Dead Sea Salt help needed - what did I do wrong?

[candice19]

I just made a batch of M&P with a sprinkle of dead sea salt. I'm sure many of you have seen those M&P bars with the salt on it.

WELL... I went to unmold, and I was horrified! Some of the salt stuck to the mold and created craters in my soap, the mold itself was wet, and there are these pools of white around the salt.

Where did I go wrong? Am I using the wrong salt??

 

[studioalamode]

What kind of salt?

What was your method?

I had O.K. results with putting bath salts (sea and epsom combined) into some soaps, but I poured a small layer of soap before I put the layer of salts. No pitting, but then the salts were not up against the edge of the mold.

Still, I think you're are very pretty, even if they are unsellable! Kind of unique with the pocking. Looks like fish bubbles or something. How do they perform when you use them? Are they salvageable for personal use?

 

[candice19]

I used dead sea salt from Brambleberry.

I used a tray, where I first put some salt on the bottom. When I was finished preparing my MP, I spooned in a little at a time on the salts, just to make sure the salts don't all get pushed to one corner - this process took maybe 2 mins. Then I just poured the rest of the MP in.

I haven't used it yet. I'm not sure why it's liquidy around the actual granules of salt, and what effects that would have on skin.

I see other soapers have "sea salt" in their soaps, so I'm confused. For example:

http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.69532677.jpg

http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.74361016.jpg

How do I do something like that without all this excess moisture?

 

[studioalamode]

I can't say for sure, as I have said I'm no expert. But since no one else has replied yet, I will give you some possibilities... did you unmold too soon and the wetness is liquid soap (did it harden after you unmolded it?)

One of the pictures you put up there (of someone else's) also looks a bit pitty, but it is pretty like yours. I am not sure you are as far off the mark as you think. The only other thing I can think of is that since you say you put a layer of salt down first, maybe you should try pouring a thin layer (maybe 1/8"?) before putting down a layer of salt.

I've never done this, but would like to try. If you find out what happened, please be sure to post it here so we can have your solution as a reference!

 

[Tabitha]

I would suggest treating it like embeds. Sprinkle your salt, mist it was alcohol & then pour the soap quick before the alcohol dries, Alcohol acts as a glue between soap & soap or soap & something else. the something else this time being salt. It looks to me like the salt tried to pull away from the soap & left the pock marks from that. The salt need to be attached to the soap & rubbing alcohol should do the trick.

 

[candice19]

studioalamode, if I tried putting a layer of salt down first, doesn't that mean you wouldn't be able to see the salt at all anymore?

Tabitha, would alcohol make the salt melt at all?

 

[candice19]

Update:

I inspected and tried the soap in the shower just now. The little white spots have become little pools of moist stuff. If you touch it, it will come off on your fingers. However, upon using it in the shower, it worked fine. Not so much of the salt is present, but as a soap it's fine.

I use shrink wrap for packaging. I wonder how the moisture will affect the soap... should I let it sit out for a few days?

 

[bombus]

Candice-
I have run into the same problem. There seems to be a difference between
"sea salt" and "dead sea salt".

I purchased fine sea salt from a restaurant supply, and used it in my CP salt bars-
no problem. Wonderful salt bars. (the ingredients label said "100% sea salt)

Then I made another batch. I didn't have enough of the sea salt, so I added
half of the needed amount using some dead sea salt that I purchased at
Costco. Problem! It made flaky, crumbly bars, and the surface of the soap
had a little "bloom" wherever the dead sea salt was on the surface.

It has not cured enough to try it, but it does not look great.
The pits in your soap look similar.

I suspect that "dead sea salt" is meant to be used as a bath salt, like epsom salts
(which don't work in salt bars), and "sea salt" is sodium chloride, period.
The ingredients label on the "dead sea salt" said "(100% dead sea salt)"

 

[valor]

I can say that I have had with this same issue in a couple of different ways.

The first time I tried to put a layer of salt into my layered MP. I sprayed with alcohol and poured the soap. I got a frosting-like mush. Smelled good, but was virtually unusable.

The second time, I tried like you did, to put some in the mold and spoon over. I found that the MP started dissolving the salt, then it hardened around it. Hence, the pocking.

Unfortunately, I gave up on MP salt bars then and turned to CP. I'm sorry that I can't offer too much of a solution, except to tell you that it might pay off to try a little bit at a time. Try different grain sizes in small, teeny, tiny little spoonful batches before you go big.

I wasted Pounds of MP before I decided that I should have tested. :0(