What kinds of seeds to use as an exfoliant?

[maggiemarieoc]

I'm losing my mind over cranberry seeds! To sum up my absolute confusion- what is the difference between buying cranberry seeds that are labeled as exfoliators versus buying a packet of cranberry seeds at a fraction of the cost? Is there a difference in the type of seeds, or maybe they have been treated somehow to make them safe for skin, or are they just the same thing? I have looked everywhere and can't find the answer. Please oh please someone explain this to me. I've spent days on line and can't find the answer! Help!! And thanks!

 

[maggiemarieoc]

And I apologize because I had just posted about cranberry seeds but I thought I could delete that thread. I'm new to the forum, but desperate for some answers!

 

[shunt2011]

I would think they are the same thing. I would give it a try and see what you think. I wouldn't use a lot of them until you know how scratchy they are.

I have cranberry, raspberry and strawberry seeds though I've not used them. Poppy seeds are also used for a bit of an exfoliant in soap. Again don't use too much.

I like finely ground oatmeal personally.

 

[navigator9]

I'm going to agree with shunt on this one. I like oatmeal for a few reasons. Cheap, easy to find...usually only as far away as the pantry. Oatmeal is one of the few additives that people seem to really like. In a blind test, with oatmeal ground to a fine powder, making it impossible to feel in the soap, people preferred the oatmeal soap. And finally, you can grind it to your liking. Sometimes I put the whole oats on top, so people can see what they're getting. At other times, I grind it to small pieces, so it's "scrubby", and other times to a fine powder, like colloidal oatmeal. You can make it as exfoliating as you choose.

 

[Earthen_Step]

I love clays for a very mild exfoliate. Oatmeal, dead sea mud, cranberry seeds, raspberry seeds, poppy seeds, herbs, chaga, coffee are a few others I've tried. I have really liked them all. Gentleness: clay, oatmeal, dead see mud, powdered herbs. For roughage: seeds, chaga, coffee and a medium course oatmeal.

 

[shunt2011]

Another thing that's pretty nice is ground luffa. I was given a jar when I first started out. Finally made a small batch and I actually like it. I did soak the luffa in water for awhile just to be sure it was softened some though it didn't feel scratchy. I don't like really scrubby soap on my body.

 

[BlackDog]

I've used poppy seeds, coffee and oatmeal, and I like coffee best. Poppy are extremely scrubby - makes for great foot/elbow exfoliation though. Oatmeal is a little "too" gentle for me, but then I have a dragon hide. I took my grocery store coffee grounds and put them in one of those mini grinders to make them a little finer. I think it's up to personal preference.

 

[Obsidian]

Cranberry seeds look like they would be scratchy, they have a pointy end that could be pretty sharp. I would make a small batch and try seeds in only one bar, maybe one with whole seeds and one with ground seeds. I personally like fine ground poppy seeds.

 

[maggiemarieoc]

I chose the cranberry seeds more as a marketing tool than by choice. I live in northern wi and cranberries are our biggest export. And I'm highlighting them as a key ingredient in my line of beauty products. I figured if they were to abrasive I'd either try and grind them down or use them sparingly mixed with another exfoliator. But here's my confusion, the seeds I'm finding to buy online look like their decent sized, even if they were being shown magnified to 1000x, they still don't look like the seeds I'm pulling out of my cranberries. The ones I removed are just like tiny black pinheads. So there's got to be a difference. And I tried extracting them myself and even though I have about a million, it would easily take that many to get a few ounces. And I'm trying to use what I have on hand if possible and find the most inexpensive option possible as well as keeping the money local.

 

[IrishLass]

I've never tried cranberry seeds, but I have tried kiwi seeds, which look to be the same shape as cranberry seeds from the pics I've seen (oval with a pointy end). Anyway, I made a 2 lb batch with 1 tbsp. of the kiwi seeds and my soap turned out way too painful to use. But I'm a wimp, though- the most scratchy I can handle in my soap is baby oatmeal or fine-grade pumice.

IrishLass

 

[dixiedragon]

The Latin names are the same, so it's the same species. Looking at the seeds on Brambleberry's site and then I googled "how to grow cranberries".

Honestly, my assumption is that they are the same thing. I'd wager that companies like Brambleberry buy a pound or 10 pounds or whatever of cranberry seeds, then mark up the price. Because Brambleberry isn't going to sell the volume of seeds that a farm store is. So you're paying for the convenience of buying cranberry seeds from the same place as your fragrance oils, etc.

If you'll notice, Epsom salts at the gardening store are much more expensive than Epsom salts from the drug store.

Can you post links of the pictures you are looking at?

ETA: Maybe your cranberries aren't ripe enough to have big seeds? I've noticed that some fruits (like tomatoes) the fruit is ready to be eaten but the seeds aren't as developed. An over-ripe tomato on the vine has bigger seeds in it.

 

[maggiemarieoc]

Mrs. Dixie Dragon I think that u may be right. I'm gonna grab a pack of seeds from my local nursery before I go spending tons of money on anything. Here are the pictures I got online compared to what I have gotten out of my cranberries from our local bog. 1st pic- etsy. 2nd- brambleberrys 3rd and 4th-mine. The last picture really puts it in perspective.

 

[maggiemarieoc]

And I asked a few people selling them on line what the difference was because I thought maybe they dried them or preserved them in some way and no one would answer- which makes me think that there is no difference. I have looked all over on line for pics of actually cranberry seeds and all I can find is pictures of bushes and vines. Idk why I drive myself so crazy over things like this but everything I create I have to perfect before I even start to test it. I pick it apart and obsess and after weeks of craziness the testing begins. And it starts all over again.

 

[maggiemarieoc]

Aha!!!!! I happened to notice the proper name on the brambleberry cranberry seeds- vaccinium macrocarpon seeds.

 

[dixiedragon]

Looking at your pictures I think it's really a difference in how close up they zoomed vs the seed size.

 

[Obsidian]

Does it really make a difference if BB seeds and the ones you buy for planting might be somewhat different? I'd think as long as the seeds you buy aren't treated with chemicals then its all good.
Seeds/herbs sold for soaping aren't anything special, they are just plant material. The powders are ground finer but thats about it.

 

[dixiedragon]

Maggie, I just saw this on Majestic Mountain Sage - cranberry fiber for soaping!
https://www.thesage.com/catalog/products/Fiber-Cranberry.html