Brown Sugar Yummy Scrub

[Mostly Lurkin]

I have never posted a recipe here well, because frankly - ya'll blow me away. BUT - I do make a brown sugar scrub that is wonderful for the skin & have I received reports of it being edible - I haven't been the one to try it, lol - just been told. I make alot of my stuff like I cook, little of this little of that. I'll do my best to explain it . I make LARGE batches, you can adjust this for your own needs.

Into 1 extra large bowl I put in 1 large bag of light brown sugar.

to that I add an equal amount of organic oatmeal (raw of course).

On that I sprinkle ground vanilla beans & coffee grounds (unused, dry), enough to cover the oatmeal.

On top of that I add about 1.5-2 cups honey (luckily I get this thru a friend of a friend, who is a beekeeper and it costs me next to nothing!)

I then add grapeseed oil and olive oil (or sweet almond, depends on what I have more of at the time) saturating the mix. Mix it really well and keep adding oils until it's the consistancy I like (just barely has a pool of oil on top) add a wee bit of maple syrup FO. That's it.

I don't add preserve for my own use ( I go thru BUCKETS of this stuff on my own ) and only recently begun adding it to orders as I had read a good point here about it being exposed to water, though I have never had anyone come back saying they had a problem.

This will make for a messy shower but the benefits to the skin are worth every bit of the extra rinse the shower needs. I use this year-round as I have the driest skin known to mankind...or womankind as the case may be, lol.

[EmpressC]

Well it sounds fantastic! Have you ever had a problem with bugs getting into it? Sounds so sticky icky!

[TeriM]

well it sure does sound good enough to eat....

I just may have to give this a try !!!!

[Mostly Lurkin]

LOL - no bugs... and with all that stuff you would think it would feel sticky it doesn't at all.

Well it sounds fantastic! Have you ever had a problem with bugs getting into it? Sounds so sticky icky!

[AkainePSP]

I am definately going to be trying this in the next few days! I just ordered my vanilla beans! Can someone tell me though what the difference is between beans example tahitian vs. madagascar?

How much scrub does this recipe make?

[Jadryga]

That sounds like it would smell awesome!

I definitely want to try that, although I hate the fact that ants get into everything here in Malaysia

[AkainePSP]

What are the benefits of using the vanilla bean?

[anncee]

This sounds so delish but please can you try to state more exact quantities:)

[AkainePSP]

My vanilla beans came today so I tried out this recipe. I made one minor change though I added some apricot kernal oil as well. I'm not sure if it turned out or not. I think so but I've never made or even seen a sugar scrub before. Here is a pic, sorta reminds you of bird poop, but honest it smells so much better and the consistancy is not runny at all. Please tell me what you think. I really wasn't sure about the maple syrup fo and didn't have that but had maple brown sugar from flickers and oh my gosh. I really wanted to eat it!

[Jadryga]

Oh dear, I'm sure it smelt heavenly, but it really does look like bird poop :lipsrseal I think it's that yellowish hue that makes it look... odd. Maybe Lurkin can give you confirmation if it's meant to look like that?

[AkainePSP]

It's actually a brown honey color. I think the yellow came from the flash.

Oh dear, I'm sure it smelt heavenly, but it really does look like bird poop :lipsrseal I think it's that yellowish hue that makes it look... odd. Maybe Lurkin can give you confirmation if it's meant to look like that?

[thesoapbox]

I have a question on preservative for this. How much preservative do you add to this recipe? I am not good at all with percentages so maybe if whoever answers can put it in ml's or oz's. Something other than percentage . I am going to make this recipe for my testers to try out but I want to be sure to put the right preservative and the right amount of preservative in it!

Thanks bunches

Angi

[Mostly Lurkin]

:embarasse I suppose I shoulda turned on my notifications for this thread.

If I add preserve I add 1% of the total weight. I have never had any last long enough to require preserve, lol - so I really can't say 100%.

The inclusion of the vanilla beans was solely for uniqueiness (I just know that has to be spelled wrong, lol). They are really ground so fine, and in there at such a small percentage I don't think they really add to the exfoliation aspect.

It really isn't the prettiest of scrubs - but it sure does it's job. The honey & oatmeal I think really give it the 'kick' it needs to be super moisturizing without being slimey or over-oily.

To anyone considering adding this to their line-ups, I promise your 'foodie' fans will flip over it.

[Jadryga]

Uniqueness.. but that's close enough!

I'm thinking of trying it, but I think I'll have to skip the vanilla for now. Do they add scent? If yes, I'll just include some vanilla powder to substitute and see. If not, I'll skip it altogether.

Anyone ever considered adding cocoa powder? I'm such a sucker for chocolate :embarasse

[Mostly Lurkin]

LOL, thanks, I knew it was wrong.

No, the vanilla beans don't add scent, just look like lil brown/black dots in the mix.

I'm thinking maybe a chocolate FO if that was the way you're leaning cuz I think the cocoa powder might make a brown yickky mess in the shower..

[barncat]

I made some and have been using it. Its definately messy in the shower, but makes your skin feel nice and smooth, I can definately feel a difference. I used coffee, since they say caffeine is supposed to nurish the skin. I ended up using sugar cookie scent.

[Sharon in KY]

If you want a chocolate scent and don't want to use FO. Try some coco butter. melt and add to other oils before adding to mix. It will give a little coco scent. Your picture looks like a great big coconut praline. Yum..

[cbv1]

Would grapeseed extract be a good preservative in this? I am trying to stay away from artificial preservatives.

[elegantnaturals]

No, it wouldn't. If you're worried about parabens (although you have no reason to be), try using Optiphen or Cosmocil for a preservative.

Sugar is yummy bug food and, unlike molds and fungi, you can't tell when your product has been contaminated. Basically, you have to ask yourself if you are willing to risk your health and possibly your customer's health because you don't use preservatives.

Do a search for "preservatives" on this board and you'll find lots of information.

Here's a link for you to read over:

http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53403&highlight=preservatives

Good luck!

[cbv1]

No, it wouldn't. If you're worried about parabens (although you have no reason to be), try using Optiphen or Cosmocil for a preservative.

Sugar is yummy bug food and, unlike molds and fungi, you can't tell when your product has been contaminated. Basically, you have to ask yourself if you are willing to risk your health and possibly your customer's health because you don't use preservatives.

Do a search for "preservatives" on this board and you'll find lots of information.

Here's a link for you to read over:

http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53403&highlight=preservatives

Good luck!

Yes, I saw that thread already and I understand the concerns of not using a preservative. The reason I don't make scrubs to sell is because I don't like all those additives. The names are just as bad as commercially made products and I thought that would put customers off. I make a scrub for my daughter with just sugar, oil, EO because she uses it right away and I only make her a small jar at a time. Do any of you find that customer's have issues with man made preservatives?

[elegantnaturals]

I don't sell as of yet but I'm doing a lot of research. Personally, I prefer a preservative whether it's "natural" or not. Most preservatives are derivatives and the whole natural vs semi natural debate is a long one. Having had two children go through some serious infections from unknown causes I can't imagine having a product that I make cause one in them! The benefits of having a germ free product outweighs the horrible consequences a preservative free product may cause.

On the other hand, if you are making small quanitities for personal use, keeping them in the fridge between uses, and using them within a week of making the product then I don't see the need for a preservative. But that's the only time.

[cbv1]

Thanks for the info EN. I will research this further and read what I can on the different types of preservatives.

I went to a health food store yesterday and read some ingredients on the back of some of the sugar, salt scrubs. One label read it was free of artificial ingredients, paraben free and free of grapefruit seed extract. Why would the lack of grapefruit seed extract seem like a plus when listing ingredients? That confused me, like grapefruit seed extract was bad? I use it in my soap and always have.

[xaipre]

Honey is a natural preservative. I don't know if the amount of honey in this recipe is enough to preserve the whole thing for a while. My gut feeling is that the amount of honey and oil will keep this mix good for a while, i.e. free from mold and so forth. As for bugs, well I think even the Philosophy Gingerbread man scrub I have in my shower at the moment would attract bugs if I left it uncovered on the floor. My thought it to make a mixture and then test run its longevity by leaving it uncovered and covered in different parts of your house and see if it molds or attracts bugs. Sounds pretty icky to me too, and it could be a long process. But after about a month or so you should have a good idea about how it keeps. Then you could always put an expiration date on it, so 3, 6, 9, or 12 months from when it was made, perhaps with a note that it lasts longer if it is kept refrigerated and an advisory to always keep the lid on it when not in use. Customers who want chemical-free products would be willing to live with a product with an expiration date, I'm not sure about the masses though. Customers may, of course, neglect the product and let it go bad, but with an expiration date you can simply say that you are under no obligation to accept a return after that date. I mean, sunblock expires in about a year or so, and consumers live and learn with that. If you think your consumers are favorable to chemical-free products, I think it is worth testing.

[CareBear]

I wouldn't count on the honey as a preservative - if water gets introduced (and it will - from the shower, wet hands, condensation...) it won't be enough. You cannot always see mold or bacteria - in fact the infestation has to be huge before it's visable. Ick.

Dont' know why the concern over GSE - but it's just an antioxidant anyway, not a preservative.

If you are selling then you have a responsibility to make sure your products are safe - and that means preserving it IMHO. Would you want to be responsible for introducing a bacterial or fungal infection into someone's skin? Remember, the sugar can actually abrade the skin slightly... There's no better environment for mold, bacteria, and of course kritters than sugar and water. Be safe.

Xiapre - you cannot tell by looking. If someone wants to do a "preservative challenge" (or in your advice, a non-preservative challenge) then it needs to be lab tested.

DO NOT MESS AROUND. THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF. ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE SELLING IT. (else get several million in liability insurance)

[thesoapbox]

I agree! I honestly feel that preservatives are not going to harm me as much as an infection from something that has no preservatives. I steer far and clear from items that tout no preservatives. Sorry, I want my stuff preserved so I won't worry about why I have this green fungus growing out of one of my fingernails!

Angi