love my 6 month old Salt Bar

[SoapDaddy70]

I finally tested one of the salt bars I made 6 months ago and I really love it. Its the first time I have been able to notice different qualities of different soaps. The lather and the bubbles from the salt bar was fluffier and softer and had a lightness to it. Hard to describe but it was a noticeable difference from all other soaps I have made. Used a recipe that I am sure I got from someone here and then I tweaked it slightly. Its was 80% Coconut, 10% Avocado Oil, 10% High Oleic Safflower with a 20% Superfat and 38% Lye concentration. I made them in individual rose shaped molds. I am definitely going to make another couple of batches and just let them sit so I always have a few on hand. Was a nice change from some of the more lotiony (if that's a word) bars I have made. Wondering how other people describe their salt bar lathers/bubbles. Just curious if I am imagining it or not. Happy Mothers Day to all the soapmaking Mom's out there!!

ETA: Forgot to mention I added 35% of oil weight in fine sea salt. Batch was 480g of oils with 170g of fine sea salt

 

[lsg]

Thank you for the Mother's Day wishes. I have found I really like my older bars, too.

 

[Katie68121]

Just wondering what is the main reason to have it cure longer? I’ve asked other salt bar makers how long they cure their bars for, and they said 4-6 weeks.

 

[cmzaha]

Just wondering what is the main reason to have it cure longer? I’ve asked other salt bar makers how long they cure their bars for, and they said 4-6 weeks.

I cure my salt bars for at least a year, I consider 2-5 yr old salt bars primo bars. They become milder, and lather better after a long cure.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I was gonna say, i recently reclaimed a 2 and a half year old salt bar from my mother's house. She was using it as a decoration - yes that old chestnut. I said if your not gonna use it, can i have it back because apparently they are primo when they are well aged.
So - my findings are:
1. Very dense creamy-lotion lather (not light and bubbly)
2. A little bit scratchy at times ( I used fine ground sea salt)
3. Didn't like the fact that it was scentless ( Grapefruit EO which had long since faded)
4. Wouldn't bother making them again - nothing to write home about

Recipe:
75% CO
10% Apricot kernel Oil
10% RBO
5% castor
50% salt ( to weight of oils)
15% superfat
30% Lye conc

 

[dibbles]

The lather is much improved at 6+ months. 7 seems to be the sweet spot for me (as far as lather goes). They just get milder with age. I use FOs that I know will stick for at least 1 year, and have found that I like 50% salt (per weight of oils).

 

[DeeAnna]

I have made exactly two batches of salt bars, one when I was a newer soap maker and one a couple of years ago. I tested the bars from the second batch as time went by.

There IS a definite change in the skin feel as the bars age, and the suggestion to cure salt bars for 6 months or longer is honestly valid advice, not just "foo foo dust."

After the usual 4-8 week cure, the soap was unacceptably drying to my skin. After I dried off, I could see the skin on my legs look ashy and my skin felt tight. At 6 months, the soap was on the edge of being drying to the skin, but only a tad. At 1 year, the soap was neutral feeling -- no longer drying. I continued to test the soap until it was over 2 years old, but didn't see large changes after the 1 year mark.

I find soap that is mainly or all just one type of fat often need a longer cure to lather at their best and/or feel the nicest on the skin. This has been my observation about salt bars that are mostly or all coconut oil (improvement in skin feel) and soap that's mostly or all lard (improvement in lather) and soap that is all olive oil or other high oleic fat (improvement in longevity and lather quality.)

 

[MarinaB]

I made salt soap for this Christmas in February. I hope my soap is ready to produce creamy lathering!

 

[AAShillito]

The lather is much improved at 6+ months. 7 seems to be the sweet spot for me (as far as lather goes). They just get milder with age. I use FOs that I know will stick for at least 1 year, and have found that I like 50% salt (per weight of oils).

What FO do you recommend?

 

[dibbles]

What FO do you recommend?

From Fragrance Buddy Citrus Bath sticks well
From WSP Sea Salt and Driftwood and Mediterranean Fig are a couple I've found to stick for a year
It's discontinued, but Delhi Junction from Nurture was also a good one, so I would think that any of the spice market types would probably stick well. Generally, I've found that the FOs that stick for a year in CP also last in salt bars.

 

[violets2217]

@AliOop I forgot I had 2 batches of salt bars in my closet still that I made last November per your suggestion! I need to go dig them out!

Thanks for the reminder @MarinaB !!!

 

[AAShillito]

Thank you!!!!