Soap to Soothe Sensitive Skin

As a soap maker, people tell me about their skin issues all the time.  I don't ask, but at times, I get a lot of unsolicited personal information.  What I've taken from these conversations is that there is a substantial segment of the population out there with skin issues.  Dry skin, eczema, allergies, rashes, and sensitivities all drive our pursuit for the perfect bath products for our individual needs.  I decided that aside from the scented and swirly soaps on my Etsy shop, I wanted to make a soap that would be extra soothing for sensitive skin.  I have a personal stake in this project as well; My son has persistent eczema, and I'd really love to find a way to treat it without having to resort to hydrocortisone creams as often.

First, I infused olive and rice bran oils with calendula petals.  Calendula is a marigold, and has some really nice, skin-loving properties when used topically.  The petals have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, and some studies even suggest that calendula may help to speed up the healing of wounded or irritated skin (you can find additional info on the wonders of calendula, with references to scientific studies done on the subject here).

I made calendula infused olive and rice bran oils for this soap.

While my calendula infusion was in process, I made some oat milk by hand.  I regularly make my own almond milk for my Oatmeal Honey soap, but I had never tried making my own oat milk.  I was so inspired by a fellow blogger's post on Soapy Alternatives to Goat's Milk that I had to try it! Oatmeal in soap has so many benefits,including reducing itchiness, restoring moisture, and acting as an anti-inflammatory (more on oatmeal in beauty products here).

Making oat milk by hand is a labor of love.

After straining the oily calendula petals out of the infusion, I added some new, dried petals to the soap for some visual appeal.  Due to the oat milk, this soap traced quickly and went through a full, hot gel.  I left this one unscented, since this batch is for people with skin sensitivities. I'm looking forward to giving this one a test run!

Calendula Oat Milk Soap