Salt Bars?

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JeanieB

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So I am loving the soap making! Curious about salt bars..what are they and how do you make them?
 
i was wondering the exact same thing so I took Relle9's advise and found this line by Alchemy&Ashes » Fri Sep 28, 2012
"Salt bars are soaps with added salt and are usually very high in coconut oil, since it will still lather with the salt added. Most salt bars have anywhere from 50-100% salt to oil ratio...so if your oils weigh 48 oz, you could add anywhere from 24 oz - 48 oz of salt. It makes a very hard bar that can be slightly exfoliating or super scratchy depending on the salt grain you use."
 
The combination of a high percentage of coconut oil and salt creates a kind of foamy, lotiony type of lather. It's hard to describe. It's just different from regular soap. Basically, you make them like a regular batch and you can include other oils. I've seen some recipes with a lower percentage of CO and oils like palm, tallow, etc in them. I normally use 75%-90% CO and then add an oil or two to equal 100%. My favorite oils to add are either hazelnut, sunflower and/or castor. Other people use 100% CO, some people use milks for the liquid and people use different percentages of salt. The salt percentage is calculated on the weight of the oils. I've tried different percentages from 100% down to 35% and found I preferred around 70%. It's really personal preference so you'd have to experiment to find what you like.

Here's a link to a discussion which will give you more info. IrishLass posted her recipe in it. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=31738

Also, I wait to add the salt until I get to about a medium trace or even heavier. I found it helps to keep the salt better suspended throughout the soap. I also mainly use individual cavity molds so I don't have to worry about cutting a loaf. Salt bar batches set up so quickly that you have to cut them within a couple of hours or so; otherwise, they're too hard to cut. The bars can crumble if you wait too long.

I use fine grain sea salt or regular table salt in my batches because I like the smoothness of the finished bars and very light exfoliation. I'm not even sure if there really is any exfoliation. All I know is my skin feels very smooth and soft after using a salt bar. Other people use coarser salts - again - personal preference. :wink:
 
I love Salt Bars and I make mine as mostly CO but I like to add other oils & butters to add some conditioning. I also like to have fun with them sometimes.... LOL

IMG_1165.JPG
 
Beautiful looking Salt Bars. I wish mine came out like that. I am going to post what happened to mine.

Fran
 
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