Mobjack Bay, what do you mean by "salted out the soap"? Do you mean that by adding the salt, the soap became less soapy, i.e. less suds?
Making sugar scrubs from soap shreds
- Thread starter AliOop
- Start date
Help Support Soapmaking Forum:
Maybe if you labeled it as “soap scrub” instead of “sugar scrub”?
Since I still have so much soap shred base left, I am going to try two more batches soon. One will be with some added CAP-B and a bit more oil. In the other, I will add some of the base made from the DIY B&B foaming bath butter recipe.
The second one will probably be the nice version of the two, but more expensive due to the ingredients. I’m hoping I can tweak the first variation to come close to the second, and end up with something a bit more bubbly and conditioning than the soap-shred base alone.
Christa10
Well-Known Member
I'm getting ready to make this (finally have enough shreds) and tried to find a preservative that could be used at a higher pH level, but I can't find one. I do plan on selling them, and know that they will be used in wet showers, with people dipping wet hands into the container. I currently have Optiphen and Germall Plus and neither of them say they go up to a high pH level, but I couldn't find anything else that appears to be suitable so I might end up using one of these. If anyone has some suggestions I would definitely appreciate them. Thanks.
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2015
- Messages
- 3,700
- Reaction score
- 3,016
I'm just now seeing this thread and it gives me hope that I can do something again.
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
Preservatives ~ Scroll down a bit to use in anhydrous products.
My advice, skip the preservative and use a container that keeps water out. My favorite sugar/salt scrub is made with salt or sugar + oil of choice (Almond) packaged in WSP's 8 oz Natural Boston Round LDPE Plastic Bottle. It's mostly oil. The salt or sugar settles to the bottom so you have to shake it a bit before using.
Christa10
Well-Known Member
Thanks. I might rethink this product entirely!
Hi @Christa10 - I'm sorry I missed your post. Here are a few things to consider:
1. Although this product is mostly soap + sugar, it does contain a LOT of water (typically, 50% of the weight of the shreds). So you are right to think about preservatives, since even without the addition of water from outside sources (such as dipping wet hands into it during a shower), this is a water-based product. However....
2. Check the pH on your final product. If it is over 10, it is generally considered to be "self-preserving" - Source. You can find preservatives for high pH products, but it's important to understand their proper use, drawbacks, etc. - Source.
3. Consider packaging this in a squeeze tube rather than a jar. That would eliminate most, if not all, consumer-introduced water and microbes. I believe this is the best option for this water-based product; you can see an example of how @Mobjack Bay used this for hers in post #77, above.
Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!
Christa10
Well-Known Member
Thanks. I will get a squeeze bottle and also measure the pH and go from there. I think I'll make a small amount to begin with though, just in case. I'm starting to sell at a farmer's market soon, so I wanted to have some fun products that are "gifty" and this would fit the bill. I also have a body butter and a winter skin salve that are quite popular, and a pretty lotion bar (courtesy Zing), as well as bar soap, so I'm hoping they will sell well. I read that the preservative Suttocide A goes up to pH12, but when I read about it I realize it won't fly here in California, where everyone is concerned about ingredients.Hi @Christa10 - I'm sorry I missed your post. Here are a few things to consider:
1. Although this product is mostly soap + sugar, it does contain a LOT of water (typically, 50% of the weight of the shreds). So you are right to think about preservatives, since even without the addition of water from outside sources (such as dipping wet hands into it during a shower), this is a water-based product. However....
2. Check the pH on your final product. If it is over 10, it is generally considered to be "self-preserving" - Source. You can find preservatives for high pH products, but it's important to understand their proper use, drawbacks, etc. - Source.
3. Consider packaging this in a squeeze tube rather than a jar. That would eliminate most, if not all, consumer-introduced water and microbes. I believe this is the best option for this water-based product; you can see an example of how @Mobjack Bay used this for hers in post #77, above.
Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!
Christa10
Well-Known Member
I made a small amount yesterday. The pH was 8, so I opted to include a preservative. I wasn't exactly certain of the directions, so I heated the soap shreds with the distilled water until they were all liquidy, then added the glycerin, melted stearic acid, then the melted oil/butter. When it cooled a little bit I whipped it. After it was whipped, and cooled completely I stirred in the sugar, incrementally. I wasn't sure whether I should have whipped it after adding the sugar, but as it was cooling it seemed too thick to wait to whip it so I wasn't sure about that part. It seems fine, although a little too thick. I used it and it feels very nice. I only used 2 ounces of soap shreds and it made about 12 ounces of product, with everything else added, so those soap shreds go quite a long way!Hi @Christa10 - I'm sorry I missed your post. Here are a few things to consider:
1. Although this product is mostly soap + sugar, it does contain a LOT of water (typically, 50% of the weight of the shreds). So you are right to think about preservatives, since even without the addition of water from outside sources (such as dipping wet hands into it during a shower), this is a water-based product. However....
2. Check the pH on your final product. If it is over 10, it is generally considered to be "self-preserving" - Source. You can find preservatives for high pH products, but it's important to understand their proper use, drawbacks, etc. - Source.
3. Consider packaging this in a squeeze tube rather than a jar. That would eliminate most, if not all, consumer-introduced water and microbes. I believe this is the best option for this water-based product; you can see an example of how @Mobjack Bay used this for hers in post #77, above.
Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!
That’s great, @Christa10! Normally you would allow the base to cool completely before whipping, then adding in sugar. That keeps the base from deflating due to heat, including heat caused by whipping it.
Regardless, it sounds like your process worked well for you, and that you like the end result. Huzzah!
Regardless, it sounds like your process worked well for you, and that you like the end result. Huzzah!
I only whip the base (with color and scent) for a few minutes to loosen it up, before I add the sugar. Then I finish whipping to the consistency I want.
Rather than continuing to hijack ALL the other threadshere is a new thread about making foaming emulsified sugar scrubs out of soap shreds. As I posted elsewhere, I had a lot of fun making sugar scrubs from a large tub of jelly soap base that had been hanging around since the grandkids outgrew it. My next batch of foaming whipped sugar scrubs was going to be made with from a KOH paste. However, I saw this video about making scrubs using soap shreds and
.
I always have the best intention of starting with small tests... but I'm not a very patient person. After shredding a whooooole bunch of older soaps in the food processor, today I made the sugar scrub base from those shreds, using my large turkey roaster pan. I started with:
~4200g soap shreds
~50% of shred weight in distilled water
~50% of shred weight in glycerin
~no stearic acid at first, since I was using high-stearic soap shreds.
I did add another 10% each of glycerin and water. The melted mixture wasn't homogenizing and was quite foamy. So, in went 910g of stearic acid (~10% of the total batch weight). Immediately the mix stopped foaming, and it quickly started coming together.
My instinct was to melt the stearic acid in the microwave before adding it to the mix, but I ended up just stirring it in. If I had to do over again, pre-melting the stearic would have been the way to go. It took SO LONG for those little white bits to melt. In fact, there were still unmelted stearic bits in the first cup of the mixture that came out to cool for a texture check. But it whipped up like a dream! The texture is nice on it's own, but it's a bit too stiff for a sugar scrub. I'll be experimenting with adding more water, glycerin, and oil to get it just right.
Best of all, although the base is an unappealing dark brown (because, brown soap shreds), it is a pale pinkish-beige when whipped. Brown is fine for coffee scrubs, or a men's shave croap, but it's nice to know that it whips up light enough to make more girly colors, too. Here is a pic of the incredible amount of whipped soap base that is now cooling, and a pic of a whipped sugar scrub made with that base. You can see the color difference!
It foams up very well, is non-drying, and is ready to be colored, scented, bottled, labeled, and donated to our church's Christmas Boutique. Yippee!
View attachment 69523
View attachment 69525
I made this today with 400g soap shreds. I used 100% water, 65% glycerin, and only 5% stearic. I did add 10% almond oil as well. Everything melted just fine, but when it cooled it turned into what looks more like liquid soap paste. Did yours do that? How long did you have to whip it to get the consistency of you last pic here?Rather than continuing to hijack ALL the other threads
I always have the best intention of starting with small tests... but I'm not a very patient person. After shredding a whooooole bunch of older soaps in the food processor, today I made the sugar scrub base from those shreds, using my large turkey roaster pan. I started with:
~4200g soap shreds
~50% of shred weight in distilled water
~50% of shred weight in glycerin
~no stearic acid at first, since I was using high-stearic soap shreds.
I did add another 10% each of glycerin and water. The melted mixture wasn't homogenizing and was quite foamy. So, in went 910g of stearic acid (~10% of the total batch weight). Immediately the mix stopped foaming, and it quickly started coming together.
My instinct was to melt the stearic acid in the microwave before adding it to the mix, but I ended up just stirring it in. If I had to do over again, pre-melting the stearic would have been the way to go. It took SO LONG for those little white bits to melt. In fact, there were still unmelted stearic bits in the first cup of the mixture that came out to cool for a texture check. But it whipped up like a dream! The texture is nice on it's own, but it's a bit too stiff for a sugar scrub. I'll be experimenting with adding more water, glycerin, and oil to get it just right.
Best of all, although the base is an unappealing dark brown (because, brown soap shreds), it is a pale pinkish-beige when whipped. Brown is fine for coffee scrubs, or a men's shave croap, but it's nice to know that it whips up light enough to make more girly colors, too. Here is a pic of the incredible amount of whipped soap base that is now cooling, and a pic of a whipped sugar scrub made with that base. You can see the color difference!
It foams up very well, is non-drying, and is ready to be colored, scented, bottled, labeled, and donated to our church's Christmas Boutique. Yippee!
View attachment 69523
View attachment 69525
Yup, that's pretty much what it looks like when it firms up. After it was completely cool (don't skip that part), I whipped it for about a minute before I started adding sugar. Then I kept whipping it and adding sugar till it reached the consistency I like. I don't think it was even three minutes, but that will depend on the speed and power of your mixer. I typically use an old KitchenAid because the vibration from the hand mixer for that long makes my carpal tunnel flare up.
Ah, ok. Maybe the sugar helps get the lumps out. I was concerned that it was just going to be a big lumpy mess and that I had done something wrong. I'll keep going.
I'm using an old KitchenAid as well with the beater attachment.
Thank you so much for posting this concept and thread! Very much appreciated!
Oooh, I think a black scrub would look great! Please post pics when it is done.Finally trying this today, @AliOop - I’m not sure what color I’m going to get or if I’ll be able to add color, since my shreds are black. I used 360g of shreds. I don’t know that it will cool completely, so this may be a part one today and part two tomorrow adventure
Well, I decided to chronicle the process so here’s the play by play and photos….
Day 1
Start of the melt, everything in the pot - these are 360g of mostly black shreds with some blue and purple in them from soap curls.
About 10 min, and then 20 mins into the melt - we are coming together, but some of the shreds didn’t want to melt yet.
Finally at 1 hour on low heat, we are all melted and moving off the heat.
Ending out day 1, in a clean bowl great for mixing so the complete cooling can start, and then 15 mins into the cool.
covered loosely to cool for the night, and I’m off to bed….
Day 2
Here we are, completely cool, and then the first whip to get all loosened up.
Added about 1t Snowflake Sparkle Mica BB, Sunkissed Cocoa NS FO (to go with the citrus/orange shred scent), and preservative - and mixed those in.
Will finish this up in the next post, I ran out of photo capacity here…. To Be Continued
Day 1
Start of the melt, everything in the pot - these are 360g of mostly black shreds with some blue and purple in them from soap curls.
About 10 min, and then 20 mins into the melt - we are coming together, but some of the shreds didn’t want to melt yet.
Finally at 1 hour on low heat, we are all melted and moving off the heat.
Ending out day 1, in a clean bowl great for mixing so the complete cooling can start, and then 15 mins into the cool.
covered loosely to cool for the night, and I’m off to bed….Day 2
Here we are, completely cool, and then the first whip to get all loosened up.
Added about 1t Snowflake Sparkle Mica BB, Sunkissed Cocoa NS FO (to go with the citrus/orange shred scent), and preservative - and mixed those in.
Will finish this up in the next post, I ran out of photo capacity here…. To Be Continued
Post 2 - the grand finale 
I whipped in 50% sugar, gave it a test, and then added 25% more for a total of 75% sugar, which felt right.
Y’all were not kidding about piping but there I went. I used a jumbo piping tip and it was still a workout! This batch yielded about 80oz of finished product.
I think it looks like sparkly wet cement, and smells really nice. I agree it’s not drying at all, I did a lot of testing and my skin feels super soft, not dry and not over scrubbed. The feel of my skin when it’s first dried is almost moisturized or dewy. A few minutes later, it feels really nice and soft.
Thanks @AliOop for sharing and finding a new way to use shreds.
I whipped in 50% sugar, gave it a test, and then added 25% more for a total of 75% sugar, which felt right.
Y’all were not kidding about piping but there I went. I used a jumbo piping tip and it was still a workout! This batch yielded about 80oz of finished product.
I think it looks like sparkly wet cement, and smells really nice. I agree it’s not drying at all, I did a lot of testing and my skin feels super soft, not dry and not over scrubbed. The feel of my skin when it’s first dried is almost moisturized or dewy. A few minutes later, it feels really nice and soft.
Thanks @AliOop for sharing and finding a new way to use shreds.
Similar threads
