# Kosher salt bars



## Obsidian (Dec 13, 2013)

Was curious as to whether or not kosher salt would work in soap so I made a small batch today. Worked perfectly though I do think some of the salt may have dissolved while I was stirring the batter. I think I added the salt a bit too early, should have waited for thicker trace.
Added poppy seeds and a bit of blue color. The brown bits is powdered milk that didn't get mixed in properly.







These aren't salt bars, just a recipe test batch. I'm not crazy about using cavity molds with HP, they are pretty lumpy looking. Green oxide, poppy seeds and sugared fruit scent.






together


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## girlishcharm2004 (Dec 13, 2013)

Those are beautiful!  Great job!


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## Derpina Bubbles (Dec 13, 2013)

I like the textured look of them.  You seem like the resident salt bar guru. I'm planning to do salt bars next but waiting on my coconut oil to arrive. I'm nervous after all the things I've read about them setting up so fast but you make them look and sound so good!


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## Obsidian (Dec 13, 2013)

I don't know about guru but I do really enjoy making salt bars. My very first batch was a disaster though, I waited way too long and added too much clay. They were a crumbly, dusty feeling mess. I ended up tossing them.
If you have a cavity mold, use it. Its so much easier then having to keep checking a log to see if its hard enough to cut. If I use a log mold, I keep my salt content around 50% - 70% so it doesn't harden as fast.


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## Derpina Bubbles (Dec 13, 2013)

Yeah will use cavity moulds based on what you've posted. I want to go high on the salt.  Itching to make these, even more so after your pics. Be a long wait over the weekend for the postman with that CO. The green and blue go well with the salt so hope you don't mind me nicking the colour scheme for my attempt.


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## Obsidian (Dec 13, 2013)

I could never wait that long when the soap bug bites. Walmart has relatively cheap coconut oil for smaller batches.


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## grayceworks (Dec 19, 2013)

I've been using individual cavity molds for one of my HP recipes, and I found that if I slightly overfill them -- just barely -- and use a piece of plastic wrap stretched tight over the tops, and use my hands to pat-pat-pat until it is packed in good and the tops smooth out pretty well. And if they're still lumpy, I can trim them because i overfilled the mold a bit.


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## paillo (Dec 19, 2013)

For salt soaps I usually overfill my cavity molds, then use a carpenter's putty knife to scrape off the excess so the top surface is flat and smooth. If it's still soft enough I squish the excess into small sample molds (brownie bites or hearts) and again scrape the tops smooth. And if I think I'll have time the same day, I sometimes use the excess to make salt scrub cubes. 


Oh, and the putty knife also doubles as my cutter. The blade is nice and thin and sharper than most cutters, does a great job (now if I could only master cutting straight).


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## ourwolfden (Dec 19, 2013)

Looks good.  They remind me of Easter eggs with the soft colors!


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## Obsidian (Dec 19, 2013)

I did overfill and smooth off the bottoms of the HP bars. Its not so much the bottoms that are ugly to me but the tops and sides where the batter folded over on its self, if that makes any sense.
You should see the green bars now, I used a discoloring FO and they are the ugliest brown/green ever. I suspect they will be better once they have completely changed.


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## cmzaha (Dec 19, 2013)

I only cp salt bars and use 100-120% salt. I use both cavity molds, but usually just my 5lb regular molds. I just keep a close eye and never wait over 1 hr to cut. Usually I swirl so salt is added at first trace and stirred until the right consistency. I do use a fragrance I know, since I usually water discount. Cranky fo's or a new fo I don't discount. Salt bars are my passion and I use them every day. Seventy five to eighty percent coconut oil works very well in salt bars.


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## Obsidian (Dec 19, 2013)

The green bars aren't salt bars, just a test batch for a new recipe. I knew the FO would discolor but I wanted to test out my new green color too. They really are hideous bars and I dislike the scent but others seem to like it ok.

The blue bars are the salt and they have 100% salt. I've done salt in loaf molds before and except for my first try, I never have any issues with cutting. I just prefer the shape of the oval bars for my personal soaps, most of my family prefers them too. The women in my family have small hands and thick square bars are hard to handle.


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## seven (Dec 19, 2013)

Obsidian,

what kind of salt do you recommend to make salt bars? I only did 2 batches of salt bars so far, and i was using (straight from the packaging it says): all natural rock salt - evaporated sea salt. now i find my salt bars sweating quite a bit. they're both one month old.


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## Obsidian (Dec 19, 2013)

I use whatever salt I have on hand as long as it doesn't have added iodine. What I use the most is pickling and canning salt but I've also used fine sea salt and even bath salts ground in a coffee grinder. My favorite for personal use is a brand called real salt.
Dead sea salt shouldn't be used as it can cause sweating. The humidity is low here for the most part so I never have sweating issues. Do you have high humidity? Maybe place a small fan or dehumidifier in the room your soap is stored in.


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## seven (Dec 19, 2013)

i dont think mine is dead sea salt, it only says sea salt, that's it. i got it from a grocery store and it was pretty cheap. i reckon dead sea salt would be a lot more expensive?

anyway, yes, where i live is hot and humid all year round. and yes, i have placed a dehumidifier near the salt bars. seemed to help a bit. i think the main problem here is the climate. humidity is my main worst enemy


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## Obsidian (Dec 19, 2013)

Yeah, if it was dead sea salt it would have been labeled as such and more expensive. Try running a small fan along with the dehumidifier, it might be enough to keep the bars from sweating.


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