Teach Soap

I am thinking about entering the world of M&P soapmaking, though I'm not sure another craft addiction would be too good for me!!!
My children have severe eczema, so what would you recommend in terms of appropriate bases and colourings? Any EO's that would help with healing as well as prevent further irritation? Are FO's out of the question?
And tell me honestly, is this an expensive hobby?
TIA

Expensive? Well....it depends on how well you deal with addiction....

EO do have healing qualities, but I am not very learned in that regard. I look forward to others responses...

Soaps that have light oils for easy penetration into the skin and help cellular repair are good to use. Kukui, Apricot Kernel, and Sweet Almond oil are good for the skin and to moisturize dry skin and eczema. A person could make some great lotions with those oils. Pyrithione zinc is good for eczema, but I imagine it would not be easy to obtain without buying a bottle of Head and Shoulders. Head and Shoulders or any pyrithione zinc containing shampoo are normally used for scalp eczema. Ceramide moisturizers are supposed to be excellent for healing eczema, but some of them require a script by a family physician or dermatologist. Here is a link concerning ceramide moisturizers:

http://dermatology.about.com/od/skincar ... rizers.htm

Some of these remdies may not alleviate the itching associated with eczema, but an allergist might be able to help with that. Eczema is not uncommon to people that have alot of allergies and the right anti-histamines can clear things up surprisingly well.

I hope any of this info helps.

Oh, and alot of essential oils can dry out the skin by themselves.

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At night I lay in bed looking up at the stars and I think to myself.......I really need to fix my roof.

http://dermatology.about.com/od/atopicd ... c_home.htm

I just noticed this information while clicking links in the other link I posted above. I mentioned in another post that I had started noticing very pronounced effects of the eczema on my hands disappearing by taking zyrtec. The link in this post mentions the same thing. To control eczema or any type of dermatitis you have to control the itch. Sometimes that means to consciously stop scratching, but that might be difficult for kids to do. The other method is to keep the itch away as much as possible. I no longer have eczema on my hands and the eczema on my shins are disappearing as I use moisturizer butters that I've made from products bought at Bramble Berry, zyrtec, and Benadryl topical spray.

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At night I lay in bed looking up at the stars and I think to myself.......I really need to fix my roof.

My kid has excema too, but I noticed that as soon as he started using our stuff (soaps, lotions, bubble bath, etc) his itching, if not completely stopped, became much less of a problem. The problem with drugstore soaps is that they strip all the good stuff away when they process it, thus making it more or less a harsh detergent. When you use mp or other type of handmade soaps, the glycerin, for example, stays in the soap. the one soap he uses the most when he does have an outbreak is a recipe I concocted myself with shea butter and honey. (Can't tell you how much of each, because I do it by the seat of my pants, and I add other oils/butters sometimes when the excema is particularly bad) But honey is a great healer-do a search on the properties of it, you'll see! And I don't add any scents or colorants-this soap is one of my biggest sellers because I have had people who are going through chemo tell me that it's the only soap they use on their skin.

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Peggi

http://www.klamathriversfinest.etsy.com

Hi,
I'm new to soap as well but here's one that I've had success with. My husband is a pharmacist and suggested it, goats milk base, oatmeal powder( I grind old fashion oatmeal), and calamine powder
( you can find it at gardenofwisdom.com) or calamine lotion. We got the idea from a bar we bought at Basin at Disney. He really finds it soothing.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

yes. if you look at the lotion or monkey butt powder it lists calamine powder.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

The other thing to remember... and I didn't learn this until reading more about soaps through this hobby... is that "soap" (as we generally refer to at consumers) in the stores can be one of two things 1) true soap, which will be labelled as such or 2) detergent, which may be labelled as "body bar" or some other non-"soap" term. Only true soap can be labelled as such. IF you decide soaping is not for you, and you decide to continue to buy commercially, look for the word "soap" and avoid everything else which likely is detergent/chemical based.

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Janet
The Studio a la Mode
www.thestudioalamode.blogspot.com

just wanted to second what everyone else has said: most of the time, just switching to a natual soap that is SLS free and isn't a detergent can work wonders on the skin. ever since i started buying and making my own natural soaps i haven't had and skin problems (i've always has problems with acne and such). i think it works better than proactiv or anything else.

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ween rules