JacquiO Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 I'm looking to make a bunch of soaps over the next few months and need to purchase some additives and exfoliates. I was hoping to start a discussion about favorite exfoliating additives and to what degree they are such light, medium or extreme exfoliating. So far poppy seed have been my favorite exfoliate. It's a medium exfoliate and feels really good all over. I've also tried ground almonds and ground vanilla beans. The ground vanilla bean is really light but you can feel it in the soap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meridith Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 For a lighter degree of exfoliation, often times this can be controlled by the amount of the exfoliant used. Some exfoliants are:sea muds (lighter exfoliation)ground almond mealground luffaground pumice (extreme exfoliation)seeds (size and amounts can vary exfoliation)oatmealjojoba beadssaltssugarground rose hipsI'm sure there are more that I'm not thinking about right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacquiO Posted December 29, 2008 Author Share Posted December 29, 2008 I want to try some clays and seeds. I don't want exfoliates that are too harsh and I know you sometimes have to play with the amounts to get the desired results. I was wondering how harsh fine pumice is? Also do the jojoba beads hold up in soap making?Also I'm looking for a one stop supplier. It's so hard finding everything you want in one place. So far I'm looking at MMS or OregonTrailSoaps but if anyone has any other suppliers to recommend that would be much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carriegsxr6 Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Apricot Seed meal is a good oneI would go with Majestic Mountain Sage, they have a bunch of natural seed for exfoliation. Jojoba Beeds are like wax beeds, they would most likely melt in CP soap but hold up great in M&P or if you do rebatches or HP and add right before you pour, those temps are probably cool enough that they may hold up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBE Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I've tried jojoba beads in CP. Held up well. Don't use too much. I did. And it was sorta scratchy. Apricot Kernel Powder is nice too... but use a light hand. Green Tea LeavesVita Burst Beads (from WSP, the one's with Vit. E in them)I think that's the secret to exfoliating soaps.. using a light hand. Too much and it's too rough. My next project I want to try is adding small crumbles of dried seaweed (nori sheets) to some CP. I found some at World Market and I'm dying to try it! Not sure if it will be exfoliating though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scent Cellar Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 You can experiment with oatmeal. It took me a couple of times to get it just right. About 4 short pulses in the grinder is about the texture I like. The bigger you leave the oatmeal the more exfoliating it is. I use coffee grounds & cornmeal in my gardeners soap it works great. Cranberry seeds are good and they add a bit of color to the soap also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcrafter Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Cranberry seeds sound interesting. I might want to try them. Where would I go to buy some? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meridith Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Cranberry seeds sound interesting. I might want to try them. Where would I go to buy some?MMS sells a variety of seeds, including cranberry seeds. Be careful, it does not take much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcrafter Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I like dried lemon peel, both course and fine ground, and ground oatmeal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeInPdx Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 My favorite exfoliants in no particular order are....Coffee grounds, oatmeal, and cornmeal.....Nothing imaginative, but they all work well and are dirt cheap to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mariposa Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I like to use baby food oatmeal or barley cereal. I also have had success with rosehip, oatstraw , greentea , rice bran, and adzuki bean powders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I certainly haven't tested the whole range of exfoliants, but I've tried various seeds versus apricot kernel meal and I find the apricot meal to be much more useful.Poppy, blueberry and cranberry seeds all look real nice, but something with smaller and more numerous particles seems more effective as an exfoliant. Seeds feel very bumpy in the soap. Too many can be harsh, but use less and they're too big and far apart to exfoliate thoroughly. Plus I don't really care for the bumpy feeling regardless of the amount.Apricot meal is a very effective exfoliant that leaves your skin nice and smooth and feels great to use if you get the amount right. You can tweak it to get exactly the amount of exfoliation and scrubbiness you want. Just measure accurately and make small adjustments up or down until it's just right.I also have some ground vanilla bean that's been sitting around for a while. It doesn't look very scrubby but maybe I should try it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacquiO Posted January 29, 2009 Author Share Posted January 29, 2009 Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to have to try coffee grounds and ground apricot pits soon. I just made some lemon & green tea soap with lemon peel. I'm really looking forward to trying it out in a couple weeks. The ground vanilla beans are a very mild exfoilant. I personally think they give the soap a really nice texture when you wash with it without feeling harsh. I've also been playing with different tea soaps where not only do I use the brewed tea for the lye solution - I also add the loose tea to the soap. I made some with Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger - it smells awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcrafter Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I use Orange Pekoe tea in the lye solution and loose tea for my Orange Pekoe soap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedar Leaf Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Have any of you tried HerbaCom.com? They have many different herbs etc. for wonderful prices on the pound and free shipping. They sell powders and cut and sifted herbs etc.Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcrafter Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I use pacificbotanicals.com They are organic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacquiO Posted February 6, 2009 Author Share Posted February 6, 2009 Have any of you tried HerbaCom.com? They have many different herbs etc. for wonderful prices on the pound and free shipping. They sell powders and cut and sifted herbs etc.LindaThanks for the recommendation Linda. I'm definetly going to add them to my supplier resources. They have like every herb under the sun and the prices look really good too. They also have activated charcol powder.I just wanted to note that you had a typo above. This is the linkhttp://www.herbalcom.com/I had no problem googling the right site. Thanks Again, Jacqui Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candlelady Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 In my products I use ground (fine) walnut shells and I love it and so do my customers...HTHCarrie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedar Leaf Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Sorry for the typo , it is herbalcom.com. BTW some of their line is organic. They have their country of origin listed, which I very much appreciate. As much trouble as there has been with things from China I would rather not buy from them for sure!Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdesousa5 Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Frontier Herbs also has organic herbs available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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