# First try at salt bars



## Dawni (Jul 18, 2019)

I had paprika infused RBO and really wanted to use it before it starts going rancid so it's 15% of this soap, the rest being coconut. Sea salt is 50% because I was too chicken to try higher lol

I haven't unmolded everything but here's a sneak peak, as well as some questions for the experts.





See that one bar, bottom left? I've been eyeing that for about 3hrs now and it's the only one "sweating." Why is that?

Also, I was under the impression salt bars harden very quickly. I'm counting 9hrs since molding and they're not hard yet, and I've spoiled a piece testing it coz it stuck to the mold. Did I use too much water (30% lye concentration)?

And oh.. Paprika and annatto did speed up trace for me, and smells a lil weird lol which is unfortunate coz I forgot to scent these.

Edit:
Finally unmolded!


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## cmzaha (Jul 18, 2019)

Those look really pretty.


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## dibbles (Jul 18, 2019)

Those look so nice Dawni! I don't know why you have sweating on only one bar, unless you poured all the soaps without stirring during the pour and more salt settled into that one. Was it the last one poured by any chance? 

I use individual cavity molds for my salt bars and find that they usually need a nudge to heat up and gel. I think the loafs generate a lot of heat, and those are the ones that need to be watched and unmolded within a couple of hours.


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## jcandleattic (Jul 18, 2019)

I agree with dibbles, 

And yes, they are very pretty.


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## Dawni (Jul 18, 2019)

Thanks guys!



dibbles said:


> Those look so nice Dawni! I don't know why you have sweating on only one bar, unless you poured all the soaps without stirring during the pour and more salt settled into that one. Was it the last one poured by any chance?
> 
> I use individual cavity molds for my salt bars and find that they usually need a nudge to heat up and gel. I think the loafs generate a lot of heat, and those are the ones that need to be watched and unmolded within a couple of hours.


No it wasn't the last to be poured but maybe there could be salt clumps that weren't properly mixed under there?

I'm too off to deal with babysitting a loaf so I used individual molds this time but thanks for the reminder. I do know that loaves generate more heat than single cavity molds but I forgot lol


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## Marilyn Norgart (Jul 18, 2019)

I really like how these look--can ya say dreamsicle?


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## Mobjack Bay (Jul 18, 2019)

They look great!  50% makes a very nice salt bar as far I can tell based on my vast experience .


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## runnerchicki (Jul 19, 2019)

Nice! I have salt bars on my bucket list. I think yours look really pretty!


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## Dawni (Jul 19, 2019)

Thanks loves  

I've unmolded n edited the first post. Scroll up ^^


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## scard (Jul 20, 2019)

They came out great, I like that shade of yellow.


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## Mobjack Bay (Jul 20, 2019)

I don’t know why I though paprika made red soap.  I LOVE the color of your soaps.  They remind me of the daffodils and forsythia that are everywhere in my part of the world in the spring!  Happy color


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## KristaY (Jul 20, 2019)

They look terrific Dawni and I love the yellow you got. Great work!


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## Dawni (Jul 20, 2019)

Mobjack Bay said:


> I don’t know why I though paprika made red soap.  I LOVE the color of your soaps.  They remind me of the daffodils and forsythia that are everywhere in my part of the world in the spring!  Happy color


Thank you! I thought I'd get some shade of darker oranges... Maybe it was the salt?


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## Tasha (Jul 21, 2019)

Hi Dawni, what do you mean by 50% salt?


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## cmzaha (Jul 21, 2019)

@Tasha, not Dawni, but the 50% salt usually pertains to adding 50% of your batch oil amount. I make salt bars with 54 oz oils and 54-60 oz salt. So I add in at least 100% salt. I do not include the percentage using total batch weight only oil weight.


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## SunRiseArts (Jul 21, 2019)

Whoa, great job!


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## Tasha (Jul 22, 2019)

cmzaha said:


> @Tasha, not Dawni, but the 50% salt usually pertains to adding 50% of your batch oil amount. I make salt bars with 54 oz oils and 54-60 oz salt. So I add in at least 100% salt. I do not include the percentage using total batch weight only oil weight.


I was just trying to see if it was 50% of the total soap recipe or of just the oils. Thanks for clarifying!


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## Dawni (Jul 22, 2019)

@cmzaha, or anyone else actually... Have you tried different percentages of salt and noted the difference? And what made you choose the amount you did? I'm suddenly curious..

I want to try to make my next salt bars in a loaf mold, and I'm thinking if I should stick to the 50% I tried or use a higher % this time. But then having to wait so long for a good enough cure is putting me off from doing it just for testing..


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## earlene (Jul 23, 2019)

*Dawni*, only once did I make a salt soap in a loaf mold (well more like a slab mold than an actual loaf) and cutting it was a huge pain.  It has to be cut while still very warm to hot; it crumbles too easily; and after a longer cure it still is very rough around the edges. 

Whereas my salt soap made in individual molds are almost as smooth as silk around the outer surfaces and remained so during the entire cure (over a year now).

I used a Stainless Steel pastry scraper for cutting that slab mold salt soap, not a wire.  I have no idea how well a wire cutter works with salt soap.


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## Dawni (Oct 15, 2019)

I don't think I'm gonna make salt bars until I find a way to minimize sweating... 

Check out re-crystallized salt on the surfaces of these ones. I was gone and hadn't checked on em for about 2wks and for some reason, wasn't surprised to see this.




I also noticed my surfaces aren't as smooth as they initially were... Is this a result of the sweating also? What do these two effects mean for the soap?


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## Mobjack Bay (Oct 15, 2019)

I noticed that the salt bars I made with standard sea salt look more textured after 4 months than the ones I made with salt that was almost powder.  Maybe those salt crystals you’re getting will brush off if they get a chance to dry out.  Maybe that’s a big IF. They still look nice and I would be happy to have one.


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## runnerchicki (Oct 15, 2019)

My salt bars that are a month or so old are starting to look a bit speckly and have a slight texture (I used 75% of oil weight for salt). Can you brush the salt off or is it stuck to the surface? If it is stuck in the soap, it will probably just dissolve the first time they get used. Have you tested a bar yet?


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## SunRiseArts (Oct 16, 2019)

wow Dawni, I have never seen anything like that.  Did you mix it well before you poured?  I am guessing they are CP?


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## shunt2011 (Oct 16, 2019)

I've not seen that happen before.  However, if they sweat a lot the salt is probably melting and resolidifying on top of the soap. If there's anyway to keep some air circulation on them like a fan that may help.


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## TheGecko (Oct 16, 2019)

Dawni said:


> I don't think I'm gonna make salt bars until I find a way to minimize sweating...
> 
> Check out re-crystallized salt on the surfaces of these ones. I was gone and hadn't checked on em for about 2wks and for some reason, wasn't surprised to see this.  I also noticed my surfaces aren't as smooth as they initially were... Is this a result of the sweating also? What do these two effects mean for the soap?



My second batch has been curing for around 3 months now (first one was a complete disaster, my fault).  I too used a 30% lye solution and with cooling temperatures, it was 48 hours before I unmolded.  They popped out of the cavities quite nicely and I trimmed off the overflow.  I was expecting it to look like 'soap', but it was mottled and a bit rough but since it was 'soap'...I just decided to leave it alone except for turning it twice a week.  It had been my intention to sell it at the Craft Fair next month, but based on what I have read on this forum I'll let it be until the first of the year.

It's still a bit mottled looking, but that would be logical since the salt is whiter than the soap.  I've decided that I like it and can use it as assurance to customers that it is a proper salt bar.  The surface is no longer rough though the mottling makes it look so.  It should be noted that I am curing in my garage and the temperatures have been between 60s during the day and 40s at night.


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## JasmineTea (Oct 16, 2019)

I use the exact same recipe over and over, but not all of my bars sweat. It seems to be what they are fragranced with. The ones with peppermint and lime eo's were some of the worst sweat-ers. I use only cavity molds.


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## Dawni (Oct 17, 2019)

Mobjack Bay said:


> Maybe those salt crystals you’re getting will brush off if they get a chance to dry out.  Maybe that’s a big IF. They still look nice and I would be happy to have one.


Thank you 
The earlier pic was dried salt sitting on top of the soap. Most did brush off but some had stuck a bit n this soap now has mini craters.
I figured it's the salty water that pooled on top of this soap and left crystals when the water evaporated. I wasn't here to wipe em off for two weeks. Funny though, the salt I used was way finer than these crystals.


runnerchicki said:


> My salt bars that are a month or so old are starting to look a bit speckly and have a slight texture (I used 75% of oil weight for salt). Can you brush the salt off or is it stuck to the surface? If it is stuck in the soap, it will probably just dissolve the first time they get used. Have you tested a bar yet?


See above 
Mine are also speckled n have a texture that I wouldn't exactly call rough. I haven't tested these ones yet, but I have tried one of the mini ones.


SunRiseArts said:


> wow Dawni, I have never seen anything like that.  Did you mix it well before you poured?  I am guessing they are CP?


I can't say if I did. I hope I did lol. I poured between medium n heavy trace (I think) to try n make sure the salt is suspended n won't settle on the bottoms. Yes, they are CP.


shunt2011 said:


> I've not seen that happen before.  However, if they sweat a lot the salt is probably melting and resolidifying on top of the soap. If there's anyway to keep some air circulation on them like a fan that may help.


That's my guess, too. There is a ceiling fan constantly on in this room (my teenagers room) even when he's off to school, and some nights when it's unbearable he even turns on the AC. I need to find a way to cure these better I know..


TheGecko said:


> It's still a bit mottled looking, but that would be logical since the salt is whiter than the soap.  I've decided that I like it and can use it as assurance to customers that it is a proper salt bar.  The surface is no longer rough though the mottling makes it look so.  It should be noted that I am curing in my garage and the temperatures have been between 60s during the day and 40s at night.


I like that! It does look so different from any other soap coz of the mottling. I probably won't be selling this batch, or none til I can figure out how to cure em properly for a year or at least 9mos.


JasmineTea said:


> I use the exact same recipe over and over, but not all of my bars sweat. It seems to be what they are fragranced with. The ones with peppermint and lime eo's were some of the worst sweat-ers. I use only cavity molds.


These particular ones are unscented hehehe.


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## Rsapienza (Oct 17, 2019)

These are amazeballs!!! I love a salt bar!



Dawni said:


> @cmzaha, or anyone else actually... Have you tried different percentages of salt and noted the difference? And what made you choose the amount you did? I'm suddenly curious..
> 
> I want to try to make my next salt bars in a loaf mold, and I'm thinking if I should stick to the 50% I tried or use a higher % this time. But then having to wait so long for a good enough cure is putting me off from doing it just for testing..


I have made many salt bars. Always in individual molds. I have used all different salt amounts. The first ones I ever did were 100% salt and I believe I've gone down to 50%. So far, it seems to me that the lather isn't as abundant with 100% salt. I liked the lather of 85% better. I do let them cure at least a year and I use fine sea salt. Well....one batch I mixed sea salt with Himalayan. Lets just say those bars are for me only and can only be used with a wash cloth. So scratchy! (That was the last time I ignored the advice of the seasoned soapers on this site)


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## Dawni (Oct 17, 2019)

Rsapienza said:


> The first ones I ever did were 100% salt and I believe I've gone down to 50%. So far, it seems to me that the lather isn't as abundant with 100% salt. I liked the lather of 85% better.


Thank you for that


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## Marilyn Norgart (Oct 17, 2019)

I wonder next time you make them if you could put them in a plastic bin with a tub of the stuff that absorbs moisture?  that bites esp with all the waiting around--have you tried one yet?


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## Dawni (Oct 19, 2019)

Marilyn Norgart said:


> I wonder next time you make them if you could put them in a plastic bin with a tub of the stuff that absorbs moisture?  that bites esp with all the waiting around--have you tried one yet?


The silica stuff?
Once my soap cures I have em in boxes that have raw rice grains in em to help combat moisture... I don't know why I haven't done that for these ones *smacks forehead*

I am planning to try again, but in HP, and I'll change tactics for curing that batch. 

I'll take a mini one to shower with tomorrow. I've only used some crumbs that fell off to wash my hands so far..


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## Dawni (Oct 20, 2019)

Speaking of crumbs.. Here's one in action. Note that the fan was popping some bubbles while I rinsed my other hand to take this pic lol




I forgot to take a mini soap with me when I showered @Marilyn Norgart, so skin feel update on parts other than my hands will have to wait a bit lol.

Although I have to say that even at this young age this soap feels good. I'm not disagreeing with the wait a year suggestion for salt bars, but I'm thinking that at this amount of coconut (85%) and this amount of salt (50%), the soap could be good to use before 12mos. Would it be different for a higher coconut and/or salt content bar?

I figured, if I cure (and sometimes sell) my regular soap after 2mos anyway, even if I know they'll be better after 6mos for example, why can't I cure (and maybe sell) salt bars after 4-6mos, even if I know they'll be better after a year? Mind you, it's a real question, not because I'm rushing to sell this or anything lol


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## dibbles (Oct 21, 2019)

I wait 6 months to use my salt bars. I rotate the soaps I am using at any given time, so most of my salt bars are used at 1-2 years, but I will start using them at 6 months. I use 85% coconut oil and have settled on 50% salt as my favorite.


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## cmzaha (Oct 21, 2019)

Dawni said:


> @cmzaha, or anyone else actually... Have you tried different percentages of salt and noted the difference? And what made you choose the amount you did? I'm suddenly curious..
> 
> I want to try to make my next salt bars in a loaf mold, and I'm thinking if I should stick to the 50% I tried or use a higher % this time. But then having to wait so long for a good enough cure is putting me off from doing it just for testing..


When I first started making salt bars I started with 100% and never changed. I have actually used more than 100%. I pour in my log mold and cut in approx 45 min, while they are still quite warm. That is the very tricky part. For my hubby and me the more salt the better.


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## shunt2011 (Oct 22, 2019)

Dawni said:


> Speaking of crumbs.. Here's one in action. Note that the fan was popping some bubbles while I rinsed my other hand to take this pic lol
> View attachment 42122
> 
> I forgot to take a mini soap with me when I showered @Marilyn Norgart, so skin feel update on parts other than my hands will have to wait a bit lol.
> ...



That's what mine are made with.  They are usable at 6 months and not bad at all  but I still love them even more at 12 or longer.  I've tried various amounts of salt.  Started at 100% and went down from there.  I found my happy spot was about 50%.  I can put them in a loaf mold and cut them in 2-3 hours with my wire cutter.  They are still really warm when cut.


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