Help please on my first salt bar recipe

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pcs

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Hello All,

I want to try making salt bar. I dont know how to formulate it, but I would like about 1.5 kg soap. I have 500g of seasalt, 200gm Himalayan pink salt and enough coconut oil. Also I have 200ml castor oil. I have to buy required quantity of lye.

As I understand, the procedure is as follows:
1)the lye-water mixture is prepared and is added to oil mixture at temperature 100DegF - 110DegF
2)mixture blended to trace, and essential oil is added
3)salt powder is added at trace
4) Blend more?
5)pour into mold, cut after an hour.
6)Keep for 4-6 weeks and use.

Will rosemary essential oil be suitable for this bar? I d like creamy lather, and conditioning effect on skin since weather is going to be very dry here. What can be used for coloring this bar? I d like some light colors.

I m all eager to start of:)f!! Thanks in advance for all comments!

Regards.
 
1. It does not matter what your temperature is.
2. Mix your essential oil/fragrance oil in with the oils. If it is going to misbehave, it is better to know it on the front end.
3. Fine ground salt (NOT salt you ground down from larger crystals!) is added at trace.
4. Hand stir until completely mixed.
5. Cut when firm. Keep checking to know when that is. There is no hard and fast rule. It depends on how much salt and what the rest of the recipe is. I actually suggest you use individual molds rather than trying to cut it.
6. Cure for a minimum of 4-6 weeks. I strongly suggest you cure for 6 months. My son (who is the only person I make soap for that likes salt bars) agrees that 6 months is far better than less time.

Now for the rest of the recipe:

1. I suggest 80% coconut oil, 5% castor oil, and 15% whatever you like. I like lard or olive oil. Use 20% superfat.
2. The amount of salt you use is a personal choice. You can use anywhere from 35% of the oil amount to 100% of the oil amount. I like 50%
3. You are not going to get creamy lather with a salt bar. Sorry. I have an awesome recipe for nice creamy lather, but this is not it.
4. You can use whatever essential oil or CP soap fragrance oil you like.
5. To run this through a lye calculator, understand that your salt + your soap amount needs to total 1.5 kg. So, if you are using 50% salt, your soap amount needs to be 1 kg. Of that, roughly 2/3 will be oil amount, so 667 mg of oil.
 
If your lye/water mix is hotter than 110*F it will speed up saponification. The cooler it is the more control you have. And you need control because as soon as you mix in the salt it will start to set.

Don't use Dead sea salt as it weeps. Himalayan sea salt is scratchy on the skin no matter what you do to it, I find. Some salt bars weep a bit for about 3 months.
They need 3-6 months cure to bring out their good qualities even if you don't use a high % of coconut oil.

Corrections needed because my memory is so poor!!! Thanks cmzaha.
 
Last edited:
I like 95% coconut, 5% castor, 50% salt, 20% superfat. Meaning that if you use 100g of oils, then you use 50g of salt.

Because of the high coconut oil, this can seize up, so I actually soap mine pretty cool - around 90F (32C). That slows everything down enough to the point that once I have added everything - oils, lye water, salt, fragrance - that I put the pot back on LOW heat and gently stir until it thickens up, then pour it into individual molds.
 
If your lye/water mix is hotter than 110*F it will speed up saponification. The cooler it is the more control you have. And you need control because as soon as you mix in the salt it will start to set.

Don't use Himalaya sea salt as it weeps and is scratchy on the skin no matter what you do to it.
Some salt bars weep a bit for about 3 months.
They need 3-6 months cure to bring out their good qualities even if you don't use a high % of coconut oil.
Himalayan salt does not weep, Dead Sea Salt is the weeping salt. Himalayan can be used but it is best to use extra fine Himalayan. I prefer 85% CO, 10% Castor Oil, with 5% SAO or Sunflower oil with 100% Pacific Sea Salt
 
Himalayan salt does not weep, Dead Sea Salt is the weeping salt. Himalayan can be used but it is best to use extra fine Himalayan. I prefer 85% CO, 10% Castor Oil, with 5% SAO or Sunflower oil with 100% Pacific Sea Salt

I will take your word for it. My salt bars are evil when not used for your feet and I blame it on FINE pink himalayan salt.
 
I will take your word for it. My salt bars are evil when not used for your feet and I blame it on FINE pink himalayan salt.

Yes I agree. Maybe we have beautiful delicate skin! Or maybe we have a low pain threshhold. :mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

All salts I have tried weep. All of them. For months. I live in a very humid environment, though. They do eventually stop weeping, though.

Some of mine do, some don't. I still haven't pinpointed the cause.
 
I use 100% coconut oil, 20% superfat and 100% by weight of oils fine pickling salt.
Cure 3 months and start using. Makes a great hand cleaner for when I've been out getting dirty and oily.
We keep one at the kitchen sink.

For your first time out I would suggest individual molds if you have them. If not soap in the morning and check it frequently. Salt bars set hard as a rock FAST.

I have been known to swirl the recipe I mentioned.
 
Hello All,

thanks for all the comments and suggestions. Many helpful tips indeed. I think I ll proceed as follows:


cool lye water mix at 90DegF to slow down saponification
mix oils and fragrance, keep at 90-100DegC
Mix lye solution to oils. Stir.
fine ground salt to be added at trace. If using Himalayan salt, make sure its fine ground.(I have crystals so I have to powder them in mixer.)
hand stir until completely mixed
try to use individual molds
cure for atleast 6 months.

superfat 20%
95% coconut oil
5% castor oil

500g salt
1000g soap wt => 2/3rd oil => 660g oil?
=> 1/3rd lye:water ?
I couldnt quite understand how to calculate lye:water weights. Ha!:confused: Please help!

Thanks and regards.
 
Do you use a lye calculator? I use soapcalc but there are many others.

A lye calculator will let you play with water amounts and super fat then do all the math for you. Using soapcalc as the example there is a section at the top where you can choose "water as % of oils" or "lye concentration." With the weights you've given, select "water as % of oils" and input 30 as your percentage. If you play with those two input options you should be able to adjust your total batch size to equal 1000g. (I usually measure my oils first and input my exact measurements before calculation how much water I need)
 
I have used soapcalc too. But was not sure how to include the salt. I ve attempted to come out with a recipe and have attached the screen shot. Does it look fine?

Also, the salt would dissolve when its mixed with trace right? we dont get fine powdered pink salt here. So if it wont mix and dissolve with the soap I m going to have to avoid it altogether.

Thanks!

SaltBar_R1.jpg
 
Salt bars contain NON dissolved salt. Brine bars (AKA Solseife) contain dissolved salt. You can only get water to hold about 30-35% salt. After that, the salt remains undissolved.
 
Oh!! I d like the salt to be dissolved. So I guess I ll make brine soap instead. :D Let me figure out a recipe for that!
 

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