Emulsified Scrub Recipe

[saltydog]

I base my percentage on the total weight of oils and sugar. But I'm a bit paranoid about bacterial skin infection. :wink:

uh oh..now i'm really worried! hope i didn't misunderstand, i'll have to dump all my lovely scrub?!
i tried to ask Swift the question, but i couldn't sign into my Google account for some reason. i'll try again when i have more time and let you know if she responds

 

[saltydog]

ok, i feel better now, this makes me think basing the amount of preservative on the amount of scrub base alone is sufficient. i searched Swifts site a bit more and found this:

"If I take a look at my sugar scrubs, I use about 140% sugar to 100% oils, which means I'm well above the numbers for killing bacteria and yeast.
So should I use a preservative in my salt or sugar scrub?
I'm still firmly on the side of "yes", because I'm always worried about
what the end user will do with the product, but there is some
evidence here that you could use lower levels of preservatives
or possibly none.
(Please do not take this that I am endorsing not using preservatives in scrubs!)"
http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2 ... y-and.html

i hope this helps!

 

[Hazel]

I'm just saying this is what I do. I had heard you don't have to use preservative for the total amount of the weight. I choose to do this since the recommended percentage of preservative is so small compared to the batch weight. I don't make a large amount at a time. But as an example, if I made a scrub batch with a total weight of 32 oz, I'd only use 5 g of preservative. I think that's a very minimal amount to add for safety but this is just my personal opinion.

 

[saltydog]

I'm just saying this is what I do.

Oh, i hear you on that, and when i read your reasoning it made sense, so i just had to check myself. I make small batches too, (I don't think I've even made 32 oz at a time?) and I didn't want to throw it away, as it's quite lovely,
but if it turned out I was doing things wrong, i would have. I just posted the quote because I thought it might clear things up for someone else too.

Hey, before HomemadeBathGoodies had mentioned it, I had never even considered incorporating the sugar amount when figuring out how much preservative!

I haven't been doing this long enough to not 'go by the book', if you know what I mean. Someday I'll get there, but not now. If i didn't respect your knowledge, i probably wouldn't have even looked further into it. :wink:

 

[Hazel]

I've only made 32 oz twice. I give them out at Christmas time for presents. Then whatever is left after I fill the jars is what I use. Since it takes me awhile to get through what's left, I feel more comfortable about using preservative for the total weight. You probably wouldn't have to use as much preservative if you're only making small batches and will be using it up fairly quickly.

I have to admit I use more preservative than may be necessary. The recommended range on the preservative I use for scrubs is .4%-.8%. I use .5% but the preservative always is slightly more than I calculate since my scale isn't the best. It doesn't weigh small amounts very well so my actual percentage might be closer to .7%-.8%. I also have a bad habit of starting to use something and then setting it aside for awhile to try something else. I'm bath product junkie.

 

[Kleine Teufel]

Oddball question... Instead of salt and liquid soap, could you use crumbled up salt soap? I had some bars that didn't quite want to come out of the mold, and have a good bit of crumbles from these bars that I'd like to put to use!