best scrubs and soaps for a soak

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james101

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Hi everyone...looking for a good recipe and routine for a soak and scrub...my wife is having me learn to do pedicures by practicing first on her mother and she wants to start with a soak and scrub; hoping not to dry out the skin any further though.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum.

My go-to recipe is for an emulsified sugar scrub. I like this one a lot: [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC-UeGwflC0[/ame]

I do modify it a bit to use things I keep on hand, but it's a lovely starting point.
 
Do you use preservative? And how firm do these get? Could I mold them in small amounts to use like a bar rather than in a jar. I would like to avoid using a preservative if I can.
 
Susie -- Not Snappy, but I would be comfortable making an emulsified sugar scrub without preservative if a spatula or spoon were used to remove the product from a container. I use liquid germall plus in mine, but I have mine in the shower and dig into the container with damp hands.

I don't think you would be able to mold the recipe I use into shapes that would keep their shape nicely. IMO it's supposed to be a paste that is firm enough to not be goopy or runny but soft enough to rub easily onto the skin. But I could see others might feel differently about that and make a firmer product that could be molded.
 
I use Phenonip as my preservative since water could easily be introduced during regular use though the recipe itself doesn't contain anything requiring preservatives. Phenonip plays well with Cetearyl Alcohol (in my emulsifying wax) but is inactivated by poly 80 (just a warning). I think SpicyPinecone uses OptiphenPlus instead, but I don't have that so I use what I've got!

I have a jar made in December 2014 that has been kept and used in my bathroom. I haven't tested it, but it still looks/smells/acts like the day I made it.

They aren't stiff enough to be molded and have to go into a jar. It makes a packed-wet-sand consistency, but that can be adjusted with varying the sugar or the waxes. I actually use beeswax instead of soy wax in mine since that's what I keep on hand... It does set-up stiffer though as the mixture cools so it's best to try out a few variations.
 
well it looks like oil mixed with sugar. I beat my oils so I get emulsion thick emulsion, then after it is cool enough I add preservative and the fragrance, using kitchen aid mixer I do it till it is like pudding, then slowly add sugar............it looks like thick lotion and it is wonderful. The way she did in video, what the heck? When wax does not solidify it means it is at least 70 Celsius and she added the preservative to it?
 
Checking my notes here... Phenonip and OptiphenPlus are both okay up to 176F.

The big difference in an emulsified scrub vs a regular oil+sugar one is including an emulsifier into the product. That way - it turns into a lotion as you're using it with water... kinda like scrub magic! At least I think it's like magic. :)
 
Wet packed sand -- yes, that's about what mine looks and feels like too. I really enjoy the added emulsifier in this type of thing -- the product rinses off so nicely, leaving only a lotiony layer behind and no oily shower or sink. The non-emulsifier scrubs I've tried are about the same when in use, but not nearly so pleasant afterwards.

The other thing I like is how this can be jazzed up for guys -- a manly scent and color -- and it works just as well for greasy dirty rough paws as it does for the face.
 
Umm.... I haven't made any before but i trust the experts, so here's a pretty good video:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB7t9rNo0ck[/ame]
 
I just picked up some supplies (DH did :)) from New Directions Aust and I got a freebie facial scrub Rosehip.

Going by what you all say this is an emulsified scrub. So very impressed with the feel of my skin that I might make some myself following your directions. Thank you!
 
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