Making sugar scrubs from soap shreds

[Nicolesica]

It's not really a cook per se - just heating it until all ingredients are fully melted. My large batch took a loooong time - over an hour. The smaller batch was all melted in about 20 minutes.

Oh shoot. I hope I didn’t add too much water

 

[AliOop]

Oh shoot. I hope I didn’t add too much water

I'd stick with her recommendations: water @ 100% of the shred weight, glycerin at 50-75% of shred weight, then stearic at 30% of total batch weight, and additional oil at 10% of total batch weight (before the stearic).

The mix was incredibly soupy at first, but it came together as it cooled. HTH!

 

[Christa10]

@Nicolesica I would be delighted if someone else benefits from this! I cannot claim any credit for the idea which came from Chantine's Soap & Clay YT channel. We'd love to see your results if you do make it!

Does the sugar counteract the taste of the soap when you use it on your lips? I imagined that it might taste like soap?

 

[AliOop]

Does the sugar counteract the taste of the soap when you use it on your lips? I imagined that it might taste like soap?

Hi @Christa10 these are body scrubs only. I use a soap-free recipe for lip scrubs. There a some good lip scrub recipes on YT from Humblebee & Me, Soap & Clay, Creative Bath Lab, Tara Lee, and Thermal Mermaid.

 

[Nicolesica]

Well, shoot.
Can anyone determine from the video or my handwritten notes what could have gone wrong here?

The shreds I used were only about a week old, so possibly that’s it? Anyway, I used 71.9 oz shreds, 75% water, 65% glycerin and 23.2oz of stearic because I couldn’t fit more (also, I used soy wax in place of stearic as it’s what I had on hand and has a high stearic profile).

I’ts been cooking on low all day, overflowed once () and has mostly cooled.

If I add more lye, do you think it will thicken up, or maybe just keep trying to evaporate the water off it? Or… (gulp) toss it?

 

[AliOop]

Well, shoot.
Can anyone determine from the video or my handwritten notes what could have gone wrong here?

The shreds I used were only about a week old, so possibly that’s it? Anyway, I used 71.9 oz shreds, 75% water, 65% glycerin and 23.2oz of stearic because I couldn’t fit more (also, I used soy wax in place of stearic as it’s what I had on hand and has a high stearic profile).

I’ts been cooking on low all day, overflowed once () and has mostly cooled.

If I add more lye, do you think it will thicken up, or maybe just keep trying to evaporate the water off it? Or… (gulp) toss it?

Oh hon, you really didn't need to "cook" it at all, and definitely don't add more lye! What you have looks like the right consistency for the melted mix. It will firm up when it cools off. Have you tried taking any out and letting it cool?

ETA: you can see how the cooler stuff on top gets thicker and firmer. The rest will do that as it cools, too. I'd try pouring it into smaller containers and refrigerating it to get it to set up.

Also, I'm not sure the soy wax will behave the same way as the stearic acid would in this product. I've not used soy wax, but it should be fun to play with the base once it has cooled off completely and you start whipping it. If it stays too soft and not whippable, you will need to up the stearic acid for sure.

 

[Nicolesica]

Oh hon, you really didn't need to "cook" it at all, and definitely don't add more lye! What you have looks like the right consistency for the melted mix. It will firm up when it cools off. Have you tried taking any out and letting it cool?

ETA: you can see how the cooler stuff on top gets thicker and firmer. The rest will do that as it cools, too. I'd try pouring it into smaller containers and refrigerating it to get it to set up.

Also, I'm not sure the soy wax will behave the same way as the stearic acid would in this product. I've not used soy wax, but it should be fun to play with the base once it has cooled off completely and you start whipping it. If it stays too soft and not whippable, you will need to up the stearic acid for sure.

Oh thank you
I’ll do that tonight, put everything into small pint-size containers and refrigerate. Fingers crossed!

 

[Christa10]

Hi @Christa10 these are body scrubs only. I use a soap-free recipe for lip scrubs. There a some good lip scrub recipes on YT from Humblebee & Me, Soap & Clay, Creative Bath Lab, Tara Lee, and Thermal Mermaid.

Too funny! I totally misunderstood and thought it was a lip scrub and I must have completely misread the thread. Thanks for clarifying. I think my mind is going!

 

[Nicolesica]

Oh darn it. You were so right, @AliOop! I think I overcooked it, for sure, and now I have a sugar soap play dough . Wondering if maybe another melt in the crockpot and then an addition of more oils will help. What do you think?

 

[AliOop]

Oh darn it. You were so right, @AliOop! I think I overcooked it, for sure, and now I have a sugar soap play dough . Wondering if maybe another melt in the crockpot and then an addition of more oils will help. What do you think?

No don’t remelt. Edit: I just got your movie to play, and your texture looks perfect for the base! That is exactly how it is supposed to be.

Starting with a cup or two of your cold dough, whip it to see if it gets fluffy. If not, first whip in about 10% of a lighter-weight oil like FCO, grapeseed, or sweet almond. If it is still too stiff, don’t be afraid to whip in more water a bit at a time. Yes, it will foam as you whip it in, but the foam subsides.

If you can get it whipped into a lighter texture that holds, add your sugar at 50% of your small batch weight, going up from there as needed, to see if you can reach a texture you like.

I did lots of testing at the sink to find what I liked. That made my second batch of base much easier, bc now I knew where I wanted to end up. You got this!

 

[Nicolesica]

No don’t remelt. Edit: I just got your movie to play, and your texture looks perfect for the base! That is exactly how it is supposed to be.

Starting with a cup or two of your cold dough, whip it to see if it gets fluffy. If not, first whip in about 10% of a lighter-weight oil like FCO, grapeseed, or sweet almond. If it is still too stiff, don’t be afraid to whip in more water a bit at a time. Yes, it will foam as you whip it in, but the foam subsides.

If you can get it whipped into a lighter texture that holds, add your sugar at 50% of your small batch weight, going up from there as needed, to see if you can reach a texture you like.

I did lots of testing at the sink to find what I liked. That made my second batch of base much easier, bc now I knew where I wanted to end up. You got this!

You know, while whipping that first batch I had the idea this might make a good soap frosting. I’ve not done a soap frosting before, but I imagine that as stiff as it was it would harden up nicely. Thank you so much for the guidance, @AliOop. Such a huge learning curve for something that seems so simple.

 

[Nicolesica]

You know, while whipping that first batch I had the idea this might make a good soap frosting. I’ve not done a soap frosting before, but I imagine that as stiff as it was it would harden up nicely. Thank you so much for the guidance, @AliOop. Such a huge learning curve for something that seems so simple.

And, I’ll let you know how the next attempt at sugar scrub goes!

 

[AliOop]

@Nicolesica how did your sugar scrubs turn out?

@Christa10 I did talk about making lip scrubs in the Bath and Body thread, so you aren’t completely imagining things.

Lip scrubs are put into very small pots, however (bc you only use a tiny dab each time), so those batches for me are typically 100-200g at most. @Misschief was the one who introduced me to these; hers is divine, and now I love them!

I don’t sell, but for those who do, the tiny pots sell for ridiculous amounts at Sephora and the like. BC they are so small, you can put in really nice ingredients and have a low overall cost that allows you to sell them for significantly less than the big stores and still make a good profit.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

@AliOop Thanks for all of the fabulous info in this thread! I’m planning away for a final crazy push next week while having a week of forced relaxation at a conference in San Francisco. I think I’m going to have to add lip scrubs to my list.

 

[Misschief]

@Nicolesica how did your sugar scrubs turn out?

@Christa10 I did talk about making lip scrubs in the Bath and Body thread, so you aren’t completely imagining things.

Lip scrubs are put into very small pots however (bc you only use a tiny dab each time), so those batches for me are typically 100-200g at most. @Misschief was the one who introduced me to these; hers is divine, and now I love them!

I don’t sell, but for those who do, the tiny pots sell for ridiculous amounts at Sephora and the like. BC they are so small, you can put in really nice ingredients and have a low overall cost that allows you to sell them for significantly less than the big stores and still make a good profit.

Just to reiterate what @AliOop said, I was told yesterday that my lip scrub pricing is too low. I sell 20 grams for $4.99. They were one of my best sellers at yesterday's market.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Just to reiterate what @AliOop said, I was told yesterday that my lip scrub pricing is too low. I sell 20 grams for $4.99. They were one of my best sellers at yesterday's market.

Are you still using the SoapQueen recipe or something similar? Aside from making this for gifting, I need some for myself!

I have also found some posts about the DIY B&B recipe being a good one.

 

[Nicolesica]

@Nicolesica how did your sugar scrubs turn out?

@Christa10 I did talk about making lip scrubs in the Bath and Body thread, so you aren’t completely imagining things.

Lip scrubs are put into very small pots, however (bc you only use a tiny dab each time), so those batches for me are typically 100-200g at most. @Misschief was the one who introduced me to these; hers is divine, and now I love them!

I don’t sell, but for those who do, the tiny pots sell for ridiculous amounts at Sephora and the like. BC they are so small, you can put in really nice ingredients and have a low overall cost that allows you to sell them for significantly less than the big stores and still make a good profit.

I still haven’t gotten to it, unfortunately. The past two days have been busy turning a small basement room into a soap studio of sorts. I inherited quite a bit of soapy things from my dear friend, so I have been trying to find a place for everything

 

[AliOop]

Oooooo that sounds fun - enjoy!!

 

[VikingChick]

This post has been so much fun to read!

 

[Misschief]

Are you still using the SoapQueen recipe or something similar? Aside from making this for gifting, I need some for myself!

I have also found some posts about the DIY B&B recipe being a good one.

I use the DIY B&B recipe and I love it! (Fruit Smoothie Lip Scrub)