Sugar Scrub Cubes with MP Soap

[KathyB]

I have been making sugar scrub cubes with MP soap. I have tried various oils, butters, recipes, amounts, etc. (my skin is raw from trying all these!). What I find is that after rinse off - some of the oil remains, but my skin feels draggy and tacky. I would like a little slicker feel. I have added cetyl alcohol to the mix, and also polysorbate 20. The poly helps, but even in small amounts it washes off too much of the oil. Which is fine for some people, but I want a little to be left on the skin for moisturizing. I have ordered some cubes from Etsy - one of them had a nice slick after feel, but I cannot duplicate it.

I was wondering if anyone knows of an ingredient I can add to help with the feel after rinsing. Also, does anyone have a recipe for cubes without MP soap? I have tried with a mix of cocoa butter and other softer butters and oils, but it's just too oily. I don't want anyone falling down due to a slippery tub or shower.

TIA

 

[carebear]

It'll be hard to help you modify your formula unless you tell us what it is

 

[KathyB]

Carebear, you have a point. I have a few different recipes. The one I have been selling (but I think it needs more moisturizer) is the following.

Sugar 15 oz.
MP Soap - clear shaving base 8 oz.
coconut oil 1.25 oz.
almond oil 1.25 oz.
cocoa butter 1 oz.
cetyl alcohol 3/4 oz.
polysorbate 20 3/8 oz.
fragrance 5 ml
colorant as needed
This recipe makes a nice cube which is easy to smoosh in the hand when using. Leaves the skin clean with hardly any residue, which my testers and customers like. However, I have had requests for a more moisturizing version. What would you suggest?

 

[carebear]

My moisturizing scrub has no MP soap in it - soap being drying, and all and me being an old lady.

I'd start by keeping the other oils/butters in the same proportions to each other, but dropping the soap a bit. Or try subbing out some of the coconut for a heavier oil like olive.

 

[KathyB]

Do you make cubes or scoopable scrubs? When I up the oil/butter ratio to soap I get too soft a mix. I guess it's a very fine balance that I have to achieve. I have some palm stearic acid, but haven't used it. What do you think?

 

[KathyB]

Well, I just tried a remake of the recipe I posted earlier in the thread. Put half the coconut oil and the other half olive oil. Only change I made. The cubes are soft enough, but oily to pick up and when they are mushed in the hand, they are a little brittle. My original recipe makes a cube that is not greasy to touch and forms a creamy paste in the hand, whereas these do not. They scrub okay and leave behind quite a bit of moisture. More what I was looking for. I would say the coconut oil is an important ingredient in terms of final texture. I don't know what else to try, at this point. Early on in my experimenting, I discovered that just mixing oils with MP soap either created hard greasy cubes or soft greasy cubes, depending on the amount of the oil. Maybe I didn't compensate well enough with other ingredients, I don't know. But I thought that maybe one of you out there might have had the same problem and found a way to fix it. Thanks!

 

[carebear]

Hmmm Instead of olive, try some mango butter. I love the stuff.

 

[KathyB]

I've not seen mango butter. How does it differ from coconut oil? Is it similar to shea butter?

 

[carebear]

Ah mango butter. It melts more easily and quickly than Shea, and is not sticky. It's lovely stuff.

Shea seems warming as you rub it onto your skin, whereas mango seems more coolong.

 

[KathyB]

Yes, I have tried to make some solid sugar scrubs without MP using shea and I found the after feel was thick and sticky. Maybe I'll get some mango. Thanks!

 

[paillo]

My moisturizing scrub has no MP soap in it - soap being drying, and all and me being an old lady.

I'd start by keeping the other oils/butters in the same proportions to each other, but dropping the soap a bit. Or try subbing out some of the coconut for a heavier oil like olive.

carebear, you don't strike me at all as being an old lady

 

[carebear]

Thanks. Not ancient, but def not of "child bearing age".

And most def dry skinned and wrinkly.

 

[agriffin]

Oh this is good. I'm working on a solid scrub bar and was going to use mango.

 

[KathyB]

To those of you that make sugar scrub cubes without MP, do you add anything to reduce the final oily feeling on the skin? If so, what? Or is the oily feel what you are going for?

I ordered some Mango Butter and will do some testing when that arrives. Thanks!