akseattle
Well-Known Member
Colloidal oats vs. ground oatmeal
In June, I asked about how much colloidal oatmeal and how much homemade ground oatmeal should be used per pound of oil in cold process soap. Since colloidal oatmeal is pricier than ground oats- especially home ground, I wondered if there is even a difference in the finished product. I was having a sister’s weekend in August and planned on having my sisters (+ nieces, grandniece, SO, SIL) be my focus group to help me comparison test these two additives plus other soaps of mine.
My recipe was 24% tallow, 15% lard, 20% coconut, 29% olive oil, 8% castor oil, and 4% Shea butter. For 650 grams of oil, I added 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and 1 TBsp of goatmilk powder. 32% lye concentration and 5% superfat.-- total batter weight 953 grams.
OATMEAL TEST
I set aside 400 grams of that batter for my oatmeal test. To that 400 grams, I added 3 ¾ tsp (about 4%) Crafters Choice Oatmeal, Milk & Honey. I divided it into two equal parts. To one half, I added 1 ½ tsp ground oatmeal and to the other half I added 1 ½ teaspoons colloidal oats. I poured each into a single cavity rectangular mold. To distinguish the two bars, I added 1/16th tsp of Crafters Choice neon pink mica to one and neon green mica to the other.
These two soaps got only 7 testers each (out of 10 testers– meaning 3 sisters either forgot to give feedback or didn’t try these two soaps.)
Only 1 sister preferred the colloidal oat soap. She showered at night and she said, without a doubt, her skin still felt noticeably soft and moist in the morning. She liked that it had only a hint of fragrance and good lather. She said it had a slightly slimey feel when washing. Of the ground oatmeal soap, she said she could live without the fragrance but it was mild enough to not matter. She liked it best for handwashing. Good lather and slightly slimey feel when washing.
Remaining sisters preferred the ground oatmeal soap. All commented they like the scent, four felt some very mild exfoliation, all said it had good suds/lather. Of the colloidal oats, one did not like the scent, the rest all said it needed more fragrance. One thought it could use more suds.
My observations and take are: The colloidal oats are extremely finely ground, like a fine powder and it is not visible in the finished product. The colloidal oats suspend so well, they can be added at a pretty thin trace. In my experience, even finely ground oatmeal which has bigger particles/ grinds works better if added at a thicker trace. Otherwise, it can mix in unevenly, with bare areas. In M&P, ground oatmeal will actually sink to the bottom if poured before the base cools considerably. I haven't tried colloidal oatmeal in M&P, but if it did, I think it could be added any time under 130 F, along with fragrance. I don't think it would sink.
Since I added the fragrance to the batter before dividing in half, and before adding the colloidal/ground oatmeal, I am fairly positive that the colloidal oats do not help anchor the fragrance (particles too tine???) . It is the only explanation I have for why the fragrance in the colloidal oat bar was pretty much gone at 7 weeks, and why the ground oatmeal bar was still nicely fragrant.
I can’t say that I noticed any difference in the two bars on my body, but I did notice the difference on my face. I have really dry skin, especially on my face. I usually slather on quite a bit of facial moisturizer after washing. I alternated washing my face with these two bars before going to bed and I didn’t put on any moisturizer. I felt like colloidal oat bar retained more moisture and my face didn't look as dry and blotchy as it usually does first think in the morning.
Visually, I like the look of oatmeal bits in soap (if I’m going with an oatmeal theme). My sister’s liked the look of the ground oatmeal bar better, too.
Because, the ground oatmeal bar was by far the more popular of the two- I believe it was the general look and the scent--- I'm not going to routinely add colloidal oats to my soap (like I routinely add goatmilk powder).
But, if I want a face bar for myself, or soap for someone that says they have super dry, sensitive skin, and someone who likes low fragrance in soap, I would use colloidal oats. I think the soothing, moisturizing properties are more noticeable in the colloidal oat.
In June, I asked about how much colloidal oatmeal and how much homemade ground oatmeal should be used per pound of oil in cold process soap. Since colloidal oatmeal is pricier than ground oats- especially home ground, I wondered if there is even a difference in the finished product. I was having a sister’s weekend in August and planned on having my sisters (+ nieces, grandniece, SO, SIL) be my focus group to help me comparison test these two additives plus other soaps of mine.
My recipe was 24% tallow, 15% lard, 20% coconut, 29% olive oil, 8% castor oil, and 4% Shea butter. For 650 grams of oil, I added 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and 1 TBsp of goatmilk powder. 32% lye concentration and 5% superfat.-- total batter weight 953 grams.
OATMEAL TEST
I set aside 400 grams of that batter for my oatmeal test. To that 400 grams, I added 3 ¾ tsp (about 4%) Crafters Choice Oatmeal, Milk & Honey. I divided it into two equal parts. To one half, I added 1 ½ tsp ground oatmeal and to the other half I added 1 ½ teaspoons colloidal oats. I poured each into a single cavity rectangular mold. To distinguish the two bars, I added 1/16th tsp of Crafters Choice neon pink mica to one and neon green mica to the other.
These two soaps got only 7 testers each (out of 10 testers– meaning 3 sisters either forgot to give feedback or didn’t try these two soaps.)
Only 1 sister preferred the colloidal oat soap. She showered at night and she said, without a doubt, her skin still felt noticeably soft and moist in the morning. She liked that it had only a hint of fragrance and good lather. She said it had a slightly slimey feel when washing. Of the ground oatmeal soap, she said she could live without the fragrance but it was mild enough to not matter. She liked it best for handwashing. Good lather and slightly slimey feel when washing.
Remaining sisters preferred the ground oatmeal soap. All commented they like the scent, four felt some very mild exfoliation, all said it had good suds/lather. Of the colloidal oats, one did not like the scent, the rest all said it needed more fragrance. One thought it could use more suds.
My observations and take are: The colloidal oats are extremely finely ground, like a fine powder and it is not visible in the finished product. The colloidal oats suspend so well, they can be added at a pretty thin trace. In my experience, even finely ground oatmeal which has bigger particles/ grinds works better if added at a thicker trace. Otherwise, it can mix in unevenly, with bare areas. In M&P, ground oatmeal will actually sink to the bottom if poured before the base cools considerably. I haven't tried colloidal oatmeal in M&P, but if it did, I think it could be added any time under 130 F, along with fragrance. I don't think it would sink.
Since I added the fragrance to the batter before dividing in half, and before adding the colloidal/ground oatmeal, I am fairly positive that the colloidal oats do not help anchor the fragrance (particles too tine???) . It is the only explanation I have for why the fragrance in the colloidal oat bar was pretty much gone at 7 weeks, and why the ground oatmeal bar was still nicely fragrant.
I can’t say that I noticed any difference in the two bars on my body, but I did notice the difference on my face. I have really dry skin, especially on my face. I usually slather on quite a bit of facial moisturizer after washing. I alternated washing my face with these two bars before going to bed and I didn’t put on any moisturizer. I felt like colloidal oat bar retained more moisture and my face didn't look as dry and blotchy as it usually does first think in the morning.
Visually, I like the look of oatmeal bits in soap (if I’m going with an oatmeal theme). My sister’s liked the look of the ground oatmeal bar better, too.
Because, the ground oatmeal bar was by far the more popular of the two- I believe it was the general look and the scent--- I'm not going to routinely add colloidal oats to my soap (like I routinely add goatmilk powder).
But, if I want a face bar for myself, or soap for someone that says they have super dry, sensitive skin, and someone who likes low fragrance in soap, I would use colloidal oats. I think the soothing, moisturizing properties are more noticeable in the colloidal oat.
