Salt Soap info wanted

[lovinglife]

Ok, so I have been soaping for over a year now, and keep reading about people making salt soap. I still do not know what is the reason for making a salt soap. What is the attraction? Thinking I need to make some, just don't know the reason...is it better than regular and if so what makes it better.

thanks!!
Michele

 

[shunt2011]

I for one love salt soap. I love the thick creamy lather (can use it to shave with too). It's made a fantastic difference in my adult acne prone skin. So, I'm attributing it to the salt. It will also work in salt water. There are quite a few treads on salt bars here. They contain a high percentage of CO (80-100%) and contain anywhere from 25-100% salt. I prefer sea salt. Make sure it's fine salt.

 

[lovinglife]

Well, that settled it, I will make my first bars this weekend. I have SO much soap on hand now, I surely need some more... Besides my family is always begging for soap for Christmas, birthdays, because I love them.....I probably have enough for 3 or 4 years.....I need more family.

 

[seven]

there's straight salt soap (often also called spa bar), where one put the salt in the batter.. there's also soleseife. in the latter, you put the salt in the lye solution. other than the different techniques, both produce different soaps in the end. i personally like spa bar better, the lather is creamy and lotion like, it's hard to compare with other soaps.

 

[IrishLass]

I still do not know what is the reason for making a salt soap. What is the attraction? ...is it better than regular and if so what makes it better.

thanks!!
Michele

I don't think salt soaps are necessarily better, but just different.

I personally like them best for sink-side use (i.e., for washing hands). They're quite hard, very long-lasting, and they don't get all soft and goopy if used frequently in a short span of time (i.e., if several people go to wash their hands one after the other). I also find them to be quite refreshing in the shower on a hot summer's day.

I make the 'spa bar' type (as opposed to the soleseife type that Seven mentioned) ) with 100% coconut oil, 25% sea salt as per pound of my oils, and 100% coconut milk (or goat milk), and I superfat them @ 13%. I also like coloring them in such a way that they look like granite.

Here's a pic of one of the best granite-looking salt bars I ever made, sitting next to a piece of actual pink granite from our back yard:

I used a small bit of red Hawaiian sea salt as part of my total sea salt amount, and I swirled the batter with rose clay and a bit of Dead Sea mud. I wanted the mud to come out speckled-looking, so I just tossed the mud into the batter and lightly hand-stirred it around with a spatula.

The more salt you use, the more rock-solid hard they are, and the less lathery (although they still produce good lather when made with a very high amount of coconut oil).

One of these days I want to try my hand at making a soleseife batch.


IrishLass

 

[lovinglife]

That is so cool looking! I want to make that! I don't think I have the mud but I have everything else, maybe I can do something similar with another earthy color clay. How long must they cure?

 

[IrishLass]

If you have any activated charcoal or any other darkish colorant, it should work just as well. I would make a mud-like slurry of the colorant, and then just lightly hand-stir it in after you add the salt so that it causes a speckling effect.

I cure mine for at least 4 weeks before using, but they get even better the longer you wait. Some cure theirs for 6 weeks or even more. It all depends on how they make your skin feel. Just try it out at different intervals to see what works best for you.


IrishLass

 

[cmzaha]

I use salt bars and soleseife soaps for my eczema, it helps stop my itching and helps it heal. This is a pic of one of my very favorite bars. Called Stormy fragranced with Salty Sea Air

 

[IrishLass]

Very pretty! It fits its name perfectly!


IrishLass

 

[lovinglife]

Good grief! I can clearly see this is NOT going to help with my soap obsession! Good thing I got that good deal on two gallons of coconut oil.

 

[JustBeachy]

Good grief! I can clearly see this is NOT going to help with my soap obsession! Good thing I got that good deal on two gallons of coconut oil.

Salt soaps are a way of life...(insert zen sounds here)

 

[lovinglife]

So my salt soap is in the curing process, I just have a couple more questions. Is there a longer recommended cure time for salt soap? With all the salt is it more drying than non salt soap? Can't wait to try it out, looks pretty cool.

 

[JustBeachy]

So my salt soap is in the curing process, I just have a couple more questions. Is there a longer recommended cure time for salt soap? With all the salt is it more drying than non salt soap? Can't wait to try it out, looks pretty cool.

I cure mine just like regular bars. 6 weeks is my minimum, some feel comfortable at 4 weeks.

First time I tested one it was 2 weeks old and I thought I was gonna hate it. It was real drying on the skin. Then it hit 6 weeks and it was great. I've had it described to me as, "At first I thought it was a little drying on my skin. Then I dryed off and my skin just felt smooth and soft.

Post a pic of your soap. I'd like to see it.

 

[Obsidian]

Yes, I recommend at least 8 weeks but 4-6 months is even better. You salt bars shouldn't be drying if you used a SF of 15-20.

 

[lovinglife]

Here it is, my first attempt. Pretty much plain jane in color, a little black is all.

 

[JustBeachy]

Yeap, looks like a salt soap! Another good thing about salt bars. If you like the taste of salt, zap testing all of a sudden isn't that bad. haha

Great job.

 

[snappyllama]

Zap test, shot of tequila, sniff some lime EO!

 

[JustBeachy]

Zap test, shot of tequila, sniff some lime EO!

hahahaha. You know on my Merry Christmas thread, where I mentioned and the good belly laugh? Prime example right there. Thanks snappy.

 

[lovinglife]

At 15% superfat don't think I will bother with zap testing. I gave an ugly one a trial run this morning, feels really good and my hands are not dry at all, I like it. Thanks for all the help peoples...

 

[IrishLass]

I've never found my salt bars to be drying, even those super-fatted as little as 9%. I think the salt has something to do with that.


IrishLass