Just made my first salt bars...*UPDATE* pictures added!

[SuperPhat]

After reading about salt bars here, I decided to give it a try this afternoon. I finished making a small batch (around 2 lbs.) and just checked it. It is really hot and seems to be getting mildly hard.

I've read a few times that I should cut it an hour and a half after I make it because it will get really hard. Will it still be hot at that point? Will it continue to saponify after I cut it? I don't want to have these bars laying around if they are still dangerous because my kids are young and curious.

Thanks to anyone who can give me some info.

 

[pepperi27]

Congrats! I do not make cp soap but someone else will chime in here!

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Yup, like a potato out of the oven. Don't worry if you have some crumbly edges the first couple times. It took me at least 2 batches to halfway get it right. If you don't cut when set up and hot, rent a jack hammer! The saponification process is still at work during this time! It is mostly over after 24 hours or so, but should be allowed to cure for a few weeks at least! I live making these in my slab mold with dividers ---no cutting! 8) We must see pictures!

Paul.... :wink:

 

[SuperPhat]

Thanks for the quick replies! I guess I'll have my cutter ready I'll just find a place to keep them out of reach.

 

[CPSoaper]

It is worth the money to invest in a mold with dividers. Especially when making salt soap. It is so much nicer to not have to deal with cutting them.

Yes, I agree and would love to see pictures. I bet your bars are wonderful. :wink:

 

[SuperPhat]

I just cut them and probably could have done it a little sooner They look great on top, but they crumbled pretty bad on the bottom. Any ideas why that happened? Did I just wait too long?

I'll try to get some pictures up tomorrow. Maybe that will help with my questions.

 

[SuperPhat]

This is my first time to attempt posting pictures...crossing my fingers and hope it works

The first is of the top of my bars...they look pretty good, but then when you turn them over you can see where they broke and are crumbly. (The pictures aren't the best, crappy camera) Any ideas why that happened? Did I just wait too long to cut? I think I'll try another batch soon. I'm so hooked on these bars!!!!

 

[FitMommyOf2]

No idea on what happened as I too don't do CP (yet! :wink: ) but I still wanted to say 'congrats' on your first batch and to me they look good -even with the 'crumblyness'. (Is that even a word? )

 

[dragonfly princess]

Remember...homemade, doesn't have to be perfect! What scent is that?

 

[CPSoaper]

Way to go. 8)

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Looks like a luscious bar of soap! It took me a few attempts to git it perfected too. With the use of my slab mold with dividers, I get perfect sided salt bars every time! Nice job!

This is a recent salt bar batch in the mold I'm talking about.

Paul... :wink:

 

[SuperPhat]

I was so excited I already tried these bars in the shower....THEY ROCK! I don't know if I'll ever go back to regular bars again.

These were totally experimental bars, so I threw in a sample of chromium green I had and a little cedarwood scent to see how it would work in the soap. It looks great, smells aweful and works like a charm. I don't have very much, but I think these bars are going to last forever. I promised my husband I'd make a different scent soon...hope he likes pink grapefruit 8)

 

[chrisinflorida]

Nice looking bars. I made some salt bars for the first time about a month ago. Mine came out crumbly also. I noticed that mine seem to be more fragile than my normal bars because they crumble more easily. I expected the salt bars to be more scrubby-like and exfoliating, but mine were not. Also, they did not have much lather due to the decreased amount of oils in the soap.

Why do you prefer the salt bars to regular bars? Maybe I just need to get some different salt (I used regular table salt) or adjust my recipe. I had high hopes when I made my salt bars, but they just did not live up to my expectations. Oh well.

Chris

 

[SuperPhat]

You might want to read up on salt bars here in the forum. I got some great information when I did a search.

I don't think they are supposed to be exfoliating. The salt seems to lose its grainyness (just made that word up ). It makes our skin so soft after using it though. Its kind of like having softenend water, but instead its in your soap. I used kosher and sea salt too, so maybe that has something to do with it.

I have more lather and bubbles than I thought I would, but it could be due to the kind of oils I used.

Hope that helps.

 

[chrisinflorida]

Must be the kind of oils, amount, etc. I used my regular recipe (which has a good lather) and adjusted it to Paul's salt bar recipe of (80%) salt. I read up on here before I made it, but there was not as much information on the salt bars a month ago when I did mine.

Chris