Chia gel in soap

[ilonaliss]

I just came across a Youtuber putting "chia gel" in soap, presumably to enhance the skin feel of the bars: (how amazing is her soap design?!)

Does anyone know what the chia gel actually is? It doesn't look lumpy to me, so could it simply be chia seeds gelled in water, then blended up and strained?

 

[cmzaha]

Here is a link. You just soak the chia seeds. Chia Gel

 

[ilonaliss]

thanks for your reply @cmzaha - I know how to make chia gel, but was wondering how best to incorporate it into CP soap. The "chia gel" that Marina adds looks smooth and liquidy, so I don't think it's simply gelled chia seeds. Maybe using chia seeds in CP soap is not as common as I thought it was..

 

[cmzaha]

I would thin it down with my liquid probably 50/50 and mix my lye 50/50. I do not mix anything with my lye solution

 

[amd]

I saw this a few nights ago and was wondering the same thing... particularly what it would bring to the soap. If anyone has used it and can give some insight to soap performance, I would appreciate.

 

[violets2217]

So... bored at work... researching chia seed gel. I’ve found soap recipes for chia seed oil & just chia seeds. All recipes boast chia seeds & oil being high in antioxidants and very hydrating for skin and hair. The oil was recommended highly for “mature” skin. The seeds in soap are of course exfoliating & the least expensive option... probably. The oil averages online to be around $6.50 an ounce. But can’t really find any information on using the gel in soap. Lots of articles comparing it to flax seed and using the gel of both for hair styling products. I’ve made flaxseed gel once before, it was nice in my daughter’s curly hard but it was kinda Difficult for me to make so probably won’t do it again. If I though the gel would survive the soap making process I’d probably try it with aloe juice as water replacement. That would be cool!

 

[Obsidian]

I'd think you'd need to separate the seeds from the gel regardless of the type used. I'll have to try chia sometime, see if it adds anything.

 

[HomemadeJoy]

I just added chia seeds to the top of my soap and wanted to add it into one layer only. Has anyone added chia seeds alone yet. I was curious about color leakage from the seeds. This is for a store so I just placed them on top.

 

[cmzaha]

Back in the flapper days when finger waves were popular flaxseed was cooked down to a gel to make waveset, for setting the finger waves. Waveset stayed popular until the 70's, maybe longer, and still contained flaxseed. Chia would probably produce a similiar product. I was always allergic to the darn stuff.

I am thinking the gel would possibly add slip to soap and soap is slippery enough.

 

[BubblingBrooke]

I wonder if you were to let the chia seeds gel in a fine mesh strainer and try pushing the gel through with a spoon, leaving the seeds behind? I feel like I saw that somewhere...I want to try now, also super intrigued by this! P.S. Love Creamy Obsession, her designs are breath taking!

 

[violets2217]

I wonder if you were to let the chia seeds gel in a fine mesh strainer and try pushing the gel through with a spoon, leaving the seeds behind? I feel like I saw that somewhere...I want to try now, also super intrigued by this! P.S. Love Creamy Obsession, her designs are breath taking!

It’s easier if you have a nylon stocking. Put it in the stocking and squeeze the gel out...If you put the stocking in a wide glass and stretch the open over a rim it’s easier to get the chia seeds in it. Can’t wait to hear all about your soap!

 

[Garden Gives Me Joy]

Have used flaxseed (not chia seed) gel in my soaps for years.
I think it is moisturizing. It keeps the batter gel like in HP which makes it so much easier to pour into cylindrical molds.
If using the seeds, best to cook seeds as they can get rancid over time. Haven't made a batch since I started using citric acid and wonder if the citric acid will reduce the rancidity (as it can with linoleic acid in oils).
Otherwise, the gel alone has worked fine most of the time. ... Saw some strange things in 2 batches. One of over 1.5 years, saw one or two small brown marks. Always wondered if the flaxseed gel was responsible. That batch had avocado puree, shea butter among other fats with a SF of 10% ... along with the flaxseed gel The other was the batch I saw mold in and figured the problem was the carbohydrates (oats and sugar) I also included. Unsure whether flaxseed is food for mold because the much older avocado soap never got mold, though I did treat that avocado batch better as I was not trying to acid test it re bad consumer practices. Happy for thoughts.
All in all and despite those 2 unfortunate cases, I love flaxseed in soap.

 

[BubblingBrooke]

Have used flaxseed (not chia seed) gel in my soaps for years.
I think it is moisturizing. It keeps the batter gel like in HP which makes it so much easier to pour into cylindrical molds.
If using the seeds, best to cook seeds as they can get rancid over time. Haven't made a batch since I started using citric acid and wonder if the citric acid will reduce the rancidity (as it can with linoleic acid in oils).
Otherwise, the gel alone has worked fine most of the time. ... Saw some strange things in 2 batches. One of over 1.5 years, saw one or two small brown marks. Always wondered if the flaxseed gel was responsible. That batch had avocado puree, shea butter among other fats with a SF of 10% ... along with the flaxseed gel The other was the batch I saw mold in and figured the problem was the carbohydrates (oats and sugar) I also included. Unsure whether flaxseed is food for mold because the much older avocado soap never got mold, though I did treat that avocado batch better as I was not trying to acid test it re bad consumer practices. Happy for thoughts.
All in all and despite those 2 unfortunate cases, I love flaxseed in soap.

I wonder if it was the flax seeds because I know the oil must be refrigerated and used within a year or less...I would imagine the gel would behave similarly? Maybe you used them towards the end of their lifespan? That's totally guessing - still want to experiment.

 

[bmcknight86]

I wonder if this would work for thickening liquid soap and adding an exfoliant by grinding the seeds and adding to the paste and water dilution process. May have to try. Or has anyone else tried this?

 

[Zany_in_CO]

My answer is the same... hopefully someone else has a better answer for you.

I wonder if this would work for thickening liquid soap and adding an exfoliant

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/thr...x-to-thicken-and-exfoliate.88860/#post-951439

 

[The_Phoenix]

I made a flax seed gel batch of soap about a year ago. Cooked the flax seeds in water until thickened, then strained, squeezing to get the gel, using cheesecloth. Can’t say it did anything remarkable to the soap.

The process for making chia seed gel would be the same. Cool until thick then strain. You can blend right in the oils then add lye solution.