"Spicy Orient" Scrub: cinnamon, cardamom and ginger

Cinnamon, cardamom and ginger are not only everyday spices in Orient, they are medicine.

Warming, uplifting, carminative and circulatory stimulant, they are applied to maintain good health, avoid cold, keep yin and yong in balance, promote digestion, relieve cramps and menstrual disorders etc. etc. 

Here we have mixed these three wonder spices in an attractive and easy to apply scrub. Even in "Western medicine" they are being applied for their circulation support and warming effect, this is why they are applied as well in anti-cellulite and firming products (massage oils, masks, compresses, lotions and scrubs).

Because of the color contrast between cinnamon, cardamom and the butter base, these pieces look extremely cool and attractive. Prepare them for your winter/Xmas sale to have something special for your demanding customers.

The recipe and the process are very easy. The base is a kind of butter, refatting and moisturizing the skin during and after application. The solid form is much easier to apply than an oil or an emulsion. You can prepare them practically in any desired form and size depending on the demand. Since the butter is going to be rinsed after use, you need something to emulsify the oil, otherwise the skin feel would be very greasy and unpleasant, as if someone has bathed in a schnitzel pan. Here I've applied lysolecithin which is a kind of hydrophilic lecithin. This adds to a silky skin feel while making rinsing easier. It emulsifies the butter and the after feel would be a light, pleasant silky feel without greasiness.

To enhance the anti-cellulite effect of the whole product I've applied ginger and grapefruit essential oils both for their pleasant and uplifting fragrance as well as for their anti-cellulite function. 

Before we start I want to recommend you to read our older posts and general information regarding hygienic manufacturing practice in cosmetic lab, introduction to Basic equipment and utensil for a cosmetic lab. 

For 100 gr oriental scrub you'll need:

68,0% Cocoa butter (68,0 gr)

4,5% Shea butter (4,5 gr) 

2,0% Babassu oil (2,0 gr)

2,3% Apricot kernel oil (2,3 gr)

2,0% Peanut oil (2,0 gr) 

10,0% lysolecithin (10,0 gr)

1,0% lipophilic hops extract (or hops infusion in sunflower oil) (1,0 gr)

0,5% alpha-Tocopherol (0,5 gr)

0,2% Ginger essential oil (0,2 gr)

1,0% Grapefruit essential oil (1,0 gr)

3,0% Cinnamon powder (3,0 gr) 

3,0% Cardamom powder (3,0 gr)

2,5% crushed ginger root (2,5 gr)

You'll need as well:

Beakers to melt and mix the ingredients

disposable pipettes

a water bath to melt the butters

glass rods or suitable spatulas or spoons 

a suitable mold (try our mini-oval mold for example) 

Here we go:

One: Set the temperature of the water bath @ around 60 degrees centigrade. Melt cocoa butter. Stop heating and add shea butter and babassu oil (which is solid at room temperature) to melt as well. 

Two: After all solid ingredients are melted add lysolecithin, Tocopherol, apricot kernel oil, peanut oil, hops extract and mix gently.

Three: After all ingredients are mixed and as the mixture reaches a temperature of around 40 degrees centigrade add the essential oils and mix. 

Four: Now add ginger, cardamom and cinnamon powders and mix gently. 

Five: pour the mixture immediately and under continuous stirring into mold cavities. Here you should be as fast as possible. The spices have a higher density than the oil mixture and would sediment in the beaker, so keep stirring as you pour.

Another option is to first divide the spice mixture into cavities (don't add them to the oil blend) and then fill the cavities with the oil. 

Six: Bring the mold immediately into fridge. Depending on the mold size, it takes about half an hour to a couple of hours to harden.  

After unmolding, depending on the ambient temperature, the scrubs should be kept in the fridge or not. Remember: these are butters and would melt by exposure to heat and sunlight. Store them under 25 degrees centigrade. Pack them in cellophane or in wax paper.



You can purchase all the ingredients for this project in SkinChakra® Online Shop.

Disclaimer: we don't offer ginger and cinnamon in our standard program, however if you have difficulties purchasing them from your local spice and herbs supplier please contact us to make you an offer.
 

BeHappy and have fun.