Colloidal Oats - Let's Make Our Own!
This is simply a matter of patience and a couple of good tools. And, if you happen to bake, there's double bonus here (all shall soon be revealed!).
Today, we're going to make our own version of colloidal oatmeal! Shall we get started?
What's Colloidal?
The word colloidal comes from the word colloid, which is a mixture in which one substance (such as oats) is microscopically dispersed in another (such as water, hydrosol, or any liquid).Here's an illustration of a stable and an unstable colloid
Colloidal Oatmeal
As oats in their natural state (and size) will tend to act like the example you see on the right, the object of this exercise is to create an oaty powder so fine and light that it disperses evenly and effortlessly in our chosen liquid.To disperse perfectly (and to make true colloidal oats) takes a bit more equipment and doing than we can do in a DIY setting. But we can approximate colloidal oatmeal and create a more evenly dispersible ingredient by grinding, sifting, and sifting some more.
Method
You'll need- a coffee grinder (I used my dedicated cosmetics grinder)
- a sieve
- bowls
- container
Tip: You're going to be using a bit more than you might think, so grind up a fair sized portion.
Pass the ground oats through your sieve.
Pass them through again.
And again.
And again.
As you continue sifting, remove the large oat bits and place them into a separate bowl.
Below: what was left in the sieve after 3 passes.
When you have achieved the silkiest, smoothest powder you think you can possibly achieve, your oats are ready to be packaged in an airtight container and labelled with a date until you choose to use them in your bath, face cleansing powder, or other lovely product.
Yield
If you check the picture at the very top of this post, you'll see how much there was left after grinding, sifting and sifting some more.The cup on the left holds the sifted oats. The bowl on the right is the leftovers.
Now, if you're anything like me, you can't bear the thought of tossing the leftovers and want to find something to use them for.
Here's a Few Edible Oaty Ideas
Baked Oatmeal Cake by WholeNewMomOatmeal Pancakes by Chow & Chatter
Lowfat Oatmeal Banana Bread by MakeitBakeitBuyitFakeit
Enjoy!
More Info
Colloid: WikipediaWhat Makes Colloidal Oatmeal Colloidal? (this blog)
Do Tell
Do you use ground or colloidal oats in any of your skincare products? Please share in a comment below.Attribution: Illustration of colloid: SunKart at en.Wikipedia
Comments
I love them sprinkled for rash skin, and I loooove an oats bath: put some oats in a muslin cloth with lavender essential oil and let it simmer like a tea bag on your bath water. Just amazing!
I just discovered your blog through the interview you did with Marie from Humblebee. Glad to find another great resource on skincare! I also love colloidal oatmeal. Love it in the baby bath and mixed in with other goodies for a nourishing face mask. I'm actually working on a dry powder massage with some plant based ingredients and colloidal oatmeal for an upcoming workshop. I can't wait to check the rest of your blog.Thanks!
I read with interest your article about what is collodial oatmeal. The discussion came up in our soap group and somebody posted your link.
What I don't quite understand - you say here: ground up your oats - from the picture I would assume you mean rolled oats? But in the first article you state that collodial oats is made from whole oat grain?
So wouldn't it be the correct way to mill the whole oats and then grind the flour really super fine, then sieve?
Sorry a bit off tangent... I know that you've mentioned it in your book 'Get started making plant extracts....' (great book by the way!) that oats could be used but do you know if a macerate or a glycerite would be better?
Oat oil is particularly expensive and not easily available and I was thinking of making a macerate but not sure if it's worth the effort or if I'd get the health benefits from doing so. Have you tried making either and what are your thoughts?
For the oil, you aren't going to get the same benefits as using oat oil, but you might try a side by side comparison of the oil to your maceration and see what you think.
Best of luck with it!
Thank you so much for sharing your technique. I always soak and dehydrate oats and store them in glass Mason jars. I need colloidal oats to add into my homemade soap. Will blending the pre-soaked-dehydrated oats in a high powered Vitamix blender work?
Thanks!