Choosing Salt for Salt Bars
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atiz
Well-Known Member
I have not compared the two but really like the salt bars I made with just regular pickling salt. I am not sure I would really notice the difference between that and ones made with sea salt.
I use fine sea salt. Pickling salt works as does fine kosher. I’ve used them all.
steffamarie
Well-Known Member
Pickling/canning salt is what I use most of the time, or just plain table salt. You can use iodized or non-iodized, either will be fine.
jcandleattic
Well-Known Member
I use table salt. I've tried Himalayan salts but they end up too scratchy for most peoples' use. I have fine sea salt on hand but have yet to put it in soap. Salt bars tend to last for EONS so 1 bar of a salt soap for me lasts on average the length 3-4 normal bath soaps last. I don't run out often.
Here, sea salt is a lot cheaper than kosher. I can buy fine sea salt at both our bulk stores. It's the only one I use in soap.
snappyllama
Supporting Member
I like very fine grain sea salt that I pick up at Costco.
One warning - do not use any sea salt that is bigger than fine grained. It can cut you. Also, don't try sticking coarse grained salt in a food processor to make it fine... it leaves incredibly sharp edges. We had someone post pictures after a shower - blood was literally pouring down their legs. Ouch!
One warning - do not use any sea salt that is bigger than fine grained. It can cut you. Also, don't try sticking coarse grained salt in a food processor to make it fine... it leaves incredibly sharp edges. We had someone post pictures after a shower - blood was literally pouring down their legs. Ouch!
Well I see the consensus is either sea or regular salt on the finer grain side. I made some today. it broke a soap cutter wire and crumbled a bit so i'll probably have to u se a lot less water as well as finer salt.
Salt soap gets really hard really fast. You will need to cut it as soon as you are able to get it out of the mold, sometimes within 2-3 hours. Its will likely still be hot and will definitely still zap so wear gloves.
Easy way around the hardness issue is to use single cavity molds. Makes life a whole lot easier.
Easy way around the hardness issue is to use single cavity molds. Makes life a whole lot easier.
That's what I do... and have only ever done with salt soap.
jcandleattic
Well-Known Member
Myself also
penelopejane
Well-Known Member
I use very fine grain sea salt with no additives. Iodine and anticaking agents leave swirls in your soap.
If you aren’t going to babysit a salt loaf to cut it at the right time then use individual molds.
If you aren’t going to babysit a salt loaf to cut it at the right time then use individual molds.
Some folks recommend popcorn salt, but I haven't tried it because it didn't seem worth the expense. I am still undecided on how I feel (that is to say, how my skin feels) about salt bars, myself. Many here love them, but so far mine are about a year old and still too drying to my skin. I will be taking one with me to Hawaii in July to see if in Hawaii's humidity my skin likes the bar. Of course I could do the same here come summer, but Hawaii is even more humid and it's a test I want to perform as a comparison to the test last year.
I used plain table salt for one. And for another, I gathered salt at the Bonneville Salt Flats (near Salt Lake City, Utah) and used that.
I used plain table salt for one. And for another, I gathered salt at the Bonneville Salt Flats (near Salt Lake City, Utah) and used that.
What do you think of dead sea salt in a soleseife--brine bar?
Dead sea salt doesn't work well in soap. The minerals can make your soap soft and mushy, stick with regular salt.
Thanks for your input and opinion!
Ive been using dead sea salt for solseife bars.....I have always had a very hard bar so....what do I know? Yes, dead sea salt is 90% magnesium chloride so Ive read..relaxing.
