sugar scrub cubes - beeswax?

[jacquellyne]

Hi Everyone! I'm attempting to make a sugar cube scrub that does NOT have a melt and pour base. I read somewhere that Beeswax could be used as a firming agent for the cube. Does anyone have any feedback on this? Thanks! J

 

[lauramw71]

I think that you can use beeswax, but you would probably need an emulsifier also... I'm not quite sure since I've only used m&p to make a sugar scrub cube.. Hopefully someone else will have better info than me!

Laura

 

[jacquellyne]

Thanks. I'm going to try a small recipe with beeswax, sugar, and coconut oil.....I think....here I go!

 

[lauramw71]

One good place to look is swifty's blog at http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com

She has AMAZING information there.. and there's alot so it can get a little overwhelming, but I know she has a recipe for an emulsified sugar scrub on there somewhere.. I remember seeing cubes made with beeswax...
Just beeswax, oil and sugar kind of sounds like a lip balm... do you have any butters you can throw in?
I'll be interested to hear how it turns out!

 

[jacquellyne]

Wow! What a cool website! Thanks L! I couldn't find the sugar cube recipe but I enjoy reading about a ton of other stuff. I made the cubes and I used:

2oz beeswax
2oz coconut oil
1oz almond oil
a drop of rosemary EO
3 drops Vanilla EO
1/2 cup sugar

At first it was really volatile and a bit sticky, but I have them in a dry cool place now so let's see what happens. I'm hoping for a cube that won't fall apart but yet is gentle on the skin. Most recipes say melt and pour should be added.....I'm entertaining the thought of using French Milled soap scraps instead, should this recipe be a bust. I'll keep you posted. Thanks!!

 

[jacquellyne]

oh and yes, I can throw in some Shea Butter!

 

[Mayren]

There are a few ways -

You say you do not want Melt and Pour base but what about
regular CP soap as a base? If you find it appealling you
can totally shave some down and put it in with less oils/butters.

If you want a butters & oils base with sugar - it would
be alot like a Lotion bar that happens to have Sugar
in it for light exfoliation, i think many call them "shower
scrub bars" or "Solid Scrub bars"
- if that is the case then there is a great
starter recipe for that on Swiftcraftermonkey's site.
I forget the link but you can use her keywords on the right
to search under lotion and solid lotion bars.

I think the idea is to use really hard butters as the binder
and so it doesn't melt too much in your environment
and then you can add some e-wax to help emulsify some
of the stuff off of you and the shower when the water hits it.

I've made them in the past and loooved them.
It can be pricey to make though because you're
looking at like 30% to 70 % Hard Butters in a batch.

 

[jacquellyne]

Thank you!....I actually thought today that I should try to substitute my own CP soap for the M &P, so I'm very appreciative that you confirmed that for me! About the e-wax......is there an organic natural source? I don't use emulsifiers and everything I looked at on Swiftcraftmonkey's site sounded very "chemical-ish" to me....

Thank you SO much!!

 

[jacquellyne]

how about Xanthum Gum or Guar Gum? Google university says these are "natural" emulsifiers.

 

[RioGrandeSoap]

I'm in the same boat. I don't want chemical synthetic ingredients. I forego lotion and make body butter or "lotion" bars instead. I just tried beeswax to harden a sugar scrub and it was so stickey. I used all the hot water in the shower trying to wash the sugar off me! I was trying to avoid coconut oil since it is more likely to clog pores. I recently tried a "lotion" recipe using water and no emulsifier other than beeswax. So far it hasn't separated. I know this is an old post but it was nice to read after my stickey beeswax incident.

 

[paillo]

our own mayren's is my all-time favorite, it's one way i use up fresh scraps of my cp soap