Shower Lotion Bar Tests and recipes

[Saffron]

Thank you! I ground the heck out of the rice and then ran it through a fine mesh strainer. Glad I did as it was still fairly scratchy. Even with just the rice I love it. Definitely going to the store in the morning for almonds and beans.
I was thinking of buying almond flour instead of grinding almonds. Has anyone else tried that?

Hi, yes, almond flour works just fine in this. I has some old almond flour in the back of my kitchen cupboard and used that to make the buffy bars, along with some old aduki beans and rice (doesn't have to be basmati.... any cheap rice will do - keep the basmati for the dinner table

 

[Tammyfarms]

I am horrible at math, so your numbers are probably the right one, @Tammyfarms.

I’m not sure the small differences would be noticeable. Either one is probably fine. Some things need to be precise, this recipe doesn’t seem to be one that requires precision.

 

[dibbles]

I had a little bit of time to play today and decided to finally give this a try. I used a chocolate mold to make little single use bars and tried one this afternoon. My skin feels soft and not dry, but also not as moisturized as when I use a lotion or cream. Still very nice and I will continue to make and use them, and I think I will especially like them in the summer.

I used equal parts unrefined cocoa and shea butters and almond flour. 1% lemongrass and coconut FO which actually goes pretty well with the scent of the butters. I didn't use a preservative because this is just very small test batch and they won't be sitting in the shower as they are completely used in one go.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread. All the information and experiences were very helpful.

 

[Tammyfarms]

I was thinking about keeping a spray bottle of Dawn in the bathroom to spray the tub with after showering. Maybe a little dawn down the drain after showering would help prevent possible issues.

I did finally get to try mine. I thought it was a little too exfoliating. I was thinking about just using the rice and adding some ground oats instead.

I am reading through this, looking for the instructions so I can print them for the bars I made today which will be going to my testers.
I keep a dish washing wand preloaded with dawn and use that in the bottom of my shower when it gets oily. My shower floor is covered in small tiles and grout so I also use a scrub brush to get into the crevices. Works great.

 

[Kcryss]

I am reading through this, looking for the instructions so I can print them for the bars I made today which will be going to my testers.
I keep a dish washing wand preloaded with dawn and use that in the bottom of my shower when it gets oily. My shower floor is covered in small tiles and grout so I also use a scrub brush to get into the crevices. Works great.

What a great idea. I never thought to use a dish washing wand.

 

[Tammyfarms]

What a great idea. I never thought to use a dish washing wand.

I’m lazy like that.

 

[not_ally]

I’m lazy like that.

You mean you're *efficient* like that!

 

[Misschief]

You mean you're *efficient* like that!

My husband always says he's lazy; that's why he does things right the first time... so he doesn't have to do it again.

 

[Tammyfarms]

You mean you're *efficient* like that!

Uhhh, sure.

 

[Tammyfarms]

If your mixture is starting to clump a little, pop it back in the microwave or double boiler, do not try to smash it in the mold. I tried that last night and it was ugly. Then I had the (bad) idea of putting the mold in the microwave for just a few seconds. They looked sorta ok at that point but this morning they were awful. I had made 1000 grams, it all went back into the mixing container and back into the microwave.

 

[Scottish Alchemist]

I have that Buffy Bar recipe from YouTube on my to do list
Does anyone that's made it know if it's a greasy, slip in the shower one or not? I've followed several in shower lotion bar recipes now and they've all been dreadfully greasy and smooshy and I don't fancy wasting any more ingredients.
Having said that, I recently found this recipe for something very similar, though not strictly an all butter creation, it uses a good amount cocoa butter and shea butter combined with a mild surfactant. Rinses off a treat, no grease!

 

[Scottish Alchemist]

I have that Buffy Bar recipe from YouTube on my to do list
Does anyone that's made it know if it's a greasy, slip in the shower one or not? I've followed several in shower lotion bar recipes now and they've all been dreadfully greasy and smooshy and I don't fancy wasting any more ingredients.
Having said that, I recently found this recipe for something very similar, though not strictly an all butter creation, it uses a good amount cocoa butter and shea butter combined with a mild surfactant. Rinses off a treat, no grease!

Hmm, I have no idea why that video is showing as unavailable. I can see it fine. If you wish to look it up manually on YouTube it's from Olga Larnaudie -

No-Soap Body Scrub Bar with French Pink Clay and Strawberry Seeds - do it yourself!​

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Thank you @not_ally for getting this thread started. Based on the discussion, I went ahead and bought a Lush Buffy Bar to test. The exfoliation is too much for my skin, but I absolutely love how the butters feel on my wet skin and being able to add a protective layer before I get out of the shower. I do worry about slipping and have been cleaning the shower floor tile after every use. I'm going to make a Buffy Bar sans exfoliants to see if it leaves less residue on the shower floor because I won't need to rinse off the exfoliants. I'm also going to try this emulsified bar for comparison. Will report back!

 

[not_ally]

That's interesting, @Mobjack Bay, when I use these bars it doesn't seem like the shower floor gets slippery (I only shower, don't take baths, that might be different.) I don't know if I am using less than you were, I rub the bar over all the parts I want it on and then put it down and rub the layer of oils/exfoliants in well so that the oil gets rubbed in and the exfoliants (which I grind as fine as possible now so they're not as scrubby) can do their work. When I rinse off there doesn't really seem to be a layer of oil on the floor, although now that I think of it, it seems like there should be. I also can't think of any reason why these bars would leave less residue than the Buffy Bars, since as per the ingredient lists they are the same thing. Now I'm going to have to buy an actual Buffy Bar to see.

Please do let us know what you think, you and @Soapmaker145 (they did amazing FO tests a few years ago) are my favorite testers/results analysts

 

[Tammyfarms]

That's interesting, @Mobjack Bay, when I use these bars it doesn't seem like the shower floor gets slippery (I only shower, don't take baths, that might be different.) I don't know if I am using less than you were, I rub the bar over all the parts I want it on and then put it down and rub the layer of oils/exfoliants in well so that the oil gets rubbed in and the exfoliants (which I grind as fine as possible now so they're not as scrubby) can do their work. When I rinse off there doesn't really seem to be a layer of oil on the floor, although now that I think of it, it seems like there should be. I also can't think of any reason why these bars would leave less residue than the Buffy Bars, since as per the ingredient lists they are the same thing. Now I'm going to have to buy an actual Buffy Bar to see.

Please do let us know what you think, you and @Soapmaker145 (they did amazing FO tests a few years ago) are my favorite testers/results analysts

My shower floor definitely gets a little slick. It’s not awful and I just use a dish wand loaded with Dawn to clean it every so often. My skin seems happy when use it every 2-3 showers.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Thank you @not_ally for getting this thread started. Based on the discussion, I went ahead and bought a Lush Buffy Bar to test. The exfoliation is too much for my skin, but I absolutely love how the butters feel on my wet skin and being able to add a protective layer before I get out of the shower. I do worry about slipping and have been cleaning the shower floor tile after every use. I'm going to make a Buffy Bar sans exfoliants to see if it leaves less residue on the shower floor because I won't need to rinse off the exfoliants. I'm also going to try this emulsified bar for comparison. Will report back!

Reporting back that the HB&M emulsified cocoa butter bar makes a very lovely lotion bar, but it does not work well in the shower. It's important to mention that HB&M did not formulate the bar for the shower. It's just something I decided to try. It gets a bit waxy and draggy as it warms up and melts under the water in the shower. On the up side, my shower floor did not get at all slippery. There's more research and testing ahead, starting with the other emulsified bar recipes @not_ally tried and linked.

In the interim, I made mini Buffy bars with a 50:50 mix of almond and rice flours and also did the same with part of one of the HB&M bars I made yesterday. I originally bought the rice flour for triple rice soap, but the brand is a bit coarse for soap, which made me think it would be perfect for mild exfoliation. I tested some of the pot scrapings from both and the exfoliation level is perfect *for me* - light, almost like a buff polish, rather than major exfoliation. I'm going to let the bars set overnight before I test them.

 

[Tammyfarms]

Reporting back that the HB&M emulsified cocoa butter bar makes a very lovely lotion bar, but it does not work well in the shower. It's important to mention that HB&M did not formulate the bar for the shower. It's just something I decided to try. It gets a bit waxy and draggy as it warms up and melts under the water in the shower. On the up side, my shower floor did not get at all slippery. There's more research and testing ahead, starting with the other emulsified bar recipes @not_ally tried and linked.

In the interim, I made mini Buffy bars with a 50:50 mix of almond and rice flours and also did the same with part of one of the HB&M bars I made yesterday. I originally bought the rice flour for triple rice soap, but the brand is a bit coarse for soap, which made me think it would be perfect for mild exfoliation. I tested some of the pot scrapings from both and the exfoliation level is perfect *for me* - light, almost like a buff polish, rather than major exfoliation. I'm going to let the bars set overnight before I test them.

Thank you for the update. Looking forward to hearing how the testing goes.

 

[not_ally]

I'm really interested in your comparison of the Lush Buffy Bar and our DIY one. I meant to buy one when I was in Lush and got distracted by the soaps.

 

[GoBlue]

Big thanks to @not_ally, @Tammyfarms, @Mobjack Bay, @Scottish Alchemist, @dibbles, @AliOop, @nadsnads, @Misschief, @Saffron, @VikingChick, @Georgeandstella, @dmcgee5034, @Kcryss, @Shelley D, @Whillow who contributed to this wonderful post. I will share my experience making these in-shower lotion bars over a few posts here. Please be patient with me - I have a lot to share.

I started with the basic recipe:
Recipe #1:
34% - 10 oz Cocoa Butter (284 grams)
34% - 10 oz Shea Butter (284 grams)
12% - ½ cup red adzuki beans (100 grams)
9% - ½ cup unsalted raw almonds (75 grams)
12% - ½ cup jasmine rice (100 grams)

I chopped up the almonds by hand as much as possible, then ground until fine in a grinder. I put the rice in the grinder and did the same. Same process for the adzuki beans, but I used black turtle beans. I melted the shea and cocoa butters in a Pyrex cup in the toaster oven until clear. I put the Pyrex cup in the fridge on top of some towels, stirring occasionally, and waited until the oils were around 90 F to mix in the dry ingredients. I put the cup back in the fridge and removed from fridge every two minutes to whisk. I poured into molds immediately when the oils begin to look cloudy and reached “trace”. (This is when the oils rest on top for a moment while you are whisking.) This happened at around 72 F.

I made one bar without dry ingredients (no exfoliant) and another with dry ingredients. I do not recommend waiting until trace to pour because you will end up with a poop emoji-looking blob and/or a crumbly bar that you will smash into a mold and hope it stays together.

The one without exfoliant felt great, except for that fact that it would slip-and-stick on my skin in the shower. Clearly, the exfoliant is there (somewhat counterintuitively) to provide some glide.

The bar with exfoliant had too much exfoliant in my opinion, and I had not ground it down sufficiently. It was too rough and it did not feel pleasant. I decided to use pre-ground exfoliants next time and not rely on my coffee grinder.

 

[GoBlue]

OK, this recipe has only 1 dry ingredient and it is pre-ground:

Recipe #2:
34% - Cocoa Butter (Yellow Brick Road)– 384 g
34% - Shea Butter (Aroma Depot) – 384 g
32% - Almond Flour from the Food Coop – 361 g

I performed the same process as before, except that I made the mistake of pouring the molten mixture into a large rectangular soap mold and not individual molds. (DO NOT DO THIS!) I was regretting this the following day because the loaf was impossible to remove from the wooden box. It took me 20 minutes to cut, scoop, and bang the contents out of the soap loaf. Make sure to use individual molds for this recipe!! I scooped the contents of the loaf into a pyrex jar and started over.

2/9/24 – I decided to add essential oils to this recipe at 2% (approx. 1 oz) to keep bugs away

I decided that it was for the best that this loaf did not work out because: I want to add a bug/ant repellant to this recipe because that is what Lush uses in their Buffy Bars. I know this cocoa butter/shea butter/almond flour recipe is likely to attract bugs in the shower and I want to avoid that. Lush uses a blend of “Lavender Oil, Lemon Oil, *Citral, *Limonene, *Linalool.” The citral, limonene, and linalool are (according to them) derived from the scents: Grapefruit, lemon, lime, tangerine, rose, neroli, peppermint, lemongrass, sage, fennel, spearmint, cypress, sweet orange, bergamot, cinnamon, ylang ylang, ginger.

So, a good combination would be a fragrance with Grapefruit, Lemon, Lavender, Neroli, Peppermint, Listea Cubeba, Rose, and Tangerine.

Once the fragrances arrived, I put the scooped-out bar material (cocoa butter, shea butter, and almond flour) into a pyrex cup and heated in 200 F toaster oven, stirring repeatedly to make sure it didn’t overheat, but that everything was melted. Around 80 F, I added 28 g of “Citrus Splash” essential oils (Blood Orange, Sweet Orange, Bergamot and Tangerine from WFMed) and used my hands as well as a stick blender to make sure all almond flour and oil chunks were gone. This time I poured into INDIVIDUAL MOLDS and not a loaf mold and let it cool on the table.

These bars turned out nicely, but there was maybe a little too much exfoliant in the recipe.