salt soap recipe quandary

[Marie]

Salt Soap recipes in "Soap Calc" always come out showing very low moisturizing. I've tried many recipes in soap calc and all say very low moisturizing. My understanding has always been that salt bars are so great for skin. Surely there is something I am not understanding. Anyone have understanding about this?? Attached is the recipe
SoapMaker3 Recipe Exported: Nov 19, 2021 Program Version: 3.18.1

Recipe Name: 'Copy 1 Facial Salt Soap' Type: Sodium Soap
BASE OILS:
Coconut 17.60 oz 80.0%
Cocoa Butter 2.20 oz 10.0%
Castor 2.20 oz 10.0%
ADDITIVES:
Misc: Sea Salt 16 oz
Clays: Kaolin Clay 1 Tbsp
EO: Lavender EO 3 oz
Misc: colloidal oatmeal 1 Tbsp
Misc: Buttermilk Powder 1 Tbsp
Liquids: Aloe Vera Juice 4 oz (Adjust water)
PACKAGING ITEMS:
LYE & WATER:

Lye Discount: 20%
Use Pre-mixed Lye: No
Lye Solution: 30.0%
Expected Water Loss: 0.0%
NOTES: Facial Salt Soap, calculated 11-19-2021
This recipe aligns with my original Mango Salt Soap, so I used it (Mango Salt Soap recipe) as a base.
Can use 50% each of water and Aloe Vera juice. Be sure to see this!

 

[Obsidian]

Some soaps just break the rules and its best to pretty much ignore the numbers, salt bars are one of these.

I would suggest a slightly different recipe though, butters can reduce lather in salt bars and are not needed. This is my favorite recipe.

80% coconut
20% olive
20% superfat
35% salt

I'd also skip all the extra additives besides the aloe juice and you can replace all the water with that.
Not sure if you've made salt bars before, they can move fast and heat up quick. The clay and buttermilk could really speed things up and cause overheating.

Consider a different EO, lavender can go rancid easily and salt bars need a 6 month cure.

I'd like to add that no soap is moisturizing, its cleansing. No matter what you add or what oils is used, its not going to add moisture to your skin.
What you want is a soap that isn't too cleansing so its not stripping your skin. Most people like a cleansing number no more then 20, for my dry skin I need to keep it around 11.
Of course a salt bar cleansing number is super high, its balanced by the high superfat.

 

[lenarenee]

The statement you heard - "salt bars are great for the skin" is a generalization. Like anyone's opinion about any type of soap, it all has to be taken with a grain of salt (no pun intended) because there are as many opinions about what makes a great soap as there are humans who use soap.

The language used on soap calculators can be ....misleading and inaccurate. Part of learning to use a calculator is understanding the definitions of the terms used by that calculator. Frustrating, I know. But terms like moisturizing usually mean the oils is high in fatty acids OTHER than lauric
and myrisitc, which are the ones known for stripping oils from your skin.

I agree with Obsidian that soap doesn't moisturize, but contains unsaponified fat that reduces the cleansing of the saponified coconut oil. It's like washing greasy hands the first time with soap - it doesn't remove all of the oil on the skin.

The high coconut oil level in salt bars make for a hot soap, like mentioned above. Also, the higher your percentage of salt added... the hotter it gets. If you aren't using individual molds, be prepared to cut those bars in as little as 1 - 4ish hours and it will likely be quite warm to the touch. Use gloves to protect yourself from this very young soap that won't be fully saponified. Good luck! Hope you like it!

 

[Marie]

Some soaps just break the rules and its best to pretty much ignore the numbers, salt bars are one of these.

I would suggest a slightly different recipe though, butters can reduce lather in salt bars and are not needed. This is my favorite recipe.

80% coconut
20% olive
20% superfat
35% salt

I'd also skip all the extra additives besides the aloe juice and you can replace all the water with that.
Not sure if you've made salt bars before, they can move fast and heat up quick. The clay and buttermilk could really speed things up and cause overheating.

Consider a different EO, lavender can go rancid easily and salt bars need a 6 month cure.

I'd like to add that no soap is moisturizing, its cleansing. No matter what you add or what oils is used, its not going to add moisture to your skin.
What you want is a soap that isn't too cleansing so its not stripping your skin. Most people like a cleansing number no more then 20, for my dry skin I need to keep it around 11.
Of course a salt bar cleansing number is super high, its balanced by the high superfat.

Thanks so much for the reply. I've made many salt bars for many years, but this has always been a bugaboo in my head. They always turn out great by all appearances and I continue to sell many, but like I said "bugaboo" in my head about the soap calculators' info. I like what you said about "some soaps just break the rules", and will just agree with that and quit letting this bug my brain.
I also just might try eliminating the butter and see if I can tell a difference in lather.
Again, thank you so much for replying.

The statement you heard - "salt bars are great for the skin" is a generalization. Like anyone's opinion about any type of soap, it all has to be taken with a grain of salt (no pun intended) because there are as many opinions about what makes a great soap as there are humans who use soap.

The language used on soap calculators can be ....misleading and inaccurate. Part of learning to use a calculator is understanding the definitions of the terms used by that calculator. Frustrating, I know. But terms like moisturizing usually mean the oils is high in fatty acids OTHER than lauric
and myrisitc, which are the ones known for stripping oils from your skin.

I agree with Obsidian that soap doesn't moisturize, but contains unsaponified fat that reduces the cleansing of the saponified coconut oil. It's like washing greasy hands the first time with soap - it doesn't remove all of the oil on the skin.

The high coconut oil level in salt bars make for a hot soap, like mentioned above. Also, the higher your percentage of salt added... the hotter it gets. If you aren't using individual molds, be prepared to cut those bars in as little as 1 - 4ish hours and it will likely be quite warm to the touch. Use gloves to protect yourself from this very young soap that won't be fully saponified. Good luck! Hope you like it!

Thank you, lenarenee, for your input. I didn't know that CO heats up the soap or that increased salt percentage also increases heat. I'm going to reduce my salt. Just good to know.

 

[Rsapienza]

I don’t find that a higher salt percentage increases heat in salt bars. I have seen many people say that they move fast but that has not been my experience at all and I have used anywhere between 50-100-% salt. I’m able to do designs and swirls.

 

[lenarenee]

I don’t find that a higher salt percentage increases heat in salt bars. I have seen many people say that they move fast but that has not been my experience at all and I have used anywhere between 50-100-% salt. I’m able to do designs and swirls.

Sure, many people do designs and swirls in salt bars.
Are you saying that your salt bars take the same amount of time to unfold and cut as a non-salt bar recipe? Then for some reason, you salt bars don't move fast. Perhaps its your recipe.

I use 95 to 100% coconut oil, and anywhere between 35% to 100% salt. My fastest mover is the 100% salt bar with NO fragrance - heats up and cracks open every single time and is still red hot at 80 minutes when it has to be cut. (I save any pure white coconut oil I have, like Nutiva, to make this soap because it makes a sparkly, pristine bar that I love!). Unfortunately last time I made it I added coconut milk powder. It scorched, the bars are light beige and wow...extremely rustic (ugly) due to the level of overheating. In another year, they'll be awesome to use, but not liftable.

When I use a "heater" fo like BB's Salty Mariner (because why not make it a challenge, eh?), I reduce the salt to 35% or I end up with a near volcano! If I use 100% salt, the loaf just pops open right down the center...and the soap starts to expand out of the crack. It's really cool to watch, but glad I had my googles on and a fan ready to blow on it.