Faux Sea Water

[Zany_in_CO]

From my files, shared with permission of the author, a lovely person and a generous soul.

Mar 12 2005 from awasasi

If you have sea salt, a basic sea water recipe is:

SEAWATER I
1 quart warm water
1 Tablespoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
<EDIT: Store in fridge until ready to soap. Use to replace water portion of your lye solution.>

A cheaper recipe using common ingredients is:

SEA WATER II
1 pint (0.48 liters) water
2 teaspoons (9 mL) pickling, or rock, or table salt)
2/3 teaspoons (3.3 mL) magnesium sulfate (epsom salts)
1/20 teaspoons (0.25 mL) potassium chloride (salt substitute)
1/62 teaspoons (0.08 mL) sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)

The second sea water recipe with the baking soda, salt substitute, etc. I got once upon a time on the net somewhere. Vague, huh? lol People with eczema and psoriasis who go to the Dead Sea for healing sea water baths recreated the sea water so as to soak in their own faux sea water at home in their tub. The recipe is supposedly 99.9% accurate with the missing 0.1% being calcium. And if you use tap water (with any water softener turned off), the calcium is in there too. I've given the mixture to two friends; one with severe eczema and the other with shingles. Both said it makes a very healing bath. And I've made small batches to use as a spray when my facial psoriasis kicks up. Amazingly helpful despite my initial reservations.

 

[Susie]

You can buy reef salt at most pet stores, and certainly online. It is dehydrated sea water. That way, you know you are getting everything that is actually in sea water.

But why is this in lye based soap forum?

 

[soapmaker]

Perhaps because it's to replace the water in your soap recipe?

 

[NsMar42111]

I wonder if the epsom salts in soap might lead to sweating though....

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Perhaps because it's to replace the water in your soap recipe?

Correct. I use it to reduce slime in 100% OO bars, bars high in oleic fatty acids, and Aleppo (type) Soap that's mostly OO with laurel oil added in at trace. I make up a batch and stick it in the fridge to cool until I'm ready to soap. I use it to replace all of the water in the lye solution.

I wonder if the epsom salts in soap might lead to sweating though....

Good question! I'm sorry, NsMar, I don't know the answer to that -- I've only used the first one and I've been happy with that and never felt the need to try the second one.