Benefits of a salt bar?

[DeeAnna]

"...why would you market a soap that you think is too drying to men?..."

What Kiwi thinks is too drying for her skin might be wonderful for someone else. Many men tend to like a more cleansing soap that may be too drying for many women. I think these differences may also be related to climate (hot, humid vs cool, dry), genetics, the person's age, etc.

I'm still trialing the salt bar I made at the very end of 2018, and after almost 11 months of cure, I'm still not sure I like it all that well. It has certainly become milder as the months have passed, but not enough to suit my skin. I think salt is refreshing, but I wish I could get the pleasant feel of bathing with salt without using a lot of coconut oil to boost the lather.

 

[penelopejane]

I've decided that I may not make any more salt bars. Or at least if I do, I will make them with 'manly' scents and 'manly' colours to market to men. I think, even with 20% superfat that they are too drying.

I use 55% OO and 40% CO and 5% castor oil and 60% salt and cure for 9 months minimum and my family and I love them. We don’t have an obsession with bubbles but we really go for gentle soap.

Himalayan salt bar drew blood on my arm. I chucked out all the bars and use the salt for cooking only. I get the shivers when I see chunky of it “prettily” decorating the tops of soap.

 

[Dawni]

Himalayan salt bar drew blood on my arm. I chucked out all the bars and use the salt for cooking only. I get the shivers when I see chunky of it “prettily” decorating the tops of soap.

Or big-ish pink crystals inside/within the soap....

 

[Quilter99755]

I use 50% OO and 50% CO and 60% salt and cure for 9 months minimum and my family and I love them. We don’t have an obsession with bubbles but we really go for gentle soap.

Himalayan salt bar drew blood on my arm. I chucked out all the bars and use the salt for cooking only. I get the shivers when I see chunky of it “prettily” decorating the tops of soap.

Did you super fat the soap at 50/50? I've been lurking here (and other places) to decide on whether to do a salt bar or a brine bar. The last few messages have tilted to salt BUT it will also be my first try at CP soaping, so it's easier to read than decide. Thanks to advice here I didn't jump in and try my usual HP. LOL Maybe I should just try a regular CP recipe first rather than the salt or brine bar?

 

[Nanette]

For me it depends on the time of year. In summer a nice cleansing bar is great...in winter I turn into a dried leaf, as does everyone else so the cleansing soaps arent as pleasant...darnit!

 

[Dawni]

Maybe I should just try a regular CP recipe first rather than the salt or brine bar?

My first ever CP soap was a brine bar

Prior to that, and until now actually, it was/is always HP. I only have a few CP batches that aren't soleseifes. My latest CP was a salt bar, which is too young for me to decide on, but I love soleseifes, snd I think they're quick n easy to make.

Yknow I've seen several people make HP salt bars and once I figure out how to store em while curing, I might try it. I did try HP brine soap, it's doable but I need more practice. I tried it once before but with too much coconut and very little experience it didn't go too well.

 

[penelopejane]

Did you super fat the soap at 50/50? I've been lurking here (and other places) to decide on whether to do a salt bar or a brine bar. The last few messages have tilted to salt BUT it will also be my first try at CP soaping, so it's easier to read than decide. Thanks to advice here I didn't jump in and try my usual HP. LOL Maybe I should just try a regular CP recipe first rather than the salt or brine bar?

Yes I do but only at 10% SF.

 

[Millie]

I use 50% OO and 50% CO and 60% salt and cure for 9 months minimum and my family and I love them. We don’t have an obsession with bubbles but we really go for gentle soap.

Thanks for posting your recipe! Salt bars haven't worked for me in the past, but all these posts about them have made me want to try again.

 

[penelopejane]

Thanks for posting your recipe! Salt bars haven't worked for me in the past, but all these posts about them have made me want to try again.

I wrote that in the middle of the night and have since checked my exact recipe:
I use 55% OO and 40% CO and 5% castor oil and 60% salt, 10% super fat and 33% lye concentration. I use 1% CA and salt in the water. It is bubbly enough for me, hard and lasts a long time. I cure it for 9 months. They tend to sweat in the Australian summer so I try and make them in autumn.

 

[Millie]

Yay!

Ok, very excited to try this now

 

[beckster51]

I have totally ignored salt bars since I have very dry skin, thinking that they would create a horrible, itchy mess of my skin. I recently let my curiosity get the best of me and bought one online. They are hard to find! I wanted to use one prior to making a batch that I would have to pitch. Anyway, the label said it included CO, AO, Shea, and pink clay. The lather is not great (I figure the shea and clay are not helping that issue), the bars are 8-12 months old, and I am amazed at how much my skin likes a salt bar. I have rosacea on my face, and it has cleared up quite a bit since I started using it about a week ago. And the salt bar has not made my skin drier than it usually is this time of year. My skin is soft and feels fairly comfortable after I bathe with it. Who knew? Now I am off to make some of my own and patiently wait until they have cured. <sigh>

 

[Quilter99755]

Thanks to all for advice and sharing recipes, etc. Now I need to get rid of my company and immerse myself in soapy things again.

 

[Microchick]

I wrote that in the middle of the night and have since checked my exact recipe:
I use 55% OO and 40% CO and 5% castor oil and 60% salt, 10% super fat and 33% lye concentration. I use 1% CA and salt in the water. It is bubbly enough for me, hard and lasts a long time. I cure it for 9 months. They tend to sweat in the Australian summer so I try and make them in autumn.

Sounds wonderful! The salt is just table salt I presume. Also, what is CA?

 

[penelopejane]

Sounds wonderful! The salt is just table salt I presume. Also, what is CA?

I use extra fine sea salt with no anti-caking agent and no iodine.
CA is citric acid it is used to reduce soap scum.

 

[SoapSisters]

I use extra fine sea salt with no anti-caking agent and no iodine.
CA is citric acid it is used to reduce soap scum.

I recently used table salt with an anti-caking agent for my first salt bars. It was the only fine salt I could find where I live. How do you think that will affect my soap? (It was actually that or fine Himalayan salt, and I have read warnings here about Himalayan, so opted for the other.)

 

[shunt2011]

I recently used table salt with an anti-caking agent for my first salt bars. It was the only fine salt I could find where I live. How do you think that will affect my soap? (It was actually that or fine Himalayan salt, and I have read warnings here about Himalayan, so opted for the other.)

It should be fine.

 

[Dumfrey]

I made a small hot process batch (250 Grams) of 50% by weight salt bars. At less than a month old, its my only soap in the shower now. I will be making more of them this weekend, and am planning to make two batches, one 50%, the other 100% salt by weight. But, I can be impatient.
For those more experienced, how does upping the salt to 100% by weight change the bar/lather? Do you all notice a major difference in performance with the "full salt"?

 

[Obsidian]

I've found that more salt equals less lather, by a lot for me.
My 100% bars lather very poorly, the 50% is considerably better but my magic amount is 35%.

 

[Dumfrey]

Thank you @Obsidian. Sounds like I will need to make 3 batches

 

[Deborah Long]

I'm not trying to kidnap this thread, and if you choose to have me repost this to another thread, I will be happy to do that, but, I tried my first salt bars last night (thanks for all the lessons here!) and love the look of it, but already have soda ash (?) forming!
Anything I can do to prevent this in the future?
Here's the recipe I used:
36 oz Coconut oil
10.55 oz masterbatch lye
5.28 oz water
1 oz fragrance
They're very hard after just a few hours and I'm happy I didn't wait to unmold!
So, soda ash or salt?