Have you ever wondered why people put oatmeal in soap? You can find oatmeal in a variety of skin care products. So, what’s the deal? Oatmeal offers some really awesome benefits for your skin, and a lot of these benefits can be passed on to your skin through soap. We use something called colloidal oatmeal. This just means that the oatmeal is dispersed evenly throughout the bar of soap (or whatever the oatmeal is mixed in to). However, when most people talk about colloidal oatmeal, they are talking about oatmeal that has been ground very finely, too. We use oat flour, because it’s less abrasive and provides a much greater surface area to contact your skin. We start with rolled whole oats and grind them ourselves. This way we can ensure they haven’t gone through any additional processing (oats are often steamed to make them softer and cook more quickly) that might reduce the benefits for your skin.
Reason 1: Moisture. There have been a lot of studies that show colloidal oatmeal can be an effective moisturizer for your skin. The great thing about colloidal oatmeal is that it doesn’t interfere with the cleaning ability of soap. In fact it contains something called plant saponin which is a natural and mild cleanser!
Reason 2: Skin Barrier. Dr. Wu suggests in his study that the protein and polysaccharides in colloidal oatmeal can help improve your skin’s natural barriers, something he says is especially helpful to patients experiencing rosacea.
Reason 3: Inflammation. Colloidal oatmeal also has something in it called phenols, which provide it’s anti-inflammatory properties.
Reason 4: Exfoliation. Colloidal oatmeal also acts as a very mild exfoliating agent. The nice thing about this type of exfoliation is how mild it is. Because the particle size of colloidal oatmeal is so small and relatively soft, it can usually be used on your face and other sensitive areas that traditional exfoliating agents might irritate.
Reason 5: pH. You’re skin has a pretty complex pH system. You have an acid mantle, which sits on top of your skin and helps protect you from the environment. This has a pH of about 5. Subsequent layers of skin have differing pH levels. Sometimes products that are too alkaline can throw off the pH of your skin, causing or aggravating certain skin problems. Colloidal oatmeal acts as a pH buffer which helps correct the pH of your skin.
Reason 6: Itch. Colloidal oatmeal has been used for centuries to soothe the skin and help relieve itch. This might be a side effect of the anti-inflammatory and moisturizing properties, but it’s still a great benefit.
Here are some links if you’d like more information:
http://www.ehow.com/about_5415739_benefits-oatmeal-soap.html
http://colloidaloatmeal.com/index.htm
http://rosacea-support.org/treating-rosacea-with-herbs.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17373175
Legal Mumbo-Jumbo: The information in this article is provided purely for informational purposes. None of our soaps are designed to diagnose, cure, or treat any disease or condition. Our soaps are moisturizing and amazingly mild, but please consult a doctor if you are looking to treat a skin condition.
H.M.
[…] Ground oatmeal, also known as colloidal oatmeal, is going to be a staple ingredient in this dog shampoo. Oatmeal has six main benefits to the skin. It is a moisturizer, creates a barrier on the skin against irritants, has anti-inflammatory qualities, exfoliates and removes dead skin, is pH balanced with skin, and relieves itch. To make ground oatmeal, use a food processor, coffee grinder, or blender to grind rolled oats (not instant oatmeal) into a fine powder. And you’re done! I purchase oatmeal from my local Cash and Carry in a 25 pound bag for $13. […]
[…] learn more about the benefits of oatmeal soap, click here, and […]
[…] and it cost pennies relative to what you would buy in Coles or Woollies. Read about the benefits of oatmeal. I am personally quite taken by oat meal and I believe I have used it in every soap! My inspiration […]
Thanks so much, will give it a try. The hardest part will be keeping him in the water for more than a few minutes – he’s a little guy (chihuahua) but fights me like a Great Dane when it comes to baths!
Looking forward to trying your soaps, most recently I have been using Splash Organics, but the stand they had in a local craft place has closed down. Now I have a few bars of Zum (Indigo Wild, I think) which is also a goats milk soap, which is what I prefer anyway (splash organics is all olive oil) I use natural soap for my skin, body, and hair. I can buy Zum locally, and it is a decent product, but I am not in love with it. So, I am still searching. Been getting your newsletter for at least a year, and love the philosophy behind your products.
Thanks again!
Jennifer
I haven’t been able to try your soap yet, I am not much of an online shopper and it is not sold anywhere in my area. (southern NJ) I keep hoping to run into it at a craft fair someday….but I wanted to ask if an oatmeal soap would be good for pets, specifically a dog. My dog has skin allergies at this time of year, scratching so bad that sometimes I have to give him benadryl. Usually it only lasts a few weeks, but this year it is going on for much longer, and I am at the point where I am thinking of taking him to the vet. I know she’ll just want to give him meds, and the poor guy is already taking medication for seizures.
I usually bath my dogs with leftover pieces of natural soap I use, nothing with fragrance. I might grind up some oatmeal and fill up the tub with it and water to soak him in today. Do you think it would help?
Jen,
It’s definitely worth trying before going to the vet. Here is an article explaining how to make a colloidal oatmeal bath. Best of luck!
H.M.