Teach Soap

Okay, so I have dishydrotic eczema (it affects my hands hardcore...). I have decided to start making my own soap because everything commercially made destroys my hands. And believe you me, I have tried almost everything I could find.

All that to say, I am trying out different products from Bramble Berry. I must say, I love the ease of use and navigation on their website. So easy to find what I want! I decided to try one pound of the honey melt and pour soap. I got the little 100% handmade molds too.

My biggest question is this: I am going to try this soap without fragrance or colour at first. Has anyone used this on their sensitive hands? Does it seems to work well?

My second biggest question is this: When I am melting the base, can I use a crockpot? I wonder, because I don't want any of the base to go to waste. Can you reheat base? I'm not entirely sure how much to melt for my molds.

I also got the sampler pack of bright and pastel micas. I'm not sure if this was a mistake, because after I bought the pack, I read that micas are best with clear MP soaps. Will this color the honey soap at all?

That is all I have for now. I'll probably come up with more later... xD

I would try the MP as is at first. If it doesn't bother you, then you can try scent and or mica. If you are melting just a small amount, I would try the microwave at short bursts, til almost all of it is melted. Then stir it the rest of the way. You can reheat the base, but if you do it too many times, the moisture will evaporate. Honey soap has a slight tint, so that would affect your final color. Your soap does not have to be clear or white to use mica.

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

I have some flare-ups of eczema but not as bad as you describe. The last episode I used a sugar scrub (the sugar cube ones) to first clean and exfoliate my skin, then I applied the lotion (steroid) that my primary care provider gave me. Within 10 days my hand was healed. I believe one product helped the other. I did use BB's clear base to make the sugar cubes. Because I went with sugar instead of salt it did not burn when I used it.

_________________
Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

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

If you go to this post there is a link that I posted there that will take you to the instructions regarding the sugar scrubs.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4030&start=0

_________________
Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

Hi! I also have severe eczema of the hands. I have had good results with the MP soap base from BB which I also began using as a result of the eczema. I have made the sugar scrub cubes. I used grapeseed oil as I have read it benefits those with eczema as well as the fact that it is inexpensive and relatively easy to find locally. It easily penetrates the skin but doesn't leave my hands oily/greasy after using the scrub. They don't feel tight and dry but comfortable. (I'm sure you know that with eczema, the worst thing your hands can be is dry. Ouch!) I also tried making the scrub cubes with olive oil and was not as pleased with the results. Let me know what you try and how you like the outcome.