Help please on my first salt bar recipe

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

As for recipe, you can use pretty much a normal one - I would start with 20% cleansing oils as a minimum though, as salt does inhibit lather

 

[Steve85569]

soleseife

Just google that for some really good ideas on a brine bar recipe. I second Craig's suggestion.

Brine ( soleseife) bars use salt in a completely different way than salt bars. I keep my brine down to 25% salt so I am sure it has dissolved and then add the lye. Brine bars are just about the only recipe that I still use a high ( full) water amount in ( lye concentration of 28%). More water means more salt in the cured soap.
Try a bar at 1 month and another at 3 months with the brine bars. They will cure a little faster than salt bars but you will feel and see a large difference in those two times for cure.

Steve

 

[pcs]

Thanks all!

I looked up some threads from internet and also in SMF, and made this recipe:

water to lye ratio - 2:1
water - 327g, Lye - 163g

Brine - 25% => 80g salt

90%CO, 10% castor Oil Total oil wt 1000g

FO: 15ml

Does it look good?

Color - No idea! If I use coconut milk at trace, will the soap be milky white? I also saw CaraBou s sunshine soap. Awesome! Can I try adding betacarotene in this soap?



What attracts me to Brine bar is Coconut oil is abundant here pure and plenty, and brine bar wont melt in water like other high CO soaps. I also think brine bars are not drying on skin, but are soft and conditioning. If I get this one right to an acceptable degree, I could repeat it for quite some time

Cheers!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

A brine bar can be a pretty usual recipe, it doesn't have to be high in coconut in the same way that a salt bar does. It CAN be, of course, but doesn't need to be

 

[pcs]

I am using high coconut oil because its easily available. May be sometime later I might want to try other more exotic oils too, to make a creamy, fragrant, colourful soap

But in the meanwhile, is the above one a good brine soap recipe to start with?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I would say that your lye discount needs to be higher. 90% co with 8% lye discount might be too stripping

 

[Steve85569]

I agree with Craig.
That much coconut oil wold be drying for my old hide. I would , for me, raise the superfat to at least 12% (16%?) and probably add another hardener to the soap.
Sodium acetate( vinegar reacted with lye) or sodium lactate would be my hardeners. They would help that high a coconut oil bar not dissolve so quickly and cut down on the super cleansing ( drying).

I find that for me a cleansing value at or below 12 works for everyday showers and such.

 

[Susie]

I would probably substitute a hard oil in there-lard, palm, tallow for at least 35% of that. It will make a huge difference.

If you use just CO, you need far more lye discount/superfat- 15-20%.

 

[pcs]

I found palm olein in the store. So may be I can substitute the high CO with some of that - say 50% CO and 40% Palmolein? and keep the SF as 15%. Does it look good?

 

[cmzaha]

I found palm olein in the store. So may be I can substitute the high CO with some of that - say 50% CO and 40% Palmolein? and keep the SF as 15%. Does it look good?

No, you need the high CO for salt bars, otherwise you end up with hard waxy useless salt bars. 85% CO, 10% Castor and 5% soft oil such as SAO will make a decent bar. Sorry I did not read the upper posts. If you are making a brine (Soleseif) bar I find it works the best with 65% CO, but would still limit the palm. SAO and Avocado are nice for some of the soft oils. You do not need the 90/10 CO, Castor for a Soleseif, which is my recipe I have used for years for my 100% salt bars. I use 65% CO, 10% Castor with the balance of Sunflower or Canola in most brine bars

 

[pcs]

Hello cmzaha,

this is a brine bar i m trying to formulate. There were suggestions to reduce the Coconut oil from 90% and use lard/tallow/palm. Palmolein is available here. Thats why I go for that substitution.
So, 65% Coconut
10% Castor
25% Sunflower/Palm

Fine?

 

[littlemissjellyfish]

I will take your word for it. My salt bars are evil when not used for your feet and I blame it on FINE pink himalayan salt.

Oh boy! Do I know what you are talking about! I made the mistake of not using a smaller grain. Pure evil! ( the feet is the only thing I can use it on!)

 

[Obsidian]

Hello cmzaha,

this is a brine bar i m trying to formulate. There were suggestions to reduce the Coconut oil from 90% and use lard/tallow/palm. Palmolein is available here. Thats why I go for that substitution.
So, 65% Coconut
10% Castor
25% Sunflower/Palm

Fine?

Honestly, I think your 90% coconut 10% castor is a better recipe. I've used lard in salt bars before and really didn't like it. Lard is my favorite soaping fat but it just doesn't do well in salt soaps.

My salt recipe is just a tad different at 80% coconut, 20% olive with 35% salt.
Either way, make sure your superfat is set at 20% and the high coconut won't be a issue.

 

[pcs]

Honestly, I think your 90% coconut 10% castor is a better recipe. I've used lard in salt bars before and really didn't like it. Lard is my favorite soaping fat but it just doesn't do well in salt soaps.

My salt recipe is just a tad different at 80% coconut, 20% olive with 35% salt.
Either way, make sure your superfat is set at 20% and the high coconut won't be a issue.

Hello Obsidian,

Salt bar and brine bar(soleseife) are different right? Do you mean to say 90% CO and 10% castor is a better recipe for brine bar?

Also, any comments on color?

I explored local market for lard/tallow. Its available but there are no regulations here on slaughtering animals. We can never tell if it was sick/ had some infection. So I decided to keep away. May be if I find a place which is hygienic, I will try using it. Until then, oils!

 

[pcs]

I think I confused everyone switching from a salt bar to brine bar.. I ll start a new thread under the heading 'Brine bar recipe', hope that wont be a duplication!! Sorry everyone!

Cheers!

 

[mrsserena]

OK, I've searched the forum, but I'm not finding the answer - - can someone explain why you would use a salt bars /brine bar, and what are the differences between the two?

 

[shunt2011]

I can't speak to brine bars as I've never made one. However I make and love my salt bars. They have helped my face from breaking out and I love the Lather and how they make my skin feel. I don't use them everyday but 3-4 times a week.

 

[Susie]

pcs-where are you from? If you are in the US, you can buy lard at most grocery stores either in the baking aisle, or by the meats. It is commercially prepared as a by-product of the meat industry, so the FDA does the inspections and such.

mrsserena-brine bar is salt completely dissolved in water then mixed with lye. Salt bars are soap taken to trace then mixed with salt. Brine (AKA Solseife) bars are harder than regular soap, and the salt changes the lather of the bars. Salt bars are rock hard, and you have to cut them within a few hours rather than 18-24 hours. They are not my favorite soaps.

 

[pcs]

Susie,
I am from Kerala,India. Its hard to find lard/tallow here which are prepared under hygenic conditions. However, I have found tallow in a shop here, but not lard.

cheers.

 

[Susie]

pcs-In that case, I would probably use the tallow, and increase the amount of olive oil. It will not mimic the feel of lard, but it would be as close as possible.