Experimenting with scrubs and colors...

Because I just couldn't stand it any longer I HAD to get into the soap room today and do SOMETHING! So, I got in there and made a mess :)  Actually, I made 3 different batches of goat milk sugar scrubs and one test batch of soap.  Nothing fancy, just a little color and a new oil mix. But it made me happy to finally be soaping after what feels like an eternity!

Not only did I want to run a test run on a very lovely sparkly green mica, but I am also trying to work out what I feel are a few kinks in my current cold process recipe.  It takes closer to 2 to 3 months to REALLY cure up nice and hard even though it is a VERY nice bar of soap to bathe with...so I tweaked a few bits in the recipe.  We shall see tomorrow when I unmold it what my first impression is...How about that green though?  I think for what I want it for it will be PERFECT!  Nice and bright and glitzy! Very nice indeed :P

Then there's the sugar scrub saga....I've been playing around with these scrubs recipes on paper for weeks now! Yup, just imagining how they would turn out and not having a chance to get in there and work with them.  Today I finally stole a moment and got on it!

I made 3 slight variations in the same basic recipe.  I personally notice a difference and I have my favorite already.  This is one that's gonna have to go out to my loyal test subjects...um...I mean my friends :P

Here they are, all plopped into plastic containers and cooling a bit more before I finish getting them ready for my testers...

After all the testing I already did on my own self today I think I've scrubbed a tad bit more skin off than I expected to!  I made a batch, tested it on one arm, repeated with the other arm, and was out of arms for the third batch so I started over on the first arm again...Yup...from the elbows down I am officially the cleanest, smoothest, stinkiest person in Texas tonight!  Wait, what? Stinky?  Oh yes...STINKY!

See, now, what had happened was I scented each batch differently so I could tell them apart.  Because as you can see from the picture they all look pretty much the same.  Up close in person they are a tad different...but I wasn't taking any chances. So I tossed a different scent in each one and of course took notes on it as I worked.  I then scrubbed with each one.  I now have 3 different scents wafting up from my arms and I smell somewhat like a French brothel if you ask me - fruity, floral, all mixed up - it's just plain stinky when you mix it all together! BLEH! One by one each scent is great but not to self do not mix pomegranate, cherry almond and relaxation ever into one big batch of anything! These are not scents meant to be mixed up like that I tells ya! So, yup, stinky :( It's finally wearing off though...a little...

 Also, I am still on the fence about coloring them.  In my humble opinion a nearly natural product should remain nearly natural and scrubs are even more natural than soaps.  Soap goes through saponification and what you begin with is not what you end with.  Sugar scrubs are emulsified (well, mine are anyways) but nothing really changes.  So...soaps can have a little color but I'm still not sure about the scrubs...Back to the point though, I scented rather than colored them because I don't know if I even want color in the final product, but I DO know I will have scent in it.

So, there you have it :)  Scrubs are made, soaps been put to bed and I am next! I can't wait to see which scrub is everyone's favorite because that means I get to make more of it!