# What Do You Like About Salt Bars?



## JasmineTea (Dec 16, 2018)

Earlier this year I read about salt bars and became intrigued. I made about 5 - 6 small batches and proceeded to wait for the cure. I realized that, while I  knew that some of you (or your family members) _liked _them, I didn't know _why.
_
Now that I've used several, I know at least one reason why I like them ~ they're great at the bathroom sink as a hand soap. No squishy, sloppy mess! They are firm down to the last sliver.

So, I'm curious . . . why does anyone else like them?


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## Obsidian (Dec 16, 2018)

I like the lather and they seem to rinse easier then a regular bar. In the summer, I always feel cleaner when I use salt bars.

They also have helped sooth my easily irritated skin and help clear up a fungal issue that pops up every once in awhile.

Of course I like how hard and nice they feel. They also seem to last quite a long time.


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## shunt2011 (Dec 16, 2018)

I love the creamy lather, I feel clean and they’ve kept my skin clear.


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## Alfa_Lazcares (Dec 16, 2018)

I fell in love with the lather, i just love how different it is from other soaps. Funny that you mention how firm the are, that is something i dont quite love about them since, once they are thin enough, if they fall, they break and you cant smush them together like softer soaps! But anyway, i also like how smooth they leve my skin. And people that i have given them to have told me the same. They all love them because of how soft their skin feels after.


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## Obsidian (Dec 16, 2018)

@Alfa_Lazcares get some kind of sturdy, mesh type material and make a draw string baggy to put your soap slivers in. That way you can just use the bag like a wash cloth and not waste any soap.

You can google soap sock to get ideas.


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## dibbles (Dec 16, 2018)

The lather for sure. And I love how smooth they feel - like a river rock.


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## Alfa_Lazcares (Dec 17, 2018)

Obsidian said:


> @Alfa_Lazcares get some kind of sturdy, mesh type material and make a draw string baggy to put your soap slivers in. That way you can just use the bag like a wash cloth and not waste any soap.
> 
> You can google soap sock to get ideas.



Duh, i never thought of that. Great idea! What i’ve been doing is to just stick them to “normal” soaps once they get small enough, but that comes with the downside that they get combined with the non salt bars, loosing their full effect, but i’ll try this, thank you!


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## amd (Dec 17, 2018)

My husband loves salt bars - I can barely get him to wait for an 8 week cure - I am not a huge fan. Side note: Last week I did pop in a 2+ year old salt bar I made with 50/50 coconut milk and pumpkin puree and I have really been liking that, but it's still not an every day soap for me. Hubby likes them because they get lots of lather, and he doesn't feel greasy when he gets out of the shower. He has really oily skin and salt bars have just the right amount of strip to take his skin down to normal.


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## Misschief (Dec 17, 2018)

I use my salt bars to wash my face almost daily. I find it a beautiful, white, hard bar that's very gentle and lasts a long time.


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## Hendejm (Dec 17, 2018)

Misschief said:


> I use my salt bars to wash my face almost daily. I find it a beautiful, white, hard bar that's very gentle and lasts a long time.


You may have a convert here!  I think I’m gonna try some. I bought some Maine Sea Salt last time I went up north so I will have to try it. It’s super fine...is that ok vs a coarser grind?


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## smengot0 (Dec 17, 2018)

Interesting. I have tried making a salt bar before but weepy drippy way it gets before it cures got me worried. Haven’t tried it since that time - about 2years ago. Lol

Can someone please share their favorite salt bar recipe.? Pretty please..... will like to try another batch. Thank you


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## amd (Dec 17, 2018)

Here's a recipe I got from another forum member

80% CO
20% Avocado Oil
SF 17%
35% salt (so if you have 1000g total oil, add 350g salt, do not subtract from your total oils)

I like pickling & canning salt or regular table salt. I tried a batch with extra fine pink himalayan salt, but it was too scratchy to be used directly on skin. The only time my salt bars have been weepy was when I used dendritic salt - I think it was too fine of a salt and dissolved in humidity. I've also read that dead sea salt will be weepy.


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## Dawni (Dec 17, 2018)

@JasmineTea I'm gonna hijack your thread with a follow up question, hope that's ok...

For those who have tried both.. What's the difference between a salt bar and a brine (saltwater) soap for you? I mean in terms of using it, not making it..


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## dibbles (Dec 17, 2018)

Hendejm said:


> You may have a convert here!  I think I’m gonna try some. I bought some Maine Sea Salt last time I went up north so I will have to try it. It’s super fine...is that ok vs a coarser grind?


You want a fine grain salt. I've used from 50% to 80% salt of oil weight. Lately, I've been liking 50%.



smengot0 said:


> Interesting. I have tried making a salt bar before but weepy drippy way it gets before it cures got me worried. Haven’t tried it since that time - about 2years ago. Lol
> 
> Can someone please share their favorite salt bar recipe.? Pretty please..... will like to try another batch. Thank you


I use a similar recipe to amd. 80-85% coconut oil, 15-20% oil of choice (I also like avocado oil). Sometimes 5% castor, but I don't really notice much of a difference with that. I use 50-80% salt of the oil weight. I let my bars cure 6 months. SF 18-20%.


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## Prysm (Dec 17, 2018)

I have a couple of bars from one of the members here, and I find they make my sink feel clean and soft.  I'm a convert to them.


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## amd (Dec 17, 2018)

Dawni said:


> @JasmineTea I'm gonna hijack your thread with a follow up question, hope that's ok...
> 
> For those who have tried both.. What's the difference between a salt bar and a brine (saltwater) soap for you? I mean in terms of using it, not making it..



I find the soleseife less drying / stripping. The lather is also "less" - but I do have butters in my soleseife recipe so that maybe killing the lather with the salt. I did increase the CO to help with lather, but I'm really hesitant to go over 28% CO. I'm tempted to add an ounce or two of milk to the recipe to see if that makes the lather creamy.


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## Misschief (Dec 17, 2018)

Hendejm said:


> You may have a convert here!  I think I’m gonna try some. I bought some Maine Sea Salt last time I went up north so I will have to try it. It’s super fine...is that ok vs a coarser grind?



I use superfine sea salt in mine.


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## dibbles (Dec 17, 2018)

amd said:


> I find the soleseife less drying / stripping. The lather is also "less" - but I do have butters in my soleseife recipe so that maybe killing the lather with the salt. I did increase the CO to help with lather, but I'm really hesitant to go over 28% CO. I'm tempted to add an ounce or two of milk to the recipe to see if that makes the lather creamy.


I tried adding cocoa butter to a batch of salt bars. There was a noticeable difference in the lather. I won't be doing that again. Milk might help, or some honey. How do you feel about adding sugar? I've yet to make a soleseife soap - I'll be moving that onto the 2019 try-it list.


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## Misschief (Dec 17, 2018)

I've tried a soleseife early in my soapmaking days and didn't like it. Can't remember why off the top of my head but I do remember not liking it. I much prefer the salt bars.


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## Hendejm (Dec 17, 2018)

Don’t want to hijack the thread...

Oops...I think!  I JUST made a batch of soap and used 10% cocoa butter. I did use 35% coconut,35% olive oil, 10% palm, 5% castor, 5% Shea butter. Will the butters affect the lather too much?  I used 35% sea salt as that was all I had.


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## cmzaha (Dec 17, 2018)

Everything


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## SaltedFig (Dec 17, 2018)

"What Do You Like About Salt Bars?"

Evvvvvverything! 

(Edited to add: PS. Just looked back and saw cmzaha used the same word ... all I can say to that is ... SNAP! )



Dawni said:


> @JasmineTea I'm gonna hijack your thread with a follow up question, hope that's ok...
> 
> For those who have tried both.. What's the difference between a salt bar and a brine (saltwater) soap for you? I mean in terms of using it, not making it..



Brine soaps tend to be more brittle than salt bars, in that the crystal texture of the soap itself is small and easily broken.
Fine sea salt (or table salt) in the soap (salt bars) makes a soap that is closer in texture to an ordinary soap (than a brine soap is), but the salt bar ends up rock-like and smooth to use.

Salt bars do best with a long cure (similar to olive soaps).
Brine soaps don't seem to need as long a cure as salt bars (although, like any soap, they get much better with age).

Salt bars set up quite quickly and need cutting while warm to avoid crumbling (individual molds or dividers to make this easier).
Brine soaps are slower to set up than salt bars, so there's more time to do colouring and swirls, and are easier to time for cutting (but will still crumble if left to set for too long).

Brine soaps don't tend to soak up water much at all, but salt bars can a bit (depending on the recipe, and still less than an "ordinary" soap).

Salt bars seem to be less prone to DOS than ordinary soap, and brine soaps seem even less prone to DOS than salt bars.

I've got a full brine clay bar that is surprisingly nice on the skin, considering that the recipe includes 90% coconut oil. It is less drying on Winter skin than a plain olive soap.

My most recent soap is a double-salt bar (both brine in the lye and salt added to the batter), using a recipe designed to also create soda ash in the soap.
I made a batch yesterday that has over 10% cocoa butter in it (now that I check the recipe, it's got more cocoa butter than coconut oil ), so it's got everything that says it's not going to lather .
I tested it today, and it's already starting to form bubbles and lather up, so after a long cure it is going to be just fine (I'm testing this one carefully - even tho the outside isn't zappy anymore, it's going to stay zappy inside for a while ).
It does have sugars in the way of coconut water and honey, so that helps (I've moved away from using table sugar, I think it leads to DOS, whereas real honey doesn't appear to do the same).


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## Primrose (Dec 17, 2018)

I've made a few so far, hated the first one and don't like the second but don't hate it. 

I might try the recipe posted earlier. But I'm just not feeling the salt soap love


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## Obsidian (Dec 17, 2018)

I've found that hard oils (lard, palm) and butters aren't very nice in a classic salt bar.
I do 80% coconut, 20% of a high oleic oil with 35-50% salt, 20% SF.
I cure at least 6 month, a year is even better. 

I've tried brine soaps in the past and they end up too drying. I figure its from not having a high sf for the increased coconut.


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## Misschief (Dec 17, 2018)

^^ 
I use Obsidian's recipe. It's awesome!


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## smengot0 (Dec 17, 2018)

amd said:


> Here's a recipe I got from another forum member
> 
> 80% CO
> 20% Avocado Oil
> ...



Thanks @amd. Will try this recipe soonest


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## DeeAnna (Dec 17, 2018)

I tried a batch of salt soap a few years ago. I think I did 100% coconut oil with 20% superfat and 50% canning salt ppo. I liked how the salt made my skin feel like I'd gone swimming in the ocean.

I didn't make any more after that one batch for whatever reason. Maybe it's time for me to revisit this idea and see what I think now. I think I'll do more like the 80% CO recipes y'all are suggesting -- the version with 20% avocado sounds really nice. I think Irish Lass might have been the person who was kind enough to share that recipe with us.


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## Dawni (Dec 17, 2018)

Thanks for the info, @SaltedFig!

I have yet to try making a salt bar but I made a brine soap that's 100% coconut with a 20% superfat and fuller's earth and its lovely!

Another I made is 40% coconut, 35% Olive, 15% avocado and 10% Shea. I superfatted at 7% and my mom likes it too. 

I'll make the same with salt, not brine so I can also know myself the difference. My only concern is the humidity and heat we have here....


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## cmzaha (Dec 17, 2018)

I also make my 100% salt bars with 25% Himalayan salt brine with a 17% superfat


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## Obsidian (Dec 17, 2018)

DeeAnna said:


> I tried a batch of salt soap a few years ago. I think I did 100% coconut oil with 20% superfat and 50% canning salt ppo. I liked how the salt made my skin feel like I'd gone swimming in the ocean.
> 
> I didn't make any more after that one batch for whatever reason. Maybe it's time for me to revisit this idea and see what I think now. I think I'll do more like the 80% CO recipes y'all are suggesting -- the version with 20% avocado sounds really nice. I think Irish Lass might have been the person who was kind enough to share that recipe with us.



20% avocado is nice, I've also used safflower with good results. I think I'll make a small batch tomorrow with sunflower, I need to get some almond to try also.


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## AliOop (Dec 18, 2018)

Do you think it would work to add salt to my 100% CO bar that is 20% superfat and also includes 1 TBSP of activated charcoal mixed in to 2 TBSP of castor oil? It is already a lovely bar (look, lather, and feel), but I'm interested in trying a salt bar now that I've read this thread.  Seeing that at least some of you have used it in 100% CO bar, I'm wondering if you have any ideas how it might behave with the added charcoal? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!


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## cmzaha (Dec 19, 2018)

I add charcoal to many of my salt bars, and have done for years. Customers love my Kelpie bar with charcoal and kelp powder


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## AliOop (Dec 19, 2018)

cmzaha said:


> I add charcoal to many of my salt bars, and have done for years. Customers love my Kelpie bar with charcoal and kelp powder


Awesome, thanks for the feedback <adds another soap to the "try" list>


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## AliOop (Dec 19, 2018)

Dawni said:


> Thanks for the info, @SaltedFig!
> 
> I have yet to try making a salt bar but I made a brine soap that's 100% coconut with a 20% superfat and fuller's earth and its lovely!



Dawni, how much fuller's earth did you add? I have some and would like to try it in soap. Thanks!


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## dibbles (Dec 19, 2018)

Hendejm said:


> Don’t want to hijack the thread...
> 
> Oops...I think!  I JUST made a batch of soap and used 10% cocoa butter. I did use 35% coconut,35% olive oil, 10% palm, 5% castor, 5% Shea butter. Will the butters affect the lather too much?  I used 35% sea salt as that was all I had.


Were you trying to make a salt bar? They are generally much higher in coconut oil with a high superfat. I didn't care for butter in my salt bars, but others like it. Depending on your superfat, your bar could be just fine although I don't know if I would call it a salt bar. Give it a good cure time before you judge it. I've posted this comparison of two salt bar batches at different ages. *https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/cure-time-doubters-a-visual.62723/*


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## KiwiMoose (Dec 19, 2018)

I've just used my Pink Grapefruit and Sea Salt bar for the first time today.  It's just a baby - only 3 weeks since making but I broke a bar so thought I'd try it for hand soap.  It DOES feel nice!  Good lather and clean feeling afterwards, but not too dry.
Here's the recipe I used:
Coconut Oil: 75%
Apricot Kernel Oil: 10%
Canola Oil: 10%
Castor Oil: 5%
Superfat 15%
Lye Concentration 30%
Fine sea salt: 50% of oil weight
EOs: Pink grapefruit and May Chang


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## penelopejane (Dec 19, 2018)

^^^ perfect bars! Great work. 
It must be coloured with mica?


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## Obsidian (Dec 19, 2018)

Thats a beautiful pink, good job. If you like them now, wait until a 4-6 month cure, there is a big difference.


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## shunt2011 (Dec 19, 2018)

Very nice.  I agree with Obsidian, 4-6 months they are good.  1 year they are awesome...  I prefer mine at a year.  But will use at 6 months.


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## Chai (Dec 19, 2018)

Wow, so pink! 
I think it's very hard to follow these recipes when people only write 'em in percents instead of grams ( ;^  3^)


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## shunt2011 (Dec 19, 2018)

Chai said:


> Wow, so pink!
> I think it's very hard to follow these recipes when people only write 'em in percents instead of grams ( ;^  3^)


You need to decide what size batch you want to make and run it through a soap calculator and get the appropriate amount of lye.  We don't supply recipes with measurements as there is too much room for error.


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## Hendejm (Dec 19, 2018)

dibbles said:


> Were you trying to make a salt bar? They are generally much higher in coconut oil with a high superfat. I didn't care for butter in my salt bars, but others like it. Depending on your superfat, your bar could be just fine although I don't know if I would call it a salt bar. Give it a good cure time before you judge it. I've posted this comparison of two salt bar batches at different ages. *https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/cure-time-doubters-a-visual.62723/*


I was making a salt bar of sorts...it was all the salt I had on hand ( other than table salt). I superfatted 15%. It dried super hard and I had to cut it after 3 hours of cure time for fear of cracking. It’s hard as a rock right now but I haven’t tested it. I’ll wait at least a month to try and lather with it. And by 6 months we will see how it does!

So - not a true salt bar I know. But a good first try.  Great visual for the lather test!  Thanks for sharing!


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## Dawni (Dec 19, 2018)

AliOop said:


> Dawni, how much fuller's earth did you add? I have some and would like to try it in soap. Thanks!


It varies depending on my mood lol but I've used anywhere between 1-4 teaspoons per 500g. Clay in general is usually written as 1tsp per pound btw but be careful coz it tends to thicken up my batter if I use a lot.


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## GeezLouise (Dec 19, 2018)

Primrose said:


> I've made a few so far, hated the first one and don't like the second but don't hate it.
> 
> I might try the recipe posted earlier. But I'm just not feeling the salt soap love




A while back, another member advised me to wait a year to try the soap (100% salt, that is, 1:1 salt: oil) and I'd like it better --she was right. Two years is even better.


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## Misschief (Dec 19, 2018)

Chai said:


> Wow, so pink!
> I think it's very hard to follow these recipes when people only write 'em in percents instead of grams ( ;^  3^)


In reality, it's easier. I peruse a lot of soap recipes online and when they don't provide percentages, you're obligated to make the size of recipe they made (i.e. 5 lbs of oils or 1 lb of oils). You can't simply halve or double a recipe; you need to run it through a soap calc first, to make sure you don't have too much or too little lye (and that's just for sizing). When it's written with percentages, you can, along with a soap calculator, size the recipe to whatever size YOU want to make. I've found some interesting recipes that I've changed to percentages for my own use.


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## Dawni (Dec 19, 2018)

Misschief said:


> In reality, it's easier. I peruse a lot of soap recipes online and when they don't provide percentages, you're obligated to make the size of recipe they made (i.e. 5 lbs of oils or 1 lb of oils). You can't simply halve or double a recipe; you need to run it through a soap calc first, to make sure you don't have too much or too little lye (and that's just for sizing). When it's written with percentages, you can, along with a soap calculator, size the recipe to whatever size YOU want to make. I've found some interesting recipes that I've changed to percentages for my own use.


Or do the complicated math to reduce the amount for each oil to get how much you need for a smaller or bigger batch, and still you'll have to run it through a calculator anyway to get your liquid and lye amounts correct lol.

So it's easier when they give percentages for me.


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## shunt2011 (Dec 19, 2018)

Misschief said:


> In reality, it's easier. I peruse a lot of soap recipes online and when they don't provide percentages, you're obligated to make the size of recipe they made (i.e. 5 lbs of oils or 1 lb of oils). You can't simply halve or double a recipe; you need to run it through a soap calc first, to make sure you don't have too much or too little lye (and that's just for sizing). When it's written with percentages, you can, along with a soap calculator, size the recipe to whatever size YOU want to make. I've found some interesting recipes that I've changed to percentages for my own use.



Don't know if you are aware of it but WSP has a percentage calculator that you can enter the amounts and it will convert to percentages for you.  I've used it many times for other B&B things so that I can make smaller/larger batches and make other adjustments.
http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/calculators/Percentage_Calculator.aspx


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## Misschief (Dec 19, 2018)

shunt2011 said:


> Don't know if you are aware of it but WSP has a percentage calculator that you can enter the amounts and it will convert to percentages for you.  I've used it many times for other B&B things so that I can make smaller/larger batches and make other adjustments.
> http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/calculators/Percentage_Calculator.aspx


I was not aware of that one. Thank you, Shari!


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## KiwiMoose (Dec 19, 2018)

Chai said:


> Wow, so pink!
> I think it's very hard to follow these recipes when people only write 'em in percents instead of grams ( ;^  3^)


Just pop the percentages into soap calc with the amount of oils you are going to use in grams - it will work out the rest for you.


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## KiwiMoose (Dec 19, 2018)

penelopejane said:


> ^^^ perfect bars! Great work.
> It must be coloured with mica?


No - it's some random liquid soap dye I purchased from a supplier here.  It's red, but I just used a tad.  I think I used a little bit of coral as well - just to get an 'accurate' pink grapefruit shade.


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## penelopejane (Dec 19, 2018)

KiwiMoose said:


> No - it's some random liquid soap dye I purchased from a supplier here.  It's red, but I just used a tad.  I think I used a little bit of coral as well - just to get an 'accurate' pink grapefruit shade.


I hope you kept notes on how much a “tad” and “a little bit” was so you can repeat it.    It’s a really lovely colour.


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## DeeAnna (Dec 19, 2018)

Of course she did! 

I'm sure KiwiMoose uses these scientifically designed measuring spoons --







Never mind me -- I'm just being silly!


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## penelopejane (Dec 19, 2018)




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## Primrose (Dec 19, 2018)

GeezLouise said:


> A while back, another member advised me to wait a year to try the soap (100% salt, that is, 1:1 salt: oil) and I'd like it better --she was right. Two years is even better.



Yeah they've had over a year cure and I still dont like them


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## Obsidian (Dec 19, 2018)

Primrose said:


> Yeah they've had over a year cure and I still dont like them



 Not sure how much salt you are using but try around 35%.  I started out with 100% and they weren't the greatest of bars, 50% was much better but still not quite right. Adding in a high oleic oil really changes the feel too.


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## cmzaha (Dec 20, 2018)

I love 100% salt bars with a long cure. Have tried less salt but always go back to my 100% bars


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## Obsidian (Dec 20, 2018)

cmzaha said:


> I love 100% salt bars with a long cure. Have tried less salt but always go back to my 100% bars



Do you have soft water? I tried your recipe with castor and 100% salt, I couldn't get them to lather. Had to grind them up and add to another batch. 
Always figured it was my hard water to blame.


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## Primrose (Dec 20, 2018)

Obsidian said:


> Not sure how much salt you are using but try around 35%.  I started out with 100% and they weren't the greatest of bars, 50% was much better but still not quite right. Adding in a high oleic oil really changes the feel too.



I'll definitely try that. Pretty sure I used 100% salt


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## shunt2011 (Dec 20, 2018)

Primrose said:


> I'll definitely try that. Pretty sure I used 100% salt



I too prefer 35-40% salt.  Generally don't go over that.  Tried other amounts but that's seems to be the sweet spot for me.


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## cmzaha (Dec 20, 2018)

I like 85% CO, 8% Castor, 7% Sunflower HO, Canola HO or Almond Oil.These 3 oils have higher Oleic than Olive and seem to work well in salt bars. My superfat is 15-17%.


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## Magic7M (Dec 21, 2018)

I am curious. Has anyone tried making a salt bar with goats milk? Reading these posts have inspired me. With the results of what both does for the skin I was wondering about combining them. Any input or ideas on this?


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## shunt2011 (Dec 21, 2018)

Magic7M said:


> I am curious. Has anyone tried making a salt bar with goats milk? Reading these posts have inspired me. With the results of what both does for the skin I was wondering about combining them. Any input or ideas on this?



I always make mine with either GM or coconut milk.  Just remember not much of the qualities will survive the lye and saponification if any.  It does add some sugars so you need to watch them for overheating.


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## Misschief (Dec 21, 2018)

I've done mine with goat milk but that batch ended up with a crazy amount of ash; they were just for personal use so it didn't matter but I would not have been comfortable selling them. Now that I sell, I'll stick with just water.


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## AliOop (Dec 23, 2018)

As somewhat of a newbie, may I ask those of you who make salt bars, what processing method you use for your salt bars? Do you find that CP, CPOP, HP, etc., tends to work best for these?  I won't be coloring but will probably add AC and some EOs for scent. Thanks!


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## dibbles (Dec 24, 2018)

I do CP, and use individual cavity molds so I do put them on a heating pad and cover with a box. I think if you make them in a loaf mold they will get plenty hot on their own. I know people who do it this way watch them closely and cut when the soap is firm enough to unmold and still warm. I'm not too sure how long, but I think it is pretty quick.


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## cmzaha (Dec 24, 2018)

Obsidian said:


> Do you have soft water? I tried your recipe with castor and 100% salt, I couldn't get them to lather. Had to grind them up and add to another batch.
> Always figured it was my hard water to blame.


I have hard water and they lather great for me, after a 6 month cure. I'm sorry, my recipes seem to not work well for you  It is so weird how some work for one and not another. I am going to try sorbitol in my next batch of salt bars and see if it helps with lather. I have even used up to 110% salt and they still lather. I am sorry you wasted your time and ingredients. But confetti salt bars are nice to. I have also lowered the liquid oil to 5% upping castor to 10%, and also like them. Will see if I have any left when I get home to drop one in the mail to you. It will be a couple of weeks


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## SaltedFig (Dec 24, 2018)

Hey AliOop ... mostly CP for me.

Slab molds are quick (the exothermic reaction warms everything up and it goes fast ... I tend to cut them in the mold)
Log molds are ok, but your timing still needs to be good - they can be turned out and cut while warm (don't let them go cold - they will be too brittle to cut)
Individual molds - these are the easiest of the three - pour/pour and cover/pour and insulate/pour and carefully CPOP or heatpad ...they still turn out 

HP salt bars are the hardest - they are so difficult as to be nearly impossible ... they set so fast on contact with anything cool, including room temperature air.


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## Obsidian (Dec 24, 2018)

@cmzaha  no need to feel bad. The salt bars I made quite a long time ago, they have since been ground up and used as confetti. 
The other recipe turned out fine, just took awhile to firm up. Pretty sure I figured out the issue with them.


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## AliOop (Dec 24, 2018)

SaltedFig said:


> Hey AliOop ... mostly CP for me.
> 
> Slab molds are quick (the exothermic reaction warms everything up and it goes fast ... I tend to cut them in the mold)
> Log molds are ok, but your timing still needs to be good - they can be turned out and cut while warm (don't let them go cold - they will be too brittle to cut)
> ...





dibbles said:


> I do CP, and use individual cavity molds so I do put them on a heating pad and cover with a box. I think if you make them in a loaf mold they will get plenty hot on their own. I know people who do it this way watch them closely and cut when the soap is firm enough to unmold and still warm. I'm not too sure how long, but I think it is pretty quick.



Thanks, Dibbles and SF, that is all great info. I have a bunch of stuff on my "must try" list, but this thread has moved the salt bars to the top of that list. I really shouldn't make any more soap for awhile, BUT... (d0 I even need to finish that sentence?)


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## Misschief (Dec 24, 2018)

AliOop said:


> Thanks, Dibbles and SF, that is all great info. I have a bunch of stuff on my "must try" list, but this thread has moved the salt bars to the top of that list. I really shouldn't make any more soap for awhile, BUT... (d0 I even need to finish that sentence?)


Don't forget.... it's good to make them now because they should be cured for a good long time! I'll be making more this week as I'm almost out of my personal stash.


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## AliOop (Dec 24, 2018)

Misschief, you have become my enabler today, lol! Seriously, the reminder about cure time is truly on point. I really should make these now so I can enjoy them this summer


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## Misschief (Dec 24, 2018)

AliOop said:


> Misschief, you have become my enabler today, lol! Seriously, the reminder about cure time is truly on point. I really should make these now so I can enjoy them this summer


 I'm more than happy to do my part.


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## cmzaha (Dec 24, 2018)

AliOop said:


> As somewhat of a newbie, may I ask those of you who make salt bars, what processing method you use for your salt bars? Do you find that CP, CPOP, HP, etc., tends to work best for these?  I won't be coloring but will probably add AC and some EOs for scent. Thanks!


I only cp salt bars and cut mine withing 45 minutes. With my salt bars I use a 30% lye solution with my salt bars. Using 100 percent salt the bars lather much better with a bath pouf or hairy body


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## Misschief (Dec 24, 2018)

I make mine in cavity molds.


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## cmzaha (Dec 24, 2018)

I just tried my sample piece again and it is fantastic. You will notice how long it has been curing it was poured in May 2017. I remember the first three months of cure it was a tad drying. It now is a thick thick lotion or whipped cream lather.


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## AliOop (Dec 24, 2018)

Thanks for the recipe, cmzaha! I'm going to try it


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## cmzaha (Dec 24, 2018)

AliOop said:


> Thanks for the recipe, cmzaha! I'm going to try it


It really does need a long cure. You might want to up the SF if you do not want to go with at least a year cure


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## cherrybleach (Dec 27, 2018)

The salt bar is one of my favorites. My recipes tend towards 80% salt. I use it to wash my face in the morning - my skin is easily and often damaged and prone to breakouts - salt bars seems to help heal damage more quickly, make breakouts go away faster, and prevent breakouts - all of which kind of makes sense. E.g. when I lived in California, every time I came back from the beach my skin was amazing for the next week; after you get a tattoo, the tattoo artist advises to wash it in saline/salt water until it heals up; salt water is used to clean/irrigate wounds in hospitals, etc.

A not-so-fun to read but interesting literature review that basically says salt water is good for treating psoriasis and beneficial to skin in general, but it depends on the ratio of salt:water: 
"Salt water and skin interactions: new lines of evidence" (Carbajo and Maraver, 2018) PMID: 29675710 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-018-1545-z 

Re: brine bars - I've made 2 batches. So far, I love, love, *love* their texture post-cure - so soft and velvety! And the recipe makes a nice hard bar. So far (5 -10 weeks later) their lather is weak, but they are less prone to mushiness. I need to tinker more with my recipe to increase the lather and lather stability.



SaltedFig said:


> "What Do You Like About Salt Bars?"
> My most recent soap is a double-salt bar (both brine in the lye and salt added to the batter), using a recipe designed to also create soda ash in the soap.



Totally going to try this.


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## amd (Dec 27, 2018)

AliOop said:


> As somewhat of a newbie, may I ask those of you who make salt bars, what processing method you use for your salt bars? Do you find that CP, CPOP, HP, etc., tends to work best for these?  I won't be coloring but will probably add AC and some EOs for scent. Thanks!



DON'T CPOP! My first salt bars failed when I tried to CPOP. I was following some advice on an internet recipe and the not the advice given here. CP and let them do their thing. The amount of CO and salt will determine how long to wait to cut - although for the first time I really recommend cavity molds. I cut sometime within the first 1-3 hours - 4 hours is pushing it a bit for me.


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## shunt2011 (Dec 27, 2018)

I too cut mine at about 3 hours.   I only use 35-40% Salt.  It's still warm when cut it, be sure to wear gloves. And I tried to CPOP once and it was a failure.    I prefer loafs as I get much less ash.  Individual molds almost always ash on me.


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## cmzaha (Dec 27, 2018)

cherrybleach said:


> The salt bar is one of my favorites. My recipes tend towards 80% salt. I use it to wash my face in the morning - my skin is easily and often damaged and prone to breakouts - salt bars seems to help heal damage more quickly, make breakouts go away faster, and prevent breakouts - all of which kind of makes sense. E.g. when I lived in California, every time I came back from the beach my skin was amazing for the next week; after you get a tattoo, the tattoo artist advises to wash it in saline/salt water until it heals up; salt water is used to clean/irrigate wounds in hospitals, etc.
> 
> A not-so-fun to read but interesting literature review that basically says salt water is good for treating psoriasis and beneficial to skin in general, but it depends on the ratio of salt:water:
> "Salt water and skin interactions: new lines of evidence" (Carbajo and Maraver, 2018) PMID: 29675710 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-018-1545-z


By the time I was 10 yrs old I knew salt water helped my eczema, by the time I was 15 and driving I spent every weekend at the beach, which is only about 20 miles from me. My mom always accused me of becoming a useless beach rat... Even just the salt air helps which I discovered in my fifties when we had our boat and spent almost every weekend on it. By then I did not play in the water much but I did sit on the water 

Sugar solutions have also been used in the past for washing, cleaning and irrigating bed sores or pressure sores.
I also make a sugar bar just like salt bars. Yes, it does work and no sting!!

If salt bars are made with 100% salt and poured in a loaf start checking around the 45 minute mark. They can usually be cut within an hour. Gloves should be worn but I admit I do not do as I say, which my hands never appreciate...


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## Obsidian (Dec 27, 2018)

I also make mine CP and generally use individual molds anymore. I do have one recipe I HP just because I can and I want it to be rustic looking. It has hemp oil and ground nori in it, next time I make it I'm using a notoriously naughty FO that really is better suited for HP.


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## smengot0 (Dec 28, 2018)

What’s the best way to incorporate the salt please? At trace?


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## amd (Dec 28, 2018)

Yes. Add the salt in increments and stir in after each addition once your batter has reached trace. Don't be like me who once tried it at emulsion. I wound up with a funky salt bar that was greasy on top and dry and crumbly on the bottom.


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## dibbles (Dec 28, 2018)

At trace, as amd said. I start adding the salt at a lighter trace and once it’s all incorporated and thick enough to keep the salt suspended I start pouring. I use individual cavity molds and stir the batter after pouring 2-3 bars.


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## smengot0 (Dec 28, 2018)

Thanks #amd and #dibbles. I appreciate


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## GeezLouise (Jan 1, 2019)

cmzaha said:


> I have hard water and they lather great for me, after a 6 month cure. I'm sorry, my recipes seem to not work well for you  It is so weird how some work for one and not another....



Might be the lathering method? We have hard-ish water and with vigorous sopping wet washcloth action am able to get adequate lather. 100% salt (1 salt:1 oil), 100% CO, 20% superfat.


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## Obsidian (Jan 1, 2019)

With vigorous scrubbing I can get castile to lather well too but I'm not going to put that kind of effort into washing.  I just use my hands.

Its easier to just make soap that lathers easier for me and that means salt bars with less salt.


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## smengot0 (Jan 2, 2019)

cmzaha said:


> I also make my 100% salt bars with 25% Himalayan salt brine with a 17% superfat



“100% salt bars with 25% salt brine” please can you help explain a bit more for us newbie? Thanks


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## SaltedFig (Jan 2, 2019)

SaltedFig said:


> My most recent soap is a double-salt bar (both brine in the lye and salt added to the batter), using a recipe designed to also create soda ash in the soap.





cmzaha said:


> I also make my 100% salt bars with 25% Himalayan salt brine with a 17% superfat





smengot0 said:


> “100% salt bars with 25% salt brine” please can you help explain a bit more for us newbie? Thanks



Not cmzaha, but
100% salt bar is a way of expressing the percentage of dry salt added to a recipe to make the salt bar. The percentage is usually by weight of oils, so cmzaha's 100% salt bar means that there is the same weight in salt grains as there is weight of oils in the recipe.
(Occasionally you might bump into someone who uses weight of batter to express the percentage, so asking is always a good idea! ).

25% salt brine means that salt was fully dissolved into the lye water. 25% salt (in water) is close to the saturation for a brine (the German method for making "soleseife" soaps involves creating the saturated salt solution first, then making the lye from that water). Using 25% instead makes it very easy to remember and calculate the portions for making a recipe.

So _"100% salt bars with 25% salt brine” _is ...

1/ Brine soap: Dry salt, at 25% of the weight of the water in the recipe, is fully dissolved into the water to make a brine. The 25% salt brine is then used to make the lye solution.
2/ The soap batter is made (to about medium trace - slightly thickened batter helps keep the salt suspended)
3/ Salt bar: A further amount of dry salt, at 100% of the weight of the oils in the recipe, is added to the batter shortly before it is poured into the mold(s). The dry salt used is ordinary sea salt or table salt (not Himalayan salt).

Added Note:
Caution: Himalayan salt is used by some in brine soaps (where it is fully dissolved), but is not recommended for use as the dry salt additive.
Reason: The crystal structure of Himalayan salt is very sharp and can cut skin - the larger the salt grain, the deeper the micro cuts.


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## Terri E (Jan 3, 2019)

I absolutely love Himalayan salt bars and make them quite often. Himalayan salt dissolves much faster than sea salt so I have never had a problem with scratching or irritation. I also use the extra fine pink salt in my bars @ 50%. It makes a wonderful bar. I also use way lower coconut oil amounts than most but still have a beautifully bubbly bar  
It also has loads of natural minerals to soothe and detox skin!


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## smengot0 (Jan 3, 2019)

SaltedFig said:


> Not cmzaha, but
> 100% salt bar is a way of expressing the percentage of dry salt added to a recipe to make the salt bar. The percentage is usually by weight of oils, so cmzaha's 100% salt bar means that there is the same weight in salt grains as there is weight of oils in the recipe.
> (Occasionally you might bump into someone who uses weight of batter to express the percentage, so asking is always a good idea! ).
> 
> ...



Thanks so very much SaltedFig. Your explanations are so helpful. Thank you. I plan trying a Soleseife later today[emoji4]


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## Harshad (Jan 3, 2019)

Terri E said:


> I absolutely love Himalayan salt bars and make them quite often. Himalayan salt dissolves much faster than sea salt so I have never had a problem with scratching or irritation. I also use the extra fine pink salt in my bars @ 50%. It makes a wonderful bar. I also use way lower coconut oil amounts than most but still have a beautifully bubbly bar
> It also has loads of natural minerals to soothe and detox skin!


Can u share the recipe


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## cmzaha (Jan 3, 2019)

smengot0 said:


> Thanks so very much SaltedFig. Your explanations are so helpful. Thank you. I plan trying a Soleseife later today[emoji4]


Salted Fig is correct I use % of my oil weight in salt. 


Terri E said:


> I absolutely love Himalayan salt bars and make them quite often. Himalayan salt dissolves much faster than sea salt so I have never had a problem with scratching or irritation. I also use the extra fine pink salt in my bars @ 50%. It makes a wonderful bar. I also use way lower coconut oil amounts than most but still have a beautifully bubbly bar
> It also has loads of natural minerals to soothe and detox skin!


It is usually the loads of minerals that add considerably to the scratchiness of Himalayan Salt. I have run accross x fine that still is scratchy and/or feels like little needles. Batches of salts vary so it is best to run a small test batch when using a new batch of salt. I had one particular fine Pacific sea salt from Winco that was great, the last batch of the same salt made for extremely prickly salt bars that cannot be used directly on the skin.


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## DeeAnna (Jan 4, 2019)

I recently made a batch with 80% coconut and 20% avocado, 15% superfat, and 35% ppo canning salt. 

My house is cool this time of year and I actually had to gently warm the loaf to get it to gel. Having to warm a high coconut soap ... first time for me!

It lathers decently well at 1 week old, but leaves a prickly irritation on my forearm after a brief wash. Not sure if it's the young age of the soap (yes, I'm jumping the gun to test it this soon), a slight residue of salt on winter-dry skin, or the high % of coconut with perhaps not enough superfat. Or all of the above. I'll give it awhile and test again.


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## Alien (Jan 4, 2019)

JasmineTea said:


> Earlier this year I read about salt bars and became intrigued. I made about 5 - 6 small batches and proceeded to wait for the cure. I realized that, while I  knew that some of you (or your family members) _liked _them, I didn't know _why.
> _
> Now that I've used several, I know at least one reason why I like them ~ they're great at the bathroom sink as a hand soap. No squishy, sloppy mess! They are firm down to the last sliver.
> 
> So, I'm curious . . . why does anyone else like them?


I assume you mean that you add salt to your soap recipe? As well as making the bars ar and last longer, I have very little patience and love that adding salt makes the saponification process take less time, sometimes I can unmold in just a few hours.

I can see that I WAY missed the mark!I ama newbie and have never made salt bars,but will try soon!cant wat!


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## Dahila (Jan 4, 2019)

Ladies do you still add Sodium lactate ?


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## amd (Jan 4, 2019)

Alien said:


> I assume you mean that you add salt to your soap recipe? As well as making the bars ar and last longer, I have very little patience and love that adding salt makes the saponification process take less time, sometimes I can unmold in just a few hours.
> 
> I can see that I WAY missed the mark!I ama newbie and have never made salt bars,but will try soon!cant wat!



Salt bars will still test your patience, they need a longer cure in the 4 - 6 MONTH range. Sometimes even longer (I think Shari cures hers for 12 months, but don't quote me on that).


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## shunt2011 (Jan 4, 2019)

Dahila said:


> Ladies do you still add Sodium lactate ?



I do not use SL in my salt bars.  They are plenty hard enough to get out of the mold and cut.



shunt2011 said:


> I do not use SL in my salt bars.  They are plenty hard enough to get out of the mold and cut.



@amd you are correct.  I really like them best at 12 months.  I'll use them at 6.  Still using the ones I got from you though (thank you!).


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## dibbles (Jan 4, 2019)

Dahila said:


> Ladies do you still add Sodium lactate ?


I don't add SL to my salt bars.


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## IrishLass (Jan 4, 2019)

I add SL to most of my formulas, but not my salt bars. They don't need it.

I make my salt bars with 100% CO and 100% coconut milk as my liquid (via the 'split method'), and I use 30% sea salt as per the weight of my oils and then superfat at 13%.


IrishLass


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## smengot0 (Jan 4, 2019)

Dahila said:


> Ladies do you still add Sodium lactate ?



No. I don’t, especially when making salt bars and Soleseife


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## Dahila (Jan 4, 2019)

Thank you ladies,


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## smengot0 (Jan 4, 2019)

Please how can I achieve a ‘really fluid’ batch when making a Soleseife? Thanks


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## shunt2011 (Jan 4, 2019)

smengot0 said:


> Please how can I achieve a ‘really fluid’ batch when making a Soleseife? Thanks


You may want to start a new thread since this thread is on salt bars not Soleseife.  Also, when you post include your recipe and process so that members have something to work with.


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## smengot0 (Jan 4, 2019)

shunt2011 said:


> You may want to start a new thread since this thread is on salt bars not Soleseife.  Also, when you post include your recipe and process so that members have something to work with.



Thanks @shunt2011. There’s actually a thread on Soleseife. Will post there


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## gacowgirl (Jan 4, 2019)

New experience with salt bars that I purchased. My skin loves them! I like the scratchy factor for my face and the salt seems to calm all the redness down. I am over 60 but still have oily skin. At home, I am going to try a very high CN % with some castor and avocado oils and about 100% salt. I'll probably use Redmond Real Salt because I buy it in bulk for my horses and cows. I am excited about the mineral content of Redmond but wonder if it will react somewhat like the dead sea salt that many of you have mentioned. I am a newbie with maybe 10 batches of soap. I will scale this trial down to about a pound of oils. Please, if anyone has suggestions, I would love to hear them. This is my first original post.


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## shunt2011 (Jan 4, 2019)

gacowgirl said:


> New experience with salt bars that I purchased. My skin loves them! I like the scratchy factor for my face and the salt seems to calm all the redness down. I am over 60 but still have oily skin. At home, I am going to try a very high CN % with some castor and avocado oils and about 100% salt. I'll probably use Redmond Real Salt because I buy it in bulk for my horses and cows. I am excited about the mineral content of Redmond but wonder if it will react somewhat like the dead sea salt that many of you have mentioned. I am a newbie with maybe 10 batches of soap. I will scale this trial down to about a pound of oils. Please, if anyone has suggestions, I would love to hear them. This is my first original post.



You should be fine as long as your salt is fine grain.   What is high CN%?  Do you mean CO (coconut?).  If so yes, needs to be at least 80-85% CO.  I use Avocado and Castor in mine and love them. Also needs 17%-20% SF.    They do require a long cure though in my opinion.


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## SaltedFig (Jan 4, 2019)

gacowgirl said:


> New experience with salt bars that I purchased. My skin loves them! I like the scratchy factor for my face and the salt seems to calm all the redness down. I am over 60 but still have oily skin. At home, I am going to try a very high CN % with some castor and avocado oils and about 100% salt. I'll probably use Redmond Real Salt because I buy it in bulk for my horses and cows. I am excited about the mineral content of Redmond but wonder if it will react somewhat like the dead sea salt that many of you have mentioned. I am a newbie with maybe 10 batches of soap. I will scale this trial down to about a pound of oils. Please, if anyone has suggestions, I would love to hear them. This is my first original post.



I'm a bit of a fan of local ingredients, so I hope your local salt works! 

(The finer the grain, the nicer the final soap usually feels, but sometimes a little bit of larger grains is nice too - depends on the salt, which only testing will tell - good luck!).

_"Please, if anyone has suggestions, I would love to hear them."_
Keep two test bars from each new recipe you make, one to try out over time and one to keep (to see how long it will last).
Write detailed notes of what you think every time you wash with your test, to build up a "soap diary" of your recipes.
(It doesn't have to be too fancy - dated notes on the back of your recipe works just fine )

It's nice to have diary notes to look back on, and a bar of the recipe to look at


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## Obsidian (Jan 4, 2019)

@gacowgirl don't use redmans real salt, it has a lot of solid particals and it will scratch your skin. You can see this if you dissolve a spoonfull in a couple cups of water. The sandy bits will sink.

I've been using my real salt for brine, that way I can filter out the sand.
The batches I used the dry salt in scratched me up so bad, I had to throw it away.


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## Angela Zeigler (Jan 5, 2019)

I was wondering what temp you recommend for salt bars? Does effect the batter if it's too warm?


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## DeeAnna (Jan 5, 2019)

Angela Zeigler said:


> I was wondering what temp you recommend for salt bars? Does effect the batter if it's too warm?



I'm no expert at salt bars. But I've made a number of batches of regular soap that's high in coconut oil as well as 2 batches of salt bars (also high in CO), one some years ago and one recently.

Recipes with a lot of CO usually warm up nicely on their own to the point they can sometimes get too hot. You don't want to encourage that tendency.

I warm my fats just enough so they are clear, which doesn't take much with liquid fats and coconut oil. My lye solution is at room temperature or just pleasantly warm to the touch. I use 30% to 33% lye concentration, no higher. (This is not "water as % of oils" just to be clear.)

After the batter is poured into a loaf or slab mold I leave the soap out in the open air. I would not CPOP (put the soap in a warm oven) this type of soap. Nor would I put it in an insulated container like a cooler. Since my house is fairly cool this time of year, I might lightly cover the mold with a towel to encourage the soap to warm all the way to the edges of the loaf.

In summer heat, I would leave it uncovered and watch for any swelling in the center or even some cracking, both of which are signs of overheating. If that happens, I put the mold on something (cookie rack or cat food cans) to raise it off the surface of the countertop and blow a fan on the soap.

Hope this answers your question.


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## SaltedFig (Jan 5, 2019)

Angela Zeigler said:


> I was wondering what temp you recommend for salt bars? Does effect the batter if it's too warm?



I like cool lye, room temperature oils and individual molds to make salt bars.

It helps to know that, while the initial temperature your oils and lye is important, for salt bars you need to keep an eye on anything that will cause the batch to heat up too quickly, or retain the heat, or add to the heat.

The extras:

Additional heat can come from:
Oven processing (most people here recommend against CPOPing salt bars for a good reason - the added heat can easily trigger a volcano)
Melting ingredients, such as butters (hint: melt these separately, and mix into the batch oils and let the whole lot get as cool as possible before you start)
The season (making salt bars in Summer can provide enough added heat to trigger overheating, even in individual molds).
Accelerating ingredients (anything that speeds up saponification will cause a rapid increase in heat)
Rapid mixing (which again will cause a rapid increase in heat due to the increased rate of saponification,).

Retaining heat
Larger mold sizes (I posted on the effect of mold sizes here, but the basic premise is that thermal mass holds heat)
Insulation (this becomes dependant on your mold, batch temperature and ambient temperature; personally I don't insulate these soaps)
Mold materials (even something as simple as using a wooden mold can act as insulation for the batch, being aware of this is useful)

_"Does effect the batter if it's too warm?"_
Your batter can feel like it's "too warm" just before you pour it into the mold, however the very act of pouring it will cool the batter slightly.
If you are concerned that the batter is too warm, please know that you can do something about it (see below).

My most recent CP salt batch was made in a slab mold (retains heat), with a butter (melting fats added heat), honey (additive added heat) and beeswax (required melting).

As you can imagine, adding all of these ingredients and using a slab mold was a combination well outside of anything I would recommend you do (it did want to volcano), but it does bring us to an important point ... heat reduction!

Heat reduction (after you've poured your soap):
Remove from any source of heat (including the bench underneath soap! Moving the mold to a cool spot on the bench is sometimes enough)
Remove insulation (if you have used any, take it off)
Raise off a solid surface (I use a commercial cake rack to allow air flow under larger batches)
Air movement (anything that moves the hot air away from the soap helps; cover with fine netting to avoid dust if outside or near a window)

Water/ice bath (this is a method of last resort, but is extremely effective at stripping heat out of a batch - for wooden molds, place in a water-tight, open top bag first, and don't submerge past the top of the mold)


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## Angela Zeigler (Jan 5, 2019)

SaltedFig said:


> I like cool lye, room temperature oils and individual molds to make salt bars.
> 
> It helps to know that, while the initial temperature your oils and lye is important, for salt bars you need to keep an eye on anything that will cause the batch to heat up too quickly, or retain the heat, or add to the heat.
> 
> ...


I'm so glad I asked! (I almost didn't and I always leave place my batched in the oven for 24 hours for the perfect gel! It has a pilot light gas oven so it maintains about always). I live in michMich so setting it outside this time of year should do quiet nicely then? Thank you for your response!


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## SaltedFig (Jan 5, 2019)

Angela Zeigler said:


> I'm so glad I asked! (I almost didn't and I always leave place my batched in the oven for 24 hours for the perfect gel! It has a pilot light gas oven so it maintains about always). I live in michMich so setting it outside this time of year should do quiet nicely then? Thank you for your response!



I live in sunny Australia, so I mostly have to work hard to keep things cooler (even in Winter) .

Mich is Michigan? It looks pretty cold there, this time of year, so you might let it stay inside, but yes - not in the oven . I agree, it might do quite well outside if it looks like it's getting too hot (remember the dust cover if you do).

PS. Salt bars need cutting while they are still warm, so don't let it go fully cold in the mold


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## KiwiMoose (Jan 5, 2019)

SaltedFig said:


> I live in sunny Australia, so I mostly have to work hard to keep things cooler (even in Winter) .
> 
> Mich is Michigan? It looks pretty cold there, this time of year, so you might let it stay inside, but yes - not in the oven . I agree, it might do quite well outside if it looks like it's getting too hot (remember the dust cover if you do).
> 
> PS. Salt bars need cutting while they are still warm, so don't let it go fully cold in the mold


If I know anything about the USA in the winter time it's that they heat their houses up to compensate for the extreme cold.  So it's probably near as hot inside their houses as it is here in the summertime Salty ( slight exaggeration intended)!


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## Angela Zeigler (Jan 6, 2019)

SaltedFig said:


> I live in sunny Australia, so I mostly have to work hard to keep things cooler (even in Winter) .
> 
> Mich is Michigan? It looks pretty cold there, this time of year, so you might let it stay inside, but yes - not in the oven . I agree, it might do quite well outside if it looks like it's getting too hot (remember the dust cover if you do).
> 
> PS. Salt bars need cutting while they are still warm, so don't let it go fully cold in the mold


Yup! Michigan! It's not a cold as usual this time of year. But it's still pretty chilly


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## Terri E (Jan 10, 2019)

Harshad said:


> Can u share the recipe



Sent you the recipe


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## JasmineTea (Jan 12, 2019)

This has been a fabulous thread - so glad I asked for input! Thanks, everybody .  I'm ready to make some more now so I won't have to wait when my current stash runs out.


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## melinda48 (Jan 12, 2019)

Can anyone share a good dog soap recipe? I am not looking to “cure” anything or alleviate any problems but would like to make a nice, good-smelling soap that is safe for dogs. Many thanks!


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## shunt2011 (Jan 12, 2019)

melinda48 said:


> Can anyone share a good dog soap recipe? I am not looking to “cure” anything or alleviate any problems but would like to make a nice, good-smelling soap that is safe for dogs. Many thanks!



You may want to start a new thread. This thread is on salt bars. Likely to get helpful information.


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## Mrsitaly22 (Feb 9, 2019)

Given the necessary high amount of available coconut oil & high SF in salt bars; any issues clogging pores for those with acne prone skin? Based on numbers it seems it's highly possible...maybe the salt offsets that?


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## shunt2011 (Feb 9, 2019)

Mrsitaly22 said:


> Given the necessary high amount of available coconut oil & high SF in salt bars; any issues clogging pores for those with acne prone skin? Based on numbers it seems it's highly possible...maybe the salt offsets that?



No, not that I’ve noticed.  My daughters and myself have been using them for years. They have actually helped clear mine and my daughters skin. I think it’s the combination of the soap itself and the salt.  Of course there will be exceptions.  Not everything works for everyone.  I only ise them 1-2 times a week now as my skin is getting drier as I close in to 60. But my girls still use them 2-3 times a week.


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## GeezLouise (Feb 9, 2019)

Mrsitaly22 said:


> Given the necessary high amount of available coconut oil & high SF in salt bars; any issues clogging pores for those with acne prone skin? Based on numbers it seems it's highly possible...maybe the salt offsets that?


Straight olive oil on my non-acne prone skin seems to result in breakouts. Coconut oil does not. The CO salt bars at 20% SF don't strip my skin or cause break outs.


----------



## Mrsitaly22 (Feb 9, 2019)

shunt2011 said:


> No, not that I’ve noticed.  My daughters and myself have been using them for years. They have actually helped clear mine and my daughters skin. I think it’s the combination of the soap itself and the salt.  Of course there will be exceptions.  Not everything works for everyone.  I only ise them 1-2 times a week now as my skin is getting drier as I close in to 60. But my girls still use them 2-3 times a week.


Thanks!


----------



## Cal43 (Feb 9, 2019)

KiwiMoose said:


> I've just used my Pink Grapefruit and Sea Salt bar for the first time today.  It's just a baby - only 3 weeks since making but I broke a bar so thought I'd try it for hand soap.  It DOES feel nice!  Good lather and clean feeling afterwards, but not too dry.
> Here's the recipe I used:
> Coconut Oil: 75%
> Apricot Kernel Oil: 10%
> ...



I love the look and size of your bars? What are the dimensions? And size in oz. I’m looking for that perfect boxy size soap and I loveeeee yours.


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## KiwiMoose (Feb 9, 2019)

Cal43 said:


> I love the look and size of your bars? What are the dimensions? And size in oz. I’m looking for that perfect boxy size soap and I loveeeee yours.


Thanks Cal. These are mini loaf silicone moulds from K mart. Approx 8cm x 4cm x 4cm. Weight about 115-120g
https://www.kmart.co.nz/product/6-cup-silicone-mini-loaf-pan/627849


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## redhead1226 (Feb 9, 2019)

Hendejm said:


> Don’t want to hijack the thread...
> 
> Oops...I think!  I JUST made a batch of soap and used 10% cocoa butter. I did use 35% coconut,35% olive oil, 10% palm, 5% castor, 5% Shea butter. Will the butters affect the lather too much?  I used 35% sea salt as that was all I had.



What SF did you use?


----------



## Hendejm (Feb 9, 2019)

redhead1226 said:


> What SF did you use?


5% SF - it’s been curing for a bit now and it seems to hold lather pretty well....will have to see how it does at the 6 month mark. I haven’t made any more salt soaps until I see how this one does post cure.


----------



## redhead1226 (Feb 10, 2019)

Hendejm said:


> 5% SF - it’s been curing for a bit now and it seems to hold lather pretty well....will have to see how it does at the 6 month mark. I haven’t made any more salt soaps until I see how this one does post cure.



I use 80% CO and a 17% SF I let them cure for a year, sometimes more. I make them 3-4 times a year so I always have at least a dozen ready. Its easy to let them cure a long time when you make them often I find. I never used to be able to not use them lol - report back!!


----------



## shunt2011 (Feb 10, 2019)

I too use 80% CO and cure them a long time.  Anything less I find they are just meh. Not much lather and not as creamy. I also SF at 17% and use 35-45% salt.  Sometimes a bit more.


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## Clarice (Feb 10, 2019)

Of the two methods 

salt bar
soleseife
I prefer soleseife:  long lasting, silky bubbles, nice "slip" with water, better texture

Having said that - I like a nice salt bar on my feets!


----------



## redhead1226 (Feb 10, 2019)

shunt2011 said:


> I too use 80% CO and cure them a long time.  Anything less I find they are just meh. Not much lather and not as creamy. I also SF at 17% and use 35-45% salt.  Sometimes a bit more.



I used 50% salt in the last 2 batches. I did finally make a batch using the powdered salt. And one with the fine grain. I love them both! If you want I'll send you one with the powdered salt if you haven't tried it yet.


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## Clarice (Feb 10, 2019)

Where do you get powdered salt?  Or do you make it yourself?  Thank you!


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## redhead1226 (Feb 10, 2019)

Clarice said:


> Of the two methods
> 
> salt bar
> soleseife
> ...



I love soleseife as well.  I also let them cure a really long time. I have some that are 2 years old!! Salt bars that are about the same age. I make a lot and often so they are always aged and have some ready. I see ppl make them and sell right away. I dont understand that thinking.


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## redhead1226 (Feb 10, 2019)

Clarice said:


> Where do you get powdered salt?  Or do you make it yourself?  Thank you!



There is a company called Salt works where I got it from. It is powdered sea salt. - really just evaporated sea water I think. I loved it.


----------



## Clarice (Feb 10, 2019)

Thank you!


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## shunt2011 (Feb 11, 2019)

redhead1226 said:


> I used 50% salt in the last 2 batches. I did finally make a batch using the powdered salt. And one with the fine grain. I love them both! If you want I'll send you one with the powdered salt if you haven't tried it yet.


You are so kind.  I've not seen powdered salt.  I bet it's an awesome bar.   Thank you!!


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## Clarice (Feb 11, 2019)

I played around with this last night (but did not soap it yet)

put some kosher sea salt into a tall narrow pitcher, and then SB the bejeezus out of it - shaking it as well so that I would get movement top to bottom in the soap.  It got very powdery - I wonder if this is similar to what you bought?


----------



## melinda48 (Feb 11, 2019)

redhead1226 said:


> I love soleseife as well.  I also let them cure a really long time. I have some that are 2 years old!! Salt bars that are about the same age. I make a lot and often so they are always aged and have some ready. I see ppl make them and sell right away. I dont understand that thinking.


Perhaps some people like the bars a bit softer than those that are fully cured. No accounting for what folks prefer. That is what makes us so interesting (and also helps explain why we don’t just all use the same brand of soap)!


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## DeeAnna (Feb 11, 2019)

Mrsitaly22 said:


> Given the necessary high amount of available coconut oil & high SF in salt bars; any issues clogging pores for those with acne prone skin? Based on numbers it seems it's highly possible...maybe the salt offsets that?



The soap itself offsets that. Superfat in soap isn't the same as putting the fat straight on your skin. Most of the superfat in soap doesn't remain on the skin; it's emulsified by the soap so the fat rinses off. The high superfat used in a high coconut oil soap is "sacrificial" in that the soap emulsifies this superfat rather than strip the natural fats from your skin.


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## Alfa_Lazcares (Feb 11, 2019)

melinda48 said:


> Perhaps some people like the bars a bit softer than those that are fully cured. No accounting for what folks prefer. That is what makes us so interesting (and also helps explain why we don’t just all use the same brand of soap)!



Yes. I love my salt bars starting at 4 weeks. I tried one that was like 5 months or so and was not blown away. I still loved it cause i love my salt bars but it wasnt as amazing as i thought it would be


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## SaltedFig (Feb 11, 2019)

@Alfa_Lazcares It is worth keeping one to try again at 12months and 18months ... you may be pleasantly surprised at the difference


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## Steve85569 (Feb 11, 2019)

Have some that are 3 years on the basement bathroom sink. More like a cleansing cream than a lather now . Could be mistaken for shaving soap.
I use that bathroom when I come in from the woods or garden rather well soiled.
Love salt bars at 100 salt by weight of oils.
And you can even swirl them.
Just don't wait too long to cut them. My first batch I waited overnight and had to use a saw.


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## redhead1226 (Feb 11, 2019)

Clarice said:


> I played around with this last night (but did not soap it yet)
> 
> put some kosher sea salt into a tall narrow pitcher, and then SB the bejeezus out of it - shaking it as well so that I would get movement top to bottom in the soap.  It got very powdery - I wonder if this is similar to what you bought?



 I can not describe the texture. But it’s like silk. I’m not sure you can replicate it. But you can try.


----------



## redhead1226 (Feb 11, 2019)

melinda48 said:


> Perhaps some people like the bars a bit softer than those that are fully cured. No accounting for what folks prefer. That is what makes us so interesting (and also helps explain why we don’t just all use the same brand of soap)!



Salt bars are never soft at any stage. So I’m not sure about what you are saying. The salt is the hardening agent.


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## cmzaha (Feb 11, 2019)

Steve85569 said:


> Have some that are 3 years on the basement bathroom sink. More like a cleansing cream than a lather now . Could be mistaken for shaving soap.
> I use that bathroom when I come in from the woods or garden rather well soiled.
> Love salt bars at 100 salt by weight of oils.
> And you can even swirl them.
> Just don't wait too long to cut them. My first batch I waited overnight and had to use a saw.


Yep waiting overnight would require a saw. I cut my 100% salt bars within 45-60 minutes. Usually the 45 min mark is what works for my recipe. In my opinion there is nothing better than a 2-3 yr old 100% salt bar. I have one that I use once in awhile that is 5 yrs old. I don't want it to go away so I don't use if often


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## christina rogers (Mar 1, 2019)

So I have an obsession with soleseife bars but can you help?

I’ve done 15% brine
And another recipe (lovin soap) has 20% but a ton of water

How much water do I need for 20% brine?

I hear salt can be 25% of water, but do I take out the water for the lye first
(As in extra water for the lye, plus a 20-25%salt /75% water solution?)

From what I heard: if I don’t have enough water, the lye won’t incorporate correctly
and will be lye heavy

I’ve done soaps for about 3+ years and just found the brine soaps 

*lastly: is it possible to do goats milk brine soap with high coconut? Or does it get too hot too quick?


----------



## Dawni (Mar 1, 2019)

I've done 25% brine before and it worked fine at 2:1 for me. Just make sure your salt is dissolved completely and strain before adding your lye. I think that answers your other question too?

The most recent soleseife I did had an unmeasured amount of saturated salt in the water. I put salt in a bottle, about 1/4 of it and filled the bottle with water and let it sit about a day, shaking every now n then until the water could hold no more salt. I strained out what remained and measured what the calculator gave me BUT I took out about 20 grams and replaced that with plain water and mixed and strained again, just to make sure. Almost nothing was left btw.

I'm gonna try with no plain water replacement next time. This soap also had coconut milk powder stick blended into the oils.

I haven't tested this one though.. But I have a good feeling about it lol I hope that helps you some?


----------



## christina rogers (Mar 1, 2019)

Dawni said:


> I've done 25% brine before and it worked fine at 2:1 for me. Just make sure your salt is dissolved completely and strain before adding your lye. I think that answers your other question too?
> 
> The most recent soleseife I did had an unmeasured amount of saturated salt in the water. I put salt in a bottle, about 1/4 of it and filled the bottle with water and let it sit about a day, shaking every now n then until the water could hold no more salt. I strained out what remained and measured what the calculator gave me BUT I took out about 20 grams and replaced that with plain water and mixed and strained again, just to make sure. Almost nothing was left btw.
> 
> ...



Thank you 
That is very helpful

I don’t know where I heard the lye would leach out, or not saponify, but that was my hurdle 

These brine bars are my new best friend, lol. I’d like to increase the salt and see where it goes

Thank you again


----------



## cmzaha (Mar 1, 2019)

I actually add in any undissolved salt when I make soleseif bars as long as I have not used Himalayan Salt for my brine


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## Dawni (Mar 1, 2019)

cmzaha said:


> I actually add in any undissolved salt when I make soleseif bars as long as I have not used Himalayan Salt for my brine


Ah yes! The 25% brine used Himalayan pink so I strained it to prevent it from scratching, and the saturated brine was my first time so I wanted to make sure I did not have undissolved lye (because I wasn't sure how much more my water could dissolve).


----------



## Clarice (Mar 4, 2019)

Hi all. So, I read this thread about 6 weeks ago and since I was early in my soaping journey, I apparently absorbed about 15% of what I read!  

Having just gone over this again, I have now twigged to the use of HIGH levels of CO. I definitely did not get that first time around.  I also failed to grasp the high level of SF!  

I am going to make some new batches using the 80/20 advice (80 CO/ 20 other for a bit of experimentation) but first I must wait for my powdered sea salt (thank you @redhead1226 - I was able to locate salt works). 

For those of you familiar with @Zany_in_CO  “no slime Castile” would her faux sea water be suitable to use as the additional water (I use a 50% concentration master batch lye). 

Here is a link to @Zany_in_CO ’s recipe:  https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/zanys-no-slime-castile.72620/


Thank you to all who contributed to this thread. I see now I must go back and re-read a good bit of what I “thought”I learned!  lol


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## Dawni (Mar 4, 2019)

@Clarice you probably won't need the faux seawater since you're using a high percentage of coconut oil although there's no harm in trying, but I suspect the soap will give you a harder time n thicken up really quick. 

But maybe if you're only going to use it for the remaining liquid added to your masterbatched lye, it could prove to be ok. 

That is best with 100% olive or as Dean tried it, 100% sweet almond oil, or a combination of other oils, especially if you have all or mostly soft oils. It helps harden and prevent slime.


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## Steve85569 (Mar 4, 2019)

One more thing to like about salt bars....





Mixing was started  two and a half hours before the pictures were taken.
Recipe:
100 % coconut oil
100% salt ( by weight of oil)
2.5 : 1 water to alkali ratio (high water)
Drop swirl.


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## Clarice (Mar 5, 2019)

Ok - so I made two batches of salt soap today - both 500 grams

A:  80% CO / 20% AO / 70% salt / MB Lye + additional liquid / 18% SF
B:  80% CO / 20% HOSO / 35% salt / MB Lye + additional liquid / 18% SF

Salt was "sea salt" purchased at local grocery;  it was rather coarse, so I used a SB to pulse through it and get it quite fine
I masterbatch lye at 1:1 and when additional water was added there was no significant temp rise. 

Both recipes are in SMF under my user name boonmah

I melted the CO, over a water bath, removed when there were a few tiny chunks left and allowed to melt the rest of the way.  I then added the second oil, used SB to incorporate lye, when thoroughly emulsified - but before light trace - I added salt - SB a bit more, then poured into individual molds - that was about three hours ago.  As of writing the soap is still very liquid.

I had done a salt bar once before (albeit not with CO) and it traced so fast and so hard that it spooked me.  That may well have influenced how I treated this batch.  

Here are my Qs:

Should I have SB longer - i.e., to a light trace before adding salt?  

Does CO take a LOT longer than OO to reach trace?

Like @Zany_in_CO 's no-slime-castile, will this "come together" if I just leave it ALONE for a couple of days?

Any suggestions you have to improve my technique?

THANK YOU!!!!!


----------



## penelopejane (Mar 5, 2019)

Dawni said:


> Ah yes! The 25% brine used Himalayan pink so I strained it to prevent it from scratching, and the saturated brine was my first time so I wanted to make sure I did not have undissolved lye (because I wasn't sure how much more my water could dissolve).


Dawni
It is best not to use Himalayan salt in soap. Even if you dissolve it it can recrystallise as sharp scratchy bits in your soap. 
Use plain cooking salt, canning salt or sea salt.


----------



## penelopejane (Mar 5, 2019)

Clarice said:


> Ok - so I made two batches of salt soap today - both 500 grams
> 
> A:  80% CO / 20% AO / 70% salt / MB Lye + additional liquid / 18% SF
> B:  80% CO / 20% HOSO / 35% salt / MB Lye + additional liquid / 18% SF
> ...


I take mine to light trace because the salt stays in suspension through the bar if I do that. Yours will still make soap.
It is great to be able to recognise emulsion it is a good stage to mix in colours etc.


----------



## Dawni (Mar 5, 2019)

penelopejane said:


> Dawni
> It is best not to use Himalayan salt in soap. Even if you dissolve it it can recrystallise as sharp scratchy bits in your soap.
> Use plain cooking salt, canning salt or sea salt.


Ack! I didn't realize it would crystallize again even in brine soap. Thank you.. Good thing my soaps sre for home use. I'll keep those as mine and always use a loofah lol


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## penelopejane (Mar 5, 2019)

Dawni said:


> Ack! I didn't realize it would crystallize again even in brine soap. Thank you.. Good thing my soaps sre for home use. I'll keep those as mine and always use a loofah lol


Test it. It might be ok. But it is just not worth the risk in soap. It is really lethally sharp in soap and can draw blood.


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## Dawni (Mar 5, 2019)

penelopejane said:


> Test it. It might be ok. But it is just not worth the risk in soap. It is really lethally sharp in soap and can draw blood.


I'm hoping it is. I gave most away last Christmas to family and told them to report to me but most haven't used theirs haha. I have to check the other batch I made with it, the one when I ran out of regular salt. I'll report back. Thanks again


----------



## Clarice (Mar 5, 2019)

penelopejane said:


> I take mine to light trace because the salt stays in suspension through the bar if I do that. Yours will still make soap.


Ah - so I might find that my salt drifts to the bottom of the bars (the tops as they come out of the molds?  Thanks!


----------



## JasmineTea (Mar 6, 2019)

When talking to my daughter recently about the salt bars I'd sent her, she commented that she'd had to unclog the bathroom sink less often since using the salt bar at the sink.  Using the salt bar was the only different thing she'd been doing.  Prior to that, she was using just a normal bar of my homemade soap.  Has anyone else experienced this?


----------



## penelopejane (Mar 7, 2019)

JasmineTea said:


> When talking to my daughter recently about the salt bars I'd sent her, she commented that she'd had to unclog the bathroom sink less often since using the salt bar at the sink.  Using the salt bar was the only different thing she'd been doing.  Prior to that, she was using just a normal bar of my homemade soap.  Has anyone else experienced this?


No I haven’t, sorry.
I used to have a problem with soap scum so I use citric acid in all of my soap which prevents/greatly reduces it.


----------



## shunt2011 (Mar 7, 2019)

I've not noticed any difference in my plumbing using regular soap or salt soap.


----------



## melinda48 (Mar 7, 2019)

JasmineTea said:


> When talking to my daughter recently about the salt bars I'd sent her, she commented that she'd had to unclog the bathroom sink less often since using the salt bar at the sink.  Using the salt bar was the only different thing she'd been doing.  Prior to that, she was using just a normal bar of my homemade soap.  Has anyone else experienced this?


Have never had any clogging issues with my soaps. I have just begun using citric acid after learning of its many benefits.


----------



## cmzaha (Mar 7, 2019)

I did have plumbing problems before lowering my superfat. I now call out the plumber at least a third less that when I first started making soap. I use Tetrasodium EDTA in all batches


----------



## Kathy Heiner (Mar 7, 2019)

penelopejane said:


> No I haven’t, sorry.
> I used to have a problem with soap scum so I use citric acid in all of my soap which prevents/greatly reduces it.


How much citric acid PPO  do you use? DO you add it to your lye water after it has cooled. Thx


----------



## penelopejane (Mar 8, 2019)

I use 1% ppo. I add it to the water and dissolve it before adding the lye. If I masterbatch the lye is warm. But you can do it with warm or cold lye.


----------



## Clarice (Mar 9, 2019)

I have been on a salt "tear" lately and last night I made another batch with the attached recipe from The Spruce Crafts.

Because I had recently received indigo crystals (Jacard from Dharma Trading) and in The Nerdy Housewife (?) book she showed Indigo morphing into a beautiful purplely color, I decided to add indigo infused in aloe juice to to my additional liquid, which in this case was aloe juice (I MB my lye, so added liquid needed to reach lye concentration) 

I used 75% salt per oil weight.  

This puppy took FOREVER to trace, and even this AM when I cut it was really really soft (hard enough to stay in a loaf and slide out of my mold, but soft enough to deform with a prodding finger.  

Was this an adverse reaction to Indigo?  Prior to making this I made a non-salt batch with the same indigo and it hardened beautifully.  

I will put this away on the "at least six month" shelf 

Any thoughts as to what went amiss?


----------



## smengot0 (Mar 9, 2019)

cmzaha said:


> Yep waiting overnight would require a saw. I cut my 100% salt bars within 45-60 minutes. Usually the 45 min mark is what works for my recipe. In my opinion there is nothing better than a 2-3 yr old 100% salt bar. I have one that I use once in awhile that is 5 yrs old. I don't want it to go away so I don't use if often



2-3 years? 5yrs? Wow!! That is old....lol. How do you manage to be sooo patient?


----------



## Steve85569 (Mar 10, 2019)

smengot0 said:


> 2-3 years? 5yrs? Wow!! That is old....lol. How do you manage to be sooo patient?



Easy. I have boxes full of soap and soap from a swap or two.
We can only use so much soap.


----------



## Mississippi soapmaker (Mar 11, 2019)

penelopejane said:


> No I haven’t, sorry.
> I used to have a problem with soap scum so I use citric acid in all of my soap which prevents/greatly reduces it.



How much citric acid do you use?
Thanks.


----------



## amd (Mar 11, 2019)

Mississippi soapmaker said:


> How much citric acid do you use?



Answers below from post 168 & 169



Kathy Heiner said:


> How much citric acid PPO do you use? DO you add it to your lye water after it has cooled. Thx





penelopejane said:


> I use 1% ppo. I add it to the water and dissolve it before adding the lye. If I masterbatch the lye is warm. But you can do it with warm or cold lye.


----------



## penelopejane (Mar 11, 2019)

Clarice said:


> I have been on a salt "tear" lately and last night I made another batch with the attached recipe from The Spruce Crafts.
> 
> Because I had recently received indigo crystals (Jacard from Dharma Trading) and in The Nerdy Housewife (?) book she showed Indigo morphing into a beautiful purplely color, I decided to add indigo infused in aloe juice to to my additional liquid, which in this case was aloe juice (I MB my lye, so added liquid needed to reach lye concentration)
> 
> ...


What was your lye concentration?


----------



## Clarice (Mar 12, 2019)

Hi @penelopejane   it was 30%. 

I peeked at them today (coUldn’t stay away) and they have formed up but are no where near as hard as my other salt bars.


----------



## shunt2011 (Mar 12, 2019)

That's an odd recipe for salt soap.  I would think palm would affect the lather some.   All the salt soaps I've made over the years have at least 80% CO and only 15% other, generally avocado and a bit of castor.  Interesting to see how it comes out.


----------



## Clarice (Mar 12, 2019)

Thanks @shunt2011 

I found it on The Spruce site and decided to give it a go. 

I LOVE the indigo color so I may just make a 80% CO batch so I can satisfy my need for blue. 

Does the 30% lye concentration sound good?  

Thanks. Clarice


----------



## shunt2011 (Mar 12, 2019)

@Clarice - that should be okay.   Sometimes salt soap moves faster so I do tend to use more liquid with them.


----------



## Clarice (Mar 12, 2019)

I know about moving fast!  I had one turn to almost concrete so maybe I will up the water a bit in an abundance of caution!  Thanks @shunt2011


----------



## Clarice (Mar 12, 2019)

@amd  - I wanted to say thank you for mentioning Salt Works - I just got my order of 5# of "powder grain" sea salt - and holy moly - Velvet is a great description!  Insanely soft and smooth!  

Thank you!


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## amd (Mar 12, 2019)

@Clarice it was recommended to me by @cmzaha so I can't take the credit!

Side note: I pulled out a salt bar that I made in August 2016, it's a 50/50 apple cider and coconut milk (other details of the recipe: 80% CO, 20% Avocado, 30% canning & pickling salt)... holy Hannah! That soap is freaking amazing! Hands down the best salt bar I have used. I think it's the combo of apple cider and coconut milk that pushes this one over the top. By comparison I pulled out a bar that I made in April 2016 that is the same recipe but split coconut milk and aloe vera juice and it left me with lizard skin. Not so with the cider bar, I step out of the shower and my skin actually feels human. I still need to moisturize, but a much better salt bar experience for me. I may have to put another batch up for myself for the long 2-1/2 year cure...


----------



## Kafayat Adebowale oyeniyi (Mar 12, 2019)

Clarice said:


> I have been on a salt "tear" lately and last night I made another batch with the attached recipe from The Spruce Crafts.
> 
> Because I had recently received indigo crystals (Jacard from Dharma Trading) and in The Nerdy Housewife (?) book she showed Indigo morphing into a beautiful purplely color, I decided to add indigo infused in aloe juice to to my additional liquid, which in this case was aloe juice (I MB my lye, so added liquid needed to reach lye concentration)
> 
> ...


the maximum I did was 25% it solidified in less than 2 hours .All friends I gave as gifts and new mums are,asking for more


----------



## Kafayat Adebowale oyeniyi (Mar 12, 2019)

amd said:


> @Clarice it was recommended to me by @cmzaha so I can't take the credit!
> 
> Side note: I pulled out a salt bar that I made in August 2016, it's a 50/50 apple cider and coconut milk (other details of the recipe: 80% CO, 20% Avocado, 30% canning & pickling salt)... holy Hannah! That soap is freaking amazing! Hands down the best salt bar I have used. I think it's the combo of apple cider and coconut milk that pushes this one over the top. By comparison I pulled out a bar that I made in April 2016 that is the same recipe but split coconut milk and aloe vera juice and it left me with lizard skin. Not so with the cider bar, I step out of the shower and my skin actually feels human. I still need to moisturize, but a much better salt bar experience for me. I may have to put another batch up for myself for the long 2-1/2 year cure...


sorry what's canning and pickling salt


----------



## amd (Mar 12, 2019)

https://www.mortonsalt.com/home-product/morton-canning-pickling-salt/

You might have it as something else depending on where you live, but this is commonly and cheaply bought in the US


----------



## laurahatt214 (Mar 16, 2019)

I make both brine bars and salt bars....both with 80% coconut oil and 20% rice bran oil with 25% SF.  I find with my brine bar it bubbles up great but with my salt bar, I get more of a creamy lather.  I believe I read somewhere that if you added a tbsp of sugar per pound it would make more bubbles.  Does anyone know anything about this?

Also, what is the benefit of adding citric acid?


----------



## Kafayat Adebowale oyeniyi (Mar 17, 2019)

laurahatt214 said:


> I make both brine bars and salt bars....both with 80% coconut oil and 20% rice bran oil with 25% SF.  I find with my brine bar it bubbles up great but with my salt bar, I get more of a creamy lather.  I believe I read somewhere that if you added a tbsp of sugar per pound it would make more bubbles.  Does anyone know anything about this?
> 
> Also, what is the benefit of adding citric acid?


I do 100% coconut oil....20% superfat and 25% salt of water used.....I love the lather and,its,long lasting too...doesn't melt off easiy


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## JasmineTea (Mar 17, 2019)

Last weekend I made a discovery with my salt bars.  Since I found that I really do like them, I've been steadily making more.  My 'salt bar mold' is a 6-cavity silicone muffin pan, so I'm limited to making 6 bars at a time.  Anyway, last weekend I was preparing to make a batch when I discovered that I was out of avocado oil (78% coconut, 14% avocado, 5% castor, 3% beeswax; 20% SF).  Hmm.  I didn't want to wait until I'd gotten more so I looked about for something else I had on hand.  I ended up using green tea seed oil (not my favorite choice, due to the cost, but, well, I was desperate).  Usually my bars are ready to pop out of the mold in as little as 45 minutes.  With the green tea seed oil, they were still soft at 45 minutes, and even a few hours after that.  They did harden up, and they seem to look/feel like the ones with avocado oil.  I won't know if there's any significant difference in performance for several months, of course.


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## Clarice (Mar 17, 2019)

@amd can i clarify - for the salt bar you just "rediscovered" you used 50:50 Cider Vinegar and Coconut milk to dissolve the NaOH?  In any particular order?  

Regarding Coconut milk, can I use the kind you find in the dairy section as long as it is unsweetened and unflavored or only the kind in cans?  

Thank you!


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## newbie (Mar 17, 2019)

Salt bars seems to often loved over a regular bar. I have people say they only like to use it during the summer though- perhaps it is a touch drying for them. 

I like them as well but one down side I have found since putting up glass shower doors instead of having a shower curtain is that the higher superfat seems to put a layer of oil on the doors. It's easily addressed by washing down the doors with Dawn or Dawn with a little ammonia in the water but if people weren't aware of that, it could be frustrating. One other down side is that salt can be a little, um, noticeable when washing private areas. 

I am definitely doing to look into the powder grain salt. Thanks to Carolyn for putting that out there and others for continuing to mention it.


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## melinda48 (Mar 17, 2019)

JasmineTea said:


> Earlier this year I read about salt bars and became intrigued. I made about 5 - 6 small batches and proceeded to wait for the cure. I realized that, while I  knew that some of you (or your family members) _liked _them, I didn't know _why.
> _
> Now that I've used several, I know at least one reason why I like them ~ they're great at the bathroom sink as a hand soap. No squishy, sloppy mess! They are firm down to the last sliver.
> 
> So, I'm curious . . . why does anyone else like them?


Love the creamy Lather and the feel that the soap is “polishing” my skin when I use it.


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## amd (Mar 18, 2019)

Clarice said:


> for the salt bar you just "rediscovered" you used 50:50 Cider Vinegar and Coconut milk to dissolve the NaOH? In any particular order?
> 
> Regarding Coconut milk, can I use the kind you find in the dairy section as long as it is unsweetened and unflavored or only the kind in cans?



No, it was apple cider - like what you buy in the juice aisle. I used an organic juice so there wasn't a ton of additives, I looked for the stuff that was rather cloudy and not filtered to death. I'm going to have a friend juice some apples for me next fall (she has a juicer, I don't) and try that for my next batch.

I buy the coconut milk in a can, either at the dollar store or in the Mexican foods aisle at my grocery store. The more expensive Thai Kitchens (I think is the brand my store carries) is much thicker but 3x the price. I didn't notice a difference in my regular soap recipe between the two brands, so I use the cheaper now. As with a lot of things, your experience with this may vary depending on your recipe. You can (and I have) use the carton milk in the dairy aisle, but I found there was a lot of additives even in the unflavored/unsweetened stuff, and it's mostly watered down. I didn't care for it in my soaps, so I switched back to canned.


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## Clarice (Mar 18, 2019)

@amd thank you so much!  

Heading for the dollar store!!!!


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## Clarice (Mar 20, 2019)

@amd  If I have masterbatched my lye, do I need to freeze the coconut milk?

Thank you!!!


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## shunt2011 (Mar 20, 2019)

Clarice said:


> @amd  If I have masterbatched my lye, do I need to freeze the coconut milk?
> 
> Thank you!!!



Not amd but I just add my milk to the oils and blend. Then add my lye mixture.   HTH.  [emoji3]


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## Clarice (Mar 20, 2019)

@shunt2011

YAY!  I LOVE instant gratification - so thank you for answering so quickly!!!

What does HTH mean?  

AND - would this technique work with other liquids such as Apple Cider, Aloe Vera Juice, etc.?

IF SO - WOWIE!!!


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## shunt2011 (Mar 20, 2019)

Clarice said:


> @shunt2011
> 
> YAY!  I LOVE instant gratification - so thank you for answering so quickly!!!
> 
> ...



HTH= hope that helps.  [emoji3]

Yes, I do it with all my extras.  I haven’t used vinegar though.  I do it with milks, aloe Vera juice, beer, coffee.


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## Clarice (Mar 20, 2019)

@shunt2011 you have just opened another door for me!  Thank you!


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## amd (Mar 20, 2019)

Clarice said:


> If I have masterbatched my lye, do I need to freeze the coconut milk?





shunt2011 said:


> Not amd but I just add my milk to the oils and blend. Then add my lye mixture. HTH.



Yep, I do the same thing. Milks go in the oil pot.


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## Amy78130 (Mar 20, 2019)

Dawni said:


> @JasmineTea I'm gonna hijack your thread with a follow up question, hope that's ok...
> 
> For those who have tried both.. What's the difference between a salt bar and a brine (saltwater) soap for you? I mean in terms of using it, not making it..


I love both salt and brine bars! They both last a long time in the shower, leave an excellent skin feel and lather beautifully! My salt bars are more exfoliating, because I use a medium coarse grain sea salt and the brine bars are smoother because I dissolve the sea salt in the water before adding the lye. They both set up super fast and can be prone to crumbling, so I cu them quickly. I usually use molds for brine/solesiefe soap..


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## earlene (Mar 22, 2019)

I am still undecided on salt bars.  I made bar last year that I took with me to Hawaii while it was still pretty young and felt it was too drying to my skin, even with the high humidity in Hawaii.  I plan to bring one of those bars with me on our trip in July, so it will be over a year old, and I can make a better assessment of how my skin reacts to it in the same conditions.  I'll try it here at home as well.  That's a 100% CO salt bar.  I have not tried it much since using up that first bar because they require such a long cure, though.


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## DeeAnna (Mar 31, 2019)

You might like the soap much better now, @earlene. My reaction was the same as yours -- my recent batch of salt soap was too harsh at first, but it's MUCH better now that it's a little older. I didn't  expect that, frankly, but the salt bar experts are correct -- a generous cure time is important for this type of soap to be at its best.


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## cmzaha (Mar 31, 2019)

It really is not advised to use medium salt and you really should not use it if selling. Medium salt can lacerate the skin no matter what some say. Salt water is a natural exfoliant without out having rough salt. If you want added exfoliation in a salt bar use oatmeal or your exfoliant of choice. Lacerations can be severe and unlike some say the salt does not melt when using the salt bar. I know some will dispute this but I have made salt bars since I started making soap trying all types and extra fine to medium salt. The medium was disaster.

ETA: I use a 17% superfat, 80% CO, 1% sorbitol, 100% salt with a 1 yr cure and the bars are wonderful


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## earlene (Apr 1, 2021)

Finally an update on my feeling about salt bars:

I posted here that the jury was still out. And the posts below are also pertinent:



earlene said:


> I am still undecided on salt bars.  I made bar last year that I took with me to Hawaii while it was still pretty young and felt it was too drying to my skin, even with the high humidity in Hawaii.  I plan to bring one of those bars with me on our trip in July, so it will be over a year old, and I can make a better assessment of how my skin reacts to it in the same conditions.  I'll try it here at home as well.  That's a 100% CO salt bar.  I have not tried it much since using up that first bar because they require such a long cure, though.





DeeAnna said:


> You might like the soap much better now, @earlene. My reaction was the same as yours -- my recent batch of salt soap was too harsh at first, but it's MUCH better now that it's a little older. I didn't  expect that, frankly, but the salt bar experts are correct -- a generous cure time is important for this type of soap to be at its best.



Well very recently, I tried this soap again and at long last I do like it.  It took this long for my salt soap to reach a cure to result in a smooth enough soap that I can say it is no longer rough or drying to my skin.  The soap was made April 2018 and it took almost 3 years cure to become a soap that my skin would like.


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## amd (Apr 1, 2021)

@earlene I'm in the same boat. It takes several YEARS of aging a salt bar for me to be able to tolerate it on my skin. My husband though will take them off the cure rack at a month old if he has to have it now. I usually try to hold his at least 2 months. Although right now he has a significant stash and I haven't had to make any for two years, I might be able to use some of his soaps now.


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## dibbles (Apr 1, 2021)

earlene said:


> The soap was made April 2018 and it took almost 3 years cure to become a soap that my skin would like.


That's an awfully long time to have to wait for a soap. But at least now you know what it takes for you to be able to enjoy it and can decide if salt bars are worthwhile for you.


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## earlene (Apr 2, 2021)

dibbles said:


> That's an awfully long time to have to wait for a soap. But at least now you know what it takes for you to be able to enjoy it and can decide if salt bars are worthwhile for you.


I know, right?  Still, as you say, it is good to know AND I still have a few bars of that soap yet to use.  Needless to say, it won't be one I'll be making often, but definitely I will make it again once in a while.


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## dibbles (Apr 2, 2021)

earlene said:


> I know, right?  Still, as you say, it is good to know AND I still have a few bars of that soap yet to use.  Needless to say, it won't be one I'll be making often, but definitely I will make it again once in a while.


Better start now


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## Kcryss (Apr 2, 2021)

Wow, I've seen the threads/conversations off and on about salt bars and paid little attention to them. It didn't sound like anything I would want to try so didn't even bother reading the threads.

Now that I've gone through this entire conversation, I can't wait to make a salt bar! 

Is it better to CP this type of soap? I've only made one batch of CP so not sure I even know how to do it.


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## The_Phoenix (Apr 2, 2021)

earlene said:


> Finally an update on my feeling about salt bars:
> 
> I posted here that the jury was still out. And the posts below are also pertinent:
> 
> ...


My question then is: is it worth the wait? I mean, three years is a long time for soap to cure to the point where it is suitable to use.


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## MarinaB (Apr 2, 2021)

earlene said:


> Finally an update on my feeling about salt bars:
> 
> I posted here that the jury was still out. And the posts below are also pertinent:
> 
> ...


Is it 80 coconut and 20 olive? Salt %?


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## earlene (Apr 3, 2021)

The_Phoenix said:


> My question then is: is it worth the wait? I mean, three years is a long time for soap to cure to the point where it is suitable to use.



I guess it depends on your personal perspective.  Did I feel it was worth the wait while the jury was still out?  Well about 2 1/2 years into it,  I guess I doubted they ever would be, but I kept on waiting and watching, because, after all, I had made the soap and what else _could_ I do? 

Now, sure, I do think it is worth the wait, but there are at least two caveats.  
1. My skin may react differently than yours or anyone else's, so a 3-year cure isn't necessarily standard for everyone. For me, it was, with this particular soap for my particular skin.  Apparently others don't need as long a cure, so the determining factor is how one's skin reacts, not time alone.
2. It also depends on each person's tolerance for waiting, i.e., how patience factors into their personality or at least into their soap crafting.



MarinaB said:


> Is it 80 coconut and 20 olive? Salt %?



Looking that up.  
100% CO;  Salt:Oils = 1:1  (equal amount of salt to CO)  SF = 20%
Also ROE & EDTA for chelation, a green mica as colorant, and an EO* mix, the fragrance though still present, has become quite faint.

That was my first salt bar, so I used a formula that seemed to me at the time, fairly standard (based on what I had read here & elsewhere).

My second salt bar is in no way standard, because I harvested the salt myself, which probably contained other components in addition to sodium chloride.  I haven't tested it in awhile, but it is a copious latherer.  


*I will probably resist the urge to fragrance my next batch since it seems a waste with such a long cure.


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## penelopejane (Apr 16, 2021)

I make salt soap with 30% CO, 45% OO, Avocado or Almond and Ricebran.  It takes 9 months to cure and to stop sweating.  It goes really hard and is long lasting (unlike 100% CO).  It is great for the kitchen sink/handbasin when you use it 20 times a day as it stays hard.


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## Rsapienza (Apr 16, 2021)

penelopejane said:


> I make salt soap with 30% CO, 45% OO, Avocado or Almond and Ricebran.  It takes 9 months to cure and to stop sweating.  It goes really hard and is long lasting (unlike 100% CO).  It is great for the kitchen sink/handbasin when you use it 20 times a day as it stays hard.


Do you get a lather out of this? How much salt do you use?


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## AAShillito (Apr 19, 2021)

amd said:


> Here's a recipe I got from another forum member
> 
> 80% CO
> 20% Avocado Oil
> ...


Pink Himalayan salt is crazy! I made a salt bar at the beginning of April. I had read here about the scratchiness so I put the salt in my vitamix and ground it to a powder first. It still feels scratchy but not horrible.  But it's too new still unfortunately to try to use. I may try a brine bar with it next though.


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## AAShillito (Apr 19, 2021)

KiwiMoose said:


> I've just used my Pink Grapefruit and Sea Salt bar for the first time today.  It's just a baby - only 3 weeks since making but I broke a bar so thought I'd try it for hand soap.  It DOES feel nice!  Good lather and clean feeling afterwards, but not too dry.
> Here's the recipe I used:
> Coconut Oil: 75%
> Apricot Kernel Oil: 10%
> ...


So pretty!


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## amd (Apr 19, 2021)

AAShillito said:


> I had read here about the scratchiness so I put the salt in my vitamix and ground it to a powder first.


By grinding it, you've probably made it sharper as it grinds into shards rather than nicely rounded granules.


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