# Using Colloidal Oatmeal



## DianaMoon

After doing the soap calc thing, how would I add colloidal oatmeal? I have a bag of the stuff and I never use it, even though I love it.


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## shunt2011

You don’t need to add it in your calculations. I add 1 1/2 tsp to 2 tsp ppo I’m my oatmeal soaps. I’ve added as much as a tablespoon.


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## IrishLass

Ditto what Shari said^^^. I use baby oatmeal in mine @ 1 tbsp. ppo.


IrishLass


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## soapmaker

I add colloidal oatmeal at light trace with a stainless steel whisk and then continue sb-ing. I put it in all
my soaps. I use 12 g per 5 lbs. oil. 12 g=2 level tablespoons.



IrishLass said:


> Ditto what Shari said^^^. I use baby oatmeal in mine @ 1 tbsp. ppo.
> 
> 
> IrishLass [/QUOTE
> Does baby oatmeal add exfoliation? I used to use oat flour and I could still feel it in the bar of soap. Since I like a really smooth bar of soap, I went to colloidal oatmeal.


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## IrishLass

soapmaker said:


> Does baby oatmeal add exfoliation? I used to use oat flour and I could still feel it in the bar of soap. Since I like a really smooth bar of soap, I went to colloidal oatmeal.



If you are asking if it makes my soap feel scratchy, the answer is no, not at all. Like yourself, I used to use oat flour, but it turned out to be too scratchy for me. The baby oats feel very comfortable to my skin in comparison.


IrishLass


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## cmzaha

I use oat flour in mine


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## soapmaker

IrishLass said:


> If you are asking if it makes my soap feel scratchy, the answer is no, not at all. Like yourself, I used to use oat flour, but it turned out to be too scratchy for me. The baby oats feel very comfortable to my skin in comparison.
> 
> 
> IrishLass


Thanks, I'm going to try that! Colloidal oatmeal is so expensive but it makes a nice smooth bar. I don't like to be scratched!


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## Zany_in_CO

I use oat flour, 1 Tbls PPO, added to the warmed oils before adding the lye solution. The deal about colloidal oatmeal is that the particles stay suspended in bath water for a soothing oatmeal bath. Any other oat product tends to sit on the bottom of the tub. But colloidal oatmeal is more expensive than oat flour, baby oatmeal, regular oats processed to a powder, etc. so I've never tried it in soap.


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## soapmaker

Yes it is expensive but I use the lowest amount in soap ( 2 T. in 5lbs. oil) and it makes a nice slippery smooth
bar. But I'm all for trying a better way if you can't feel it in the bar. Perhaps adding your oat flour to warmed oils softens it up. I've never found a way to totally process oats to a powder. There's always larger residue. I think I'm just too picky. My customers never complained when I used oat flour.


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## cmzaha

I do use baby oatmeal in some bars, but most of my customers prefer the tiny bit of exfoliation the oat flour gives. While not as fine and soft as baby oatmeal, I do not find the oatmeal flour scratchy and I have sensitive skin. I use the baby oatmeal in a few oatmeal bars that I consider non scrubby. I also make an oatmeal bar with whole instant oats that is a really good seller, especially for my men customers, but women also like it.


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## penelopejane

soapmaker said:


> Yes it is expensive but I use the lowest amount in soap ( 2 T. in 5lbs. oil) and it makes a nice slippery smooth
> bar. But I'm all for trying a better way if you can't feel it in the bar. Perhaps adding your oat flour to warmed oils softens it up. I've never found a way to totally process oats to a powder. There's always larger residue. I think I'm just too picky. My customers never complained when I used oat flour.



Have you tried sieving it and then re-blitzing the stuff the sieve catches?


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## soapmaker

penelopejane said:


> Have you tried sieving it and then re-blitzing the stuff the sieve catches?


In the beginning of my soapmaking I would go to any length to get what I wanted for a lesser cost. But now I just buy colloidal!


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## penelopejane

soapmaker said:


> In the beginning of my soapmaking I would go to any length to get what I wanted for a lesser cost. But now I just buy colloidal!



I live in a rural area and can’t buy colloidal locally.


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## soapmaker

penelopejane said:


> I live in a rural area and can’t buy colloidal locally.


Mine is shipped from NDA, but it's on my list to get some baby oatmeal locally.


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## Minerva's Curious Physick

Zany_in_CO said:


> I use oat flour, 1 Tbls PPO, added to the warmed oils before adding the lye solution. The deal about colloidal oatmeal is that the particles stay suspended in bath water for a soothing oatmeal bath. Any other oat product tends to sit on the bottom of the tub. But colloidal oatmeal is more expensive than oat flour, baby oatmeal, regular oats processed to a powder, etc. so I've never tried it in soap.



Zany, have you ever tried doing that with hot process? I experimented with adding 1 Tb PPO finely ground and sieved oats to my warmed oils last night, brought it to trace, then cooked the soap for an hour in the crock pot. I ended up with something oily, mushy, and grainy that settled to the bottom, kind of like oily breakfast cereal. I stick blended it for awhile after the cook to at least make it smoother and homogenous, then put it in my mold to see what happens. 

*The weird reaction could've been something else I tried in the batch; like the honey, milk, or citric acid.
1. I used distilled water as 1/2 my liquid, completely dissolved my citric acid (1% of total oil weight) in it, then added lye (plus 6g extra lye for each 10g citric acid), and let those react in a cool water bath. 
2. After that cooled, I mixed in 1 tsp PPO honey, gave those time to react, then added frozen milk as another 40% of my liquid in a fresh cool water bath.
3. Measured 1 Tb PPO ground oats through a fine sieve into my warm oils and stirred well
4. Added cooled lye/water/milk/honey mix to the oil/oat mix and stick blended to trace
5. Cooked for 1 hour (until visually looked done) on warm (not low) in crock pot, so milk wouldn't scald. I don't open it and stir when I do HP, so it doesn't lose moisture, and it's always worked well for me
6. Moved crock to cool water bath so I could mix in superfat/sodium lactate/10% of liquid in warm milk, and realized it looked like a bunch of solids at the bottom, and oil at the top. As I stirred the solid-ish cake on the bottom into the oily mixture on top, it looked... curdled? Like oily chunky oatmeal? I tried to solve with lots of stick blending, then spooned the resulting finer mush into my mold. It really is a wet mush.

Maybe my oils were too warm when I mixed in my room temp lye mixture, and that made it curdle?
Really appreciate all the shared experience on this forum.


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## Candybee

I've used baby oatmeal, colloidal oatmeal, and even my own ground oatmeal. I find I prefer oat flour the best. Colloidal was too expensive for a product that is simply 100% oatmeal, my ground oatmeal was too scratchy no matter how much I ground, and ground, and sieved, and baby cereal was, well, too flaky for me and didn't give my soap that lovely oatmeal soap feel.

Oatmeal flour is a very mild exfolliant. I can't feel it in the soap even though I have sensitive skin. I love the texture of the finished soap and its very soothing and great for itchy, dry, skin. I sell it faster than I can make it. Especially this time of year.

I make 5 lb soap batches at a time and toss in 2 rounded tbs of oat flour in my oils just prior to SB'ing.


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## Zany_in_CO

@Minerva's Curious Physick





Please take a moment to go to the *Introduction Forum* and tell us a little about yourself, especially your Soapmaking experience and anything else you care to share. This will make it easier for us to help you on your Soapy Journey and, if you're lucky, find a few soapy friends near you.

So sorry! You have so much going on in your recipe it might be a good idea to take it over to the *Recipe Feedback Forum* if no one responds to you here. I don't know your level of experience, I don't do HP; I don't (generally) use citric acid; I add honey 50/50 with water, warmed, to my warmed oils, not the lye solution; I don't use sodium lactate; I don't use frozen milk, I use powdered milk, once again, added to my warmed oils. So I really can't be much help.


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## Kkflkkfl

Candybee said:


> Oatmeal flour is a very mild exfolliant. I can't feel it in the soap even though I have sensitive skin. I love the texture of the finished soap and its very soothing and great for itchy, dry, skin. I sell it faster than I can make it. Especially this time of year.
> 
> I make 5 lb soap batches at a time and toss in 2 rounded tbs of oat flour in my oils just prior to SB'ing.



When you say oatmeal flour, would that be the same as "oat flour" by chance? Because I can find oat flour at Walmart but don't think I found any that say "oatmeal flour." Just wanted to make sure because assuming they're the same thing


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