very confused about salt bars

[jax1962]

hi everyone, i would love to make a small batch of salt bars but when i run the recipe through soapcalc, it's all off the scale - is this ok? how do i know?? the recipe is:

100% coconut oil
100% coconut milk
25% salt

13% superfat

I put in 500g coconut oil and got the following:

coconut milk 190g
lye 79.711g

hardness 79
cleaning 67
conditioning 10
bubbles 67
creaminess 12
iodine 10
INS 258

i'm confused as to know what levels are ok and what aren't :?

 

[Fragola]

Yes, everything seems ok.

Those numbers won't tell you exactly how your salt bar will behave, so don't worry about them.

If you have to cut your soap, make sure you don't wait too long or it will get very hard and brittle (few hours can be too long).

 

[jax1962]

thanks fragola!

thanks for your reply - i can't wait to try these!

very confusing for us soap virgins when the lye calculator tells us a recipe is all out of whack yet there are many versions of the same thing obviously being hugely successful... maybe it's just me being thick!

 

[Dragonkaz]

Your recipe looks great, although I would superfat at a hgher percentage ... maybe 20%.

Hint ... make salt soap in individual moulds, so you don't have to worry about cuttig them.

 

[IrishLass]

Cool beans! That's my recipe! Let me know how you like it.


IrishLass

 

[green soap]

Wow you are from lengadoc! do you speak Occitan? I speak Catalan, we probably could understand each other. Your land is so beautiful. (La teva terra es molt bonica)

Sorry about the digression. Irishlass I was wondering,

1. did you adjust the amount of superfat to account for the extra fat from the coconut milk? so your superfat is still 20% more or less?

2. does the coconut milk change or affect the color of the salt soap? I have read you saying it turns orange no matter what. Worse than goat milk? (I can get goat milk soap in a light tan).

I have been using 50% salt in my salt soaps. I tried 75% and prefer 50%. maybe I should try a 25% next. Do they cure in less time than the higher salt content ones?

 

[IrishLass]

Irishlass I was wondering,

1. did you adjust the amount of superfat to account for the extra fat from the coconut milk?

Yes.

so your superfat is still 20% more or less?

Well, I don't know the exact S/F, but I do know is that it's more than 13%.

2. does the coconut milk change or affect the color of the salt soap? I have read you saying it turns orange no matter what. Worse than goat milk? (I can get goat milk soap in a light tan).

If I mix the milk with my lye, then yes, I get orange, but I no longer mix my milk with my lye nowadays. I do the 'split method' where 50% of my liquid is water (mixed with my lye), and the other 50% of my liquid amount is coconut milk which I fotify with enough coconut milk powder to bring my milk concentation for my entire batch up to a 100% concentration. I then mix the coconut milk slurry into my oils either just before or after adding in my lye solution. With this method, I don't get any major discoloration. My milk soaps come out off-white (unless I'm using a discoloring FO or honey).

I have been using 50% salt in my salt soaps. I tried 75% and prefer 50%. maybe I should try a 25% next. Do they cure in less time than the higher salt content ones?

Nope- same cure time.


IrishLass

 

[green soap]

Thanks for the detailed reply Irishlass. Your new method is very clever. I have purchased instant powdered coconut milk from local asian stores. It sounds like the right product to use here.

 

[jax1962]

thanks irishlass!

i knew i got the recipe from somewhere on this site but after reading so many i couldn't have told you where!! hoping to make these tomorrow so will let you know how i get on. am a bit wary of the coconut milk as a buttermilk recipe i tried a few days ago turned out to be a disaster thanks for the tip on moulds rather than logs, i've got a silicone 12 cake mould at the ready.

hi greensoap - i live in languedoc but am actually irish - moved here almost 9 years ago and wouldn't leave for the world! we're very near the spanish border so lots of catalan and a tiny bit of occitan. trying to learn some spanish as when we visit there we're embarrassed to be speaking french or english and hardly any spanish but it's more difficult the older you get!

irishlass, do i take it you're irish as well? i'm originally from wicklow.

 

[IrishLass]

Re: thanks irishlass!

irishlass, do i take it you're irish as well? i'm originally from wicklow.

Of Irish heritage, actually (I reside in the USA). My great, great grandparents on my father's side left County Cork and sailed over the pond to New York in the 1850's.

IrishLass

 

[jax1962]

whooo-hooooo!!!!

irishlass i think i LOVE you!! this is going to be my basic recipe for every salt bar i make from now on - thank you so much. now you need to go find some tights and pull on your superwoman pants!

i did make a couple of mistakes like adding some of the salt as 'persian blue' which i found at a local supermarket but the blue has just about disappeared - no matter!

the other mistake i made was not realising just how fast it would seize. i managed to scoop it into the moulds and scraped the top with a spatula but i forgot to tap the mould so most of bars have wonky bottoms - again no big deal.

they feel WONDERFUL! silky and smooth. i trimmed the edges when i unmoulded them and used the trimmings to wash my hands (naughty i know) and got suds - real suds - amazing!

a few questions: how much milk powder do you add? i based it on how much it said on the side of the pack and ended up adding 11g to 110g of coconut milk. Is this enough - and how much is too much?

i'm off to make another batch - remembering to tap the mould this time!

 

[IrishLass]

Awesome! I'm glad you like it!

a few questions: how much milk powder do you add? i based it on how much it said on the side of the pack and ended up adding 11g to 110g of coconut milk. Is this enough - and how much is too much?

I've found some brands to have differences in how much to add, so just go ahead and base it on whatever your packet says.


IrishLass

 

[Midnight Rowan]

Re: whooo-hooooo!!!!

irishlass i think i LOVE you!! this is going to be my basic recipe for every salt bar i make from now on - thank you so much. now you need to go find some tights and pull on your superwoman pants!

This.

You truly are amazing and wonderful, Irish Lass I appreciate the sharing of that salt bar recipe so much as well!

 

[IrishLass]

Please stop, or y'all will give me a really big head!

I'm just glad to be of help.

IrishLass

 

[jax1962]

re: whooo-hooooo!!!!

second batch came out just a good as the first one - well better actually - as i remembered to tap the mould! i put in a little saffron and pimento with orange zest and sprinkeld on some red hawaiian salts on top. i've been secretly stroking them every time i pass by......

 

[saltydog]

Re: whooo-hooooo!!!!

irishlass i think i LOVE you!! this is going to be my basic recipe for every salt bar i make from now on - thank you so much. now you need to go find some tights and pull on your superwoman pants!

This.

You truly are amazing and wonderful, Irish Lass I appreciate the sharing of that salt bar recipe so much as well!

lurking..me three! :wink:

 

[green soap]

Re: whooo-hooooo!!!!

irishlass i think i LOVE you!! this is going to be my basic recipe for every salt bar i make from now on - thank you so much. now you need to go find some tights and pull on your superwoman pants!

This.

You truly are amazing and wonderful, Irish Lass I appreciate the sharing of that salt bar recipe so much as well!

lurking..me three! :wink:

me four! amazing, wonderful and very helpful!

 

[IrishLass]

Pshaw- oh, go on (I mean, really- do go on! Tee hee! :wink: ). Just kidding. Truly, though- Y'all are wonderful yourselves and I am thankful for your very kind words.


IrishLass

 

[Robbiegirl]

Ok.. here I am yet again...
I want to use the crafters choice silicone mold 1701 which makes 12 5 oz bars ( for a salt bar) They are scored so I figure this will be easier.

the bar dimensions are 3.25 x 2.5 x 1.25
in accordance with soapmaker mans calculations, this would be 48.75 oz. of oil.

I want to make Irish Lass's bar with coconut oil and coconut milk and fragrance oil... which I can go away and do and leave you all alone today but I need to figure out how much coconut milk and how much lye to use for the recipe.

I will mix some of the lye with water to dissolve and stir in the rest of the coconut milk and the salt after the lye and oil is put in.
Do I count the FO as part of the total oil ? I would probably use 3.75 oz of fragrance oil for that amount?

Now to figure out how much lye, coconut milk and salt...

****edit- I thought I had it figured out but if I go with those calculations I am at 69.37 oz in a 60 oz mold... uh oh

edit again!!! after reviewing the calculations thread, it seems I should be using .38 instead so the coconut oil came to 46 oz, the coconut milk 17.5 oz and the lye 191.17 grams. and 3.0 oz of FO
When I calculate the salt do I do the 25% off the total oz or just off the oils?
And if the total oz comes to a calculation of 63.5 oz but the mold said it makes 12 5 oz bars, am I still too high?

 

[Clemmey]

Coconut milk powder

Where do you get coconut milk powder? I don't think I have ever seen it at the store...