Salt bar & SoapCalc/ Lard for laundry soap

[ewenique]

Two questions:

1. When I run different salt bar recipes through SoapCalc, the soap quality numbers are just crazy, nowhere near the recommended INS of 140-165. Since salt bars need a high concentration of coconut oil, the cleansing number is very high. Can someone explain how adding salt changes the bar from super harsh to nice to use?

2. Why is lard good for laundry soap when its cleansing number is very low?

 

[AshleyR]

No idea, but I use a 100% coconut oil soap (no superfat) in my laundry soap recipe and it works amazingly!

 

[Deda]

Salt bars are a completely different animal. The high coconut level allows the soap to lather through the salt. Salt bars are made with a very high superfat. All that unsaponified oil makes the bar very moisturizing. The salt acts like bath salts. Together they make a wonderfully hard, decadent bar of soap.

 

[ewenique]

Is there a site for calculating a recipe or a basic recipe that you could recommend for a small 1 lb batch salt bar? I've read that using salt at 80% of the oil content works well. What would be a good superfat %?

 

[Norai]

I think lard is just good for laundry because it's cheap and a bit harsh to be using on skin when it's not mixed with other oils... so it's more of a "well it's not much good for anything else" kind of situation?

I asked for some to fat to render at Safeway the other week and the guy got all excited and gave me a big bag for free. :shock:

 

[angbaby4974]

Is there a site for calculating a recipe or a basic recipe that you could recommend for a small 1 lb batch salt bar? I've read that using salt at 80% of the oil content works well. What would be a good superfat %?

I made a 100% Coconut Oil, superfatted 20% with 80% salt. I did not like them at all at first, but now it's one of my many faves! I also added a touch of eucalyptus & it works wonders sitting in a hot bath, massaging tired muscles with an incredibly hard bar of soap

Also, you can run a 1 lb. batch through soap calc, which will let you put in 20% superfat.

 

[MikeInPdx]

Is there a site for calculating a recipe or a basic recipe that you could recommend for a small 1 lb batch salt bar? I've read that using salt at 80% of the oil content works well. What would be a good superfat %?

I made a 100% Coconut Oil, superfatted 20% with 80% salt. I did not like them at all at first, but now it's one of my many faves! I also added a touch of eucalyptus & it works wonders sitting in a hot bath, massaging tired muscles with an incredibly hard bar of soap

Also, you can run a 1 lb. batch through soap calc, which will let you put in 20% superfat.

I make the same soap for my salt bars and use the same proportion of salt. I think the 80% salt works better for me than the 100%.....I like a few bubbles.

Only difference I can see is I put lime FO in mine.

 

[angbaby4974]

Hahahaha Mike I got the idea from you @ SL! I may have forgotten to thank you for that, so here's a GREAT BIG THANKS!!!!!

 

[andreabadgley]

Oh, I'm so glad this thread is here. I've been wanting to make a salt bar, and really haven't started researching how to do it yet. So here's a good place to start!

When you say 80% salt, is that 80% of the mass of the oils you're using? Or 80% of water + oils? And what kind of salt do you use?

 

[mamaT]

Most of the threads I have read use 80% salt as a percentage of total oils. I like lots of lather so I use 50%. Still makes a nice hard bar. You can use any salt you like, some use sea salt, kosher salt. I use the sea salt - table salt. The finer the salt the better. I wouldn't use bath salt large crystals.

 

[andreabadgley]

Most of the threads I have read use 80% salt as a percentage of total oils. I like lots of lather so I use 50%. Still makes a nice hard bar. You can use any salt you like, some use sea salt, kosher salt. I use the sea salt - table salt. The finer the salt the better. I wouldn't use bath salt large crystals.

Thanks mamaT! I'm excited to try this!

 

[angbaby4974]

I used 80% if the total weight of the oil(s), just fine sea salt I bought at the grocery store.

 

[MikeInPdx]

Hahahaha Mike I got the idea from you @ SL! I may have forgotten to thank you for that, so here's a GREAT BIG THANKS!!!!!

You're welcome.....but I have to give the credit to our former moderator Paul (soapmaker man). It was his proportions that gave me the bar I liked best.

Thanks Paul!

 

[ewenique]

Thanks for your replies!