newbie body scrub question

[blurbfly]

so, i've been trying to come up with a body scrub recipe, and found lots of helpful info here. but what i am still not clear about is how to prevent oils and sugars from separating.

i don't have access to many ingredients where i live, but have lots of honey and beeswax that i could make use of. can beeswax be used in body scrubs, and would it help the separation issue? (i know it can act as emulsifier for lotions, but since there's not water in a scrub, i can't figure out what effect it would have there...)

thanks a lot!!

 

[Hazel]

so, i've been trying to come up with a body scrub recipe, and found lots of helpful info here. but what i am still not clear about is how to prevent oils and sugars from separating.

i don't have access to many ingredients where i live, but have lots of honey and beeswax that i could make use of. can beeswax be used in body scrubs, and would it help the separation issue? (i know it can act as emulsifier for lotions, but since there's not water in a scrub, i can't figure out what effect it would have there...)

thanks a lot!!

In order to keep scrubs from separating, you really need to use some emulsifiers. The beeswax will help to thicken a little but I don't think it's going to keep the scrub together. Here's a couple of links to recipes. You need to scroll down a bit on the first link to see carebear's recipe.

http://soapmakingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20857
http://www.smftutorials.com/how-to-make ... orial.html

Good luck and Happy Holidays.

 

[blurbfly]

thanks for the links! so the key seems to be stearic acid and emulsifying wax. I can find stearic acid, not sure about the other one.

I tried whipping some coconut and palm oils and beeswax, and for now it's looking pretty creamy and uniform. hope it stays that way. I didn't expect it to be soooo greasy though

happy holidays!

 

[Hazel]

Well, maybe the beeswax will be enough to hold it together. I could be wrong about it. I'd be interested in hearing how your scrub holds up.

You can order ewax online from different suppliers. There are other sites but here's a few links.

http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/ProductSearch.aspx
http://www.brambleberry.com/Emulsifying ... P4896.aspx
http://www.thesage.com/catalog/products ... g-Wax.html

 

[Lindy]

So long as all you are using is oils then you don't need the stearic or ewax. To cut the greasiness you can use cornstarch. With what you've whipped together add the sugar. If your oils & butters in their natural state are a bit firmer like Coconut Oil, or any of the butters then you're in good shape.

Remember is you plan on selling it, or making a large batch of it you are going to need a preservative that works well in just oils.....

Have fun & Merry Christmas

 

[blurbfly]

so after two days, the whipped up scrub is holding together nicely. depending on the temp, it varies from firm to runny, but no separation. (i added sea salt instead of sugar, but that shouldn't make a difference I suppose).

lindy, thanks so much for the cornstarch idea - any suggestion on the amount (percentage)?

 

[Lindy]

I use it at about 4% PPO and it leaves a really silky feel to the skin... Once you get into more you can start using Natursorb which is Tapioca Starch if I remember correctly.