February 2025 SMF Challenge: Scrub-a-dub-dub!

[Misschief]

Oh, do tell! Or as the cool kids say, "Spill the tea!"

Not a lot to tell at this point but I will say that ingredients did not play nice! I'll let it go at that..... for now. I may elaborate after the challenge is complete. And, I may try again if I have time. My focus now has to be my upcoming market season.

 

[akseattle]

Well, I'm hanging in there with @KiwiMoose and @Vicki C , I made an entry!!
No more missing the deadline for me!!
My first soap with sand as an exfoliant!
I'm happy with the look, but I'm afraid I didn't put in enough sand! My son's girlfriend has commented that the LUSH soap my son buys might almost be too abrasive for the average face. Although my son loves that soap, I thought I should be cautious. For 677 grams of batter, I added 2 teaspoons of wet sand. This sand is SUPER fine. I know it's there but don't see one single spec of sand in the soap! My son will be visiting this weekend and even though it will only be less than a week old, I'm going to ask him to try it to see if he feels anything. I'm also going to ask him to bring me a piece of his LUSH soap so that I can try it and try to get an idea of whether or not I'm in the ball park. So, I may have to make another batch.

I also have a pound of powdered luffa that I've only tried once. It's also super fine and I think I I didn't use enough in that either. I included it in a sister's focus group this summer. I didn't tell anyone what was in it and not one single person said anything about it having an exfoliating quality! So that was definitely a fail ... Anyway, if I get inspired and have time after I try to improve my sand soap, I might try luffa again.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I googled this after my husband told me about it: https://www.byrdie.com/is-apricot-scrub-bad-5185701
What do you all think about this?

 

[akseattle]

@KiwiMoose , I read that article you referenced. I don't know what to think about their position on "physical" exfoliants.

I have been using a pretty scrubby exfoliating cloth on my face every single day for about the last five years. I swear on my life, if I skip two days, my skin on my face looks tough and tired. So, Dr. Dendy Engelman and Dr. Orit Markowitz will have to drive over to my house and personally rip my exfoliating cloth out of my hands! Even if they do, I'll just drive to the store and get myself another one.

My sister in law told me she feels like someone went over her face with a cheese grater if she uses an exfoliating cloth of any type. She regularly does chemical peels. So, I assume there are all sorts of skin textures. I've always thought I had kind of tough skin.

So, I don't know. I don't have any ground apricot shells, but I do have ground lemon peels and ground walnut shells that I have bought but not yet tried. The ground lemon peels look a little chunky to me. I think I'd probably grind them up more before using them. But, the ground walnut shells are really fine. As is the luffa I have, and this Celestunian sand. I've made quite a bit of soap with ground espresso beans (so, not grounds from drip coffee, but like what's left after I make an espresso.) I sometimes wonder if that's too fine, but everyone I've given it to seems to like it. So, I don't know what to think.

What does anyone else think about physical exfoliants on the face?

 

[Firefly24]

I googled this after my husband told me about it: https://www.byrdie.com/is-apricot-scrub-bad-5185701
What do you all think about this?

I just went down that rabbit hole. I can remember the days of buying the Apricot/Walnut scrub from Avon. I used to love it. I don't think Avon makes it anymore. There's another brand of the scrub, I think. The beauty industry is worth Billions of dollars. We get fillers and get lipo. We buy make up and then skin care products. We use all types of soaps in our homes. Dish soap, hand soap, laundry soap, shampoo.....oh man. And I just found soap nuts. So, what do I think? I think we all have to decide what's best for our skin. The apricot/walnut scrub was good for me as a teenager. Now, I have more sensitive skin. I also think that the climate each of us live in affects our skin. Skin is a delicate thing. (I swear I have heard that before.) Making soaps with all the AHA's and BHA's would reach into its own "Challenges" for sure. Another rabbit hole way too long. Thanks @KiwiMoose for this link as it was quite interesting.

 

[Misschief]

I googled this after my husband told me about it: https://www.byrdie.com/is-apricot-scrub-bad-5185701
What do you all think about this?

As someone with mild rosacea, I've been advised to stay away from harsh "scrubby" scrubs. I do use a salicylic acid wash every few days and that has been helpful but, as much as I love the scrubbies on my face, I tend to avoid them. I do love a good scrubby soap for my hands and body, though.

 

[Sudds]

To enter the February 2025 SMF Challenge, copy and paste these instructions and the entire list into a new post, adding your name and the next number at the bottom.

Sign-up list:
1. Kiwimoose - Three men in a tub!
2. Justsomeguy - my first scrubby soap
3. Mobjack - sounds like a scrub-tacular challenge!
4. Ackosel
5. Bookworm42
6. MissChief - might be a good time to try a specific soap I've had my eye on for some time.
7. Vicki C - oo oo oo I have an idea
8. 2lilboots exfoliate 9
9. ScentimentallyYours - my first scrubby soap, too!
10. Shirley-D I'll give it a try
11. Firefly24~this is perfect for my recent soapy adventures, I'm in.
12. VikingChick- I need to make more scrubby soap anyway…..good timing!
13.akseattle- no excuse now not to try to use this sand! can't wait!

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

To enter the February 2025 SMF Challenge, copy and paste these instructions and the entire list into a new post, adding your name and the next number at the bottom.

Sign-up list:
1. Kiwimoose - Three men in a tub!
2. Justsomeguy - my first scrubby soap
3. Mobjack - sounds like a scrub-tacular challenge!
4. Ackosel
5. Bookworm42
6. MissChief - might be a good time to try a specific soap I've had my eye on for some time.
7. Vicki C - oo oo oo I have an idea
8. 2lilboots exfoliate 9
9. ScentimentallyYours - my first scrubby soap, too!
10. Shirley-D I'll give it a try
11. Firefly24~this is perfect for my recent soapy adventures, I'm in.
12. VikingChick- I need to make more scrubby soap anyway…..good timing!
13.akseattle- no excuse now not to try to use this sand! can't wait!
14. Tammyfarms - my coffee soap is a year and a half old and is lovely. Time to get some more curing.
15. Servant4Christ - time to make more, time to get creative
16. Artemis - My "head landscaper" will need this when summer break starts!
17. Barefoot Farm Girl - Now I have a good reason to try a blacksmith’s soap or do another coffee soap
18.

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

For @Sudds and others, moved the sign up list so they might find it.

 

[AliOop]

For @Sudds and others, moved the sign up list so they might find it.

Thanks, @ScentimentallyYours! @Sudds, we'd love to have you join the challenge!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

And I made a possible entry today that’s all warm and cozy for the night.

My first soap turned out well, but I came up with another idea that I really want to try. It’ll have to wait until next week due to other commitments for the coming weekend

 

[AliOop]

My first soap turned out well, but I came up with another idea that I really want to try. It’ll have to wait until next week due to other commitments for the coming weekend

Y’all are getting me intrigued here. When does that Entry Thread open again?

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Y’all are getting me intrigued here. When does that Entry Thread open again?

This is one of those Challenges that has me designing soap in my head when I should be falling asleep. I’ve gussied up my scrubby soaps before, but not with a challenge in mind. I’m really looking forward to seeing the entries for this one.

 

[Relle]

Y’all are getting me intrigued here. When does that Entry Thread open again?

Ask, the lady incharge .

 

[ackosel]

I made a challenge soap this afternoon. I'm still trying to figure out trace. I think I poured a little too fluid (opposite of my normal), but that ended up being a good thing because halfway through the pour my son came in from outside with blood gushing out of his head! He's fine - just a superficial cut from getting bonked during a rough game with his brother - but wow, heads sure bleed a lot and sure make a mess!

Anyway, because my batter was too thin, it was just about right by the time the emergency was over, so the remainder of the pour went well!

 

[Tammyfarms]

I made a challenge soap this afternoon. I'm still trying to figure out trace. I think I poured a little too fluid (opposite of my normal), but that ended up being a good thing because halfway through the pour my son came in from outside with blood gushing out of his head! He's fine - just a superficial cut from getting bonked during a rough game with his brother - but wow, heads sure bleed a lot and sure make a mess!

Anyway, because my batter was too thin, it was just about right by the time the emergency was over, so the remainder of the pour went well!

I bet there’s always something happening around your place.

 

[ackosel]

I bet there’s always something happening around your place.

I am never bored, that's for sure!
I cut the challenge soap this afternoon, and I think it turned out great in spite of the emergency interruption. There's still room for improvement, but I am pleased as punch that I didn't overmix the batter!

 

[Servant4Christ]

I made an attempt at something different for me, but I can't see the scrubbies in the final soap. Doesn't help that I decided to use a bunch of shreds as confetti in it. I don't know if I'll be able to make another attempt tonight.

 

[AliOop]

I made an attempt at something different for me, but I can't see the scrubbies in the final soap. Doesn't help that I decided to use a bunch of shreds as confetti in it. I don't know if I'll be able to make another attempt tonight.

That's ok, the scrubbies don't need to be visible. Enter the one you like the best.

 

[Sudds]

• Feb 11, 2025
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• Add bookmark
• #48

To enter the February 2025 SMF Challenge, copy and paste these instructions and the entire list into a new post, adding your name and the next number at the bottom.

Sign-up list:
1. Kiwimoose - Three men in a tub!
2. Justsomeguy - my first scrubby soap
3. Mobjack - sounds like a scrub-tacular challenge!
4. Ackosel
5. Bookworm42
6. MissChief - might be a good time to try a specific soap I've had my eye on for some time.
7. Vicki C - oo oo oo I have an idea
8. 2lilboots exfoliate 9
9. ScentimentallyYours - my first scrubby soap, too!
10. Shirley-D I'll give it a try
11. Firefly24~this is perfect for my recent soapy adventures, I'm in.
12. VikingChick- I need to make more scrubby soap anyway…..good timing!
13.akseattle- no excuse now not to try to use this sand! can't wait!
14. Tammyfarms - my coffee soap is a year and a half old and is lovely. Time to get some more curing.
15. Servant4Christ - time to make more, time to get creative
16. Artemis - My "head landscaper" will need this when summer break starts!
17. Barefoot Farm Girl - Now I have a good reason to try a blacksmith’s soap or do another coffee soap
18. Sudds - Better late than never! Close date? I'll be running close, have wanted to try something all winter long, just no time!