Tips on sea salt please.

[LolaFalana]

Hi guys, yet another dilemma :banghead:. Two months ago I received a 12 1-lb containers of sea salt from my sister's fiancee. I never touched it until a few weeks ago when I made and messed up a few salt bars. Thanks to you lovely people I learned I was able to rebatch salt bars which I did Saturday. Fast forward this long story to this morning where I found every single bar I made (it's only 6) to be covered in condensation!

Is this something that happens with sea salt? I've made salt bars using table salt and never had that problem before. The salt recipe was a triple butter recipe with a bunch of oils. There was no problem with that batch besides that I waited to long to unmold. I then added it to a 97% CO oil at 75%. Could that be the contributing cause?

Please help. I don't want to make another salt bar until I know where I went wrong.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Susie]

My salt bars sweat for the first 6 weeks or so. But I live in a high humidity area. Just let them get done sweating before trying to wrap or sell or anything.

 

[hmlove1218]

I then added it to a 97% CO oil at 75%.

I'm not understanding this part. Did you make another batch of soap and add to your rebatch? Or just coconut oil?

But salt bars tend to sweat while they're young. I live in the South with high levels of humidity and my salt bars have sweated until 8 weeks. But usually they seem to sweat one really good time and then they're done. At least for me they do.

 

[marilynmac]

Do they stop sweating after 8 weeks because they are cured, or do they stop sweating because now it's October and not nearly as hot and humid as when you made them in July?

I thought the sweating was a reaction between the salt and the water in the air - won't it come back next summer?

 

[Susie]

She is saying she made soap that was 97% CO with 75% salt/soap batter ratio.

My bars sweated on and off until they stopped at 6 weeks. Then they never started sweating again. I don't really care for salt bars, though, so I won't be repeating that experiment, but it does mean that I have had quite a long time to observe them for repeated sweating.

 

[LolaFalana]

I'm not understanding this part. Did you make another batch of soap and add to your rebatch? Or just coconut oil?

But salt bars tend to sweat while they're young. I live in the South with high levels of humidity and my salt bars have sweated until 8 weeks. But usually they seem to sweat one really good time and then they're done. At least for me they do.

Sorry i used 75% if the bad batch as an additive to the new soap(97%CO). Does that make sense? I've been very frazzled lately.

And yes I live in south FL so I figured it would do that but the table salt bars didn't sweat at all.

 

[Rowan]

I used table salt in my bars. They didn't sweat the first few months and then suddenly started. It was autumn and more humid than usual. They continued to sweat for 2 months, especially when it became colder. As soon as I put on some low temperature heating the sweating stopped and they haven't done this since. Good luck with your salt bars.

 

[LolaFalana]

Thanks Rowan. And thanks everyone. I was so worried when I saw all the condensation on my bars. I've been soaping officially for a year now next week (whoop whoop!) and I am still an extreme novice trying soak in all information. I question everything.

 

[Susie]

Congratulations on the soapy anniversary! Keep questioning everything. It is how we learn. I am still learning also.

 

[cmzaha]

Just out of curiosity, what percent of superfat did you use? I superfat mine at 15% and they do not sweat or stay wet unless we are having very humid weather. When I tried 20% I found they stayed wet or at least I though it was wet until I realized it was oil. I normally give my salt bars 4 months cure time but prefer to just put them away for a year. I just stored my pumpkin salt bars that I made last Novemeber to cure out for the year

 

[jules92207]

Oh the dreaded condensation. I had a batch fine for months then suddenly started weeping like a baby. So frustrating, but you are not alone!

 

[LolaFalana]

Just out of curiosity, what percent of superfat did you use? I superfat mine at 15% and they do not sweat or stay wet unless we are having very humid weather. When I tried 20% I found they stayed wet or at least I though it was wet until I realized it was oil. I normally give my salt bars 4 months cure time but prefer to just put them away for a year. I just stored my pumpkin salt bars that I made last Novemeber to cure out for the year

I did 18%. The last time I made them it was only 15%. Could that be the reason? I didn't even think of the superfat as an issue for this. I'm going to try that and see if there is a difference for me. The other salt bars I made cured for 4 months before I ever used it. But it wasn't for any special reason, it was hard to convince my friends and family to test out a manly smelling soap. Soaps really do benefit from such a long cure.

I think I'll make a scented and an unscented batch. I used Beach House from Crafter's Choice and it riced so bad half of my batch wouldn't come out of the bowl.

 

[Obsidian]

I use 20% SF with my salt bars and they never weep. I've also used ever salt under the sun except dead sea, even the iodized table salt didn't cause any trouble. The humidity is low here though, even in the "rainy" season the humidity inside is pretty low.
You can try running a fan in the room your soap is curing in, it should help with the weeping. Another option is a dehumidifier.

 

[LolaFalana]

I use 20% SF with my salt bars and they never weep. I've also used ever salt under the sun except dead sea, even the iodized table salt didn't cause any trouble. The humidity is low here though, even in the "rainy" season the humidity inside is pretty low.
You can try running a fan in the room your soap is curing in, it should help with the weeping. Another option is a dehumidifier.

I was just on Wal-Mart's site looking for a dehumidifier. A ceiling fan runs in the room 24 hrs a day. Not for the soap, its just never NOT humid in FL lol. I'm going to figure out right magic. I was gifted with 12 16-ounce containers of sea salt. I will master this. I will. :sly:

 

[Rowan]

Thanks Rowan. And thanks everyone. I was so worried when I saw all the condensation on my bars. I've been soaping officially for a year now next week (whoop whoop!) and I am still an extreme novice trying soak in all information. I question everything.

I know just how you feel, I've been soaping just over a year and feel like such a novice too. I have so much still too learn. I can't believe how amazing this forum is and how supportive. I question everything too, I think this is what makes it all so fascinating and so addictive, there's always something new to learn. Congratulations on your years anniversary. Here's to the next years soaping adventure!

 

[LolaFalana]

Is this forum the greatest? Everyone really cares and is so helpful. And it's very nice to talk about my soap issues with people that know what I'm talking about. Rowan thank you and same to you. Soon we will be one of the experts.

 

[jules92207]

I am just over a year too! Yea for a year under our belts soapers!

 

[true blue]

Yeah - when it comes to salt bars I've learned not to label them until just before a show, etc. I've had to replace too many labels that have gotten wet, then dried and looked unappealing. It's very humid in my area also - all summer long. I also wrap my salt bars in tissue paper to store them. If they get a little wet, the paper helps to absorb the moisture. The interesting thing is that the weeping doesn't seem to be just water. After wiping off more bars than I'd care to admit, I think there's a glycerin thing going on. I don't think the 'water' is just moisture from the air, but also some of the glycerin from the soap precipitating out - which must be triggered somehow by the relative humidity. It only makes sense ... salt is what commercial soap makers sometimes use to remove the glycerin from their soap, and not only does salt attract moisture, but so does glycerin. Anyway - just my 2 cents!

 

[seven]

Oh the dreaded condensation. I had a batch fine for months then suddenly started weeping like a baby. So frustrating, but you are not alone!

same here! ugh! it's raining quite a lot lately, wet and humid as hell. even salt bars (they are over a year old) in a well ventilated room (with huge windows open all the time) sweat like crazy, all the salt on top is now gone. mine was not sea salt, just normal salt. now they are scary looking without all the salt on top that was put there for decoration, it's like a head with a chunk of hair chopped off

 

[jules92207]

^^^ Ha ha ha! That made me laugh Seven!