Turning salt bars into scrubs?

[Noodge]

So I have some himalayan salt bars that I'm really not happy with, but can't bear to throw out - I can't remember where I saw it (and can't seem to find the thread) but heard that you can grind them down fine to use as a scrub

I'm guessing you would need to add some oil to bring it all together, does anyone know what sort of ratio is best?

Am I going about this all wrong?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Obsidian]

I can't help with the scrub but I am curious, why don't you like them?
Salt bar need a nice long cure, at least 6 months. They can be a bit harsh if used young.

 

[Noodge]

I can't help with the scrub but I am curious, why don't you like them?
Salt bar need a nice long cure, at least 6 months. They can be a bit harsh if used young.

Based on advice from other members, here's the thread if you're curious:

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/thr...-looking-a-little-uh-weird.76946/#post-795726

 

[Michele50]

I've not yet come across the 'grinding them down' for use as a 'scrub' but maybe shred to use as a bubble bath/sea salt soak. If the bars, since they're made with Himalayan sea salt, thus might be scratchy (from what I've read in this forum) you wouldn't be rubbing them if used as a bubble bath/soak. A handful of shreds placed under hot running water to dissolve and lather and the salt in them (hopefully??) dissolve in the water for a nice relaxing experience. Just a thought.

Based on advice from other members, here's the thread if you're curious:

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/thr...-looking-a-little-uh-weird.76946/#post-795726

I was thinking you were asking about shredding the salt bars you made and using the shreds as a scrub, were you asking about grinding the salt down to use instead?? Sorry, lol, I'm confused. I did read the dissolving/cooking down/powdery end product, neat idea but never tried. As far as your Himalayan sea salt, I grind mine to a powder then fully dissolve it to make Soleseife bars (German brine soap). While different in that it isn't exfoliating, but it makes a nice rock-hard bar.

 

[Noodge]

I was thinking you were asking about shredding the salt bars you made and using the shreds as a scrub, were you asking about grinding the salt down to use instead?? Sorry, lol, I'm confused. I did read the dissolving/cooking down/powdery end product, neat idea but never tried. As far as your Himalayan sea salt, I grind mine to a powder then fully dissolve it to make Soleseife bars (German brine soap). While different in that it isn't exfoliating, but it makes a nice rock-hard bar.

No, you're absolutely right, grinding down the soap itself! I say grinding instead of shredding because the soap itself is that hard that it crumbles almost to dust!

I tried using it in the bath, but couldn't seem to get much lather at all (and it left a LOT of scum) won't be doing that again!

Do you have a preferred soleseife bar recipe? It's next on my to do list

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

what are you planning to use to grind them? I would think it would destroy what ever you are going to use--those puppies are hard--I wonder if pounding them with a hammer wouldn't be better

 

[Michele50]

Back when I made mine, I didn't actually find much online about this kind of soap--info or recipes. In fact, I didn't even know anything like that existed; I was looking into how much salt I could dissolve in water to use for soap making for those with acne in my family (sisters) as gifts. Knowing saltwater helps I figure using it in a soap would be great--kill 2 birds with one stone, acne help and cleanser.

What I did find was vague, like how much salt to dissolve and recipes to go from. I think I found two who gave 'some' info about their recipe, but not the actual list of ingredients and amounts. One used like 50% OO; I don't remember how much CO but it was quite a bit less than the OO%. Knowing that CO is the only oil that lathers in saltwater I opted for 66% CO instead of using a high percent of OO. I think you can go with whatever 'other' oils you prefer as long as you use a good amount of CO and a high SF (I used 20% SF but probably could have gotten away with 15% since it wasn't 100% CO soap). I made mine almost 3 years ago and used it on my face only. I've got to make more now that we're on the subject. Made my first 2 salt bars (not Himalayan salt) and am happy with them; while I'm making soap with salt, this is a good time to make more Soleseife soap--large enough for body bars this time. I guess if someone doesn't mind a soap not lathering one could go with high OO, soap will wash whether it lathers or not; I personally like the lovely froth.

Through a Google search because I didn't already know, I found that water will only dissolve 25% of its weight in salt. I used a tad less than 25% salt to the water that I didn't need for my lye: let's say water needed was 9 oz and lye needed was 3 oz.....I'd use 3.30 oz of water to dissolve the lye and then the remaining 5.70 oz of water to dissolve my 1.30 oz ground to a powder Himalayan sea salt. I wanted to be certain my lye completely dissolved so instead of 1:1 water/lye I used 1.3 oz water to 1 oz lye. I also wanted all my powdered salt dissolved so using a bit less than the max water will dissolve prevents having any settle at the bottom, undissolved. I have a coffee bean grinder that turned my salt into a powder with ease and since it's dissolved it wasn't a potential scratching/cutting hazard. It's only on this forum that I read not to use pink Himalayan sea salt in salt bars; there are recipes and info all over the web in which people use it in salt bars. Glad I know better so I didn't use it in my newly made salt bars.

 

[Dawni]

Do you have a preferred soleseife bar recipe? It's next on my to do list

Here's mine, if you're interested. SF at 12% coz it isn't mentioned there I think

 

[atiz]

I love soleseife
Mine is 30% lard, 28% CO, 20% OO, 10% Avocado oil, 7% Castor oil, and 5% shea butter. SF 7%. It lathers great and is a rock hard bar. I add about 2.2 oz salt to 6.77 oz total water (with 33% lye concentration).

Not sure what can be done with your salt bar -- what was your recipe? Salt bars can also be very nice but do require a longish cure. If you want to use it as a scrub, you may try to add it to some emulsified base, but not sure it will make anything useable....

 

[shunt2011]

Personally, turning your soap into anything else probably won't work either. Have you tried your soap to see if it's scratchy? There have been a couple who swear they weren't. I'd just be very careful. I've been making salt soap for 9 years. There's lots of information here on them. They are awesome, but do require a nice long cure. I've not made soleseife so can't help there.

 

[Noodge]

I love soleseife
Mine is 30% lard, 28% CO, 20% OO, 10% Avocado oil, 7% Castor oil, and 5% shea butter. SF 7%. It lathers great and is a rock hard bar. I add about 2.2 oz salt to 6.77 oz total water (with 33% lye concentration).

Not sure what can be done with your salt bar -- what was your recipe? Salt bars can also be very nice but do require a longish cure. If you want to use it as a scrub, you may try to add it to some emulsified base, but not sure it will make anything useable....

Mine was 80% CO, 15% OO, 5% Castor
I've tried the bars and haven't yet been scratched to death, but have been able to feel the odd light scratch from the salt - from what I've read this is unacceptable and could end in a lawsuit (I quite like it though!)

However, people use straight up salt scrubs all the time... I don't know, I'm of 2 minds but don't want to accidentally hurt anyone

 

[dixiedragon]

I suggest giving them away and calling them exfoliating foot bars.

I know that earlier in my soaping career, I wanted to "save" every bit of soap. But sometimes it's just not worth it!

I would also try a rebatch. Maybe the grains will melt/dissolve more?

How much of this soap do you have?

 

[TheGecko]

Mine was 80% CO, 15% OO, 5% Castor
I've tried the bars and haven't yet been scratched to death, but have been able to feel the odd light scratch from the salt - from what I've read this is unacceptable and could end in a lawsuit (I quite like it though!)

I agree with @dixiedragon regarding using them as 'foot bars'...which is pretty much why I made my Salt Soap for in the first place. I'm a barefoot kind of person which can be fairly drying. I used a Sweet Almond Oil Salt Scrub for years (I would buy 5lbs at a time and keep in the frig except for what I would use at any one time), then the company quit making it; I didn't know at the time I could buy the oil and salt and make my own. Today, I get pedicures, but since my toenails grow slowly, it's only every six weeks and in the meantime, since I run around barefoot all the time resulting in dry skin and rough edges, I wanted something in between visits.

I use a high CO recipe, fine grain sea salt at 50%, 20% SuperFat and am lighthanded with an EO. My bars have been curing for four months and I pulled one out to try and I likes it. Not quite as exfoliating as a salt scrub, but I was able to use it on my lower legs without issue and best of all, I didn't have to worry about a oil slick in my tub to either slide on or clean up.

However, people use straight up salt scrubs all the time... I don't know, I'm of 2 minds but don't want to accidentally hurt anyone

As noted above, I used mine only on my feet, I didn't use it only any other areas. If I would to sell a salt soap for regular use, I would go with a brine soap.

 

[Dawni]

Could it be that the really sharp salt crystals were because the salt itself wasn't mixed properly and it sort of clumped together to make a monster crystal?

I ask coz I used fine salt in mine and one mini bar has a huge salt crystal that I could definitely feel. Bigger than that and I imagine it could hurt.

Or like in my other post, the sweating caused the salt to re-crystallize on the tops of the bars. Those were definitely scratchy, without even taking them to the shower I could tell.

I'm careful with calling a brine soap a salt bar and vice versa coz it might be confusing. Even if both have a lot of salt, and aside from what the bars look like, the difference in lather is a giveaway.

I can't yet say if one or the other is better coz my salt bars are still young but I like brine bars very much. Like all soap they will benefit from a long cure but young-ish brine soap lather is better than salt soap of the same age, in my opinion. So I guess if you were selling, that's another point to consider.

Anyway.. What if you grind the bars and use it for a foot spa thing? Like an all in one soak and a semi-scrub kind of thing. They won't need to lather much, and I'm sure your feet would benefit from all that salt.