Salt soap

[barred rock]

What is the benefit or effects of adding salt to your soap? Can I just add it to my basic recipe? Disolve it first or straight out of box? What type of salt...kosher/sea/table?

 

[soapbuddy]

Salt can harden your soap. Dissolve it in your lye water. Start with 1 teaspoon per lb. of soap. See how that works for you.
You can also make a salt bar, which, in this case, you would add the salt directly to your soap batch. For each lb. of soap, you can start with 1/2 lb. of salt.

 

[nattynoo]

Do you mean putting salt in your soap to harden the bar, like a teaspoon or something??
Or actual salt bars??? where you put up to 100% equal weight of oil to soap.

 

[barred rock]

Do you mean putting salt in your soap to harden the bar, like a teaspoon or something??
Or actual salt bars??? where you put up to 100% equal weight of oil to soap.

Yes salt bar...100% equal wight of oil to soap.

 

[Hazel]

Straight out of the box. I like to mix it in when it gets more towards a medium trace just because I think it helps to suspend the salt more evenly in the bars.

I like salt bars because they're lightly exfoliating and my skin feels very soft after using one. The lather is also different from a regular bar of soap. It's denser and almost lotion-like in its appearance. It's hard to describe. Maybe someone else can explain it better.

 

[barred rock]

Straight out of the box. I like to mix it in when it gets more towards a medium trace just because I think it helps to suspend the salt more evenly in the bars.

I like salt bars because they're lightly exfoliating and my skin feels very soft after using one. The lather is also different from a regular bar of soap. It's denser and almost lotion-like in its appearance. It's hard to describe. Maybe someone else can explain it better.

So in my base soap recipe...how much salt to I put in? What kind? At medium trace?

 

[Hazel]

Thanks for reminding me! I meant to mention that I don't recommend kosher salt.

I mainly use sea salt but I have used just regular table salt. It works fine. I've also found out that I like my bars to have 75% based on the oil amount. So if I'm making a batch and I'm using 24 oz of oil then I'd add 18 oz of salt. If you wanted your batch to be 100%, then you'd add 24 oz of salt.

This is just how I do it. It may not be the best way but it works for me. I add the salt at medium trace just because I find it easier. But you can add it at light trace. I don't think it matters.

IrishLass posted an excellent explanation on how she does salt bars which you should read. It's very informative plus she's more knowledgeable than me.

http://soapmakingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8574

There's also a wonderful tutorial on salt bars by Dagmar. This is what I used to make my first salt batch.

http://www.smftutorials.com/how-to-make-salt-soap.html

HTH

 

[AmyW]

Don't use kosher, it killed my bars. All the bars I've used with sea salt (waiting for my own new batch to cure for a bit) were wonderful.

 

[barred rock]

So really the only benefit from adding salt is that it helps harden the soap and acts as a gental exfolient?

 

[Dragonkaz]

I use 70% salt in a 100% coconut oil soap. SF at 20%. This makes a great non drying soap. I use this on my face ... something I thought I'd never do!

 

[PippiL]

Base Ingredients Grams Ounces Percentage
Coconut Oil 504 gr. 17.78 oz. 70%
Castor Oil 72 gr. 2.54 oz. 10%
Grapeseed Oil 144 gr. 5.08 oz. 20%
Distilled Water 237.6 gr. 8.38 oz.
Lye 102.15 gr. 3.6 oz.
Sea Salt - Fine 576 gr. 20.32 oz.

just got the recipe from the soap making essentials, I thought it looked pretty good,it was 15 % SF,I will try it out soon.

 

[alwaysme07]

I love salt soap. just make sure you cut it in a few hours or it will got super hard.

 

[Woodi]

My experience with salt bars:

- they are indeed very hard, like a rock.....feels like rubbing your skin with a rock.
- little or no lather

I don't really know what the appeal is, except maybe psychological, because some spas recommend or sell salt bars.

 

[nattynoo]

So really the only benefit from adding salt is that it helps harden the soap and acts as a gental exfolient?

I don't know if this really sums it up.
Salt bars are some of my most favourite soaps.
I'm not very good at describing things but there is something great about using a salt soap. I love how clean it makes me feel, not stripped but deep cleansed, like you feel after being in the ocean. For me its not the same as using a standard soap, far from actually. My salt soaps are not rough but smooth. Some describe it like a smooth stone. They last for ages and give a lovely creamy lotion like lather, with some bubble but not big bubble.

I wouldn't be inclined to use your standard recipe but rather a blend of coconut oil, castor oil and perhaps a small amount of butter. I do approx 80% salt to oil ratio. just remember the more coconut you take out the less it will lather. Coconut oil is the only oil to lather in salt water. (I think it is anyway, as far I know know, but I definitely don't know everything..lol)

You'll either be a lover or hater IMO.

 

[Hazel]

My experience with salt bars:

- they are indeed very hard, like a rock.....feels like rubbing your skin with a rock.
- little or no lather

I don't really know what the appeal is, except maybe psychological, because some spas recommend or sell salt bars.

My salt bars all produce a lot of lather. Do you have hard water?

 

[carebear]

My experience with salt bars:

- they are indeed very hard, like a rock.....feels like rubbing your skin with a rock.
- little or no lather

I don't really know what the appeal is, except maybe psychological, because some spas recommend or sell salt bars.

This

 

[busymakinsoap!]

Like Dragon Kaz said, great for facial bars, I wouldnt use anything else now and they are fab for taking away when traveling.

My 100% coconut bars have a light, airy type of froth, rather than a lather (this is how I would describe it). They are quite refreshing to use.
Salt is a natural antiseptic, so if you believe this works in soap, you may find them great for pimples, on both face and body, I do.

I don't love them on my body though, however I am experimenting with adding butters to the recipe to see if this helps.

 

[alwaysme07]

I add castor oil to mine and they bubble very well. You can add sugar to help with the lather. 1/2 -1 tsp. of sugar for each pound of oils to the lye. Dont add it until its mixed.

 

[tryanything]

I just tried using my first salt soap. It is fabulous! I used 80% coconut oil, 10% castor, 8% shea butter, and 2% olive oil. I meant to use 10% shea butter but the cannister lied to me so I just threw some olive oil in to keep the cocount at 80%. I also used 80% sea salt to oils. I love how it feels and it lathers really well. I will definately be making this again!

 

[Hazel]

Sounds good! I haven't tried shea in salt bars. I've used cocoa butter and I didn't care for it. I made the assumption that butters weren't good in salt bars but maybe I should try shea.