my sugar sank

[BlackDog]

I made my second-ever batch of sugar scrubs last night. The first I made almost a year ago, and turned out just fine, but I had some things to tweak. OF COURSE, I searched my house high and low, and could not find the recipe I used the first time around.

Here's what I used this time - Everything was fine but the sugar sank to the bottom of the jar so I have a thin layer of just scrub on top of the jars. Can anyone help troubleshoot?

92g OO
92g Cocoa Butter
73g Coconut oil
58g E-wax
36g Stearic
9g FO
5g Optiphen +
bit of mica

547g sugar

I melted the solids, then added the OO. When everything was below 100 degrees F, I added FO, mica, and Optiphen, then stirred in the sugar.

 

[Arimara]

Are all the ingredients the same as what you used before?

 

[BlackDog]

Are all the ingredients the same as what you used before?

I don't know; I can't find the recipe. I know I used Cocoa butter, E-wax, stearic, and O+. I *probably* used OO, not sure on the coconut. And I have no recollection about which percentages I used on the oils, except that I mostly followed a formula given by DeeAnna in a different thread that went:

liquid oil ... 46.7%
solid fat ... 31.2%
e-wax ... 17.3% (can vary up or down 1-2% depending on the skin feel you want)
fragrance ... 3.0% (may vary from 1% to 3%)
clay ... 1.3% (used for color)
preservative ... 0.5%

(I did not use clay)

 

[DeeAnna]

If the mixture is too liquidy, I would do one or more of these things -- use less liquid oil, use more e-wax (especially if your skin is too greasy after washing the scrub off), or use more solid fat or stearic (I'd lean more toward more fat, not more stearic). I'm surprised that the scrub is too soft especially with the use of 10% stearic acid. Your percentages are close to mine, and the fat-emulsifier "base" (the stuff before I add the sugar) is a firm paste at room temp.

 

[BlackDog]

The scrub isn't too soft - it's great! It's just that right away the sugar sank down and didn't stay suspended. Once everything cooled to room temp I was left with a layer of (nicely textured) scrub on top with very little sugar in it.

Did I maybe just not stir the sugar in long enough?

 

[shunt2011]

The scrub isn't too soft - it's great! It's just that right away the sugar sank down and didn't stay suspended. Once everything cooled to room temp I was left with a layer of (nicely textured) scrub on top with very little sugar in it.

Did I maybe just not stir the sugar in long enough?

You didn't stir it until it was cool enough to hold the sugar in suspension. I wait until it's pretty thick before putting it in jars. Otherwise the sugar will settle out. Sometimes it just needs a bit more sugar added.

 

[BlackDog]

Thanks shunt! I will make a note of that for next time and do my best not to lose the recipe again

 

[DeeAnna]

Oh! I didn't correctly understand how you made the scrub and got the impression the scrub was still thin after it cooled to room temp and that was why the sugar was settling out.

I make the base, let it cool until it's thickened but still stirrable (like cold, thick gravy), and then add the sugar. I suppose I'm adding the sugar when it's quite a bit thicker than yours was because the sugar in my scrub doesn't settle out.

 

[BlackDog]

Oh! I didn't correctly understand how you made the scrub and got the impression the scrub was still thin after it cooled to room temp and that was why the sugar was settling out.

I make the base, let it cool until it's thickened but still stirrable (like cold, thick gravy), and then add the sugar. I suppose I'm adding the sugar when it's quite a bit thicker than yours was because the sugar in my scrub doesn't settle out.

Yes, I think I should've just waited a little longer. If I wrote down how cool the mixture was the first time I made it, that probably would've helped, but I guess I thought 100F would be enough. I'll wait longer next time!