Help with Salt Bar recipe

[CpnDouchette]

Full disclosure, I've never used a salt bar so maybe I just don't know what they're supposed to be like / don't like them.

My salt bars seem to lather weirdly. There are some large bubbles to begin with (although we're in a hard water area and I wouldn't say they're massively bigger / bubblier than my usual recipe) but they quickly dissipate and leave something quite foamy behind. The foam has a lot of structure to it - if I leave a foamy bar to dry, it will dry with the foam on and when it's dry, it reminds me a little of an areo chocolate bar. The foam doesn't seem cleansing but the bar does seem very drying. Is it because I added oils other than coconut? Recipe below:

Lye concentration: 33%
Superfat: 20%

Citric acid at 2% of total oils

Salt at 50% of total oils

80% Coconut oil
10% Shea butter
3 % Castor
7% Sunflower

I would like a less foamy bar and a better lather. The bars are hard but seem to last less long than my usual bars mainly because of poor lathering.

 

[Obsidian]

They do have very different lather than other kinds of soap. Should be thick, made up of lots of little bubbles.
I suspect some of your issue is the shea, butters and other hard oils like palm/lard reduce lather in salt bars.

Try 80% coconut, 20% olive, 35% salt with 20% SF.
I have harder water and find this is the best recipe for good lather.
I also suggest at least 6 month cure. As for the other bars, put them away for a year or so, it should help.

 

[CpnDouchette]

Try 80% coconut, 20% olive, 35% salt with 20% SF.

Do you use olive oil for a specific reason or more because it's accessible, cheap (or used to be) etc? I think I'd probably switch out for rapeseed or another liquid assuming it doesn't push linoleics too high as I'm not a massive fan. I may just do a tiny batch with olive oil and see where that takes me.

I was also under the impression I could get away with using salt bars a bit sooner than usual - will shove them to the back of the shelf then and see how they do in a few more months.

 

[dibbles]

I only added a butter to salt bars one time and didn't like the results. I also cure my salt bars for a minimum of 6-7 months before using, and use salt at 50% of the oil weight. My recipe is 85% coconut oil,10% avocado (or other liquid) oil, and 5% castor. I do have softened water. Here is an old thread with pictures I posted showing the difference of a long cure.
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/cure-time-doubters-a-visual.62723/

 

[Obsidian]

Do you use olive oil for a specific reason or more because it's accessible, cheap (or used to be) etc? I think I'd probably switch out for rapeseed or another liquid assuming it doesn't push linoleics too high as I'm not a massive fan. I may just do a tiny batch with olive oil and see where that takes me.

I was also under the impression I could get away with using salt bars a bit sooner than usual - will shove them to the back of the shelf then and see how they do in a few more months.

Olive gives me the best results. I've tried replacing it with sunflower, avocado or safflower and so far, OO wins.
This is the only soap I still use OO in, I've completely replaced it in all my other recipes as I don't like it.

 

[AliOop]

My salt bars are 100% CO, 100% salt, and 20% SF. Lather is fluffy, mild, and dense after 10mos cure, and gets milder as time goes by.

The scrubby version uses brewed coffee for some of the liquid, plus 1 T PPO used coffee grounds. Great for deodorizing hands at the kitchen sink or garden sink.

 

[Misschief]

I've been using @Obsidian's recipe for a number of years now and it is my best-selling soap. I cure them for a minimum of 3 months before even thinking about selling them and I let my customers know that they get better and better as they age (the soap, I mean, not the customers... although...).

My daughter loves them so much, I make a 21 bar batch just for her once a year.

 

[cmzaha]

Reply

I've been using @Obsidian's recipe for a number of years now and it is my best-selling soap. I cure them for a minimum of 3 months before even thinking about selling them and I let my customers know that they get better and better as they age (the soap, I mean, not the customers... although...).

My daughter loves them so much, I make a 21 bar batch just for her once a year.

I never took salt bars to market that were less than a 6-month cure. My recipe which I have been making since I started soapmaking is:
40% CO
45% PKO
10% Castor Oil
5 % Almond Oil
17% superfat
1% Sorbitrol
Ground Oats
100% extra fine salt
Lye Concentration 27%

 

[Ugeauxgirl]

I also use @Obsidian 's recipe. (Thank you very much!) I do not have picky skin, and I use them sooner in the summer 10 weeks, but 6 month cure in the winter when my skin is a bit drier. Lovely soap.

 

[CpnDouchette]

Here is an old thread with pictures I posted showing the difference of a long cure.

Holy moly, that's a staggering difference! Definitely to the back of the shelf they go then. Maybe I just assumed they needed less of a cure due to the salt?

I've been using @Obsidian's recipe for a number of years now and it is my best-selling soap

High praise indeed! I'll give @Obsidian's recipe a whirl. I was so excited to try them and have to say I was really disappointed - I'm not sure I've ever been disappointed by a bar of soap I've made up until now.

Thanks all - I'll try again and report back in 6 months or so

 

[AliOop]

Just checked my notes, and I actually used 50% salt, not 100%. I have some bars that are approaching 2 years old that are amazing.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I’ve had the opportunity to try a number of well-aged salt bars made by others as well as my own that are now up to three years old. I’ve used the same recipe as @dibbles and also tried making the base from 100% coconut at one point. As I recall, most of them were made using 50% salt, but there may have been one with 100%. We have hard water and none of the bars make the super impressive lather others have raved about. I’m currently working on a “low salt” recipe that I hope will bring some of the qualities of the famous salt bar lather to my regular recipe.

 

[Obsidian]

I’ve had the opportunity to try a number of well-aged salt bars made by others as well as my own that are now up to three years old. I’ve used the same recipe as @dibbles and also tried making the base from 100% coconut at one point. As I recall, most of them were made using 50% salt, but there may have been one with 100%. We have hard water and none of the bars make the super impressive lather others have raved about. I’m currently working on a “low salt” recipe that I hope will bring some of the qualities of the famous salt bar lather to my regular recipe.

I also have hardish water and did a lot of experiments with different amounts of salt.
50%-100% just doesn't lather well, 35% seems to be a sweet spot for me. Still enough to make a proper salt bar but not so much to kill lather

 

[cmzaha]

I have hard water and the formula I use works well with good lather. It gives more of a creamy lotion type not high bubby-type lather. I forgot to add I still use my normal 0.5 % EDTA and 0.5% Sodium Gluconate so it could also make a difference. Although when I first started soapmaking I did not use cheleators and salt bars I started making the first year I started making soap.

 

[fjura]

Does anyone have a recipe or recommendations for a coconut oil/shea butter only bar? I’m trying to replicate this but don’t have specifics when it comes to percentages/SF. Thanks in advance!

sodium cocoate (saponified coconut oil), sodium sheabutterate (saponified shea butter), sodium chloride (himalayan salt), aqua (water), glycerin

Also, I believe this is a 50% soap bar. It doesn’t last long at all, but is soooo lovely and creamy. Is there a way to increase usage rate? Would it be lessening the salt percentage?

And then I find this saying salt bars last forever!

https://lovinsoap.com/2015/09/how-to-formulate-soap-salt-bars/
Which is it?

 

[KiwiMoose]

I also have hardish water and did a lot of experiments with different amounts of salt.
50%-100% just doesn't lather well, 35% seems to be a sweet spot for me. Still enough to make a proper salt bar but not so much to kill lather

Maybe I'll give your recipe a go Obsidian? I never liked my salt bars, even after a year long cure. The lather was dense and creamy, not big and bubbly like yours. It was too 'fatty' and I suspect I just don't like all that superfat.

 

[Obsidian]

Make a small batch and give it a try. You can also reduce the SF to 15% but with just coconut and OO, I never found the lather to be fatty.

 

[Mommawolfe]

HI! My salt soap recipe is as follows...(I do use 10% olive oil,) but here goes:
75% 24 oz coconut,
10% 4 oz olive,
6% 2 oz castor,
9% 2 oz shea. (Adjusted down to 2 oz for 32 ounces)
10.8 oz water,
4.8 oz lye. I make this as hot process. At the end of the cook, I add the scent, and "dump" 16 oz of salt in and mix ot up. Once mixed, mold it, set timer for ONE hour, unmold, and cut. If it cools all the way, it will crumble!
The loaf will be very warm, but firm enough to cut.

 

[cmzaha]

As for my recipe, it is the 85:15% ratio that I always found works well whether using PKO or CO. I just prefer to split the two. Also, I always found 10% castor in salt bars to work well.

 

[dibbles]

I looked through the recipes I've kept for salt bars and I don't seem to have the one I made with butter. I'm not surprised, as I didn't like the soaps as well as those without butter. I am not sure if I used shea or cocoa butter, which might make a difference. My best guess on the butter usage rate is 10-15%, and probably closer to 10%.

I think you should just try a small batch with 10-15% shea and one without. They take a long time to cure, so it will be awhile before you know what you like best, but it will let you see if the butter adds (or detracts) from what you want in a salt bar.