Subbing sugar for salt in scrub recipe changes recipe?

[NsMar42111]

I've been wanting to play with scrubs and did a bunch of research...I thought. I followed a recipe on WSP's site http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/handmade101/how-to-make-recipes/salt-scrub-scoops-melon.aspx for a salt scrub but subbed in sugar, thinking it couldn't be *that* different. The resulting mix is ....mush? There's no way you could cut it into cubes! So, is the recipe no good or can you not just swap the two? I don't want to waste the foaming whip on too many more attempts LOL...

 

[cmzaha]

I found those recipes using foaming bath whip to go mushy whether using sugar or salt

 

[Lin19687]

Have you tried MP soap with Sugar?
Super easy, once you figure out how the MP melts (I had an issue with that lol)

I poured them in little ice cube tray with a design. Them popped them out in an hour

 

[SoaperForLife]

You can use a combination of BTMS and cocoa butter to make a sugar scrub that is emulsified and semi-solid.

 

[NsMar42111]

I found those recipes using foaming bath whip to go mushy whether using sugar or salt

Okay, well, that changes things. I have Barclay's book for Anhydrous products, I think I'll go through that and see what recipes she has in it. Save the whip for something...whipped? (Waiting for my mixer to come in). *grumble*.....Well, at least I halved the recipe to test and I can use up what I made in the next few months LOL. Glad the sugar wasn't to blame!

Lin, I was considering doing that but I was looking for a one time use thing...and the mp soap doesn't dissolve *that* fast from my experiments...so the piece size would be too hard to hang onto in the shower!

Soaper, BTMS is one of the few ingredients I don't have lying around to test with LOL....but yea, I'll look into alternate recipes after that mess....

 

[DeeAnna]

"...So, is the recipe no good ... ?"

You can't know that, because you didn't make the recipe as written. Not that I've ever done that.

"...can you not just swap the two?..."

No, because sugar and salt are different chemicals and they behave differently when mixed with water. Sugar is a lot more soluble in water than salt is, so most or all of the sugar you added dissolved into sugar syrup. A lot less salt can dissolve in the same amount of water to make a salt brine -- some of the salt will remain in solid form. That means your scrub will be mushy/wetter with sugar and firmer/drier with salt, all other things being equal.

Like the others are mentioning -- I much prefer making an anhydrous emulsifying sugar scrub -- one that, at its simplest, is a blend of fats, sugar, and emulsifier. The scrub rinses off cleanly when you use it, but there's no water in the container to mess up the texture.

 

[NsMar42111]

"...So, is the recipe no good ... ?"

You can't know that, because you didn't make the recipe as written. Not that I've ever done that.

"...can you not just swap the two?..."

No, because sugar and salt are different chemicals and they behave differently when mixed with water. Sugar is a lot more soluble in water than salt is, so most or all of the sugar you added dissolved into sugar syrup. A lot less salt can dissolve in the same amount of water to make a salt brine -- some of the salt will remain in solid form. That means your scrub will be mushy/wetter with sugar and firmer/drier with salt, all other things being equal.

Like the others are mentioning -- I much prefer making an anhydrous emulsifying sugar scrub -- one that, at its simplest, is a blend of fats, sugar, and emulsifier. The scrub rinses off cleanly when you use it, but there's no water in the container to mess up the texture.

Thanks! I mean I expected a bit of difference but it keeps getting mushier and mushier. I'm looking for something I can make without buying someone else's "secret" (foaming whip) ingredient anyway, this was just a test. I do have some emulsifiers around. Currently poking through the book to see whats in there as well as online. I swear I read you can just sub salt and sugar on someone's site but who knows if thats tested!

 

[DeeAnna]

"...I swear I read you can just sub salt and sugar..."

I don't doubt that, if only that bloggers don't always test the recipes they write about. I suspect you could use salt or sugar in an anhydrous product without too much trouble, but I've only used sugar. I prefer sugar because it won't sting if you have an irritation or cut -- I use my emulsifying scrub on my hands to clean them up and I get lots of scratches and abrasions.

 

[NsMar42111]

Good point about the stinging...I was wanting to do sugar first and thats a great reason to keep doing it!