Exfoliating soap ..... advice please!

[KristaY]

Personally, I don't like any of the large bits in a facial bar. Body yes, but my face is too sensitive for all the scrubbiness. I adore activated charcoal in my face soap though. I've been developing it for about a year and that's the additive I've like the most (as well as my test dummies, AKA beloved family members!). In a body bar I like poppy seeds, ground nuts, coffee, tea, etc. It just depends on the body part you're cleaning.

I think making an individual bar or two of each additive is a great idea. Use the sea salt, fennel, dill, poppy, etc in a portion of a large batch and see what you and your family\friends think of each. Testing is the best way to decide what you think of each additive.

 

[earlene]

I see a few places that sell pumice powder. Has anyone tried that in their soap? That should be good for a mechanic's soap. No idea how it would be on the face.

I use finely ground pumice in the blacksmith soap I make for my brother. My husband loves it for mechanics soap. He says it is not as rough as Lava, which feels courser to his hands. He gave some of my brother's blacksmith soap (I designed a recipe that he likes the best, which is why I call it that) to a co-worker who also dabbles in blacksmithing and he also loves it. He asked my husband for more because the DB I used in the last batch is so great, he doesn't want to use the bars for fear the bathroom won't smell as nice anymore! And now I am giving the same soap to my nephew, the welder. So far they are all happy with the finely ground pumice. But they are all men, with rougher hands than mine and no one has mentioned using it on their faces.

I don't use soap on my face, so wouldn't even think to test it on my face. So I can't help you there.

Earlene's blacksmith soap thread.

 

[dixiedragon]

According to google:
Porridge oats, usually, are not just flattened, but ground, They are broken up into smaller fragments. The whole oat is still there, but the result is more powdery and made of less easily distinguishable fragments. Rolled oats make a chewier and larger-textured porridge, and take slightly longer to cook.

I'd take some porridge oats, cook them for a while then puree them.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

This forum is great!! So many quick, friendly replies, thanks everyone.
Dixiedragon: I would probably use it as a bath/shower soap. Is oatmeal same as porridge oats? (I'm in the UK)
SaltedFig: I have ground the fennel really fine. I have got a 6 bay silicone mold, so I might just make one bar of each.
Again, thanks everyone and keep the advice coming!
Roll on summer!

I suspect that like many of us, you'll find exfoliants are a better idea in theory than in practice, but the six-bay mold will be GREAT for testing several things without committing to a big batch of soap you won't want to use.

The problem with most of this stuff is that the soap matrix holds onto them so they act not unlike a sanding block. If you rub some of the exfoliant between your fingers, for instance, they will roll around in all directions because they're not captured. But when they're stuck to soap it can feel like rubbing a cheese grater against you. Imagine the comparison of a salt slurry to a rough block of salt.

Somewhat surprisingly, that makes facial soaps MORE forgiving of harsher exfoliants, IMO, because people tend to rub soap onto their hands or a cloth to wash their face rather than rubbing the bar (sanding block) directly on the face.

Pumice is nice in the right application, of course, and salt dissolves fast enough that I don't really think of it as an exfoliant unless you've chosen honking big crystals. But anything organic that I've ever tried has been too rough to use on the bar and only becomes tolerable if worked into a lather.

 

[MySoapyHeart]

Are you adverse to use Jojoba beads? I love them in my soap. I added them in my batter for the first time 10 weeks ago, pulled out a bar a week ago and found them perfect in my shower bar. It gave me a perfect scrybby feeling without giving me sore skin when I rubbed the bar directly on my skin. I shower with this bar every time, no soreness at all so I don`t have to alternate between my regular bar from this one.

I used 1 teaspoon in 2 kg batch (oil weight). That was perfect for a gentle but still very noticeable effect. I purchased mine over at Etsy. If you want to know what they look like you can click the link, it is where I purchased mine (bought 5 jars in different colors)

https://twowildhares.com/listing/263759689/jojoba-beads-green-caribbean-2040

 

[Deadgroovy]

So ..... tonight I have made a 1.5kg loaf of normal soap and two 120g bars of exfoliating soap.
Recipe is OO, Rapeseed oil, PO, CO and castor for the batter, and have used white poppy seeds in the bars. The poppy seeds are really fine, so I thought I would use whole. I'll let you all know how it turns out!
I have also used essential oils for the first time. I mixed orange, lavender and lemongrass, not a classic combination but smelt divine.
Once again, thanks to everyone for your comments and advice.