Salt Bar Question

[vedwards]

Okay. I want to try making salt bars this weekend. I have a recipe, but I'm questioning part of the directions. Those of you who've made these, is the cure time right?

It is for a 2# loaf, which I figured would work since I haven't made them before. Small is good.

Recipe (from Everything Soap Making Book)

• 1 lb cold process soap (I'm using the soap recipe I made up. I can post if you want it)
• 1 T fragrance (i'll probably adjust and weigh according to fragrance directions. Not sure what smell I want yet.)
• 1 lb sea salt (it says coarse, I'm going to use extra fine)
• 1 T glacial clay (I'm planning to use kaolin clay, because that's what I have)

It says to mix all quick, get into the mold quick, and cut as soon as its hard, even if still warm.

The part that made me pause was that it says "Let bars sit for about a week before using. Store in a cool, dry place away from humidity."

Only a week cure time? Is that right?

 

[lenarenee]

No that cure time is wrong. There is no magical ability from the salt to cure a cold or hot process soap faster than the necessary 4 - 6 weeks.

Many people cure salt bars for much, much longer. It does make a big difference in the quality of lather. I use my salt bars even at one month, but just recently opened a year old salt bar - and found a huge difference. But generally I don't give out salt bars before 3 months.

A suggestion for your salt bar recipe - make it extremely high in coconut oil with a very large superfat. Many people use 100% coconut oil with a 20% superfat. Salt kills the lather in a typical cold process recipe. Coconut oil will lather with salt.

I use a slighltly modified Irish Lass salt bar recipe with includes coconut milk. If you search the forum for her recipe you'll find it. (If I have time I look myself and add it to this post.)

 

[vedwards]

No that cure time is wrong. There is no magical ability from the salt to cure a cold or hot process soap faster than the necessary 4 - 6 weeks.

Many people cure salt bars for much, much longer. It does make a big difference in the quality of lather. I use my salt bars even at one month, but just recently opened a year old salt bar - and found a huge difference. But generally I don't give out salt bars before 3 months.

A suggestion for your salt bar recipe - make it extremely high in coconut oil with a very large superfat. Many people use 100% coconut oil with a 20% superfat. Salt kills the lather in a typical cold process recipe. Coconut oil will lather with salt.

I use a slighltly modified Irish Lass salt bar recipe with includes coconut milk. If you search the forum for her recipe you'll find it. (If I have time I look myself and add it to this post.)

Thanks! I thought that seemed really wrong, but I hadn't made a salt bar before, so I wanted to double check before I screwed something up really bad! I'll hunt that recipe down - thanks!

 

[lenarenee]

Thanks! I thought that seemed really wrong, but I hadn't made a salt bar before, so I wanted to double check before I screwed something up really bad! I'll hunt that recipe down - thanks!

Btw, salt bars set up much faster than most cp recipes. Don't make a batch of salt bars in the morning, then go to work or to bed unless you have an individual bar mold.

I make mine in loaf form, but I work at home so I check it every single hour. Some need to be cut at one hour (floral, ocean, spice fragrance oils speed it up)
and some as "late" as 6 hours.

Try this one: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=55002&highlight=salt+bars+great

 

[dixiedragon]

1 lb cold process soap - is this a rebatch perhaps? I can see the 1 week cure if you melted down 1 lb of CP shreds.

If not...nope! Too short!

 

[vedwards]

1 lb cold process soap - is this a rebatch perhaps? I can see the 1 week cure if you melted down 1 lb of CP shreds.

If not...nope! Too short!

No, it just listed it as "1 pound recipe of cold process soap" rather than providing a recipe. - The directions have you mixing up the CP soap as normal, and then adding in the salt. No rebatching, that's why it seemed weird to me.

 

[shunt2011]

Well, as others stated, be sure to use a high CO recipe. I prefer to cure my salt bars for 6 months. They are okay at 3 months but even better when they are older.

 

[Susie]

My son did not believe my "wait 6 months before using" caution on his batch of salt bars. He tried one at month 2, then 3, then 4, then 5, then he called me on Nov. 1 at the 6 month mark and told me, "You were right. The difference is awesome." #momwin

 

[IrishLass]

I agree with the others- a 1-week cure time is wrong, wrong, wrong. I myself am perfectly fine using mine when it has cured a minimum of 4-weeks at the earliest, but everyone's skin is different (and my formula is slightly different from the 'norm', too). Having said that, though, you can never go wrong with a much longer cure than 4 weeks, because they only get better and better as time goes by.

I don't know what you have planned for your recipe, but I agree with the others that it needs to contain a very high amount of coconut oil if you want it to lather at all.

For what it's worth, I make mine with 100% coconut oil, 100% coconut milk in place of water amount (using the 'split method'), 25% fine sea salt ppo, and a 13% superfat.


IrishLass

 

[vedwards]

I agree with the others- a 1-week cure time is wrong, wrong, wrong. I myself am perfectly fine using mine when it has cured a minimum of 4-weeks at the earliest, but everyone's skin is different (and my formula is slightly different from the 'norm', too). Having said that, though, you can never go wrong with a much longer cure than 4 weeks, because they only get better and better as time goes by.

I don't know what you have planned for your recipe, but I agree with the others that it needs to contain a very high amount of coconut oil if you want it to lather at all.

For what it's worth, I make mine with 100% coconut oil, 100% coconut milk in place of water amount (using the 'split method'), 25% fine sea salt ppo, and a 13% superfat.


IrishLass

Thanks! I've thrown out the book's recipe, and done some research. I'm planning to use 80% CO, 10% Shea and 10% Castor with 100% Coconut Milk. I did it in soap calc at a 13% SF.

The salt is the only part I'm debating. I set it up for 50% salt so that when everything was mixed it would fit a 50 oz loaf mold (cause that's what I got). I've read everything from 100% salt to 25%, so I went with something sort of in the middle.

 

[GeezLouise]

I used 100℅ salt, co, 20℅ sf. I like bubbles and wasn't jazzed in 2 months.

SD, however, has softened water and acne, and likes it on her face.

 

[amd]

Let it sit awhile longer. I don't appreciate salt bars until they've aged at least a year.