Coffee grounds in soap & their effect on pH

[cheesenoodle]

I'm curious about this. Since most soap comes out basic (around pH 10? I
don't know..) are there any known effects of coffee grounds and pH?

You would think that the acidic nature of coffee could be used to neutralize
soap to some extent. How much would be the hard part to determine.
And if so, is this a good thing? Or are there side effects...Many questions.

There are a bunch of different factors that could come into play -
(how fine the grounds are, which coffee is used, how old it is, whether it's
already been brewed or is unused, etc), but maybe we can assume that's all
understood for the purpose of the basic questions.

Any info on this? Or any info on how coffee grinds affect soap in general -
positively or negatively?

 

[Fragola]

You only get a little scrubby effect.

The acidity is insignificant.

 

[BakingNana]

ditto. My personal recommendation would be to use used coffee grounds which have been rinsed. They look good in the bar. I like regular old auto drip grind for soap. Any coarser and they might be scratchy rather than scrubby, and any finer and there wouldn't be any scrubby action at all. They won't contribute any scent by the way.

 

[carebear]

even finely ground coffee is too scrubby for me. I now opt for finer stuffs.

 

[Healinya]

Noone likes me when I say this, but coffee grounds cause tiny little scratches on the surface of the skin, and those tiny scratches play host to bacteria among other things that all lead to premature aging..

(That goes for apricot shell, pumice,etc, as well)

 

[carebear]

well, that seals it. i don't like you any more. :twisted:

 

[SoapyD]

Noone likes me when I say this, but coffee grounds cause tiny little scratches on the surface of the skin, and those tiny scratches play host to bacteria among other things that all lead to premature aging..

(That goes for apricot shell, pumice,etc, as well)

So do you personally never use an exfoliant at all? Or if you do, what do you use in place of all those other things? Honestly curious.

 

[cheesenoodle]

Noone likes me when I say this, but coffee grounds cause
tiny little scratches on the surface of the skin, and those tiny scratches play
host to bacteria among other things that all lead to premature aging..

(That goes for apricot shell, pumice,etc, as well)

Do you have a source for this?
I'm not attacking you, but would just like to see one if you have it.

I would think that the amount of scraping would depend on a lot of things
aside from coffee grain size. Like how long you scrub for, how dense your
abrasive is, which skin you use it on, etc. I thought we had a lot of layers of
dead skin before getting to the point where you have to start worrying about
bacterial invasions.

 

[judymoody]

I use superfine ground coffee only - espresso size. Anything larger is a bit too scratchy for me.

As for the pH question, I have no idea. If you mix lye into brewed coffee though, it will stink mightily. It will calm down but in the short term it's not pleasant.

 

[Jamison]

I made a coffee soap where I used brewed coffee instead of water and used the grounds in the batch. The next time I do this I will try to get a finer grind. It's a bit on the abrasive side.

In many places I've seen it said to only use this as a kitchen soap to remove food scents from your hands. And this could be due to the texture. I used mine and didn't have any sort of issue.

 

[Healinya]

So do you personally never use an exfoliant at all? Or if you do, what do you use in place of all those other things? Honestly curious.

There are alternatives.. jojoba beads, strawberry seeds, ground lavender, corn meal, oatmeal..

Do you have a source for this?
I'm not attacking you, but would just like to see one if you have it.

I would think that the amount of scraping would depend on a lot of things
aside from coffee grain size. Like how long you scrub for, how dense your
abrasive is, which skin you use it on, etc. I thought we had a lot of layers of
dead skin before getting to the point where you have to start worrying about
bacterial invasions.

Yes, the harder you scrub, how delicate your skin is in the first place have effect. I do not believe the particle size matters (I have seen it under a miscroscope once, and wish I could find a pic online for you, it's jagged) Obviously, feet and calloused areas can be beneficial... just weigh your pros and cons and decide if it's worth it for you.. I have links you can read, but it's not specific to coffee exfoliants so you will have to scan the articles for the good bits. These are directed more toward the skin on the face, which is quite different from the skin on the body, but as we said earlier, the more you use, the harder you use it... it's a slow process, you just have to form your own conclusion..

http://www.internationaldermalinstitute ... iation.htm

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/47493667/OV ... sir24-0006

http://www.dermalinstitute.com/us/libra ... ation.html

 

[SoapyD]

Thanks for the info - it makes for interesting reading. I personally don't use very many exfoliants, except for a kitchen soap - sometimes i need a little scrubby on my hands. I'll use a scrub on my feet, and occasionally elbows and knees, but that's about it. On my face, if I really feel a desperate need, I'll use a little baking soda, but since I got a Clarisonic brush, I don't use that any more. I know lots of people like scrubby soaps, though, so I do add things to mine when I'm making them for other people.