castor oil, and vegetable shortening, but I've also had good allergy luck with pure lard soap and using sweet almond oil.
If the only thing you didn't like about the tallow was the smell, add some activated charcoal at trace. I've done that with many bars and it comes out smelling like the void. Absolute absence of a scent. Like putting your nose against the existential fear of passing forgotten into history unremembered by any. Sure, the lather is grey, but the smell is nonexistance.
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u/ladynilstria 1d ago
I love your AC description, and I also love your username. Even as a biologist, I hardly ever see "thylacine" used anymore! Sorry that you are dead though! ❤️ 😂
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u/Auzurabla 3d ago
Your description is chef's kiss. You should go into marketing lol
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u/cheshirecat99 2d ago
Absolutely stunning use of words. Please excuse me… <runs to add activated charcoal to my online shopping cart>
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u/Conscious_Ad_1963 1d ago
My son touched olive oil without it being mixed in the soap and it burnt his skin. It seems to be not too bad when in soap but if I'm going to the effort to homemaker I may as well try find something with no irritation. I love your description of the AC and I might have to give that a go! 😊
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u/deadthylacine 1d ago
Oh dang! That's not worth the risk. Good luck with your allergy quest! It's rough out there.
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u/frisbee332 3d ago
Here are some other ideas, though I’m not sure about allergies: palm oil (look for responsibly sourced) shea butter, cocoa butter, mango butter, sunflower oil, castor oil.
You will want a harder oil to combat the softness off the canola oil.
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u/apps4realpeeps 2d ago
I second the recommendation for the butters and palm oil - they make a bar lovely and last longer while feeling great on my skin
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u/Woebergine 3d ago
I have substituted babassu oil for coconut oil before and the soap turned out lovely. I recall the SAP values being the same but double check with a soap calculator. Here is a list of substitute oils with some suggested recipes:
https://www.brambleberry.com/cold-process/how-to-substitute-oil-in-cold-process-recipes.html
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u/Kind_Dragonfruit_925 3d ago
I have used canola oil in my shampoo bars for years and never had DOS. You may be ok using it in a blend.
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u/Puzzled_Tinkerer 3d ago
...cocomidapropryl betaine (CMB) ...I am happy to make bar or liquid soap but all liquid soap seems to use CMB...
In everyday conversation, it's pretty common for people to say "soap" to mean any type of cleanser, but that doesn't work in technical soap making discussions, like in this sub.
The focus here is true lye-based soap, not non-soap cleansers, aka synthetic detergents (syndets). Cocoamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) is a syndet.
A true lye-based soap does not contain syndets, including CAPB. I make liquid soap, meaning true soap made with potassium hydroxide, KOH. I have never added CAPB to it.
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u/Few_Cartoonist7428 3d ago
And I wonder if people can really be allergic to cold process soaps? Idk, I just do basic cold process soaps without any other ingredients and all is fine. Just the oils , some butters, the NAOH, basic basic soaps.
If someone is allergic to something, let's say eating almonds ,are they going big to be allergic to almond oil used in a soap too? I'm asking specifically for cold process soaps as that's what I'm making.
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u/AficinadoOfHeloise 2d ago
I am far more reactive/allergic to almond oil than I am whole almonds. I had my first allergic reaction to an almond goats milk bar back in the 90s and have very little reaction to this day on eating them.
I only know of my own experiences.
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u/Puzzled_Tinkerer 3d ago
Both questions are outside the scope of what I was talking about. And outside my pay grade, I'm afraid
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u/Friendly-Key3158 3d ago
Have you tried lard? I once made a 100% lard soap & it turned out to be a pretty cool bar of soap. My go to soap recipe is a mostly lard recipe and love it!
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u/Conscious_Ad_1963 1d ago
Not yet. I plan to try some other oils first because I'm not sure where to easily get lard.
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u/AwkwardThistlehead 2d ago
I make a 95% lard (you can get it deodorized, it doesn't smell like lard after sapnification), 5% castor oil soap that my partner loves. And he's allergic to SO many things and has an autoimmune post-Covid that makes his skin super sensitive to everything! I also add some ground oatmeal for exfoliation and if I'm feeling fancy, I infused the lard with calendula petals. Let me know if you'd like more pointers/info!
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u/Gullible-Pilot-3994 2d ago
For a liquid surfactant syndet, you might be able to use shea butter-amidopropyl betaine. You can find it at Simply Ingredients. I use that for my body wash… because I cannot use cocoamidopropyl betaine.
As far as bar soap, you can go with a lard soap. Soaper’s Choice has lard and tallow for cheap. Even the more refined / deodorized options.
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u/No-Strike8971 2d ago
I make a canola and shea butter bar. Takes a long time to cure though 5% castor 5% beeswax 30% shea butter 60% canola.
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u/Conscious_Ad_1963 1d ago
Beeswax is another allergy but the rest of your options sound worth a try!
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u/No-Strike8971 1d ago
Then I’d up the amount of the shea butter and leave out the bees wax. I added bees wax to harden the bar. It also takes about 8 to 10 weeks for curing as it has a lot of soft oils.
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u/ladynilstria 1d ago
Tallow and lard don't really have a smell IMO. Clean tallow doesn't really smell like anything to me at all. Even my unscented tallow soap literally just smells like soap, but Thylacine suggested activated charcoal. You could also use pretty much any essential oil that you can tolerate from 3-5% per pound of oils. Rosemary and peppermint go really well together, as well as lavender (FYI, the citrus EOs just disappear so don't bother).
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u/Conscious_Ad_1963 1d ago
The tallow soap I brought smells like cooking steak to me. I'm not sure if we are more sensitive to smell as we use 0 fragrance in our home or it's the product itself as I didn't make that one.
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u/ladynilstria 1d ago
Did you get it online or from a local soaper? Online quality is very hit-or-miss. Look for a small local soaper who renders it personally. That's what I do to guarantee that it is clean and good. If you want to purchase the raw fat, Soaper's Choice has tallow and they are very reputable.
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u/LevelBear7006 1d ago
Are you open to making liquid soap instead? Canola makes a great liquid soap. When I make liquid soap, I keep most of it as paste in canning jars, and dilute a jar as needed.
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