Adapting a Salt Bar Recipe to Remove Palm

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
My current plan is to throw out the original recipe completely, thus negating the whole point of the thread:crazy:. I was only interested in it because of the customer service representative's reassurance that I would have a little playtime with it. Everyone's comments seem to imply that I will have time for design with any of the recipes if I simply back off the salt.

I will start with two small test batches. The first will be IrishLass' recipe that so many of have raved about (no tweaking). The second will include a smattering of other oils and butters similar to that of shunt 2011's recipe. I will use the same coconut cream/milk and salt ratio in both to start. We'll see how those compare before I shoot off in other directions or increase the salt.
 
I didnt plug anything into soapcalc, but am i the only one confused as to why soap queen made salt bars with so little co?
Just to reiterate, co is an oil that can make lather in salty water. To my knowledge olive, palm, shea, rice bran, sweet almond, cocoa, etc really dont make lather in the presence of salt water. Thats why high co oil is needed when adding a lot of salt. Anyway, good luck with it! I have tried different recipes and am trying to perfect my own salt bar myself.
My last one had 70% co, 40% salt ppo, olive shea and castor. Next try will eliminate shea and see what it adds or takes away. Then next adjusting maybe the co. Then next adjusting the salt. Anyway it takes a lot of experimenting to find your perfect bar. Let us know how it goes! Sounds like you're off to a great start with IL and shunts recommendations!
 
I didnt plug anything into soapcalc, but am i the only one confused as to why soap queen made salt bars with so little co?
Just to reiterate, co is an oil that can make lather in salty water. To my knowledge olive, palm, shea, rice bran, sweet almond, cocoa, etc really dont make lather in the presence of salt water. Thats why high co oil is needed when adding a lot of salt. Anyway, good luck with it! I have tried different recipes and am trying to perfect my own salt bar myself.

You are right Lionprincess but some people (my dh for one) don't like CO and don't mind low or no lather. He is now addicted to salt in soap so I have to work out the best way to do it.
 
Last edited:
penelopejane, have you thought about trying babassu instead of CO? Many of the same properties, but dunno, he might like it. I love it but don't make many salt batches with it because it is spendier than CO. All, thoughts and opinions on babassu in salt bars?
 
penelopejane, have you thought about trying babassu instead of CO? Many of the same properties, but dunno, he might like it. I love it but don't make many salt batches with it because it is spendier than CO. All, thoughts and opinions on babassu in salt bars?

paillo,
In Australia babassu oil is really expensive. It is also a type of palm oil. I am really allergic to palm oil. I know a lot of people believe soap doesn't stay on your skin long enough to get into your system but I prefer not to risk it.

OO and RB are not too bad cost wise here, CO is a bit cheaper, generally but you can get some great deals on OO and RB here.

Palm oil is the cheapest but I don't use that.
 
Last edited:
Granted I was in a state last night, worried about the dogs and power, extremely grumpy and took it out on the forum. Inappropriate and wrongheaded. Many apologies. If I don't have anything constructive to say I will henceforth sit on the hands.

We've all been there. I don't think anyone took umbrage at your statement. I am simply on tenterhooks as to what you were referencing (much like a cliffhanger season finale). Would you mind sharing what information was erroneous so that I do not disseminate those inaccuracies?
 
Mostly I was frustrated that the OP didn't seem to understand that salt bars are meant to lather in salt water, and that only CO (ETA: also pointed out in this thread babassu and PKO) will do that. Once I understood that she didn't care if it lathered or not, that was a moot point. Of course I didn't really get that until after my rant. But there were many who chimed in about salt bars with good information and advice, which didn't seem to be heard. Second, frustrated that she said extra-fine Himalayan salt scratches your skin really badly. Plain old salt indeed is fine, but it's simply not true that Himalayan salt is a bad idea in salt bars.

Anyway, the discussion has progressed nicely with most of the questions resolved.
 
Last edited:
Mostly I was frustrated that the OP didn't seem to understand that salt bars are meant to lather in salt water, and that only CO (ETA: also pointed out in this thread babassu and PKO) will do that. Once I understood that she didn't care if it lathered or not, that was a moot point. Of course I didn't really get that until after my rant. But there were many who chimed in about salt bars with good information and advice, which didn't seem to be heard. Second, frustrated that she said extra-fine Himalayan salt scratches your skin really badly. Plain old salt indeed is fine, but it's simply not true that Himalayan salt is a bad idea in salt bars.

Got it. I am the original poster...and the one that pointed out that other oils lather in salt. I never said that lather was not important (it is!), but acknowledge that it is not the only consideration. My primary criteria were eliminating palm and ensuring enough working time to incorporate some design. I think that we all make compromises when developing any recipe: sacrificing longevity for moisturizing, luxury for cost-efficiency, lather for skin sensitivities, or almost anything in consideration of allergies.

Not only is everyone's skin different, so are their priorities. I prefer natural/organic products, but still choose to use phthalate-free fragrance and micas because the range of colors and scents appeal to me more. I often eat vegan, but am still happy to use lard/tallow/dairy/honey in soapmaking since my reasons for doing so are more rooted in health and environmentalism than a moral conviction. While I am not signing up for MyMountainSoaps 30% rosehip seed oil soap (http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=41712&page=2), cost is rarely a consideration as I do not sell.

Penelopejane is the poster who provided her experience with a castille salt bar and cautioned against using Himalayan pink sea salt. She explained that she chose to use only olive oil because her husband hates coconut oil and she has skin sensitivities to palm products. Sacrificing lather was the compromise that she chose to make. I understand that many (including myself) like Himalayan salt, but assumed that her statement was based on what is available in her area. I have a cheap local source for finely ground pink salt in bulk, but know that it can only be purchased in a much coarser grind at $7.00/2oz spice jar where my parents live. I am sure that we have all experienced some disparity in vendor product quality and can only attest to our own experience.

Those who don't know what they're talking about really should not sound so confident and know-it-all.

I respectfully disagree. To me, the beauty of a forum such as this is access to collective wisdom and I genuinely believe that everyone has something to contribute. I was worried about the low quantity of coconut oil in the original recipe and found the information about a castille salt bar to be incredibly helpful. It is not exactly what I am planning to make, but I love knowing that it exists as an option in the event that I have different parameters in the future. It might also influence the decisions that I make in formulating my own recipe. Because I don't sell, it is not prudent to make 100 batches a year. Therefore, I am really dependent on the anecdotal experiences and pooled wisdom that I find here. I feel that in posting a question, the onus of responsibility is on me to vette the information provided. Otherwise, I am just a lazy free-loader that is shoveling my workload onto those too nice to tell me where to shove it:sick:.

Anyway, the discussion has progressed nicely with most of the questions resolved.

I am glad that you feel that is the case and genuinely appreciate you letting me know where you feel the misinformation might lie. Accuracy is important to me and, as diligent as I am in my research, I still screw up more often than I would like. Thanks for double-checking me:grin:.
 
Last edited:
Second, frustrated that she said extra-fine Himalayan salt scratches your skin really badly. Plain old salt indeed is fine, but it's simply not true that Himalayan salt is a bad idea in salt bars.

Anyway, the discussion has progressed nicely with most of the questions resolved.

Paillo, I am so sorry I added to your angst.
I have used coarse grained Himalayan salt on top of a bar of soap (exactly like the picture in the link that the OP posted in post 1 that I was referring to). http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-b...ocess-soap/pretty-in-pink-salty-cold-process/

It looked beautiful but it really scratched me badly. I should have explained what I was trying to say more clearly.

Adding finer Himalyan salt to the batter seems to be used a lot.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Back
Top