Today’s rather fun Fizzy Foaming Face Scrub comes from a recipe request Kaylee sent in. She’d found a facial scrub that fizzed up like a bath bomb when it got wet, as well as lathered up into a lovely foaming scrub that left your skin feeling wonderfully clean and exfoliated. The ingredients were simple enough, and I loved the idea of some fizz with my facial scrubbing, so here we are—Foaming Fizzy Facial Scrub!
The fizzy part comes from a combination of baking soda (with a basic pH) and citric acid (with an acidic pH). When the two get wet, you’ve basically got a mini version of that elementary school science baking soda/vinegar volcano happening in your palm (with the added benefit of it not smelling like vinegar).
Since this is a powdery project, we’ll be making it in our DIY-only coffee grinder (don’t try to make your kitchen one do double-duty; get one that’s just for DIY projects!). And since we’ll be whipping up a bunch of fine powders that will float around whenever the lid of the grinder is removed, we’ll also need our dust masks for safety—trust me, you don’t want to inhale any citric acid or SCI! The citric acid burns if it gets into your nasal passages, and if you can imagine what snorting a line of soap would feel like… well, that’s what inhaling SCI is like. Erk! Wear that dust mask, do your best Darth Vader impression, and enjoy not being plagued with some sudsy, burning sneezes as you work. Once the scrub is done it’ll be weighed down with the essential oils we’ll add, so you don’t need to worry about a dust mask for that part, but you definitely need one for the making phase.
This is the menthol crystal I used—it weighed 0.2g. Here it is on a 1/8 tsp for scale, just in case your scale isn’t as precise as mine.
As with most powdery projects, this one is delightfully easy to pull together once you have all the ingredients. We’ll be mixing it up in two parts, but the gist of it is: simply pop everything into your coffee grinder, put the lid on, and blend away. Rest, stir, blend some more, and that’s about it! I’ve got a video how-to with tips and what not, though depending on the volume of your coffee grinder you may find the plastic wrap tip isn’t terribly helpful here as it may reduce the volume of your grinder too much.
The final product is SO FREAKING COOL. Seriously, guys. It gets all fluffy and foamy and fizzy when it gets wet and you may find yourself just poking the growing foam monster in your palm for a minute or two instead of actually washing your face. When you finally do get around to washing up with it you’ll notice some mild exfoliation, a super delicious juicy, clean scent, and a chilly minty finish from them menthol. It’s da bomb, seriously. Your skin will feel oh-so-clean and smooth afterwards, and you’ll probably have to go grab your husband or roomie or something to make them ooooh and aaaah over your magically fizz-bubbly facial wash. Make it! You’ll love it 😄
Fizzy Foaming Face Scrub
1 tbsp arrowroot starch (can substitute corn or wheat starch)
10 drops eucalyptus radiata essential oil
20 drops red mandarin essential oil5 tsp baking soda (USA / Canada)
1 tbsp Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI) (USA / Canada)
2.5 tsp citric acid
0.2g menthol crystals (see photo for reference)Measure the arrowroot starch and essential oils into your DIY-only coffee grinder and blend everything together until the mixture is uniform. Let it rest for about three minutes before popping the lid off your coffee grinder (you won’t need a mask at this point as the starch will be well weighed down with the essential oils). Scrape the starch mixture into a small bowl.
Put on your dust mask. Measure the baking soda, SCI, citric acid, and menthol crystal into the coffee grinder and blend for about twenty seconds. Stop, whack the lid a few times with the back of a spoon to knock the powder back down into the grinding dish, and let the mixture rest for about three minutes. After three minutes have passed, remove the lid, give the contents of the grinder a stir with a small spoon (be sure to dig down to the bottom and turn the powder over), and repeat.
Once the baking soda mixture is uniform, add the starch/essential oil mixture, and pulse/stir to combine. Be sure to leave your dust mask on for all of this—inhaling citric acid, menthol powder, or SCI is unpleasant enough when it’s just one, let alone all three! You’ll need to pulse and stir your grinder as the mixture will be prone to clumping up; if your grinder starts sounding like it’s having trouble, stop and stir.
When that mixture is uniform, you’re done! Transfer it to a jar (120mL/4oz is a good size) for storage and use.
To use, sprinkle about 1/4–1/2 tsp into your palm, and add a wee bit of water. Delight in the fizzy, foamy goodness, and use that to wash your face. Less water will make for a more exfoliating scrub, more will make for a less exfoliating scrub.
Because this scrub does not contain any water, it does not require a broad-spectrum preservative (broad spectrum preservatives ward off microbial growth, and microbes require water to live—no water, no microbes!). Be sure to keep it dry to ensure it lasts as long as possible—don’t let any water get into the container and it should easily last a year.
If you don’t have red mandarin essential oil, try clementine essential oil, tangerine essential oil, or even orange essential oil. If you don’t have SCI, SLSa (Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (SLSa) (USA / Canada)) will also work.
Eeek! I just ordered Make it up! I’m so excited! Since i don’t have neither the ingredients nor a coffee grinder, i planned to buy it when i had at least some of those, but seeing the price going up, i feared they might run out, so i grabbed it! Now, the one week wait till it arrives… 😀
Woohoo! Thank you so much 😀 I Hope you love it to bits!
I’m just seeing this now. I will sure try out this recipe on my face and I really hope I will be back to testify
Hello!!! Such a nice DIY project! But I have nor understood how it is used… You grab some of the powder in the palm of your hand and then wet it (some drops i guess) and it gets fizzy and foamy and apply to your face or do you apply it directly over your wet face?
Thanks!!!
Greetings from Spain!! 🙂
Hey! You’re going to want to wet it a bit in your hands, rub that around, and then massage that into your face 🙂 Enjoy and thanks for reading!
WOOP WOOP! Yay, Marie! So awesome, thanks for developing this. Cannot wait to try it! I knew it was easily DIY’able.
@Almudena – you put powder in your hand, wet it, and then apply the fizzy paste to your face. I think it would be kind of hard to get the dry powder to stick to your wet face, but you could try?
Thanks so much for the request! I am having so much fun using this stuff 😀
Can you use Eucalyptus Globus instead of the radiata?
Definitely! It’s not as soft smelling as radiata, but in amounts this small that shouldn’t be a problem. Just play it by nose 🙂
Ooooohhh I LOVE this recipe!!!
If you get the chance to make it on video too, this would be super awesome! I was having some difficulties playing with the SCI and I would love to see how it looks when you work with it!
Thank you so much for this one!!!
p.s. I caved and ordered your book which arrived yesterday. and all I have to say is WOW!!! You are awesome!!! <3
Yay! I’m so glad 🙂 I will keep it in mind for future videos, too 🙂 And thank you so much for ordering my book!
Can you add other things to the mix like colloidal oatmeal or activated charcoal and still have the same fizzing and foaming effect?
Definitely! I’d keep the additions to a teaspoon or two to avoid diluting the reacting ingredients too much, but of course the best guide is just doing it, taking notes, and seeing what happens! Happy making 🙂
Could you substitute some of the starch for the additional ingredients? Switch out some starch for charcoal?
Definitely! Do be warned that charcoal makes a massive mess, though :/ I almost never use this stuff because I have to clean up after using it. It’s such a lovely idea, but in practice I kind of can’t stand it haha.
Seriously the best recipe yet :)It bubbles and foams and forms a delicious mountain of frothy goodness and keeps on going on your face. The menthol helps clear my snuffy airway (battling the flu:S ) and leaves you feeling tingly fresh. My kids might actually battle me for this one 😀
Ah, yay! I showed this one to a girlfriend last night and she also thought is was super awesome 😀
Made this and LOVE it. I have been looking for something I could use for an exfoliant and cleanser in one so I added some ground apricot shells (sold as an exfoliant in a Canadian online soap supply store) and gave my face a good scrub. LOVE the foam and fizzle. Thanks again Marie !!!!!!
PS On a whim I bought jojoba beads as an exfoliant and haven’t tried them next. I will add those next time I need a scrub to compare to the apricot shells
Woohoo! I’m so glad! I must try some jojoba beads someday, they just look so darn fun and colourful 😀
OK, where do you get a scale that will measure a tenth of a gram as for the .2 grams menthol crystals??? I can’t find one on Amazon. I just sorta guessed and got too much as mine is very much a “wake me up” type morning fizzy wash. Maybe I got too much or maybe because I used Eucalyptus G instead of Radiata??? Also, what would you suggest for fragrance combo if one wanted to go a bit more mellow like “morning in the lavender fields”??
There’s lots of them on Amazon! Here’s an overview of what to look for and links to the two I have 🙂 I doubt it’s the globulus vs radiata that’s causing the super wake-up feel, that’s likely just more-than-intended menthol 🙂
For lavender morning, try a blend of lavender, benzoin, and pine or spruce 🙂 Happy making!
Hi Marie, just one quick question, I am having problems sourcing Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, can I substitute with Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate?
Thank you Marie.
I’m afraid I have never worked with Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate, so I’m not really certain, but all the versions of Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate I’ve found for sale are liquid, and as a general rule you cannot use a liquid as an alternative for a dry powder.
Oh damn! I didn’t realise one was a powder and the other liquid. Doesn’t look as though I will be able to try this recipe. Thanks for your help Marie.x
I bought the menthol crystals and they smell AMAZING Do you have any recipes at all for facial cleanser Marie? My skin has really dried out this winter, and my store bought moisturizer is aggravating my eczema patches. I am going to make myself some from one of your recipes, but a cleanser to go with it would be fantastic.
I love reading your blogs and recipes. I don’t know where yesterday afternoon went Lol
Thanks Marie.x
I have lots—have you looked in the Face Recipes section? The search function is also useful!
Happy playing and experimenting!
Marie, I love this recipe! It’s the most fun you can have washing your face. 🙂 I was afraid it might be a little drying for my “mature skin”, but it isn’t at all.
Thanks for creating and sharing with us!
Woohoo! I just used it again this morning, that fizzing never gets old haha 😛
I’ve been making something very similar, but use rhassoul clay instead of anything “soapy”, marshmallow root to soften the feel, and winter cookie spices… when it all fizzes up, the soft smell of ginger cookies is great. I tend to have dry skin, and only use a few times/week.
Ooooh, ginger cookies That sounds fantastic! Thanks for sharing 😀
Can I replace menthol crystal with peppermint essential oil?
Yup, though it will be a bit less punchy 🙂
The fizzing sounds really cool, but are citric acid and baking soda safe to use on the face? Would it irritate sensitive skin?
I wouldn’t recommend this for very sensitive skin, no. The pH shouldn’t be an issue due to the reaction, but the physical exfoliation might be a bit much 🙂 Good question!
Hello, just wondering the pH level of this face wash? What is your thoughts on skin care being slightly acidic? Xx
I don’t know the pH off the top of my head, but with both baking soda and citric acid in here the pH will be lower than if the citric acid wasn’t there. I’m 100% on board with slightly acidic skin care 🙂