KimR
Well-Known Member
April? How long do they need to cure prior to usage?
Part of the curing factor will depend on the amount of salt used. A bar with only 20% salt will be pretty decent at the 4-5 month cure. My bars with 100 % salt to Oil I prefer a min of 8 months with 12 preferably. Anything after twelve months they just get better and better. I have a bar here I cherish that is somewhere around 7 yrs old. Any bar with less than 100% salt I still feel is better with a 6-month min cure.April? How long do they need to cure prior to usage?
I made salt bars last year and after a 4 month cure my husband and son loved them but my daughter and I found them too drying and left us with itchy skin. I pulled them out again last week and the verdict is still the same between the male and females but interestingly I do love them on my face. I have rosacea and have definitely seen an improvement.
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Why such a high lye solution?I've made one salt bar so far, and it's the Wife's favorite soap of the three dozen I've made...
70% CO 14% OO 8% Shea 8% Castor with 12% SF and 10oz Him salt (fine) to 25oz oils. I used a 45% lye solution and began using the bar at about 4 weeks.
It's got a great lather, and nice exfoliating feel to it that's mild enough for the face.
Why such a high lye solution?
HP only speeds up saponification, not the cure. You can use less water like @AlexanderMakesSoap so that it hardens faster, but it still needs cure time. I've only made 50% salt, so I can't speak to any difference that salt % might make, but @cmzaha says that less curing is necessary when you start reducing the salt below 100%. I don't know why salt bars need so much time to become gentler; perhaps someone else can explain the chemistry behind that.Can a salt bar be HP to speed cure time?
I’d like to make a salt bar that is %80 CO %15 AVO %5 Castor that would be good and ready in 4-5 months. What would be the max salt PPO I should use?
But none are at their best, in my opinion at less than a 1 yr cure. I just find with less salt they will still lather at the shorter cure time but with the 100% salt that I use they usually do not lather much if any under a 1-year cure. BTW a 5 year cure time makes such a fantastic salt bar you will never want to use it up. At least I do not!HP only speeds up saponification, not the cure. You can use less water like @AlexanderMakesSoap so that it hardens faster, but it still needs cure time. I've only made 50% salt, so I can't speak to any difference that salt % might make, but @cmzaha says that less curing is necessary when you start reducing the salt below 100%. I don't know why salt bars need so much time to become gentler; perhaps someone else can explain the chemistry behind that.
You could make some 50% salt bars now and try them in 4-5 months to see what you think. But trying them that early might give you a false impression of salt bars. My experience with my 50% bars is that they start getting nice around 6 mos, but are awesome at 10-12 mos.
Agreed %But none are at their best, in my opinion at less than a 1 yr cure.
I need to stash some for long-term cure, but keep using them up.BTW a 5 year cure time makes such a fantastic salt bar you will never want to use it up.
You can use up to 100% of your oils, depending on what you like.I’d like to make a salt bar that is %80 CO %15 AVO %5 Castor that would be good and ready in 4-5 months. What would be the max salt PPO I should use?
I have made them at %100, but not used them yet.You can use up to 100% of your oils, depending on what you like.
The only way to tell is to try them out.I have made them at %100, but not used them yet.
I wanted to make some ready by valentines, but the time got away from me.
So now I was wondering if %70 vs %100 salt ppo might be ready sooner. Sounds like maybe not.
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