# what does salt add to soap



## elvira (Apr 5, 2017)

why is salt used in soaps: does it facilitate trace? or does it add something to the soap? both?


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## toxikon (Apr 5, 2017)

It creates a harder bar, but also inhibits lather. So it is definitely a balancing act. You can add just a little bit (like 1 tbsp PPO) to get some extra bar hardness - you can dissolve it in your lye water or add it straight to your batter - if you add it straight you may be able to see the little crystals in your soap.

"Salt bars" are bars with a high percentage of salt - 50%-120% of your oil weight. These bars usually need a high (or 100%) value of coconut oil for a nice bubbly lather. Because the salt inhibits lather, you need a lot of coconut oil because it produces lots of bubbles and lather.

"Brine bars" are similar to salt bars, but the salt is all dissolved in the lye water. You need to use less salt for these to insure all the salt dissolves.

In both cases, you will have a hard bar that feels smooth like marble. The downside is that they typically wont last as long, because more of the bar dissolves during each use with the high coconut oil and salt content.

Hope that helps.


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## shunt2011 (Apr 5, 2017)

toxikon said:


> It creates a harder bar, but also inhibits lather. So it is definitely a balancing act. You can add just a little bit (like 1 tbsp PPO) to get some extra bar hardness - you can dissolve it in your lye water or add it straight to your batter - if you add it straight you may be able to see the little crystals in your soap.
> 
> "Salt bars" are bars with a high percentage of salt - 50%-120% of your oil weight. These bars usually need a high (or 100%) value of coconut oil for a nice bubbly lather. Because the salt inhibits lather, you need a lot of coconut oil because it produces lots of bubbles and lather.
> 
> ...


 
My salt bars last longer than my regular soaps most times.  Even though they are high coconut (80%) and I use 35-40% Salt.  They last too long in some cases. It will totally depend on the recipe and where you leave them between showers.  If you let them dry out you are good to go.


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## toxikon (Apr 5, 2017)

shunt2011 said:


> My salt bars last longer than my regular soaps most times.  Even though they are high coconut (80%) and I use 35-40% Salt.  They last too long in some cases. It will totally depend on the recipe and where you leave them between showers.  If you let them dry out you are good to go.



That's funny, my salt bars have been dissolving like crazy. Like chunks will come off in the shower. We let it dry between uses. My recipe was 80% CO, 20% OO. With a 20% SF and 50% fine sea salt.


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## earlene (Apr 5, 2017)

Supposedly pure CO soap is the only one that lathers in saltwater.  Not that it seems to matter to people who sail around and actually do bathe in seawater. I looked on some sailing forums for information about what type of soap they use/recommend to each other when sailing and bathing in seawater.  Besides the synthetic liquid soaps (of various kinds) the most often recommended bar soap seems to be 'Kirk's Coco Castile' soap and 'Ivory' soap (both bar & liquid soap), and 'any Castile' soap was also mentioned by several sailor-types on those forums.

So it did not appear that they had heard that only CO soap lathers in the presence of salt.

Therefore, given that information, I wonder why we keep believing that high CO is required in _Soleseife_ bars?

Anyway, there is a lot of information out there about how beneficial bathing in saltwater is, and my guess would be that such benefits may have some impact on why so many people enjoy a nice salt bar.


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## Seawolfe (Apr 5, 2017)

I have said it before and Ill say it again - bathing with a salt bar is like playing in the waves and  having bruddah Iz sing to you:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWtNtO5ELQw[/ame]
I find them awfully soothing, and nicely cleansing without stripping. Ill even use mine on my hair once in a while if I'm horrifically grubby.
My bars are super simple 80% CO, 15%OO (or almond or whatevs), 5% Castor, 20% SF, 80% salt ppo. A nice mint & eucalyptus EO mix in the summer is SO refreshing.


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## Susie (Apr 5, 2017)

Seawolfe said:


> I have said it before and Ill say it again - bathing with a salt bar is like playing in the waves and  having bruddah Iz sing to you:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWtNtO5ELQw
> I find them awfully soothing, and nicely cleansing without stripping. Ill even use mine on my hair once in a while if I'm horrifically grubby.
> My bars are super simple 80% CO, 15%OO (or almond or whatevs), 5% Castor, 20% SF, 80% salt ppo. A nice mint & eucalyptus EO mix in the summer is SO refreshing.



That is one of my favorite arrangements of that song!


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## IrishLass (Apr 5, 2017)

earlene said:


> I looked on some sailing forums for information about what type of soap they use/recommend to each other when sailing and bathing in seawater. Besides the synthetic liquid soaps (of various kinds) the most often recommended bar soap seems to be 'Kirk's Coco Castile' soap and 'Ivory' soap (both bar & liquid soap), and 'any Castile' soap was also mentioned by several sailor-types on those forums.
> 
> So it did not appear that they had heard that only CO soap lathers in the presence of salt.


 
Kirk's Coco Castile is not a true Castile even though they label it that way (they were actually taken to court over it several decades ago and were eventually given the okay by the FTC to do so). The folks on the sailing forums may not know it, but it is actually made with all coconut oil as the saponified fat: "Sodium Cocoate, Water, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Gluconate, Fragrance". No other oils but coconut.

The only saponified fats in Ivory are tallow and coconut (and/or PKO).


IrishLass


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## earlene (Apr 5, 2017)

So maybe it is true that it is the only oil that in soap will bubble & lather in the presence of saltwater.  I don't know.  I've actually never used soap in seawater.  I suppose I would if I were a sailor, but at this late date, I doubt I'll be learning to sail now.


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## BattleGnome (Apr 5, 2017)

But you could take the grandkids on vacation to see the ocean (whichever one they migh not have seen yet). Or suggest it to one of them if they are in the "science fair" age group.

My dad had an uncle who would occasionally bring a bar of soap into my parents' chlorinated pool because he was used to bathing in the river back home to save on water bills.


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## WeaversPort (Apr 6, 2017)

While noodling around the internet, I found this sea salt soap recipe I'm curious to try.. Especially after reading this thread. 

http://www.soaprecipes101.com/homemade-soap-recipes/sea-salt-soap-recipe/


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## Seawolfe (Apr 6, 2017)

Meh. To me that recipe looks like a regular soap with the coconut upped and too little salt to make much of a difference.


WeaversPort said:


> While noodling around the internet, I found this sea salt soap recipe I'm curious to try.. Especially after reading this thread.
> 
> http://www.soaprecipes101.com/homemade-soap-recipes/sea-salt-soap-recipe/


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## WeaversPort (Apr 6, 2017)

Seawolfe said:


> Meh. To me that recipe looks like a regular soap with the coconut upped and too little salt to make much of a difference.



So you would suggest much more salt to really get a nice salt bar? 

I've never used one, so I have nothing to compare it to..


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## shunt2011 (Apr 6, 2017)

WeaversPort said:


> So you would suggest much more salt to really get a nice salt bar?
> 
> I've never used one, so I have nothing to compare it to..


 
You need at least 80% CO for Salt Soap with rich creamy lather.  That recipe as listed may not have much lather due to the Shea and salt.  I don't think that would be a great recipe at all.  But you are always free to give it a shot.  You may like it.


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## IrishLass (Apr 6, 2017)

I agree with Seawolfe and Shari- I wouldn't call that a salt bar recipe. That's just a regular/traditional CP recipe with a hint of salt tossed in (as the blogger states in a single sentence at the bottom of one of the paragraphs before the recipe. If you blink, you'll miss it  ). The amount of salt used in it is plenty enough to harden the soap much like sodium lactate would, but it's not nearly enough salt to enable anyone to recognize the bar as being a salt bar if they were to pick it up and use it.

What sets salt bars apart from the pack of regular CP (or HP) is that they contain lots of salt and coconut oil (the coconut oil helps them to be able to lather halfway decently in the presence of all that salt). Everyone has their own formula with differing ratios of salt:coconut oil, but both are normally on the high end of the spectrum. For what it's worth, here is my own personal salt bar formula:

100% coconut oil
100% coconut milk in place of my water amount (using the 'split method' of milk soaping)
30% sea salt ppo
13% S/F


IrishLass


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## WeaversPort (Apr 6, 2017)

Now I'm curious, what does a salt bar feel like? Is it scrubby? Like if it had coffee grounds or something in it? What makes it feel different than regular soap, or why would someone choose a salt bar? 

I've never heard of it before now.


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## Seawolfe (Apr 6, 2017)

Its not scrubby, its not exfoliating. The bar itself wears down to feel like a river rock, and the lather and skin feel isn't like anything else. Just makesome! Use cavity molds or you have to time the cutting juuuust right. Honestly, its one of the easiest recipes ever with super simple ingredients.


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## IrishLass (Apr 6, 2017)

Yep- what Seawolfe said- it's not scrubby or exfoliating...... although I've heard of some folks that made the mistake of using coarse salt and ended up with ouchy scratches on their skin. I use fine sea salt in mine and it's never scratchy. 

How it feels......it's so hard for me to describe the 'soap feel' of it because such things are so subjective and uniquely experienced from person to person. For what its worth, I grew up by the ocean and spent many summers swimming in it, and although it might be totally my imagination based on my childhood memories, showering with a salt bar makes my skin feel wonderfully refreshed, just as if I had bathed in the ocean. To make my whole oceanic experience complete, I like to scent my salt bars with Salty Sailor from Daystar, which smells like Cape Cod in a bottle to me. 


IrishLass


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## WeaversPort (Apr 6, 2017)

This sounds wonderful.. It might be one of the few bars of soap I could get my boyfriend to try as well. He's into bodywash, but loves the ocean and loved growing up near Florida beaches. Any ocean time, and he's a happy guy. 

As it stands now, he says he's willing to consider using one of my bars of soap if I find a way to fragrance it "Banilla" (Banana + Vanilla).

Considering I generally dislike most "sweet" and food dominant scents, I'm putting "Banilla" in the category of "things we do for love".


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## Ely (Apr 8, 2017)

Would you please tell me the percentage of sea salt ppo in soap? I have tried 25% and 50% but to me they are the same. I would like to know the best ratio of salt in salt bar soap.  
Thanks in advance


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## DeeAnna (Apr 9, 2017)

If 25% and 50% salt makes soap that isn't greatly different to you, then use the one that makes the soap easiest to make. There is no one best amount of salt for everyone -- it is whatever YOU like best. People use anywhere from 25% salt based on the total fat weight up to 100% salt.


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## IrishLass (Apr 9, 2017)

Ditto what DeeAnna said^^^. It's completely a matter of personal taste. My first salt bars were made with 100% salt as per the weight of my oils, but after a fair bit of experimentation, I found that I liked a lower amount better. 


IrishLass


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## Zany_in_CO (Apr 10, 2017)

Seawolfe said:


> I have said it before and Ill say it again - bathing with a salt bar is like playing in the waves and  having bruddah Iz sing to you:
> ...My bars are super simple 80% CO, 15%OO (or almond or whatevs), 5% Castor, 20% SF, 80% salt ppo. A nice mint & eucalyptus EO mix in the summer is SO refreshing.


Thank you Seawolfe for your words, a "time out" with bruddah Iz and for sharing your recipe. I feel refreshed!


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## Ely (Apr 11, 2017)

Dear DeeAnna and IrishLass 
thanks for your advice . The reason I asked this question was I do not have someone to test my soaps and find the difference  so I wanted to have your recommendation about the usage rate as a pro in soap making and active in business.


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## DeeAnna (Apr 11, 2017)

Ely -- honestly, it's truly all about personal preference. Anywhere from 25% to 100% salt per weight of oils will make a nice salt bar. If you were to sell salt bars anywhere within this range of salt content, customers would be fine with them.


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## Ely (Apr 11, 2017)

DeeAnna said:


> Ely -- honestly, it's truly all about personal preference. Anywhere from 25% to 100% salt per weight of oils will make a nice salt bar. If you were to sell salt bars anywhere within this range of salt content, customers would be fine with them.



DeeAnna, Thanks a lot for your help.


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## IrishLass (Apr 11, 2017)

Ely said:
			
		

> The reason I asked this question was I do not have someone to test my soaps and find the difference so I wanted to have your recommendation about the usage rate as a pro in soap making and active in business.


Hi Ely- I don't sell- I'm just a long-time, obsessive soap-maker/user.   Besides using my soap on myself and the rest of my household, I also gift it out to my family and friends. My testers are just me, and my family and friends, but mostly just me, my hubby and son because the only soap we use in our house is what I make. If either of us 3 don't like it, I just tweak things until we do like it. That's what I like about making soap myself- I can custom design the recipe to our own tastes.

Don't worry about not having any testers- if it's just you in your household, the best tester is yourself. 


IrishLass


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