Salt bars

[Cuckoo Bananas]

OK so I just have to try out a salt bar now that people have been mentioning them again!

So...the oils I have on hand are OO PO CO jojoba oil, shea butter and cocoa butter. And the salt I already have is Fine Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, Table salt (has anti caking agent 554 in it) Or Rock Salt.

I usually make up a batch with about 40oz of oils so what would be a good combination and how do you work the salt into soap calc or is it just something you add in at the end and it doesn't affect the recipe?

 

[carebear]

I'd do 90% coconut oil and 10% cocoa butter. Definitely table salt, and I like about70% of the weight of the oils in salt.

 

[nattynoo]

For me, I'd say 90% coconut, 10% castor & somewhere around 70-80% table salt with SF @ 20%.

 

[Soapy Gurl]

I am going to sneak in here and and add a couple questions. Do salt bars need the full 4 weeks curing time? I assume so. How long do they last compared to a regular bar of soap?

 

[Cuckoo Bananas]

OK so I just ran that through soap calc

36oz CO
4 oz Cocoa butter
28 oz table salt

15.2 oz water
6.79 oz lye

Questions -

Is my table salt still OK to use with that anti caking agent in it?

At what stage do you mix the salt in and any other things like to do it at certain temp or any other precautions or warnings before I make it up?

Also how much will the salt bulk out my batch in terms of my mould overflowing?

AND how long should I leave it in the mould for before cutting - I imagine all that CO makes it set hard pretty fast.

 

[nattynoo]

Cut it early, as soon as its firm enough to handle, gloves on of course, mine is nearly always still hot. For me 2-4hrs after pour.
It'll bulk up a bit but not as much as u might think.
Table salt with caking agent works fine for me.
About medium trace .... but everyone is different of course.

What SF did u do?

 

[carebear]

The salt is fine. I mix in at thin trace. It takes considerable mixing to "burp" all the air out LOL and it's hard for me to do at any thicker trace. Finding the right moment takes some experimentation.

Cut as soon as it's hardened up. Soap will be HOT (it has to gel) so be prepared to blow on your fingers a lot. Soap will also likely be slightly caustic still, so wear gloves. Then set it aside to cure - I like to cure mine 8 weeks but not everyone does. You will want a low humidity place as salt is hygroscopic - otherwise your soap will sweat as it pulls moisture from the air.

 

[Dragonkaz]

My salt soap is 100% coconut oil (20% SF) with 70% table salt added at medium trace and then poured into silicon muffin moulds, so that I don't have to 'watch' it.

I prefer this recipe to have a longer cure, due to the lather being low. The salt soap I'm currently using (and selling) is over three months old and it feels amazing on my skin ... especially my face!

 

[FreeRabbit]

I use Himalaya salt with great result
it needs even longer then the 4 weeks to be really mild
mine is about 70 or 75% CO with the rest OO or other gentel

 

[IrishLass]

For mine, I like to use 100% CO, coconut milk (or goat milk) as half of my total liquid amount, 25% sea salt, and a 13% superfat. It's a lot less salt than what most use and a lot less than what I used to use (100%), but it still makes a hard, long-lasting soap, and I like it better.


IrishLass

 

[Cuckoo Bananas]

Will 5% super fat be OK? That was just the default on soap calc...

I'm a bit scared to super fat higher than that as I'm worried it will just cause DOS especially if I store them for several months....

 

[IrishLass]

If you are using 100% coconut oil, there's no need to worry about the DOS monster with a high superfat. Coconut oil is very stable and has very little to none of the DOS-prone fatty acids in it.

IrishLass

 

[tlm884]

Salt should also prevent DOS. Before refrigeration was invented salt was used to preserve foods. High salt concentrations kill most living organisms and can prevent rancidity.

 

[Jezzy]

5% sf is way to low... I just grabbed a salt bar of mine that i made a year ago 100% co gm as 1/2 the liquid 20%sf 100% salt added (pink himalayian salt) and iit great... No dos