I'm wanting to make a mechanic's scrubby bar for friends/family as Christmas gifts and was trying to think of different things to add besides something like poppy seeds or pumice. I got to thinking that both burlap and jute are scrubby and maybe those might work but the lye might eat them up? Did some Google searches and used the search function on here but only came up with packaging options instead of in-the-soap options. I've also got loofah sponge gourds growing in my garden so those can be used as well.
burlap and jute in CP soap
- Thread starter Iseleigh
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Obsidian
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If you cut the jute into tiny little pieces, like 1/4 inch and separated them so its more of a fluffy substance instead of chunks, I could see it working.
I would worry about bigger pieces molding once wet.
I would think the loofah is a better idea. You can also use cornmeal or extra fine ground coffee.
I would worry about bigger pieces molding once wet.
I would think the loofah is a better idea. You can also use cornmeal or extra fine ground coffee.
I thought about that. I've never used either in soap before so I wasn't sure if it would hold up, mold, clog drains, ect.
Obsidian
Well-Known Member
Oh, I didn't even think about drains. I imagine that could be a very real issue.
There's a video on YouTube where a woman is making mechanic soap and pours about as much sand into the soap batter as the batter itself. And I thought she could maybe ask the plumber to try the soap out since she'd be seeing a lot of the guy.
I’ve seen people use sand. It shouldn’t be a problem as little that would be used each time. I use pumice and coffee. Sometimes cornmeal.
Does the cornmeal absorb water eventually? Or does it dry out quick enough there's no issues? It being a food product made me think it might get gross and messy.
It doesn’t really get wet enough to worry about. Never had an issue with it.
So back to the burlap for a moment. Would it make a suitable wash bag for soap? Like put the soap inside the bag and use the whole thing as a washcloth type deal. I guess it depends on the softness of the butlap itself? Maybe use jute twine to tie it? I'll do some experimenting to see how long they last in the shower.
I would think the jute or burlap would mold. You can use poppy seeds, coffee grounds, Pumice, dried raspberry seeds, dried orange powder, loofah (either round or shredded), Chia seeds - the options are endless really. But IMO, you want something relatively small so that it incorporates into the soap.
My mom is a seamstress and said the burlap would be too rough for sensitive skin, but it might be okay for when you *really* need to get clean.
I had not though about the raspberry seeds. Raspberry and orange peel sounds like a good combo to me! Use raspberry FO and some orange 5x for scent maybe?
Sounds like a nice combo!
Coffee grounds are great as well!
Several vendors have been selling ground loofah for use in soapmaking for many years. It's been discussed here at SMF as long ago as 2008, so not an unusual idea at all. I have never used it myself, though, so no feedback.
Personally, I would not use a soap with jute or burlap, as they would be too scratchy for me. I have never even used loofah because I believe it would also be too scratchy for anything but my feet. My skin is too sensitive.
For my brother's blacksmith soap, I add pumice and Borax. The combination is what gets the stains out of his skin better than either alone.
Personally, I would not use a soap with jute or burlap, as they would be too scratchy for me. I have never even used loofah because I believe it would also be too scratchy for anything but my feet. My skin is too sensitive.
For my brother's blacksmith soap, I add pumice and Borax. The combination is what gets the stains out of his skin better than either alone.
Would you mind sharing the amount of pumice and Borax PPO?
I have a peppermint loofah soap I bought a couple years ago. I agree that it is quite rough- which is why it has been in the house so long. I wonder if smaller loofahs would be softer (probably not)... the ones I have are small as it was a terrible year for gardening between the groundhogs and the cooler-than-average Temps. I will report back once they are ready.
I heard of old recipes using borax in them but the only time I ever used it was in laundry soap. I too am interested in the amounts of pumice and borax you use if you are willing to share!
I've perhaps a half cup of used coffee grounds... i feel there may be several scrubby soap variants handed out this year...
Sure, no problem. The Borax amount was 1.1 ounce per pound of oil. The pumice was 1.2 ounces ppo.
I posted a thread about that soap. Due to being unable to edit and correct an error therein, rather than link to it, I'll just re-write the pertinent info here:
Dissolve the Borax in Hot boiling water, (weigh the water, of course & deduct it from the water for the lye solution) and set aside to add to the oils or at trace to the batter. Add the pumice to the batter at trace. Stir in well.
My brother is a blacksmith and the stains that get on his fingers and hands can take almost a week to wear away with daily use of Lava Soap (what he used prior to me coming up with this soap for him). I presented him 3 options after doing some research including blacksmithing sites, which is what lead me to using the Borax in the first place. A few blacksmiths talked about washing their hands with straight Borax to get the stains out quick. From the 3 options (pumice soap; borax soap; pumice+Borax as additives in a single soap), he found the combination soap with pumice + Borax as the most effective to remove the stains from his hands on day one of handwashing after a weekend of blacksmithing. He does demo blacksmithing every weekend (or did until the wildfires forced evacuation of the area); I am not sure if his smithing equipment left behind survived the fire damage, but so far his home is still standing, but the threat has not passed.
I posted a thread about that soap. Due to being unable to edit and correct an error therein, rather than link to it, I'll just re-write the pertinent info here:
Dissolve the Borax in Hot boiling water, (weigh the water, of course & deduct it from the water for the lye solution) and set aside to add to the oils or at trace to the batter. Add the pumice to the batter at trace. Stir in well.
My brother is a blacksmith and the stains that get on his fingers and hands can take almost a week to wear away with daily use of Lava Soap (what he used prior to me coming up with this soap for him). I presented him 3 options after doing some research including blacksmithing sites, which is what lead me to using the Borax in the first place. A few blacksmiths talked about washing their hands with straight Borax to get the stains out quick. From the 3 options (pumice soap; borax soap; pumice+Borax as additives in a single soap), he found the combination soap with pumice + Borax as the most effective to remove the stains from his hands on day one of handwashing after a weekend of blacksmithing. He does demo blacksmithing every weekend (or did until the wildfires forced evacuation of the area); I am not sure if his smithing equipment left behind survived the fire damage, but so far his home is still standing, but the threat has not passed.
No, he does not. His home smithy (the workshop of a blacksmith) & all his equipment has been held hostage by one of the huge California wildfires, as was the location where he works, doing historical blacksmithing demos.
The fire is about 93% contained now and has not touched his house, but completely destroyed 2 houses just down the hill from his (2 doors down, in fact) and severely damaged a couple others as well. They have not returned home so far and I don't blame them. For me it would be so demoralizing to see the devastation; I don't know if I could handle the restoration that they are going to have to face due to smoke and water damage. And just to witness the overall devastation when they return; it would throw me into depression, I am sure. It's going to be so hard for so many people there.
But up until the fire, he has managed good humor in the midst of CoVid. Here's one of his recent creations:
