# Tell me about Salt bars...why great?



## aprice522 (Jul 3, 2015)

So, I have read a lot on here.  Love this place.  I have made 3 successful batches of random soap--I am hooked and love the experimentation.

I have seen lots who love salt bars but want to know why.  What makes a salt bar special?

I have seen lots talk about 100%, 80%, 50% and even just a teaspoon at trace.
What will happen at these different percentages?

I am just trying to finish up my wish list/ordering that I am going to do online and want to get a little of everything I want to try since don't want to order several times, (especially since I am purchasing KOH for shaving soap and the shipping is steep)

Look forward to hearing from you all!


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## Obsidian (Jul 3, 2015)

The main thing is the lather, thick creamy lather that leaves you feeling refreshingly clean and soft. Salt bars have also been know to help some skin conditions like acne.
a teaspoon or two will help harden your soap but not much more. Its when you start adding 25% + that you get the amazing lather. The more salt you use, the hard the bar will be.
I prefer 35%-50% salt, much more and the bars are too hard for my liking. I would suggest 50% for a first time salt bar maker and use individual cavity molds if you have them. Salt bars are very tricky to cut, if your timing is just a little off your bars will crumble and break apart.
Make sure to use a lot of coconut or your soap won't lather. I like 80% coconut, 20% olive but you can use any oil you want along with the high coconut. Set the SF at 20% and use scent that behaves, salt can make your batter accelerate, you don't want the FO to speed it up any more.


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## jenneelk (Jul 3, 2015)

Yes I love them and enjoy making them also but only in trays with my cut outs, so I don't have to cut and can wait until hours later to take them out.   I do similar to Obsidian with around 80% CO but sometimes lower (70%) if I am using a butter also. And I like to use part dendritic salt with my sea salt.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jul 4, 2015)

There was another thread recently about salt bars with a member asking why they should make them, what was so special. I'm on the app so I can't link to it, but it would be worth a read


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## Seawolfe (Jul 4, 2015)

Washing with a salt bar is like dancing in the ocean waves while bruddah I'z sings to you
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_DKWlrA24k[/ame]

I always have a batch of salt bars ready, I love them so. I use 80% CO (5% castor and 15% OO or Almond) and 80 % of oil weight in salt. I keep meaning to try other percentages, but I keep doing this one because its just so good. I dont bother decreasing my recipe to fit the loaf mold, and just pour the extra into cavity molds. I like the look of a cut salt bar, even if they are a pain to catch in time.


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## IrishLass (Jul 4, 2015)

I love salt bars. They are so unique and they feel so lovely to use. Seawolfe's description above and accompanying video explain it all for me in a nutshell. 

I make mine with 100% coconut oil, 100% coconut milk as my liquid, 25% sea salt as per my oil amount, and I superfat it @ 13%. I also like to scent it with an ocean-type scent (Salty Sailor from Daystar is my favorite).


IrishLass


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## not_ally (Jul 4, 2015)

Sea, what SF do you use?


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## LittleCrazyWolf (Jul 4, 2015)

IrishLass said:


> I love salt bars. They are so unique and they feel so lovely to use. Seawolfe's description above and accompanying video explain it all for me in a nutshell.
> 
> I make mine with 100% coconut oil, 100% coconut milk as my liquid, 25% sea salt as per my oil amount, and I superfat it @ 13%. I also like to scent it with an ocean-type scent (Salty Sailor from Daystar is my favorite).
> 
> ...


 
Woot woot! Shout out to Salty Sailor!  That's also my favorite FO for salt bars. Has anyone ever tried using lard or tallow in salt bars? I might try that and see how that feels.


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## Obsidian (Jul 4, 2015)

I've use 20% lard in a salt bar. It was ok but I prefer OO.


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## Seawolfe (Jul 4, 2015)

not_ally said:


> Sea, what SF do you use?



Oh sorry, shoulda said, all caught up in the music. 

20% SF if using just water. I'd probably do 15% if I did coconut milk again.


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## not_ally (Jul 4, 2015)

Thanks, C.  I love that version of "Somewhere", something about the ukelele and his voice makes it so beautiful and plaintive.  I first heard it a couple of years ago when they did an NPR interview w/him, it was good if you can find it online.


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## aprice522 (Jul 4, 2015)

*Now...what kind of salt*

After I book my next vacation to THAT place!!....I will order my salt.

So, my next question is---Salt.  What kind of salt?  Do I have to buy special salt?  Dead sea, pink Himalayan, or can I buy local off the grocery shelf salt to test out?

I saw someone post about salt w/o iodine in one of the past threads I read and wondered why??  I did notice the soap calc had that section in the numbers below the conditioning and such.  I didn't understand those last two on those numbers.


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## Obsidian (Jul 4, 2015)

You can use plain sea salt (not dead sea) or regular non iodized table salt. I generally use canning and pickling salt, its really cheap for a large box. Sometime I can find 1lb containers of pacific sea salt at the dollar store.

If I understand it right, too much iodine can help contribute to DOS. I have used iodized table salt in the past with no issues but only because I had ran out of my regular salt. 

Whatever you use, make sure its fine ground, I sliced my chest open once with a medium grind salt. Pink Himalayan salt is scratchier, even the fine stuff. Its really pretty but I don't like it in soap.


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## lizard1232 (Jul 4, 2015)

My first attempt at a salt bar was 100% CO w/ 20% SF and the salt at 100% of the oils. It was pretty awesome, though some areas were a little scratchy since I used coarser grains on the top to decorate... The salt definitely made for a thick batter when pouring but the outcome was awesome. I also used individual cavity molds since I sometimes get distracted while waiting for soap to set and didn't want to be too late in cutting it.


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## not_ally (Jul 4, 2015)

Where do you get canning/pickling salts, Obsidian?  I don't remember seeing them in the grocery store.


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## Obsidian (Jul 4, 2015)

Its in the spice isle, generally along with the other salts. Its in a blue box, I think 3 lbs.


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## handavaka (Jul 4, 2015)

I LOVE making salt bars as well...They are actually one of my best-sellers.  I use 100% to my oil blend.  It can be VERY TRICKY to cut, as posted before, but I like living on the edge!  My salt bars have been a precursor to many sales, and ALMOST with every order that I get, they include a salt bar. The last order I got included 4 bars. I have a salt bar in my shower that I use for shaving.  The creamy lather is perfect, and the salt is great for exfoliation, especially for the Summer and beach visits!  I've wanted to use the Himalayan Pink Salt, but its edges are very scratchy and sharp, however, I wonder if soaking that salt in warm water and swirling it for a few minutes to soften and smooth the edges just prior to incorporation would work?


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## DeeAnna (Jul 4, 2015)

Look for canning or pickling salt where you would find canning jars, lids, pectin, and other canning supplies OR on the shelves where spices and herbs are found. I've found it in most groceries and hardware stores around here -- it's usually on a lower shelf.

AFAIK, this salt is exactly the same as table salt except it doesn't have any additives like iodine or that stuff that prevents caking. It's just plain ol' salt.


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## Obsidian (Jul 4, 2015)

I've also used flaked kosher salt with good results.


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## Spice (Jul 7, 2015)

I use French Grey Salt Fine. I dont use to much of it though...10%. My oils are CO @36%, OO 30%, Castor @12%, Soy @ 10 and Almond/grapeseed both @6%.

At first I was using 50% salt. My bars crumbled, not only that, they were scratchy. Since I wash my face with my salt bar, I didn't like the idea of leaving microscopic  scratches on my face, so I decided to  use only 10%.... and I do SF but only like 3%.

I feel that the minerals are already in the salt, because of the way salt is processed, the idea is that the sea sponges are the oceans aqua filters, and as they eliminate waste through their aqua tubes....that waste turns to a chemical that scientists are trying to recreate for some patients who have arthritis. I figure I get that benefit in the 10% sea salt. My bars leather great and dont crumble. Sea salt is for good for the body and skin.


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## ourwolfden (Jul 7, 2015)

I use 80% coconut oil and 20% butters (cocoa, mango, shea, depending on what I have on hand) and 100% sea salt.  It is really nice.  I may try using another oil in these after reading this thread.  Salt bars are hard enough I don’t really need the extra butter.  I bet avocado would feel awesome.


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## em79 (Jul 8, 2015)

I was wandering if any of u have made these HP? If so  Does the salt melt when added to HP ? And do salt bars dissolve fast , like would u need to keep them to air dry or they fine to stay in the shower?


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## shunt2011 (Jul 8, 2015)

em79 said:


> I was wandering if any of u have made these HP? If so Does the salt melt when added to HP ? And do salt bars dissolve fast , like would u need to keep them to air dry or they fine to stay in the shower?


 
Can't help you with the HP question but as far as keeping them in the shower that is fine as long as they are allowed good drainage and air circulation.  I've not had a problem.   

I love salt bars and pretty much use them exclusively.   I use 80% CO, 15% Avocado and 5% Castor with 20% SF and 25-30% Salt.  I use milk as 1/2 the liquid amount or beer.


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## Obsidian (Jul 8, 2015)

I have made them HP and it didn't work very well for me, I think I used too much salt. It was like thick cement and nearly impossible to get in the mold. I think some of the salt did dissolve but not much. Really didn't find any reason to HP them again.

They will dissolve fast if left in standing water or if the shower rains down on them. They do need a very well drained soap dish, I use a stainless steel wire basket. I leave mine in the shower and they last forever.


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## em79 (Jul 8, 2015)

Ok so i gave it a go and used the same formula as u shunt but as soon as i put it in the mold i chucked it into a warm oven for half an hour and was perfect timing to cut them easily. Now how long do they need to cure before using do u suggest? Im usually crockpot soaper the bars are lovely and smooth i also used silk im not sure if that would help im new to soaping . I just quickly washed my hands with the left overs (not sure if that was too smart since the lye was probably still active) but it didnt irratate my hands or burn and they were sooooo smooth!!! If it feels like this now im so eager to give it a go when they are properly cured 

I have seen someone on utube do HP salt soap shes pretty experienced look like she knew what she was doing and confident . It took me a while to get the courage to try this since i had read so many peoples bad experiences


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## em79 (Jul 8, 2015)

This is what it looked like when cut and dont laugh at my poor excuse for a mica line lol it was my first time trying one lol


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## shunt2011 (Jul 8, 2015)

Your soap turned out lovely.   Especially for a first try and cutting it too.   Nice job.  Personally, I like to cure my for a really long time.  They just seem to get better with age.  4 months to a year.  However, give them 8 weeks and give it a try.  I know how hard it is to wait.


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## em79 (Jul 8, 2015)

Oh good god Shunt 4 months!!! Ive got a festival coming up in 10 days so i guess it wont be ready to sell . I might have to store these away and give the long cure a wait and make another batch and try HP thank you so much for the advice !

Yes my son and i who likes to help me actually were very happy when it didnt seize and came out like this


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## Obsidian (Jul 8, 2015)

No soap will be ready for use in 10 days except melt and pour. CP and HP both need to cure a minimum of 4 weeks.


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## em79 (Jul 8, 2015)

Obsidian said:


> No soap will be ready for use in 10 days except melt and pour. CP and HP both need to cure a minimum of 4 weeks.



Ive made HP soap which was ready after a few days . Yes ive learned the longer u leave it the better but ive definitely not had to wait 4 weeks for a few soaps


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## Muskette (Jul 8, 2015)

> I was wandering if any of u have made these HP? If so  Does the salt melt when added to HP ?



I make HP salt bars. The salt is added at the end of the cook after cooling slightly (about 175 degrees) and has never melted for me.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jul 8, 2015)

em79 said:


> Ive made HP soap which was ready after a few days . Yes ive learned the longer u leave it the better but ive definitely not had to wait 4 weeks for a few soaps




You don't HAVE to wait, but as someone selling you really SHOULD or you are selling a very sub par product to your unsuspecting and short-changed customers. 

You certainly should not be selling a recipe that you haven't used for some time. Or the conversation goes:

Customer "so what is this soap like?"
You "no idea, I made it a few days ago....."


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## em79 (Jul 8, 2015)

Obsidian said:


> No soap will be ready for use in 10 days except melt and pour. CP and HP both need to cure a minimum of 4 weeks.





The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> You don't HAVE to wait, but as someone selling you really SHOULD or you are selling a very sub par product to your unsuspecting and short-changed customers.
> 
> You certainly should not be selling a recipe that you haven't used for some time. Or the conversation goes:
> 
> ...




Actually this will be my first sale and the products have all been made several months before so please dont assume i would "short change" anyone.
Any soaps which i have made which i found i could use sooner have been only for myself and not for sale . All my soaps that are ready for sale are no less than 1 month old . Ive only been soaping for 6 months so im still learning 

This is why i asked about the salt bar curing times so that i would not have made the mustake of selling it since it was so solid thinking its ready and that the salt may have a shorter cure time .


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## not_ally (Jul 8, 2015)

I think EG was concerned b/c you seemed to intend to make an HP batch and sell it in 10 days, he did not know your back story and was just commenting on what you said.  So it is a good thing that you posted and found out that the cure time is the same (actually, longer) with a salt bar.  Do continue to post w/questions, this place is a goldmine of information.

I am in the process of making several batches of salt soap w/different levels of salt so that when they are FINALLY ready (I am impatient, too  I will be able to figure out which level I like best.  To satiate my curiosity I cut thin pieces off the ends of the loaf, and then cut those into little tester pieces so that if I cannot control myself I can test one of those little pieces just to see how they feel at a given/earlier point in the process.


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## aprice522 (Jul 9, 2015)

Thank you all for your help!  I am the OP and just got my bulk CO order Tuesday and the silicone mold today and put the kids to bed and made myself some salt bars!  I finished them about 50 mins ago and am so excited!  

I made Obsidian's recipe (I think it was...)  80%CO, 20%OO, 20%sf--40% salt  (don't ask why 40--oh...because I did a 500g batch and I like round numbers...so 200g salt)

I added turmeric powder for color.  (my first time coloring a soap)
I used sweet orange EO and petitgrain EO and a tad of sandalwood EO.

I will stalk my soap till I can unmold and share a picture!    Then the horrible cure wait......

And...on to beer I go.


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## aprice522 (Jul 23, 2015)

*Thank you all for your help!*

Here are my first salt bars.  80 co/20 oo with 200g salt in 500g oils.  Made last week and I will wait a few more weeks till I test out part of one!  Thank you so much for all your help and advice!






[/url]Salt soaps by Angie price, on Flickr[/IMG]


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## Obsidian (Jul 23, 2015)

Those look great! I'm sure you will love them.


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## Seawolfe (Jul 24, 2015)

Nicely done! You'll fall in love once you start using them


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## Sonya-m (Jul 24, 2015)

If I just use regular table salt that has an anti caking agent will I get any problems?


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## shunt2011 (Jul 24, 2015)

Sonya-m said:


> If I just use regular table salt that has an anti caking agent will I get any problems?


 
No you should be fine.  I've read of others using plain table salt with no issues.  I've not done it myself though. 

I use the sea salt located in the grocery aisle with other salts when in a pinch or when on sale.


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## Obsidian (Jul 24, 2015)

I've used kosher salt with anti-caking additives and it was fine. If I run out of sea salt, I just get the canning and pickling salt from the grocery store.


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## not_ally (Jul 24, 2015)

I keep an eye out at my favorite place to shop, the dollar store.  I occasionally see 2 lb boxes of non-iodized sea salt and buy a bunch of them.


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## JLem (Jul 25, 2015)

A lot of the recipes I see here contain a ton of CO, which I had always thought to limit because it can really dry out the skin.  I keep my standard bars to 15% CO. Is it the addition of the salt that changes things here?   I also noticed that the SF rate is also really high - upwards of 20% - is that why these bars aren't drying?


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jul 25, 2015)

That's exactly it - for the actual salt bars, with actual salt rather than brine water, you need a whole lot of co to get it to actually lather. Salt water hinders lathering and co (and I think all pko etc) are the only soaps that can lather in salt water, so to counteract the drying co, you up the sf to compensate


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## grumpy_owl (Jul 25, 2015)

Soaping 101 discusses the CO perception in her soleseife tutorial--technically, coconut oil is high in cleansing, which soapers equate to drying. A good amount of superfat counteracts the "drying," that is, cleansing effect. I promise you they feel great on the skin.


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## JLem (Jul 26, 2015)

Thanks.  I think this will be my next soap making endeavor!  I am thinking something like 85% CO, 15% Olive/Sunflower/Avocado oil*, 20% SF, and 50-75% salt.  This seems to fall in line with the recipes I have seen.

*oils I currently have in stock...I also have shea butter - would that work in a salt bar?


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## Seawolfe (Jul 26, 2015)

JLem said:


> Thanks.  I think this will be my next soap making endeavor!  I am thinking something like 85% CO, 15% Olive/Sunflower/Avocado oil*, 20% SF, and 50-75% salt.  This seems to fall in line with the recipes I have seen.
> 
> *oils I currently have in stock...I also have shea butter - would that work in a salt bar?


It probably would, you can try it in your second bar. After playing around with various soft oils (avocado, almond) instead of 15% Olive oil, I ended up going back to olive oil because to me it was the nicest bar. But you wont know until you try it.


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## KristaMarie (Jul 26, 2015)

JLem I personally love butters in my soap, but not my salt bars. I find that shea decreases lather a LOT in a salt bar


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## Yooper (Jul 26, 2015)

JLem said:


> Thanks.  I think this will be my next soap making endeavor!  I am thinking something like 85% CO, 15% Olive/Sunflower/Avocado oil*, 20% SF, and 50-75% salt.  This seems to fall in line with the recipes I have seen.
> 
> *oils I currently have in stock...I also have shea butter - would that work in a salt bar?



I'm doing 80% CO and 20% OO today (20% superfat), with 50% salt.  I would use shea butter, if I had some as I think it feels more luxurious.


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## JLem (Jul 26, 2015)

Yooper said:


> I'm doing 80% CO and 20% OO today (20% superfat), with 50% salt.  I would use shea butter, if I had some as I think it feels more luxurious.



to veer off-topic for a moment...Hi Yooper!  You know you're the reason I got into soap making, right?  You very generously sent me some samples of your soap a couple years back in response to an HBT homebrew swap!  I haven't used store-bought soap since!  Thank you!


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## Judiraz (Jul 26, 2015)

I got interested in salt bars after reading all the posts a couple of months ago. Obsidian's praises of salt got me to try a batch. That was 8 weeks ago. I just tried a half bar this week and I AM IN LOVE with the bubbles, feel, and scent. I used WSP's My Main Squeeze which is one of my favorites, but it usually fades to a light citrus scent after 8 weeks. This is still "in your face" grapefruity. The lather is very bubbly and rinses easily. Different than my soleseife bars that almost feel slimy when I'm rinsing.

I used 85% CO, 10% rice bran oil, 5% castor oil and 15% SF. I added 25% salt and will probably go a little higher in the next batch. I did use pink Himalayan and after reading through this thread I won't use again. Every so often I'll feel a very ragged bit of salt.

The upside with salt is that I cut the bars within 3-4 hours after making. The downside is waiting so long to use.


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## Yooper (Jul 26, 2015)

JLem said:


> to veer off-topic for a moment...Hi Yooper!  You know you're the reason I got into soap making, right?  You very generously sent me some samples of your soap a couple years back in response to an HBT homebrew swap!  I haven't used store-bought soap since!  Thank you!



Haha- you're not the first guy to come over from HBT.  Lbussey is here, as well, and a few others who I can't recall right now.  

Today, I'm doing all those spousely duties- kegging 10 gallons of IPA, making soap, pickling beets, and maybe kegging up some everyday chokecherry wine.   And then, I have an urge for just one more batch of soap.  

Soapmaking is as addicting as brewing.  The only issue with soap vs beer is since I don't sell, the soap piles up while the beer disappears so fast.  

I told my husband that he needs to shower more, and drink less, so that my supply:demand ratio evens out.  He said that as much as he loves my homemade soaps (liquid and bar, as well as shampoo) he can't shower more than once a day but he can drink beer much more than once per day.


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## Obsidian (Jul 26, 2015)

Yooper said:


> I'm doing 80% CO and 20% OO today (20% superfat), with 50% salt.  I would use shea butter, if I had some as I think it feels more luxurious.



This is my favorite oil recipe but I like 35% salt and the addition of coconut milk. I've also used shea and didn't like it at all in salt bars.


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## Yooper (Jul 26, 2015)

Obsidian said:


> This is my favorite oil recipe but I like 35% salt and the addition of coconut milk. I've also used shea and didn't like it at all in salt bars.



I wanted to use the coconut milk, but I am completely out today so I just used water.  It took a long time to trace, weirdly enough.  Maybe it's because it's hot (for my area, anyway!) and humid today and that's not common so I've never dealt with humidity and warm weather when soaping.


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## not_ally (Jul 26, 2015)

Homemade pickled beets!  I wish I lived next door to you and could pester.

ETA:  this is funny! "I told my husband that he needs to shower more, and drink less, so that  my supply:demand ratio evens out.  He said that as much as he loves my  homemade soaps (liquid and bar, as well as shampoo) he can't shower more  than once a day but he can drink beer much more than once per day.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





"


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## Obsidian (Jul 26, 2015)

My salt bars always take a long time trace, even after adding the salt it stays quite fluid for a time. Thats ok though, I can make swirls that way if I want.


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## shunt2011 (Jul 26, 2015)

My salt bars generally take a long time as well. Except yesterday one of my batches went so fast it was like working with clay jamming it into the molds. Never had that happen before. You just never know what will happen.  I too like coconut milk in my salt bars.


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## BlackDog (Aug 2, 2015)

Thanks for starting this thread!  I'm intrigued by all this salt-bar  talk and toying with the idea of trying one for my next batch, so  warning: potentially stupid newb questions ahead:

When putting a salt recipe into SoapCalc, do I have to enter my salt content somewhere?  

Also, is the standard 38% water discount ok or will that need adjusting?


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## dibbles (Aug 2, 2015)

Does anyone add clay to their salt bars? I have some French green clay I was thinking about trying to add a little natural color.


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## KristaMarie (Aug 2, 2015)

BlackDog said:


> Thanks for starting this thread!  I'm intrigued by all this salt-bar  talk and toying with the idea of trying one for my next batch, so  warning: potentially stupid newb questions ahead:
> 
> When putting a salt recipe into SoapCalc, do I have to enter my salt content somewhere?
> 
> Also, is the standard 38% water discount ok or will that need adjusting?



Nope, no need to enter the salt in SoapCalc...except in the notes, of course, so you remember how much you used 

Standard water is fine. Use what you're comfortable with, if you've made a 100%
coconut oil soap before.






dibbles said:


> Does anyone add clay to their salt bars? I have some French green clay I was thinking about trying to add a little natural color.



Yes! My favorite salt bar has rose clay in it


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## dibbles (Aug 3, 2015)

Thanks KristaMarie. Would you mind sharing how much clay you use?


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## KristaMarie (Aug 3, 2015)

I use 1T PPO, for rose and French green clays


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## BlackDog (Aug 3, 2015)

Thanks, KristaMarie!


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## tbeck3579 (Aug 6, 2015)

I've been following this thread and wanting to post a question about using some of the soap I have already made in the design, so it would look something like the pic below.  The circles would be a somewhat standard OO soap.  Do you think the regular soap and salt soap would argue with one another?  That is, would they separate or do very strange things?  Has anyone tried this?


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## tbeck3579 (Aug 7, 2015)

I went ahead and made some and it seems to be fine.  I just finished so I don't know yet.  I did a few individual bars and some with embedded soap leftovers so I would know if any problems resulted from the salt soap or the embedded soap.


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## tbeck3579 (Aug 8, 2015)

My salt soap traced very fast and took the usual time to set in the mold.  I cut it this morning and the soap looks great.  The soap is a combination of salt and regular soap.  I'm glad I did that because when I washed with the salt soap it was very drying -- which is what I was expecting.  The regular soap embedded in the salt should help to keep it from being too drying.  Thanks for sharing the salt soap recipes and advice.


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## JayJay (Aug 8, 2015)

Seawolfe said:


> Washing with a salt bar is like dancing in the ocean waves while bruddah I'z sings to you
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_DKWlrA24k
> 
> I always have a batch of salt bars ready, I love them so. I use 80% CO (5% castor and 15% OO or Almond) and 80 % of oil weight in salt. I keep meaning to try other percentages, but I keep doing this one because its just so good. I dont bother decreasing my recipe to fit the loaf mold, and just pour the extra into cavity molds. I like the look of a cut salt bar, even if they are a pain to catch in time.



The power of emotion. You just sold me! I played the video and now I KNOW that I must make my first salt batch asap. :clap:


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## JayJay (Aug 8, 2015)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> That's exactly it - for the actual salt bars, with actual salt rather than brine water, you need a whole lot of co to get it to actually lather. Salt water hinders lathering and co (and I think all pko etc) are the only soaps that can lather in salt water, so to counteract the drying co, you up the sf to compensate



Are salt bars with high CO percentage just as drying as 100% CO with 20% superfat? I find the 100% CO bars too harsh after 8week cure. I am wondering if I will find salt bars just as harsh.


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## Obsidian (Aug 8, 2015)

Have you tried them after a longer cure? I've found that 100% CO needs a longer cure just like a salt bar. 4 months minimum will make a huge difference.


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## IrishLass (Aug 8, 2015)

JayJay said:


> Are salt bars with high CO percentage just as drying as 100% CO with 20% superfat? I find the 100% CO bars too harsh after 8week cure. I am wondering if I will find salt bars just as harsh.


 
It truly all depends on your skin-type. Some people's skin just cannot tolerate a lot of coconut at any level of superfat and/or at any length of cure (our Susie comes to mind), while others are fine with it. 

For what it's worth, I make a salt bar with 100% CO, 25% salt ppo, 100% coconut milk as my liquid, and with a 13% superfat. I find it quite lovely, even with as little as a 4 week cure, but that's just me and my particular skin-type. 


IrishLass


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## JayJay (Aug 8, 2015)

Obsidian said:


> Have you tried them after a longer cure? I've found that 100% CO needs a longer cure just like a salt bar. 4 months minimum will make a huge difference.



I haven't tried them after a longer cure. I have some that I recently made for my husband. I will hang on to them for 4 months and see how it goes.


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## Obsidian (Aug 8, 2015)

I think you will see quite a difference after 4 months.


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## JayJay (Aug 8, 2015)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> That's exactly it - for the actual salt bars, with actual salt rather than brine water, you need a whole lot of co to get it to actually lather. Salt water hinders lathering and co (and I think all pko etc) are the only soaps that can lather in salt water, so to counteract the drying co, you up the sf to compensate



I'm new to the idea of salt soap so please forgive if this is a dumb question.  What's different about using brine water? Does the brine soap come out as lathery as the salt soap?


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Aug 9, 2015)

I've not made a Soleseife batch yet (I know, I know) so I will have to let the others do the comparison for you


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## Obsidian (Aug 9, 2015)

With brine soaps the salt amount is lower and in theory, you can use the brine in a more normal recipe. I made a brine soap with a recipe that only had 28% coconut instead of the super high amount a regular salt bar would require.

Its not near as lathery or as nice as a regular salt bar. I'll stick to salt bars, I like them a lot more.


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## JayJay (Aug 15, 2015)

Obsidian said:


> My salt bars always take a long time trace, even after adding the salt it stays quite fluid for a time. Thats ok though, I can make swirls that way if I want.



I am glad that I re-read this thread before making my first salt batch. I was going to add the salt after trace. 

Does anyone know what would happen if I added the salt after trace and scent?


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## green soap (Aug 15, 2015)

I find it quite forgiving if not using accelerating EOs or FOs.  I add my salt after trace sometimes.  Sometimes right after emulsifying.  They both work for me.


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## Obsidian (Aug 15, 2015)

Salt should always be the last thing you add, scent and colors come first just in case of acceleration. I add mine at light-almost medium trace, better safe then sorry.


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## Seawolfe (Aug 15, 2015)

I add the salt after medium trace, then the scent. I've read if you add the salt at too thin a trace it can settle to the bottom of the bars and be crumbly.


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## Obsidian (Aug 15, 2015)

I should add that when I do add salt at thin trace, I don't pour until it it thick enough to keep the salt from settling.


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## JayJay (Aug 15, 2015)

Thanks everyone!


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## rparrny (Aug 15, 2015)

*Salt bar questions*

I am new to the forum and have been reading this thread as I have been considering making a loaf of bars with dead sea salt and I have a ton of questions:
1.  I wanted to add the salt after trace as an exfolient and I have read that many people commented on it being to scratchy, that's okay, I can grind my coarse salt finer...my question is why not dead sea salt?   As an herbalist, I prefer this for it nutrient and healing qualities.  Why is it not ideal for the soap?
 2.  The recipe I use has 40% shea butter, 20 something % CO, some argan oil and castor oil.  Will the castor oil balance out my shea butter for lather?  What will the Argan oil do?  I'm willing to make some adjustments but I really like the Shea butter in the recipe, any suggestions?  I want a good conditioning bar.
3.  My recipe comes to trace very quickly, this will be great for folding in the salt but I tend to have a race against time getting my mica coloring in.  I was taught to mix them in a small amount of oil first and then add at trace...I find most of it ends up clumping and a lot stays in the bowl.  I really want to separate the mixture at a light trace and add the mica in dry and then mix...any experience on how this will work? I planned on adding the EO after the mica.
4.  What is the advantage to coconut milk?  Do you add the lye directly to it?  Do you need to have a 50% mix first to use it?
5.  If I want to slow down my trace, how much more water or fluid should I add to start?
6.  My recipe make a very hard soap, I've heard several comments about the timing of cutting the loaf.  I plan on making a loaf for this recipe.  How long before I unmold it?  The typical 24 hours?  and what are the secrets to cutting it?  Is it just a timing issue?  I do have some molds but I love the look of a loaf bar.
7.  I use Rosehip EO with my other EO's for medicinal purposes, is this accelerating my trace?
 Excuse the spelling errors but BTW, where's the spell check here?
Sorry about all the questions...but I DID warn you  :roll:


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## Obsidian (Aug 15, 2015)

1.The mineral content of dead sea salt is different then other sea salts, it will make wet, weepy bar. You could probably use a little, say 10% of your total salt amount. Grinding coarse salt doesn't do anything except make fine sharp bits. Bigger salt isn't scrubby, its scratchy and can slice the hell out of you. Buy some proper fine salt.

2. 20% coconut oil is not near enough for a proper salt bars, try 80% coconut, 20% shea with 25%-50% salt. Personally I dislike shea in salt bars, it really reduces the lather imo.

3. I add my scent to my oils then separate at emulsion so I have plenty of time to get colors mixed in. Add salt in last but don't wait for thick trace. Salt usually accelerates trace, you wouldn't want a thick mess you have to smoosh into the mold.

4. Coconut milk makes the lather extra creamy. I use a 50% lye solution and add the coconut milk directly to the oils.

5. I've always used soapcalc default water for salt bars. I don't think adding more would really help a fast trace.

6. Depending on how hard your recipe is and how much salt you use, you generally cut anywhere from 1-4 hours. As soon as its firm enough to unmold and cut, you need to do so. It will still be hot and caustic so wear gloves. I really do recommend individual molds for your first salt batch.


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## not_ally (Aug 15, 2015)

I have never used Dead Sea salt b/c there are so many posts here about it making your soap ooze.  Based on that, it would probably not be a good idea unless you are determined to test it out yourself. 

Grinding coarse salt is not a good idea, it will still be scratchy/cutty, just use the fine stuff.  

I would save the Argan oil for something w/o lye, it will be consumed/wasted with it.

That is a lot of shea.  Most people who use butters max out at about 10%, although opinions do vary.  

Unless you use a slow tracing recipe, salt bars trace really quickly.  If you want to swirl/color, I would either change your recipe or plan on a single color soap.

I usually cut brine/salt bars w/in a few hours, I watch them v. carefully.  24 hrs would be way too long.

Oops, cross post w/Obsidian.


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## janzo (Aug 15, 2015)

Not-ally, welcome back. I missed your banter


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## not_ally (Aug 15, 2015)

Wow, is that ever sweet, Janzo.


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## IrishLass (Aug 15, 2015)

Dead Sea Salt- ditto what Obsidian and not_ally said. 

Grinding salt for salt bars- also ditto what Obsidian and not_ally said. From what some here on the forum have experienced, grinding salt with a typical household grinder makes sharp shards out of the salt, and when put into salt soap, it can actually cut you when you rub the soap on your skin. The fine grind of salt that you can buy at the store has much more rounded edges. I would use that intead.

Regarding your formula- I'm going to sound like a broken record, but ditto what Obsidian said.  20% coconut is not nearly enough for a salt bar if you want any kind of decent lather out of it (although 'decent' can be subjective, of course). Salt inhibits lather, and the large amount that is used in salt bars can outright kill it completely....unless you use a goodly amount of coconut oil to balance it out (coconut oil soaps are one of the few soaps that will actually lather in salt water. Others are PKO and Babassu). 

Re: castor: castor oil actually won't add any lather to a soap at all, but it will enhance the lather that is already present from other oils such as coconut, PKO or babassu. It gives them a certain 'oomph', if you will.

I agree with not_ally in regards to the argan. I would save that for leave-in products such as lotion, etc... 

Re: when to add salt: I always add mine at the very last right before I pour into my mold- when my soap is at medium to med-thick trace. I should mention that I don't do fancy swirls with my salt bars. I color them one color up front, or I do a simple and quick ITP swirl before I pour. I add my FO's up front to my oils, by the way.

Re: coconut milk: I can't speak for others, but I add it to mine because it gives a lovely depth to the fluffy bubbles made by my 100% coconut oil. I mix my lye with water 50/50, and add my remaining water amount as coconut milk fortified with enough coconut milk powder to bring the milk concentration level up to 100% for my batch. This I add to my oils before the lye solution.

Use SoapCalc's default "full water" amount when making salt bars (or any kinds of bars) if you want to slow down trace. I personally wouldn't use more than a 'full water' amount, though. Too much water will give you warped bars during cure. And too much water can also cause separation in your batter.

I cut mine as soon as they firm back up from full gel- usually within 2 hours, more or less, after pour. The soap is still quite hot at this time, so I use gloves.




janzo said:


> Not-ally, welcome back. I missed your banter


 
Me, too! 


IrishLass


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## cmzaha (Aug 15, 2015)

Dead sea salt at 10% will still kill your lather, it has to be kept at a very small percentage. Grinding salt is NOT a good way for salt bars, I learned that several years ago and have posted about it numerous times. A good burr grinder can do the job but who wants to use a good burr coffee grinder for salt. Not me. My Rocky Burr only grinds coffee beans! I even find fine gray sea salt to be to scratchy. Not all salts are the same. You can use fine table salt, non iodized for a lovely salt bar. One of the most wonderful salts I have had was pearl salt but can no longer find it at a price affordable for soaping. When San Francisco Salt and Bath closed theirs out I purchased 50#'s and it is not all gone :-(
Butters including Shea will deter the lather in salt bars. I love 80% coconut oil 20% castor with a 15-17% superfat. Although the 80/20 does not make a long lasting salt bar it is really nice. I do water discount using a 31% Lye concentration not water as % of oil, with 80-100% salt. If you want added exfoliation, salt is naturally exfoliating and does not need to be scrubbie, you can add in oatmeal.


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## Seawolfe (Aug 15, 2015)

If you want to add salt, you need a significant uptic in coconut oil. As far as I know, saponified coconut oil is the only one that can lather in the presence of salt. I've heard rumors that babasu oil might be able to as well, but no confirmation.


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## Obsidian (Aug 15, 2015)

Yes, babassu will lather in salt water just like coconut. I was given a bar made with babassu, the lather was a bit different then coconut but just as thick & creamy.


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## rparrny (Aug 15, 2015)

Wow, thank you all for the quick responses and the great education!  I've only been making my own soap for a little over a year and the more I learn the more I realize I don't know.
When I used the word "grinder", it was because I was too lazy to describe my appliances.  I make my own flour from wheat and my own powdered sugar from granulated...very high powered motors.  That being said I can understand that it wouldn't take away from the sharpness of the grain, so I will skip it, thank you.
Breaks my heart that I can't use the dead sea salt cause I always have more than ten pounds of it around...but I do have regular sea salt so I will use that.
Thank you for the tips on the argan oil....that stuff is EXPENSIVE and I have only just used it in a new soap recipe I'm trying...I'll keep it for lotions from now on.
I find it ironic that most of my soaps...no...ALL of my soaps with the exception of the past week have been CO and OO predominately...I just ordered a bucket of shea butter to mix it up and try something new...of course the thing that I want to try now precludes it...ah well.
I always make soap and bath salts and have them as gifts for my holiday dinners and I wanted to get cracking so that they cure well and with over 30  people to make for...everyone having their favorite scents ect, it always takes a while.
Thank you for the advice about getting soap to emulsify and not to trace...I thought that if I didn't get to trace before adding my EO and micas it would keep the soap from saponifying.  I still hate mixing my micas with oil but at least now I will have plenty of time to separate and add my colors.
One more question please...I have never superfatted and was taught it wasn't needed, so I know nothing about it, can someone direct me to a good thread to learn about it.
Thank you all again


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## cmzaha (Aug 15, 2015)

You may be thinking about superfatting after trace to control what superfat oil you use. With hp you have more control on what superfat oil you use after the saponification phase is completed, but in cp the lye will take what it wants. When you use soap calc the default superfat is 5%, which means you are using less NaOH than you would if you type in 1% so some oil remains unsaponified. For salt bars you would probably be best off if you use 17-20% superfat until you work out what you like best.
By the way, I mix my micas in glycerin, that way I do not worry about extra oil or taking the oil from my batch. I do not always know exactly how much color I want so do not like using batch oils for colorants. Glycerin will act as a solvent for all colors including oil titanium dioxide


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## not_ally (Aug 15, 2015)

SF is one of those things that is really, truly individual.  I have super dry skin  - I think there is a genetic description of it, I can't remember the name - so I SF at 7-8% for most things, sometimes higher, depending on additives.  My general recipe is fairly hard (also pretty moisturizing b/c I use a lot of lard) but less so than it would be w/a lower SF.  That is OK w/me, b/c that is what I need.  But I think I really am at one end of the spectrum.  I have used soaps from friends that are great, perfect really for others, but maybe not SF'd enough for me and my scaly skin.  It really does depend on you and your soaping needs ...

ETA:  Also, everyone does colorants differently, but w/micas I usually keep a bit of the the oil mix out and mix the colors in them, in separate cups.  If not liquid enough I sometimes add a teeny bit of of a light oil like SAO.  I usually just go to emulsification before I separate for colors and then whisk or SB after that depending on how thick the color gets.  Weirdly, the thickness can vary quite a bit, so it is good to be prepared.


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## rparrny (Aug 16, 2015)

Carolyn, thanks for the advice on the glycerin...I always have some on hand as a base for herbal medicines (ETOH based...yuk).
I will apologize for my ignorance but again...I really know NOTHING about SF.  Why you do it, if you use the oils calculated in the recipe or extra, what oils to use.  I was taught don't bother its not needed and my soaps have always come out fine...but if it can improve them or delay trace I'm ready to learn.
I did an internet search to try to learn, even went to you tube but I really don't understand why you use it...feeling stupid here for asking again but I really don't understand the how's and whys.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Aug 16, 2015)

Let us know your last recipe - all oils in weight and also the amount of lye in weight. Then we can work out if your recipe has a lye discount built in, that is to say that a certain % less lye is used than would be needed for all of the oils, so that a % of your oils do not turn in to salt.


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## not_ally (Aug 16, 2015)

Ok, I'll take a crack at *my* idea on SF, hopefully someone w/more actual scientific knowledge will chime in.  SF - also you see it referred to as the "lye discount", same thing - is just the amount of extra oil that you add past the amount that is needed for actual saponification.  Ie; a zero % superfat would technically take you just to saponification/having the oils and lye catalyze into soap - although the chemists here can tell you more about some of the extra fat that is built in to most calculators.  

Adding oils after that point will increase the SF level, people do it to increase the amount of moisturizing in the soap.  Of course there are limits to how much that will work, since soap is a wash off product, but for me, b/c of my dry skin, a higher SF does make my skin much less dry after a shower than a lower one.  As noted, I SF at 7-8%, sometimes higher depending on additives.  I'm not sure what the "average" would be, maybe closer to 5%?  There are people here - Carolyn Z. is one - who use a lower SF to great effect.  You just have to experiment w/what works best for your skin type, I think.  Although if you have been soaping for a year and are happy w/your soaps the way they are, maybe no reason to change.  It is always fun to dabble, though 

ETA:  A higher SF/less lye will generally slow trace, all other things being equal.  But it will make your soap a bit softer as well.


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## rparrny (Aug 16, 2015)

thank you both for the response and N.A., thank you for the detailed explaination, that was EXACTLY what I was looking for.
Up until my last batch I would calculate 30 ounces of oils, mostly OO, C0 with a third small amount of palm oil, almond oil or something like that into soap calc and let them figure out the lye and I just ignored the SF.  More recently my last two batches have included Shea butter or cocoa butter along with the standards, CO, OO.  My last batch included a small amount of argan oil which, thanks to the advice here I will not be using again.  I would pay most of my attention to the ranges to make sure it was cleansing enough, moisturizing enough ect.  Mostly CO and OO have been the majority of my oil with the others calcuated in based on soap calcs ranges that met my expectation.  With the exception of my first batch which seized because the OO I bought at costco was really a blend and I didn't read the label close enough.  Since then I've never been unhappy with any batch I've made, none have been too drying as I have very sensative skin but then again none have been to bubbly as I only recently learned about castor oil.  I don't think I have made the same batch twice as I'm still new to this and experimenting, so giving you a recipe for the past year or so is impossible but basically CO or OO at least 40% with CO or OO (depending on which oil I didn't use for the base) constituting 20-30 percent and than one of the others making up the remainder.  I wanted to keep it simple so I learned a good foundation and just messed around with those two oils for the most part and using soap calc ranges to guide my finished product.  After nearly two years I am really comfortable with those oils in a simple combination...now looking to expand my horizons.  I never forgot my first successful batch 21 ounces OO with 9 ounces of CO...since it fit perfectly in my mold I've played around with the 30 ounce total ever since.  Up until my last batch all my soaps were 80-90% of those two oils and then 10-20% of something I wanted to play with...not too scientific and probably lame but it gave me a comfort level as a basis to learn from.


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## not_ally (Aug 16, 2015)

You know, soap is so uncomplicated and complicated at the same time!  You probably already know all of this, but there are some basic rules that people before us (thank goodness) took the time to figure out.  You are on the right track w/a mix of OO/CO/Palm (or, if you are not averse to animal fats, lard or tallow.  Lard is the bomb, really.) I don't love huge amounts of OO b/c of the cure time and the lather, but some people do. CO is great for lather but if you have picky, dry skin like I do, it is best to keep it below 20% (I don't go above 15%, but that is just me.)  Palm is good but I personally prefer lard, which I think is the perfect soaping oil, v. moisturizing, makes a light, hard, pretty bar.  And it is cheap.  Really, so perfect. 

If you don't want to use animal fats and want some of the benefits of coconut w/o the stripping effect, Babassu oil and Palm Kernel oil are good substitutes, although when using PKO I like to mix it w/CO at about 10% each.  

Castor does not make lather by itself, really, it just maximizes the effect of the oils that are in your recipe.  So for me, it is one of the things that always go into the batch.


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## IrishLass (Aug 16, 2015)

rparrny said:


> I have never superfatted and was taught it wasn't needed, so I know nothing about it ...........
> 
> Up until my last batch I would calculate 30 ounces of oils, mostly OO, C0 with a third small amount of palm oil, almond oil or something like that into soap calc and let them figure out the lye and I just ignored the SF.


 
If you've ben using SoapCalc, then you've actually been super-fatting all along, but you didn't know it. . Unless you physically type a certain numerical  % into SoapCalc's super-fat box, it automatically sets the super-fat to a default 5%-  for safety-sake so you don't end up with a lye-heavy batch.


IrishLass


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## not_ally (Aug 16, 2015)

That would be kind of awesome, if you'd actually been SF'ing all along without realising it!  It did seem strange that your soaps would feel OK w/a 0% superfat.  Yeah for soapcalc, this time


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## cmzaha (Aug 17, 2015)

Handavaka, Excalibur dehydrators are the best I have found without going to a full commercial dehydrator. In my opinion they are well worth the cost. I tried many over the years and just wasted my money until I purchased my Excalibur


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## handavaka (Aug 17, 2015)

cmzaha said:


> Handavaka, Excalibur dehydrators are the best I have found without going to a full commercial dehydrator. In my opinion they are well worth the cost. I tried many over the years and just wasted my money until I purchased my Excalibur


Aaaaah, THANK YOU FOR THAT! Funny thing is. Those seem to be the most available and come up often on those sites! I shall check them out further. I also noticed that I posted in the Salt Bar Soap thread.....but I do everything on my phone and I do it fast...must.slow.down. Anyway, thank you, again for that review on the dehydrators!


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## sudsy_kiwi (Aug 17, 2015)

Here's my first attempt at salt bars...after being inspired by this thread :smile:
I just did a small batch, since it was my first time.  
100% CO, 15% superfat, water 38%, 3% FO, and 50% salt.  Also added citric acid @ 1% after reading on here that it might help with the local hard water situation.  Didn't bother with any colour as I wanted to keep it basic, and used some El Cheapo FO that I didn't mind wasting if things went pear-shaped.

I intended to only use the stick blender until emulsion, but I think I may have gone a bit further than that (still occasionally have an issue with drawing the line lol).  Added the FO and then the salt, and hand mixed.  It stayed quite runny for a while, and then suddenly seemed to thicken just as I was thinking it was time to pour it :x  I ended up kinda pouring/smooshing with a spatula to get it into the molds.  Then, just because I could, i tried playing around with a bit of texture on the tops...meh lol.

Anyway, I came back after about 3 hours, thinking it would need a wee bit longer, and it was fully hard (although very warm...I had insulated it...was that wrong? :eh: )so I unmolded.  Bars feel hard and smooth, and (I think) look a lovely white...now the hard part comes...forcing myself to wait four+ weeks, even though they look and feel ready lol.


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## Obsidian (Aug 17, 2015)

They look good, you will love them No, it wasn't wrong to insulate them, high coconut oil soaps usually get quite hot and gel quickly.


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## Seawolfe (Aug 17, 2015)

I love white salt bars!! I just made another 5 lbs of a fir/eucalyptus/rosemary/spearmint/peppermint white salt soap that I love love love.


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## DeeAnna (Aug 17, 2015)

Dehydrator -- I second Carolyn's vote for Excalibur. When I married my dear hubby, I inherited an Excalibur. It was used when he got it and that's been, um, well, a couple of decades ago, so it's no spring chicken anymore. It's still running strong and works very well. Only thing is (at least for this well-loved older model) the temp control is not too accurate. So I just use my oven cooking thermometer -- the kind with the probe you insert into your roast and leave -- to help me adjust the temp setting.


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## handavaka (Aug 17, 2015)

DeeAnna....Thank you very much! I'm getting one this weekend!


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## not_ally (Aug 17, 2015)

Kiwi, those bars are really, really pretty.  Perfect for salt.   Did you add TD?  How did they get so white?

I yielded to temptation (my own inner evil voice and Irish Lasses' and Sea's external ones , not sure if it was this thread or another salty one) and tried my salt bars, after a bit more than a month.  As everyone says, they feel really great, even now.  Hard to imagine how good they will feel after a longer cure, as everyone recommends. Of the three - 80% salt, 50% and 30%, I like the 50% one the best, I think, just the right balance for me.  But I would be happy to share my shower with any of them.  I get the salt bar thing, the bubbles and the creaminess together are tremendous.


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## doriettefarm (Aug 17, 2015)

Seawolfe said:


> I love white salt bars!! I just made another 5 lbs of a fir/eucalyptus/rosemary/spearmint/peppermint white salt soap that I love love love.



That sounds like a really nice EO blend . . . might have to steal your combo but sub spruce for fir


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## Yooper (Aug 17, 2015)

not_ally said:


> Kiwi, those bars are really, really pretty.  Perfect for salt.   Did you add TD?  How did they get so white?
> 
> I yielded to temptation (my own inner evil voice and Irish Lasses' and Sea's external ones , not sure if it was this thread or another salty one) and tried my salt bars, after a bit more than a month.  As everyone says, they feel really great, even now.  Hard to imagine how good they will feel after a longer cure, as everyone recommends. Of the three - 80% salt, 50% and 30%, I like the 50% one the best, I think, just the right balance for me.  But I would be happy to share my shower with any of them.  I get the salt bar thing, the bubbles and the creaminess together are tremendous.



My salt bars are stark white as well.

For one I did 100% CO with 20% SF.  For another, I did 80% CO, 10% Castor oil, 10% sweet almond oil.  I varied the salt from 50% in the first to 35% in the second, using white fine ground sea salt.  Maybe a colored salt would have given some color, but all of the bars are blindingly white- no TD needed there at all.


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## not_ally (Aug 17, 2015)

Next batch of salt soaps is going to be that way.  I don't use colored salts but have been adding micas, I really didn't realize how pretty and white they could be by themselves (I never really thought about it but w/regular soaps I usually use at least a bit of OO, so almost always add at least some TD b/c I don't like the off-white color of the batter.) I guess I might have expected that w/straight CO, good to know that it is the same w/adding castor and SAO, though!


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## Yooper (Aug 17, 2015)

not_ally said:


> Next batch of salt soaps is going to be that way.  I don't use colored salts but have been adding micas, I really didn't realize how pretty and white they could be by themselves (I never really thought about it but w/regular soaps I usually use at least a bit of OO, so almost always add at least some TD b/c I don't like the off-white color of the batter.) I guess I might have expected that w/straight CO, good to know that it is the same w/adding castor and SAO, though!



It might be the white sea salt as well- the batter was white, but once I added the salt it was WHITE.  Even during and after gel, and cutting, it remained that way.

It's not streaky or anything- just bright white.


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## Seawolfe (Aug 17, 2015)

doriettefarm said:


> That sounds like a really nice EO blend . . . might have to steal your combo but sub spruce for fir



Its been SO nice during this hot summer and on my trips across the equator - really refreshing. Spruce would work very nicely as well.

My percentages right now are: 
Fir			15%
Rosemary 		9%
Eucalyptus 	27%
peppermint	18%	
spearmint 		32%

I use the brambleberry calculator for "medium" strength, but this batch I calculated for the total weight of the soap including salt - last time was just for the soap batter and the scent lost a bit of oomph after 6 months, but I was glad for the base and mid notes.


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## Yooper (Aug 17, 2015)

Yooper said:


> It might be the white sea salt as well- the batter was white, but once I added the salt it was WHITE.  Even during and after gel, and cutting, it remained that way.
> 
> It's not streaky or anything- just bright white.



Forgot the photo!  This is a very small batch- four bars:
(bad picture, taken with my phone, but you get the idea):



The soap on the left is a deer tallow/coconut milk soap I made today as well.

The salt soap on the right is BRIGHT white, while the white of the chocolate swirl soap is pretty white as well, considering that there is no TD in that.  It's hard to see on the yellow counter how white the salt bars are.  The chocolate swirl/white soap looks white and brown in natural light, but the salt soap is blindingly white in person.


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## doriettefarm (Aug 17, 2015)

Seawolfe said:


> Its been SO nice during this hot summer and on my trips across the equator - really refreshing. Spruce would work very nicely as well.
> 
> My percentages right now are:
> Fir            15%
> ...



You rock Seawolfe, thank you for sharing percentages it's very generous!  We have tons of cucumbers in the garden right now so guess what I want to soap with?  Thinking the cucumber puree would go well with a eucalyptus, spearmint & sweet birch combo but I'm tempted to try your blend.  Though I probably should save it for my next batch of salt bars . . . for some reason I keep picking FOs that discolor so stark white would be a welcome change.


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## not_ally (Aug 17, 2015)

I looked at so many salt bar posts before I made my test batches that my memory is a bit higgledy-piggledy.  But I think I went w/ a combo of Sea's and Irish Lasses' suggestions, mostly, and they sure are nice.  I really am so grateful for the advice I get here.


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## sudsy_kiwi (Aug 18, 2015)

not_ally said:


> Kiwi, those bars are really, really pretty.  Perfect for salt.   Did you add TD?  How did they get so white?
> 
> I yielded to temptation (my own inner evil voice and Irish Lasses' and Sea's external ones , not sure if it was this thread or another salty one) and tried my salt bars, after a bit more than a month.  As everyone says, they feel really great, even now.  Hard to imagine how good they will feel after a longer cure, as everyone recommends. Of the three - 80% salt, 50% and 30%, I like the 50% one the best, I think, just the right balance for me.  But I would be happy to share my shower with any of them.  I get the salt bar thing, the bubbles and the creaminess together are tremendous.



Thanks for saying so...I wish I could take some sort of creative credit, but it really was just a fluke lol.  No, I didn't add TD, or any sort of colourant.  I'm assuming it was just due to the 100% CO.  Also, I used standard (iodised) table salt...don't know if that has any bearing.  I was wondering about using some pink himalayan salt, to see if that gave a nice pink colour...I know to avoid Dead Sea salt, but does the same apply to Himalayan?

I know what you mean about the temptation...I'm struggling to not "test" one after just one day lol...how am I supposed to wait four weeks, never mind four months?!?! :Kitten Love:  On that note...what is the absolute minimum I could get away with waiting before cutting a bit off one bar to test?  I know the sooner I do it, the less "good" it's going to be...but I really want to find out if the addition of CA will help, before I go adding it to a whole lot of batches over the next four weeks.
http://www.soapmakingforum.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


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## kumudini (Aug 18, 2015)

I made a batch of salt bars about 6 weeks ago and started using one two weeks ago. It was awesome by then. I used it first on my face and really loved how my skin felt afterwards. My recipe was 80/20 CO/OO with coconut milk for half the water and 15 SF and salt at 75% oil wt.


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## rparrny (Aug 19, 2015)

Not sure how I missed the post on the Excalibur but I will throw in my vote of confidence as well!  I've had mine for 20 years and never had a problem yet.  My 2 year old grandson loves fruit, so for breakfast he gets several choices but at the end of the day I end up with...half an apple, half an orange, half a banana ect.  No wasted fruit for me!  I slice up the apple thin and sprinkle cinnamon on it, the oranges, mangos, bananas and strawberries just get sliced and thrown in the dehydrator.  If I'm in a mood, I will puree the fruit alone or in combo, heat it up if I want it to look clear and pretty, add honey or agave if needed and spoon it on the sheet to make fruit leather.  He loves the apple chips but the orange slices and strawberry are his favorites, he calls them candy and I don't argue...lol.  It's easy to peel the rind off the orange and just give him a triangle or two to chew on...and I like them as well.
Left over pea soup?  Throw it in the dehydrator and then in a mason jar.  Add boiling water and I have the best instant soup ever.  I even make my own powdered boullion but that is a project...
I credit the Excalibur and my FoodSaver for the most food saving dollars ever...which of course give me more money for soap making supplies...:-o


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## not_ally (Aug 19, 2015)

Sudsy, I had a bunch of Himalayan salt so did use it on an early batch of salt bars, from about 6 mos. ago.  I tested them too soon and discounted them on that basis, it was a mistake.  I should try and dig them out now, if I even kept them, they are probably really nice.  

The pink does not change the color that much (not enough to use it for the color aspect unless you are sprinkling it on top as a "garnish", which I don't like to do b/c I I think only the medium-size grains are pretty like that, and they are too sharp/scrubby for me, even if they wash off fast from the surface).  

But it is more expensive than plain old salt (I still scoop up as many 2 lb non-iodized sea salt boxes as I can from the dollar store), and I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes w/r/t quality/feel.  As you noted, the only really bad salts for soaps that I have read about are Dead Sea, also a recent post by Irish Lass reminded me about Epsom, and some people recommend against iodized salts, though I have also read that iodine does not make much of a difference. 

I don't know what the perfect time to test salt bars is.  Like I said, I did it way too early the first time.  The subsequent, "official" testing batches I did about five weeks ago, I did religiously wait a month+ to test, and all the things people say about salt soaps is true, so I would think at least a month for a good sense of what is to come


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## rparrny (Aug 19, 2015)

*My first attempt...<gulp>*

Okay, I made my first attempt at a salt bar this afternoon.  80% CO 20% Castor Oil and 50% Sea salt.  Scented with eucalyptus EO about an ounce.
Came to trace as I was adding the salt and it was a mad dash to get it in the loaf mold (I know, I know...but I don't have enough bar molds to handle the job...they are on order), its a hot and humid day but I have the AC on...the left over I put in molds.
So I keep seeing posts about how quickly you need to unmold them, anywhere from 45 minutes to 4 hours to cut.  Also about the heat of the loaf at cutting time.  I just measured the temp of my loaf, 95F...is this a bad sign?  This is after 45 minutes.  The top is firm but it is not ready for unmolding.  Of course I just got a call from a good friend who wants me to come over and have a swim in their new pool....
Then there was the big chunk of salt that I missed...only noticing it as I poured it into the soap...I hope my quick mixing broke it up.  
I feel like the first time I let my son go to a friends house down the street by himself...


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## not_ally (Aug 19, 2015)

I wish I had better advice to give you, but I have never measured the temp of the loaf when cutting.  I wait until it has just b/c firm on the top and the sides, ie; there is no "give" and it unmolds easily, as a regular loaf would after whatever your normal amount of time is (I usually use sodium lactate and CPOP, so it is generally 12-ish hours for me.)  For me, so far, that has been b/w about an hour and a half and maybe 3 1/2 hours with the brine/salt bars, I check them every half hour or so. 

When it feels that way I cut, usually it gets warmer as you get to the middle.  The knife/wire might stick a little on the last slice or two, but not to the extent that it has been a problem.  

I guess if it unmolded easily but the first slice was still really hot/sticky, I would let it wait for some more time, ie; check again in half an hour, although that hasn't happened yet.  Sorry, I know this is not very exact advice.  Hopefully someone else has something more fail-proof.


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## Obsidian (Aug 19, 2015)

I am a lover of salt bars, have been since the first time I used one. I used to start using mine at 6 weeks until I tried one that was 4+ months and realized what a difference it does make. When formulating a new recipe, I start testing at 4 weeks but since I have now settles on a recipe, I put my bars away and forget them for a few months.


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## TeresaT (Aug 19, 2015)

Sudsy-kiwi, there are posts about not using pink Himalayan salt because it is sharp.  Of course, I didn't see these posts until after I made my pink Himalayan salt soap.  I thought I would be OK because I used my coffee grinder to pulverize the rocks into a powder. (I even did a "scratch test" on my arms with some salt paste and didn't get any abrasions.)  However, I did scratch myself in the shower with the bar.  I'm alright as long as I use a pouf or rub the bar in my hands, but definitely not directly on my body.  If you are going to use the pink Himalayan salt, keep this in mind.  Because of this issue, I won't give my first salt bars out to my friends and family that agreed to be testers.  (Really.  It's not because I'm greedily keeping them all to myself!). I'll make a new batch with softer salt and give them that.


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## not_ally (Aug 19, 2015)

I will always have a goodly amount of salt bars ready and curing from now on.  I definitely want to have the option to always use them and give them away w/o waiting.  I still will probably make more other kinds of soaps - for me  design options are more limited in salt bars -  but in terms of feeling in use they might be unbeatable from my limited experience.


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## Nevada (Aug 19, 2015)

80% Coconut, 20% lard, 50% sea salt, 20% SF made the finest Salt bar for me yet after 1 year of curing
3% Litsea, 1% Anise was nice for about 6 months. A little scent remaining.


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## not_ally (Aug 19, 2015)

Thanks, Nevada!  I just went and checked the recipe on my test batches, I had already forgotten what exactly was in them.  75% coconut, 10% SAO, 10% lard and 5% castor, 20% SF (plus some other stuff, including aloe for the lye liquid and full CM, so I'm sure the final SF was somewhat higher).  

I think in part the castor was b/c I add it so habitually to effectuate lather.  Is it necessary w/this much CO, or will it make it even better?  I am definitely going to make a batch w/o the SAO and add that amount in lard, though.

Also, looking at those notes made me laugh, I did something in the last (of three) batches that required multiple expletives and monitoring upon cure.  I didn't explain it v. clearly though (even to myself) so am going to have to re-read and check the soap!


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## JayJay (Aug 19, 2015)

Nevada said:


> 80% Coconut, 20% lard, 50% sea salt, 20% SF made the finest Salt bar for me yet after 1 year of curing
> 3% Litsea, 1% Anise was nice for about 6 months. A little scent remaining.



Hey lard! I have recently become interested in reading salt bar threads and I believe this is my first lard sighting in a salt bar recipe. 

Have you compared it to recipes without lard? If so, how is it different?


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## IrishLass (Aug 19, 2015)

rparrny said:


> So I keep seeing posts about how quickly you need to unmold them, anywhere from 45 minutes to 4 hours to cut. Also about the heat of the loaf at cutting time. I just measured the temp of my loaf, 95F...is this a bad sign? This is after 45 minutes. The top is firm but it is not ready for unmolding.


 
Do you know whether it gelled or not? I ask because the gel stage is what I use as my guide to gauge when is a good time to unmold and cut my salt bars.

Basically, I watch my batch like a hawk after I pour, making sure to check on it every 10 minutes by gently pressing on the top of the soap with a gloved finger to check for when the gel stage has begun. Gel has happened as fast as ten or 15 minutes for me with a few batches, so that's why I check every 10 minutes (so I don't miss it). I don't go by merely looking at the soap to check for gel, because I've found time and time again that the sneaky salt actually masks it from being seen. :twisted:

This is how it usually goes for me: As I'm checking for gel every 10 minutes, I'll notice the soap becoming harder and harder as I gently press on the top, until it reaches a point of feeling rock-solid hard to my finger, but with no sign of gel having taken place yet. And then, bam, all of a sudden at the next 10 minute mark, it's in full gel, and if I'm not careful, my gloved finger will easily sink all the way to the bottom of my mold. 

At that point, I take it out of the oven (I cpop my salt bars) and set it on my counter to set back up from gel, periodically checking for firmness with a gloved finger. I cut just as soon it feels quite firm again when I press on the top, but is still quite hot to the touch. I don't take it's temp or anything, but it's definitely hot enough to be very uncomfortable without gloves on. 

As I cut, sometimes I'll notice the middle is still recovering from gel, but if it looks like it'll hold together, I just continue to cutting, and so far, it has not caused any problems for me when I do this. If it looks like it won't hold together, I'll just wait a little bit and try again. 


IrishLass


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## JayJay (Aug 19, 2015)

not_ally said:


> I will always have a goodly amount of salt bars ready and curing from now on.  I definitely want to have the option to always use them and give them away w/o waiting.  I still will probably make more other kinds of soaps - for me  design options are more limited in salt bars -  but in terms of feeling in use they might be unbeatable from my limited experience.



You all are making it really difficult for me to wait for my bars to cure. I want to grab one and jump in the shower right now! My soaps aren't even a week old. I can see it now, irritating my skin with freshly made salt bars... and the burning from the salt in my wounds. ... Okay I CAN wait.


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## Obsidian (Aug 19, 2015)

Nevada said:


> 80% Coconut, 20% lard, 50% sea salt, 20% SF made the finest Salt bar for me yet after 1 year of curing



I'm a huge lard fan, its my favorite soaping fat but I don't care for it in salt bars. My recipe is the same as nevadas but I used 75% salt.

It just doesn't lather as well as the bars I make with 20% OO and it leaves my skin feeling powdery. Even at over a year old, they still fell "young" to me.

I had made the lard salt bars especially for my daughter and they dry her out too but my other salts bars don't.

When it comes to a salt bar, you really do need to play around with what oils to add to your coconut and the salt amount. I used to use 75%-100% salt but finally realise that with my moderately hard water, that much salt reduced the lather.
I recently started using 25% salt and love it, lather like crazy even in young bars.


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## not_ally (Aug 19, 2015)

IL, how do you *tell* when a soap is gelling?  If I am concerned about it - I usually CPOP too, but in the rare cases when I don't, I use a clear silicone mold and try to figure it out by looking, but it is not always fail-proof. 

I tried my salt soap batches w/three different amounts of salt, 80%, 50% and 30%.  So far (only cured for 5 wks or so), the 50% bar seems to have the best balance of bubbles and moisture.  But who knows, the expletive described bar - the 30% one - might have been perfect if I hadn't screwed it up.


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## rparrny (Aug 19, 2015)

Okay, so after 45 minutes or so, the top was firm but when I pulled at the sides of the loaf pan it was still sticking.  So I popped it in a cold oven, turned it on to 350 and as soon as it came to temp I turned off the oven and left it in there 15 minutes...when I took it out, the top with my "waves" had melted a bit and the top of the loaf crystalized and looked sandy...it was still not unmoldable.  I decided it was a wash and went to my friends house for a swim...ironically her new pool is salt water...lol.  Got home 2 1/2 hours later, the loaf was warm and unmoldable.  I put it in my loaf cutter and wow, I've never felt a loaf so hard in my life but it DID cut clean.  I was shocked.  I didn't see any clumps of salt but the center of the loaf was kind of clear.  I don't know if that will change as is cures. I now like the sandy looking top and envision a loaf with a light brown sandy top and a green bottom for my next batch.  My molds will be here by the weekend.  The torture will be waiting 6 months to see the results...
BTW, how to you tell if the soap is gelling?

Hoping my pics uploaded...


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## IrishLass (Aug 20, 2015)

not_ally said:


> IL, how do you *tell* when a soap is gelling? If I am concerned about it - I usually CPOP too, but in the rare cases when I don't, I use a clear silicone mold and try to figure it out by looking, but it is not always fail-proof.


 
The only tried and true way that I know of that works 100% is to gently press on the top of the soap. Like you said, going by looks is not always fail-proof, especially with salt bars, or batches that use TD in them, both of which hide gel from the eyes.

With my regular (non salt) batches, I'm usually not concerned about keeping a look out for gel as I am with salt bars. I have a time-tested 'system' that works for me 9.9 times out of 10 which pretty much gives me a high level of certainty that my soaps will gel without me babysitting them, but I like to keep an eye out for when my salt bars gel because they cut easier with a minimal amount of crumbling when caught at the right time, which is just after they set up from gel but are still hot.


IrishLass


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## shunt2011 (Aug 20, 2015)

I agree with IL.  I've cut salt bars when it looked like they were still a bit in the gel phase.  I've found putting them into a warm oven for a bit helps get the gel phase going (I turn it off when I put the mold in).  Generally within 20 minutes or so it's gelling and I usually cut it and they are still hot/warm.  Remember to use gloves. It is difficult to identify gel with salt bars though.


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## kchaystack (Aug 20, 2015)

Also, I think you were WAY too hot in the oven.  Most oven process temps are 170 or so.


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## IrishLass (Aug 20, 2015)

Ditto what Kchaystack said- 350F is way too hot. I only heat my oven to 170F/76C. You don't want to melt the soap, but just encourage it to go through the gel stage.

I'm glad they turned out well in the end! Soap can be very forgiving most times. 



			
				rparrny said:
			
		

> BTW, how to you tell if the soap is gelling?


 
Post #129 and post #135


IrishLass


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## vmakkers (Aug 20, 2015)

TeresaT said:


> Sudsy-kiwi, there are posts about not using pink Himalayan salt because it is sharp.  Of course, I didn't see these posts until after I made my pink Himalayan salt soap.  I thought I would be OK because I used my coffee grinder to pulverize the rocks into a powder. (I even did a "scratch test" on my arms with some salt paste and didn't get any abrasions.)  However, I did scratch myself in the shower with the bar.  I'm alright as long as I use a pouf or rub the bar in my hands, but definitely not directly on my body.  If you are going to use the pink Himalayan salt, keep this in mind.  Because of this issue, I won't give my first salt bars out to my friends and family that agreed to be testers.  (Really.  It's not because I'm greedily keeping them all to myself!). I'll make a new batch with softer salt and give them that.



Sad day! I just soaped my pink salt that I had sitting with the FO last week. It looked so pretty to have the nice little pink specks in it but now I'm worried it's gonna be a scratchy bar. The scent does seem to be a little bit stronger than my other ones which only sat with the FO for a few hours. I let the pink salt sit with the FO for probably almost a week....I got kinda busy. Now I kinda wanna go home and test one of the bars.


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## TeresaT (Aug 20, 2015)

vmakkers said:


> Sad day! I just soaped my pink salt that I had sitting with the FO last week. It looked so pretty to have the nice little pink specks in it but now I'm worried it's gonna be a scratchy bar. The scent does seem to be a little bit stronger than my other ones which only sat with the FO for a few hours. I let the pink salt sit with the FO for probably almost a week....I got kinda busy. Now I kinda wanna go home and test one of the bars.



Maybe you'll get lucky and the FO will have taken the edges off a little while soaking or you will have already have purchased "dull" salt instead of sharp salt.  It really is my favorite bar of all of them.  Depending on how my next salt soap turns out, I may make pink Himalayan salt bars for my own use and other salt bars for friends and family.  I certainly don't care if I get a few scratches because I forgot not to rub the bar directly on my skin.  However, I won't want that to happen to anyone else.  I'll definitely never use pink colorant in any salt bar in the future unless I go heavy on the colorant.  I may end up confusing it for the Himalayan salt.   I hope your bars aren't scratchy.  Keep a cloth or pouf handy, though.


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## Obsidian (Aug 20, 2015)

I have some bars I made with ground bath salts, they are fairly scratch so I just use a poof.


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## shunt2011 (Aug 20, 2015)

I like my bars when they are a bit scratchy. I use the same brand all the time but sometimes it's a bit more scratchy than others.


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## vmakkers (Aug 20, 2015)

TeresaT said:


> Maybe you'll get lucky and the FO will have taken the edges off a little while soaking or you will have already have purchased "dull" salt instead of sharp salt.  It really is my favorite bar of all of them.  Depending on how my next salt soap turns out, I may make pink Himalayan salt bars for my own use and other salt bars for friends and family.  I certainly don't care if I get a few scratches because I forgot not to rub the bar directly on my skin.  However, I won't want that to happen to anyone else.  I'll definitely never use pink colorant in any salt bar in the future unless I go heavy on the colorant.  I may end up confusing it for the Himalayan salt.   I hope your bars aren't scratchy.  Keep a cloth or pouf handy, though.



I usually use a pouf with all my soaps so I guess scratchiness won't be an issue but I too wanted to give some away. I'll issue a word of caution if any friends or family are set on having these ones. I forget not everyone uses a loofah with bar soaps. I do it since I feel like it saves soap and it makes more bubbles. 

I'm going to get a batch of the fine ground pink salt this weekend from WinCo. They had both coarse and fine, and I got coarse just cause I wanted to be able to just keep one kind of the salt around so I could decorate/or add it into salt bars and coarse seemed to be the better option for that. I'm curious to see whether the fine ground from the store will have the same sharpness as the ones we did ourselves. If you want, I could send some your way so you can do your own tests. Just let me know!


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## TeresaT (Aug 21, 2015)

That's sweet of you to offer.  It wouldn't be worth your trouble, though.  There is a Mia Cucina near here that has a bunch of specialty salts (and cool gadgets!).  I need to find some tiny whisks, so I might stop by and see what salts they have.


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## not_ally (Aug 22, 2015)

I would think the fine Himalayan pink salt would be fine/non-scratchy.  I've used it in mp and it was, I just don't use it in CP b/c it is more expensive than regular salt.


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## rparrny (Aug 23, 2015)

kchaystack said:


> Also, I think you were WAY too hot in the oven.  Most oven process temps are 170 or so.



Yeah, I was flying blind with this loaf and could not find any post that gave a temp...thanks for the info.


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## Spice (Aug 25, 2015)

Yooper said:


> Forgot the photo!  This is a very small batch- four bars:
> (bad picture, taken with my phone, but you get the idea):
> View attachment 15949
> 
> ...


I was wondering if I could use sea salt instead of TD for a white effect? What would happen if I just add enough for the whiteness? Maybe something like 1%, I dont what it to act like a salt bar....the cut right away....the sweating and all that.


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## cmzaha (Aug 25, 2015)

Spice said:


> I was wondering if I could use sea salt instead of TD for a white effect? What would happen if I just add enough for the whiteness? Maybe something like 1%, I dont what it to act like a salt bar....the cut right away....the sweating and all that.


It is the high coconut oil that makes salt bars white, not necessarily the salt. Salt really does not act like a colorant and will not add whiteness to your soap. Coconut Oil, Lard, tallow and olive oil will make white bars of soap. Problem with OO you will have to deal with the initial green unless you are using light Pure Olive Oil such as Refined Grade A


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## PrairieLights (Sep 18, 2015)

Seawolfe said:


> Washing with a salt bar is like dancing in the ocean waves while bruddah I'z sings to you
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_DKWlrA24k
> 
> I always have a batch of salt bars ready, I love them so. I use 80% CO (5% castor and 15% OO or Almond) and 80 % of oil weight in salt. I keep meaning to try other percentages, but I keep doing this one because its just so good. I dont bother decreasing my recipe to fit the loaf mold, and just pour the extra into cavity molds. I like the look of a cut salt bar, even if they are a pain to catch in time.




Oh for goodness sakes!!! :roll: I cannot read any further. Now I absolutely MUST go make a couple bars.:crazy: You had me at "IZ"


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## BlackDog (Sep 20, 2015)

Holy balls, you guys. I just tried my first salt bar after mere 6 week cure, and it was everything I hoped it would be. My fragrance didn't stick,  which would normally totally bum me out, but I can't even be mad because that bar felt so great.


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## JayJay (Sep 20, 2015)

BlackDog said:


> Holy balls, you guys. I just tried my first salt bar after mere 6 week cure, and it was everything I hoped it would be. My fragrance didn't stick,  which would normally totally bum me out, but I can't even be mad because that bar felt so great.



Wonderful!!

It's been 5 weeks since I made my first salt batch (25% salt).  I think I'll try mine tonight!


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## scraggybeard (Nov 4, 2015)

Looking to try my first salt bar, unfortunately all I have is a loaf mold that I usually do 54oz batches in. My recipe would be 85% CO and 15% avocado oil with 20% superfat and 80% of oil weight in salt. Does anyone have an idea of how much volume the salt would add? What amount of oils should I plan on using in the 54oz mold?


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## kumudini (Nov 4, 2015)

I don't think the salt adds a significant volume. I only have to keep one or two individual molds for extra batter and my batches are the same size as yours although I use slightly less salt at 65% Of oil weight, which I don't think matters anyway.


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## DeeAnna (Nov 5, 2015)

With salt at 85% of the soap batter, yes, the salt will definitely add a lot to the total volume. 

Scraggy -- I can't help you myself, but here are threads that might be useful to you:
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=27106
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=24852
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=33302

And if you want even more threads on this topic, see https://www.google.com/search?q=salt+bar+soap+volume+site:soapmakingforum.com&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8


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## handavaka (Nov 6, 2015)

I just unmolded a batch of salt bars that I've resized, to take some of the weight off of my big bars.


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## HappyHomeSoapCo (Nov 10, 2015)

Yes! Using the same batch size as all my recipes, my salt bars are much bigger!


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## lenarenee (Nov 10, 2015)

JayJay said:


> Wonderful!!
> 
> It's been 5 weeks since I made my first salt batch (25% salt). I think I'll try mine tonight!


 

The curiosity was killing me after I made salt bars; tried an end piece at one week and wow! was it awful. Still awful at 2 weeks. But at 3 - I started using daily as the lather was starting to come into it's own (and not causing dry/tight skin.  Can't wait to the 2 month mark when I try another!



handavaka said:


> I just unmolded a batch of salt bars that I've resized, to take some of the weight off of my big bars.


 

Those look awesome!!


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## handavaka (Nov 11, 2015)

@lenarenee

Thank you very much! I've made them in my regular soap molds, but that required me to remain vigilante and stick around for the unmolding and the little window you get to cut a straight cut without damaging or cracking the corners. So tried in a round and definitely so much easier for me to unmold, stamp and transfer to drying racks without damage. I'm usually making 2-3 different soaps at a time, and it just makes sense to make it this much easier. They are 3oz lighter too!


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## JayJay (Nov 13, 2015)

lenarenee said:


> The curiosity was killing me after I made salt bars; tried an end piece at one week and wow! was it awful. Still awful at 2 weeks. But at 3 - I started using daily as the lather was starting to come into it's own (and not causing dry/tight skin.  Can't wait to the 2 month mark when I try another!



Mine was nice at 5 weeks. I had to work on the lather a bit but it was not drying as I was expecting.



handavaka said:


> @lenarenee
> 
> Thank you very much! I've made them in my regular soap molds, but that required me to remain vigilante and stick around for the unmolding and the little window you get to cut a straight cut without damaging or cracking the corners. So tried in a round and definitely so much easier for me to unmold, stamp and transfer to drying racks without damage. I'm usually making 2-3 different soaps at a time, and it just makes sense to make it this much easier. They are 3oz lighter too!



They are gorgeous.


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## handavaka (Nov 13, 2015)

JayJay said:


> They are gorgeous.


Thank you Jay Jay!![emoji4]


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## Weety (Dec 12, 2020)

Seawolfe said:


> Washing with a salt bar is like dancing in the ocean waves while bruddah I'z sings to you
> [ame]
> 
> I always have a batch of salt bars ready, I love them so. I use 80% CO (5% castor and 15% OO or Almond) and 80 % of oil weight in salt. I keep meaning to try other percentages, but I keep doing this one because its just so good. I dont bother decreasing my recipe to fit the loaf mold, and just pour the extra into cavity molds. I like the look of a cut salt bar, even if they are a pain to catch in time.




Do salt bars turn whitish/ash?? 

My salt bars did. Rinsed then a couple of times. Anyone else have that problem?


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## Catscankim (Dec 12, 2020)

Weety said:


> Do salt bars turn whitish/ash??
> 
> My salt bars did. Rinsed then a couple of times. Anyone else have that problem?


Mine get incredible ash. But I don't color them so it just makes them look saltier. Once you use them the ash is gone


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## Savonette (Dec 12, 2020)

I remember that post!  I keep trying to make a nice one and keep failing. Either hard as rocks or they feel like 100% soda ash. Hats off to you!


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## Iluminameluna (Dec 13, 2020)

Just had to reply.
I have come up with my own recipe: 50, 30, 20 with, respectively: lard, coconut, and light olive oil, and 25% salt solution, with plain water in a 1.7:1 liquid to lye ratio. I SF @ between 4 to 6% depending on who's requesting the soap. CP, and always in individual molds. During the Summer months the ash/salt crystalline formation is awful or was. But I no longer blend it to medium trace, I use the stick to just bring it to an emulsion and then let the batter sit in the molds for as long as it wants to solidify. In this case, 4 days.
I include 2 photos. The smaller soap is the one that took 4 days to solidify. It practically jumped out of the mold. And it was one of those little plastic cups they sometimes give you at take-out places with condiments (recycle code 6). The larger mold was from a fruit cup. Came with either pineapple or peach cubes (Zee Zee brand? Recycle code 6 or 5). They were harder to remove because I didn't know any better and took them out in 2 days. But also, they weren't so lard heavy, only 35%, 35% light olive, 25% CO 76°, Ca 5% but the salt solution was also 25%. SF 4%, and CP.
If this helps anyone who's wanting to try lard, or is struggling with a lard recipe, it can be done. The lather is SO luxurious. My family (ok, my oldest son who's a real stickler about what he puts on his skin) were my first Guinea pigs, then he recommended the soap to his best friend, an older lady with 2 young daughters he'd help raise, they had problem skin like his, and so on. Now they've spread the word, and my soaps are getting around.


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## Obsidian (Dec 13, 2020)

Iluminameluna said:


> Just had to reply.
> I have come up with my own recipe: 50, 30, 20 with, respectively: lard, coconut, and light olive oil, and 25% salt solution, with plain water in a 1.7:1 liquid to lye ratio. I SF @ between 4 to 6% depending on who's requesting the soap.



You are making brine soap, we are talking about salt bars which have significantly different recipes and a lot more salt.


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## linne1gi (Dec 13, 2020)

I love Salt Bars - My favorite recipe is 80% Coconut Oil 15% Macadamia Oil, 5% Castor Oil, 75% Salt, 20% super fat.  Here's a photo of my latest salt bars.


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## Hope Ann (Dec 13, 2020)

Iluminameluna said:


> Just had to reply.
> I have come up with my own recipe: 50, 30, 20 with, respectively: lard, coconut, and light olive oil, and 25% salt solution, with plain water in a 1.7:1 liquid to lye ratio. I SF @ between 4 to 6%



That sounds lovely.  What is the cure time?

Hope


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## Iluminameluna (Dec 17, 2020)

Obsidian said:


> You are making brine soap, we are talking about salt bars which have significantly different recipes and a lot more salt.



Oops, sorry. Didn't mean to intrude.


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## cmzaha (Dec 17, 2020)

Iluminameluna said:


> Oops, sorry. Didn't mean to intrude.


It is okay, you did not intrude. Brine (Soleseife) soaps are lovely and I make them too, but I also make Salt Bars that are 100% salt that was some of the first soap I ever made. I prefer my salt bars to cure a min of 8 months with 12 months. Five years makes a premium salt bar.


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## Obsidian (Dec 17, 2020)

Iluminameluna said:


> Oops, sorry. Didn't mean to intrude.



No, you didn't intrude. Just pointing out that your recipe is different and it will behave and cure differently.


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## Iluminameluna (Dec 19, 2020)

Hope Ann said:


> That sounds lovely.  What is the cure time?
> Hope


I cure them for no less than 8 weeks because I don't like their surface grittiness. But that's just me.
More on this recipe on a separate thread.


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## MarinaB (Feb 13, 2021)

I have seen a link how to make salt bars with shea butter.  Eventually I got shea butter but cannot find that topic where was the link. That link inspired me to get shea butter and get some salt. Does anyone make salt bars with shea butter?


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## linne1gi (Feb 14, 2021)

MarinaB said:


> I have seen a link how to make salt bars with shea butter.  Eventually I got shea butter but cannot find that topic where was the link. That link inspired me to get shea butter and get some salt. Does anyone make salt bars with shea butter?


I also use Shea Butter sometimes. 80% Coconut, 20% Shea Butter, 75% fine salt, 20% SF.  I just found an oldish salt bar (guessing 3 years old)  in the back of a closet (we’re moving) and I tried it out and wowza, that bar has the most luxurious suds.


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## cmzaha (Feb 14, 2021)

Shea Butter really does very little in a salt bar and without a very long cure, actually a couple of years, it will deter from lather. I would save the Shea for a something it will be nice in.


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## linne1gi (Feb 14, 2021)

cmzaha said:


> Shea Butter really does very little in a salt bar and without a very long cure, actually a couple of years, it will deter from lather. I would save the Shea for a something it will be nice in.


I really love the salt bars with Shea Butter.  My opinion.


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## AliOop (Feb 20, 2021)

@MarinaB Holly of Kapia Mera (her YouTube channel) has a salt bar recipe with clay and shea butter. With all those ingredients and only 10% salt, it doesn't really fit my idea of a salt bar, but maybe it was the one you were looking for.


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## linne1gi (Feb 20, 2021)

AliOop said:


> @MarinaB Holly of Kapia Mera (her YouTube channel) has a salt bar recipe with clay and shea butter. With all those ingredients and only 10% salt, it doesn't really fit my idea of a salt bar, but maybe it was the one you were looking for.


More like a brine bar?


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## AliOop (Feb 20, 2021)

linne1gi said:


> More like a brine bar?


Yes as far as the low salt ratio, but she doesn’t put the salt in the water - she puts it in the batter like a salt bar. The bars look so pretty, and I do like clay in my soaps, so I’ve been meaning to try them.


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## Oregon Groves (Feb 22, 2021)

Would it be at all possible to make salt bars with goat's milk?


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## AliOop (Feb 22, 2021)

Oregon Groves said:


> Would it be at all possible to make salt bars with goat's milk?


Yes, you can use any milk in soap.  _(Corrected since I accidentally put the response here to another question about breast milk soap -sorry about that!)_


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## linne1gi (Feb 22, 2021)

Oregon Groves said:


> Would it be at all possible to make salt bars with goat's milk?


You could use any milk.


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## Ryk.dan (Feb 22, 2021)

About 6 weeks ago I made sea salt soap... I just started using it and it is great.


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## Cheeky Goat (Feb 22, 2021)

Oregon Groves said:


> Would it be at all possible to make salt bars with goat's milk?



Yup! I make all mine with goats milk. It helps with bubbles.


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## Oregon Groves (Feb 22, 2021)

Well awesome! Looks like I will be creating one of these bad boys for my collection.


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## linne1gi (Feb 22, 2021)

Ryk.dan said:


> About 6 weeks ago I made sea salt soap... I just started using it and it is great.


I like to cure my salt bars for 6 months.


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## Oregon Groves (Feb 22, 2021)

linne1gi said:


> I like to cure my salt bars for 6 months.





linne1gi said:


> I like to cure my salt bars for 6 months.


 
I read that you are suppose to cure for a minimum of 6 months.
I'll make a batch a forget about it  Are they pretty popular? Maybe I should make some samples as well. Not sure how much I should make. Everyone seems to love them. It's just me creating soap right now. I am needing to get larger molds in the future I suppose.


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## linne1gi (Feb 22, 2021)

Oregon Groves said:


> I read that you are suppose to cure for a minimum of 6 months.
> I'll make a batch a forget about it  Are they pretty popular? Maybe I should make some samples as well. Not sure how much I should make. Everyone seems to love them. It's just me creating soap right now. I am needing to get larger molds in the future I suppose.


They are very popular!


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## Ryk.dan (Feb 22, 2021)

6 months? Wow! I have a while to wait. I assumed 6 - 8 weeks... I'll keep waiting to use the rest of it.

Thank you.


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## Nina F (Feb 22, 2021)

Ryk.dan said:


> About 6 weeks ago I made sea salt soap... I just started using it and it is great.


I’ve just made my first batch of seasalt soap and discovered it goes crumbly pretty quickly, so next time I’ll make it individual moulds. As I haven’t used it yet  can you tell me what’s so good about salt soap?



shunt2011 said:


> Can't help you with the HP question but as far as keeping them in the shower that is fine as long as they are allowed good drainage and air circulation.  I've not had a problem.
> 
> I love salt bars and pretty much use them exclusively.   I use 80% CO, 15% Avocado and 5% Castor with 20% SF and 25-30% Salt.  I use milk as 1/2 the liquid amount or beer.


What’s SF?


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## Cal43 (Feb 22, 2021)

I wanna try to make salt bars now after hearing about the good stuff it does for the body. I want to try it before I make it. The descriptions of a salt bar sounds so tempting and inviting.

Ist


Nina F said:


> What’s SF?


it’s the abbreviation for Supper Fat


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## Nina F (Feb 22, 2021)

Cal43 said:


> Ist
> it’s the abbreviation for Supper Fat


Of course. Doh! Sorry, I’m new to this


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