Great Scrubby Experiment

[bookworm42]

I decided that I want a good scrubby soap but wanted something gentler than whole poppyseeds. I also wanted the exfoliants to be something I could semi easily get. So I got some coffee grounds, oat flour, used vanilla beans, and ground poppyseed. I made a 500g batch of soap and got cracking.

I pre-measured my exfoliants and set them aside.

I did 1% and 2% of each and a 5% for the oat flour just because. I labeled the cups to make sure I didn't mess up.

Then I made my batter, mixed in my exfoliants, and poured. The orange is due to some leftover tumeric infused sunflower oil that I had laying around that needed to be used.

I also poured off some batter at the beginning for a control and had enough batter at the end for a 2nd control soap. They are all now hanging out until I unmold them in about a week. I plan to update in a month or so as to my results.

 

[AliOop]

This is so timely... wait till you see the February Challenge!

 

[bookworm42]

This is so timely... wait till you see the February Challenge!

Lol! I had the thought while doing this, "just wait, I'll do all this just for the next challenge to be about exfoliants". Guess I need to listen to my gut better

Although reading your post has given me a few more exfoliant ideas... I might need to make another batch with some more types in it...
Ultimately I just wanted to see the difference between them and find my perfect fit. It also let me test a tallow/lard recipe

 

[Misschief]

Lol! I had the thought while doing this, "just wait, I'll do all this just for the next challenge to be about exfoliants". Guess I need to listen to my gut better

Although reading your post has given me a few more exfoliant ideas... I might need to make another batch with some more types in it...
Ultimately I just wanted to see the difference between them and find my perfect fit. It also let me test a tallow/lard recipe

I used to make a kitchen soap that had coffee grounds as it's only exfoliant. It was VERY scrubby, great for a kitchen soap and cutting the smell of things like garlic.

In my Gardener's Hand soap, I use a combination of poppy seeds (I use whole seeds), lemon peel powder, pumice, and cornmeal. It's very scrubby, too, in a good way.

 

[bookworm42]

Verdict was (drum roll). 5% Oat flour for DH and 1% vanilla for me. We both have sensitive skin so these will work great for us.
We both found the ground coffee and ground poppyseed to be a bit too scrubby for a shower soap. Thanks to the February monthly challenge I now have ideas on what to use next for another experiment in the future.
Edit to add
Most scrubby - poppyseeds
2nd - coffee
3rd - vanilla
4th - oat flour

 

[AliOop]

Verdict was (drum roll). 5% Oat flour for DH and 1% vanilla for me. We both have sensitive skin so these will work great for us.
We both found the ground coffee and ground poppyseed to be a bit too scrubby for a shower soap. Thanks to the February monthly challenge I now have ideas on what to use next for another experiment in the future.
Edit to add
Most scrubby - poppyseeds
2nd - coffee
3rd - vanilla
4th - oat flour

Thank you for sharing! I do have a question about the vanilla, and I apologize if you have already answered this somewhere else. I’ve not seen vanilla in any dry form. Is it a powder that you buy?

 

[bookworm42]

Thank you for sharing! I do have a question about the vanilla, and I apologize if you have already answered this somewhere else. I’ve not seen vanilla in any dry form. Is it a powder that you buy?

I ground it myself. A lot of family members have gotten into making their own vanilla. My mom had some used beans and didn't want to repurpose them (or tried and didn't like the result) so she gave them to me.

 

[AliOop]

@bookworm42 thanks for clarifying. Did you dry the vanilla bean husks and grind them?

 

[bookworm42]

Yes. They were put through a dehydrator for a few hours. And then I ground them in a coffee grinder. I think my mom dried them as well either in a dehydrator or in the oven not sure but they were dry when I got them. I just extra dried them to be safe.

Edit to add. Made the house smell really nice.