Licorice root and black lava salt cp soap

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

whitewitchbeauty

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2015
Messages
196
Reaction score
79
Location
Pasadena, CA
Today I decided to take a nice walk over to our local farmers market. While I was there I found some interesting things at the spice and tea table. They had a special on their salt and spice items, so I bought five packages of interesting things. I purchased pink Himalayan salt, black lava salt (2), clove, and licorice root. When I got home I got inspired and decided to make a batch of cp soap. So I put the licorice root in my lye mix and let that cool while I got my fats measured and ready. I put my essential oils and black lava salt to the side to use at the end. Once the lye was ready I removed the licorice root. The batch turned out really cool. It's always a pleasure to explore the farmers market! I was really curious about the black lava salt so I checked it out and it looks like it's just infused with activated charcoal. Interesting.
 
Last edited:
It is still in the mold :) ImageUploadedBySoap Making1449508143.306159.jpg
 
How much salt did u add? M afraid u didn't take long to cut it..hope it does not very hard.
 
I used 2 tablespoons of black lava salt. I think the next batch I'll use a higher super fat. ImageUploadedBySoap Making1449601447.127296.jpgThey're a bit flaky and feel like clay.
 
I would go with either all lard or palm. They both have similar properties, and I tend to prefer fewer ingredients to more. It is an interesting look, and I am sure that scent is very exotic
 
Thank you for the advice. I'm just sort of experimenting. I think this batch was too dry for the amount of salt I used. The bar still look nice and I'm gonna let them cure for two months. They smell amazing!
 
I was short on either lard or palm once, and used a combination (close to 50/50) and really liked the results. Enough that I've made it again a few times.
 
Im thinking i should have gone the CO & OO 80/20 route, argh. I just have to wait it out lol! Sooo hard!!! Did yours bubble up OK? Was it creamier?
 
Fortunately you didn't use a lot of salt but unless you have a really high amount of CO (75% min) just adding salt to the batter will inhibit your lather quite a lot.
 
Does lather matter a lot? I have really dry sensitive skin. So I'm more into the creamier, conditioning soap. My best friend loves a high lather soap. I make her a lot of the bubbly stuff.
 
I just tried this soap and I love it. So far i like it the best of what i've made so far. It doesnt dry my skin out or irritate my sensitive skin. I am going to try another sample next month. The smell is lemony and clean. The lather is good.
 
I just tried this soap and I love it. So far i like it the best of what i've made so far. It doesnt dry my skin out or irritate my sensitive skin. I am going to try another sample next month. The smell is lemony and clean. The lather is good.
Unfortunately it really does not make a true salt bar. Salt bars usually contain 50 - 100% salt to oil with at least 80% CO. Depending on the salt you used that would be only around 2 oz salt. Also please use fine salt in salt bars, any others can become very abrasive. One other thing I will mention is save your money on the black lava salt, it is sea salt and charcoal mixed in. Since Hawaii is located in the Pacific Ocean it is basically Pacific Sea Salt :)
 
The salt is fine granules and i just wanted to add a little not making it a salt bar. I tried a regular salt bar and it made my skin go red and irritated. Since i just used a little does it still help? Or was it pointless?
 
It doesn't seem like it was pointless for you. You love the bar! You could do the experiment of trying the recipe without any salt and seeing if it's the recipe itself that you love, or the addition of the salt to the recipe. It may lather differently with no salt added because of the dampening effect of salt, but it's worth knowing.
 
When I make soap with that low quantity of salt I add it to my lye mix, which makes it a brine soap in which the salt is completely dissolved, no scratchiness. I adore these. For a batch using 40 oz of oils I add 3.7 oz salt to my lye mix (usually equal parts distilled water and coconut milk). Silk, sugar and a heaping tablespoon of clay too. And activated charcoal if I want it black. Dead sea mud subbed for some of the liquid for extra special. Used to buy the Hawaiian black lava soap in 20-lb chef-quality bags, but like someone else said, you can do it yourself with fine Pacific sea salt and activated charcoal.
 
Last edited:
I just got Kaolin Clay and i have Bentonite clay already. i havent used any clays in my cp soaps just my m&p soaps. That should be fun!
 
Back
Top