I’ve started working on some goodies for Christmas presents. This summer I made mango lotion bars. Lotion bars are nice because you can easily carry them around and they don’t spill. (However, I wouldn’t leave them in a hot car since they might melt.) When they are poured into these push-up containers you don’t even have to touch the lotion as you spread it on your hands or any other dry skin.
The recipe for this lotion bar came from The Sage Blog. I used Mango Fragrance Oil instead of Bourbon Geranium Essential Oil. Lotion bars are really easy to make and I see more in my future.
However, I’ve been wanting to make a Sugar Scrub Bar for quite a while. Susan on Point of Interest blogs a lot of about them. I’ve heard of scrubs but never scrub bars! Anyway, before I show you the ones I made, I wanted to tell you about the ebooks that Susan sells on her website. She right now has two: Back to Basics: Anhydrous Products and Hair Care Products: Shampoos & Conditioners.
The Back To Basic: Anhydrous Products is 122 pages (pdf file) that includes over 50 recipes and explanations for making lotion bars, whipped butters, balms, oil based scrubs, bath melts, bath oils, oil based sprays, solid scrubs, and facial serum, as well as all the carrier oil, exotic oil, and butter profiles, and everything she’s researched about the chemistry of the oils including fatty acids, mechanisms of rancidity, phytosterols, and polyphenols. It’s one of those “everything you wanted to know but didn’t even know what to ask” books.
But the best thing about both of these ebooks is that ALL of the proceeds go to the youth groups programs she works with at the Chilliwack and Yarrow Libraries in Canada. Most of the funding for the programs come from volunteers. For more information on her programs go Here. So for me this is a win-win situation: I get all of her research in one file and the kids’ programs get needed supplies. She is working on a Lotions and Creams ebook too. I can’t wait to get that!
Here are my scrub bars.
Since my soap molds wouldn’t hold all of this recipe, I ended up using muffin tins. After a couple uses in the shower they look like this.
Cocoa Scrub Bar [print_link]
(Makes 64 ounces or 18 scrub bars)
13.5 ounces cocoa butter
2.5 ounces Illipe butter
6.4 ounces shea butter
1 ounce stearic acid
1.3 ounces emulsifying wax
.6 ounce beeswax
1 ounce sodium lactate
3.8 ounces sunflower oil
.6 ounces cyclomethicone
.6 ounces dimethicone
.3 ounce chocolate mousse fragrance oil
.3 ounce vitamin E
26 ounces of sugar
6 ounces of baking soda
Melt everything in a double boiler except for the silicones (cyclomethicone and dimethicone), fragrance oil, Vitamin E, sugar and baking soda. Remove from heat and add the silicones, fragrance oil and Vitamin E. Let cool a tad before adding the sugar and baking soda. If you don’t wait, the sugar will all melt and you’ll have to add even more!
Pour into molds and then put in freezer until set. Take them out and store them. Wait 24 hours to use them.
Some substitutions for you: I ran out of cocoa butter or I would have used only cocoa butter, and the Illipe butter has a lot of the same properties as cocoa butter. You can substitute mango or another butter for the shea. You don’t have to add silicones – just add additional oils. I used Sunflower oil because I had it and it is good for softening the skin and helping alleviate dry skin, but you could use any oil including olive oil. You can also leave out Vitamin E if your oils have a long shelf life and they are reasonably fresh. Mine are fine, but I just wanted to add the extra. You can also leave out the baking soda and use all sugar, or all salt or whatever exfoliant you want to use.
This scrub is great after using your soap or just alone in the shower. It really makes my skin feel soft and smell so chocolatey! In fact, I have the bars sitting here in my studio and it’s smells so heavenly. I’m real happy how these turned out so I will be making more.
I’ve made sugar and salt scrubs, but never knew to make a bar. What a great idea!
Love the lotion bar in a push-up container…
Are you willing to share your source for the container?
🙂
Susan
Susan, I bought mine from Wholesalesuppliesplus.com. They are really neat.
Kirsten, I never had either and really like this one.
Oh, they look fantastic! The lotion bar recipe sounds so easy, I might have to try that myself!
Just curious, why do you use silicones in the Cocoa Scrub Bars? I thought silicones are “bad” (and that’s really the extend of my knowledge), because so many brands make a point of selling stuff “silicone-free”, as if that was a quality feature?
Kristina, You don’t have to use silicones (can substitute oils) but they both bring good stuff to the party. Here is some info and links:
Dimethicone – It works as a barrier ingredient, emollient, lubricant, carrier/diluent detackifier, and and skin protectant (one of three approved by the FDA).
http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2009/05/better-crafting-through-chemistry_10.html
cyclomethicone – It is great in lotion bars and other anhydrous products to help with spreading and fragrance delivery.
http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2009/05/better-crafting-through-chemistry_14.html
I originally bought them for hair care products that I’ve yet to make. I also thought silicones were all bad. Check out her research.
Thanks for all the information Lynda! I still have to read through those links fully but seems silicones are worth reading up on 🙂