Salt Bar Recipe

[LoveOscar]

Alright, second batch, preparation of (minimally) modified recipe for salt bars.

I'm looking at 4.4 oz lye (15% super fat) and 11 oz distilled water. Oils are as follows:

24 oz Coconut Oil (80%)
3 oz Shea Butter (10%)
1.5 oz Sunflower Oil (5%)
1.5 oz Castor Oil (5%)

30 oz Himalayan Sea Salt (size small, from Bramble Berry)

Original recipe called for avocado oil instead of sunflower oil (I have already run it through Soap Calc, the lye amount doesn't change). I chose sunflower because it's supposed to give a silky lather, and I am hoping for more lather which will already be limited in this bar.

I'm wondering what you guys think of this recipe. I'm unsure of the shea butter. I am also unsure of the avocado vs sunflower, or scratching both and adding more castor.

I haven't decided whether or not to use any EO, although I have tea tree if I choose to add.

Thoughts?

 

[KristaMarie]

The only thing that's going to hinder lather is the shea butter. I love it, but not in salt bars. I would just ditch that and add the percentage to the sunflower oil.

I don't think avocado v. sunflower will make a huge difference in a salt bar.

I've never used an unscented salt bar and for some strange reason, it sounds wrong to me. Lol. I would use the tea tree

 

[Obsidian]

I personally dislike butters in salt bars, I found it really reduced the lather. My favorite salt bars are very simple, 80% coconut oil, 20% liquid oil of choice. I actually prefer olive oil in mine.
I also only use 35% salt in my bars now. Used to use 100% but it reduced the lather more then I wanted. For my bars, I like 20% SF unless I'm using coconut milk, then I only use 15% SF.

I have some unscented salt bars, they smell clean & soapy.

 

[LoveOscar]

I am modifying a recipe out of an online downloaded soaping book. I'm not against scratching the butters out and adding to the sunflower oil.

Is it more beneficial to reduce down to one oil, maybe scratching the castor? If I have enough salt (pretty sure I do) I might make two batches, one sunflower and one olive oil, and see which I like better. I'm limited by one plastic loaf mold!

What is the difference between 15% and 20% SF? Will it trace faster? What would be the difference in cure time?

I like tea tree, a lot, but in my shampoo. I'm undecided if I want it in my soap bar, and it would depend on how strong it came out. I might have a sweet almond oil too, but I need to make sure it is okay for soaping (purchased it at Michaels in the soaping aisle, but it's been a while since I looked at it).

 

[KristaMarie]

Beneficial can be so subjective when it comes to soap. With the amount of lather created by all that coconut oil, I'm not sure castor makes a difference (but I use it lol.)

The higher superfat will make the bar less stripping, but shouldn't make a noticeable difference in trace or cure times. You're going to a longer-than-normal cure for a salt bar anyway. I use mine after a month, but they get so much better as time goes on

Most likely, that fragrance oil is made for melt and pour soap bases, but take a look.

 

[LoveOscar]

I'll try for 20% sunflower, and then olive oil in another batch, and see how I enjoy the results.

Soap Calc, with 20% SF, puts me at 4.17 oz lye for both oils. I guess it'll be like a castile/bastille bar with the longer cure?

The fragrance oil (honey almond) is a soap fragrance to be used in melted soap, bath salts, salt fizzies, body scrubs, and lotions. Instructions specify see bases for additional instructions. No good for cold process?

 

[Obsidian]

Nope, thats not a fragrance for CP.

 

[cmzaha]

Do not throw out the castor in a salt bar and up it to at least 10%, nix the shea it really adds nothing to salt bars and reduces the lather considerably

 

[LoveOscar]

Gotcha. Tea tree it is then (or a trip to the Pharm for some lemongrass). Thanks for helping me iron this out guys! I'm hoping to knock this out this weekend. I'll post the results when I have bars!

 

[LoveOscar]

Any specific reason not to throw out the castor?

 

[detroitgirl77]

My go to recipe for salt bars is 80% coconut oil, 15% olive oil, 5% castor oil, 20% superfat with the salt being 50% the weight of the oils.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Castor helps the bubbles. It's not a bubble maker in itself, but it helps to improve the bubbles that are already there. Really helpful in a salt bar!

 

[shunt2011]

There are many ways to make salt bars ingredient wise. I too would not use butters in them. I love salt bars and make them 80% CO, 15% Avocado, 5% Castor with 25-30% salt.

 

[LoveOscar]

Alright, I'll run it through the Soap Calc again with 5% castor oil. I'm thinking too, since I'm doing more than one batch, of doing more than one salt amount per batch. The original recipe that I am bastardizing calls for 100%, and I have salt that is small, granular sand sized. Since everyone is saying 20 to 50% salt, I'll do a batch at 50% and another batch at 30%.

So now I'm looking at

4.16 oz lye (20% SF) and 11 oz distilled water

24 oz Coconut Oil (80%)
4.5 oz Sunflower Oil or Olive Oil (15%)
1.5 oz Castor Oil (5%)

15 oz Himalayan Sea Salt for one batch and 10 oz for the second batch.

Tea Tree EO, and maybe lemongrass if I can get out to buy it.

Sounds good?

 

[cmzaha]

Alright, I'll run it through the Soap Calc again with 5% castor oil. I'm thinking too, since I'm doing more than one batch, of doing more than one salt amount per batch. The original recipe that I am bastardizing calls for 100%, and I have salt that is small, granular sand sized. Since everyone is saying 20 to 50% salt, I'll do a batch at 50% and another batch at 30%.

So now I'm looking at

4.16 oz lye (20% SF) and 11 oz distilled water

24 oz Coconut Oil (80%)
4.5 oz Sunflower Oil or Olive Oil (15%)
1.5 oz Castor Oil (5%)

15 oz Himalayan Sea Salt for one batch and 10 oz for the second batch.

Tea Tree EO, and maybe lemongrass if I can get out to buy it.

Sounds good?

I am one of the few that do 100% salt, which is one of the reasons for the high castor and I superfat at 15%. Hopefully your Himalayan salt is at min fine grain superfine being better. Salt does not melt in the batter, so anything other than fine will or can be abrasive the skin. Do not grind salt to make it fine it causes sharp edges in salt. Good luck with your salt bars

 

[Dharlee]

I am one of the few that do 100% salt, which is one of the reasons for the high castor and I superfat at 15%. Hopefully your Himalayan salt is at min fine grain superfine being better. Salt does not melt in the batter, so anything other than fine will or can be abrasive the skin. Do not grind salt to make it fine it causes sharp edges in salt. Good luck with your salt bars

When you speak of a certain percentage of salt, are you meaning in proportion to the POO? And what type of salt do you normally use for a salt bar? I had read somewhere that Dead Sea salt was actually the one kind not to use. I cannot find that article for the life of me though.

 

[cmzaha]

When you speak of a certain percentage of salt, are you meaning in proportion to the POO? And what type of salt do you normally use for a salt bar? I had read somewhere that Dead Sea salt was actually the one kind not to use. I cannot find that article for the life of me though.

I do 100% per oil weight, and use plain table salt as the bulk. I find even pacific sea salt can hinder lather so I use approx 2:1 table to sea salt. Dead sea salt can be used in very small percentages, such as below 5% if you want the label appeal of it. Higher DSS will give you a waxy, non lathering bar of soap that cries like a baby in a tantrum