Crumbly salt soap....argghhh :-)

[Claudia]

I haven't been making soap long but I've been having such a good time with it. Today, as an after-work, relaxation activity, I decided to experiment with muted colour and my new essential oils, to make Lime and Ginger Salt Soap.
Everything went really well until I took it out of the mold about 4 hours after I'd poured it. It had hardened really fast and I'd read somewhere that you have to get to salt soap before it goes crumbly.......and it crumbled everywhere!

Such a shame, I liked the soft colours....and worse still, I've run out of lye and can't get more until tomorrow! I'm itching to try it again and see whether I can adjust the salt ratio, or get it out faster, or something!

 

[Obsidian]

It looks ok, give it a couple weeks to dry and you can clean it up. Any chance you have a microplane? They work great on salt bars. Save any of your crumbles and little pieces, you can smash them up into a powder and add them to your next batch or put them in a shaker containers and use it like that.

Using cavity molds is recommended for salt bars so you don't have to cut, other wise you need to cut as soon as you can unmold.

 

[Claudia]

Thanks Obsidian, I hadn't thought of a microplane. Maybe I can save some

 

[TVivian]

I've been experimenting with a lot of salt bars recently and I had a batch look just like yours! They will definitely look nicer after one use where they get nice and smooth. I like sliced bars better than molded so getting the timing right is such a learning curve. My latest batch I cut after just about 2 hours and it was much better. Still crumbled on the corners.

 

[Crombie]

Reusing Salt Bar Crumbles in Soap

Obsidian, how do you actually use your salt crumbles in a fresh batch of soap? Do you just mix in as the salt portion in your regular salt bar recipe?
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It looks ok, give it a couple weeks to dry and you can clean it up. Any chance you have a microplane? They work great on salt bars. Save any of your crumbles and little pieces, you can smash them up into a powder and add them to your next batch or put them in a shaker containers and use it like that.

Using cavity molds is recommended for salt bars so you don't have to cut, other wise you need to cut as soon as you can unmold.

 

[Obsidian]

Yeah, I use it as part of the salt portion.

 

[nebetmiw]

I find that if I add less salt it does not crumble so bad.

 

[kmarvel]

I agree with Obsidian. Let them harden up and they will be ok. I always have cut mine at the 2 hr mark. They are still pretty warm, but I have never had one crumble on me.
Kathie