I'm going to make my first salt bar tomorrow!!

[ilovedoxies]

I've been reading about this now for weeks and I'm gonna do it tomorrow, yeay!!!

I'm planning this recipe:
12 oz coconut oil
2 oz castor oil
2 oz olive oil

2.4 oz lye
5.5 liquid

coloring w/alfalfa powder


What do you think about using a liquid solution of 1/2 coocnut milk?

Has anyone tried a whipped salt bar?

 

[AshleyR]

Woo hoo! Have fun!

My one piece of advice is to cut it early! My salt bars were ready to cut an hour and a half after I poured the soap into my log mold. They will harden super fast so don't leave them too long or you won't be able to cut them at all!

I don't know about using coconut milk as half the liquid.... maybe someone else has tried it and will chime in!

I think you're gonna love your salt bars! I was a little leary about mine at first because they didn't lather at ALL, but after a good cure they are just wonderful now. I have been using it on my face (which is very oily and acne prone) and my skin is improving SO much. It's awesome!

 

[mamaT]

Ashley's right, you will need to cut very soon after you pour or you won't be able to cut at all. It will still be hot from the sap process too. You didn't mention the salt percentage, have you made a decision about that yet?

 

[ilovedoxies]

From what I've been reading, everyone has a different salt percentage preferance. One member said 80% and another said 25% worked for her. I thought I'd try 50%.

You just add it slowly at light trace?

I think I'm gonna add my fo to my oils this time. Never tried that before either. I'm afraid I'm not gonna have much time when tracing starts.

I'm oily and acne prone, too. I've been using an unscented beer soap alternating with an unscented lard, lye & water bar on my face with super results. But I want to make new stuff

I read that someone here did use coconut oil, she didn't report anything disasterous sooooo I'm gonna go for it :mrgreen:

 

[7053joanne]

If you have a mold with dividers I would highly recommend using it. Then you don't have to worry about cutting it super quick while it is still hot.

My first attempt at salt bars was a disaster...but I used sea salt like an idiot.... Second time with regylar salt was a breeze.

I love salt bars but tend to get annoyed that they last so long. I am always more than ready to move on to a new scent.

 

[mamaT]

I use 50% salt to oils, lathers great. I use sea salt, the type sold at the grocery store for table salt. I works great. You might want ot up the superfat % to 10 or 20% also.
Just add salt in at trace. and be prepared to pour.

 

[Lindy]

This is another one I want to try - been working up the courage to try it - maybe this week.

 

[rszuba]

the first batch i made i put most of it in silicone cups, and the last bit in a small mold(which was very hard to remove after 4 hours). it was like the soap expanded outward,solid as a rock.

the second batch i made sure i had the right amount for the silicone molds. left them overnight with just handywrap overthem and unmolded the next day. easy.- i used muffin,cake silicone molds.

 

[7053joanne]

I should clarify....I used dead sea salt which doesn't work. Plain sea salt works like a charm!

 

[ilovedoxies]

I made it around 1 pm, it's squishy (5 pm) not hard like I expected but very warm still.

I used 50% salt, I just used morton's table salt.

 

[mamaT]

Well how did your salt bars turn out?

 

[ilovedoxies]

I cut them at around 6:00. They were super hard by then. The FO didn't really hold up so it's faintly scented. It could just be a weaker FO, I haven't used it before so I don't know.

Looks like it's getting a little ashy, but over all I think it will be a good bar of soap! I'll try to get a pic up here in a day or so. :wink:

 

[mamaT]

As far as the ashy part most all of the salt bars I've seen including mine look kinda ashy. I think it's the salt in the soap. I may be wrong about this. Can't wait to see pics.

 

[ilovedoxies]

That's kinda what I thought, too. It does look like it is the salt.

 

[ilovedoxies]

I took some pics this morning of the firstsalt bar. Notice the "ashy" spots?

 

[beachgurl]

Next time try using a high FP fragrance and scenting at 1.2 oz per PPO ... salt bars gel at or over 120 F so the extra fragrance will help

 

[ilovedoxies]

My pretty green alfalfa root powder is turning brown... this has to be the ugliest soap ever.


:cry: :cry:

 

[Guest]

After they are good and solid you can clean them up with a dampened pantyhose , it takes the roughness away and mine actually have a sheen , they were not that pretty when first made.

HTH

Kitn