Hi everyone!
I made my first salt bars yesterday, and I'm wondering about a few things.
Do they go through gel phase? I didn't use a colorant, so they're pure white, and they never got that "gel phase" look that my regualar cold process soap gets. I know they get really hard really fast, so I put them in individual silicone cups, but they never really heated up despite being insulated. They were already quite firm by the time I left for work, so I'm not worried about them being completely ruined. Yay!
Second, I did follow a recipe and did a 15% superfat. Does that much unsaponified fat make the bars spoil more quickly? Or does the salt act as a preservative and...pickle(?) the soap?
Lastly, what's a good cure time for salt bars? My understanding is that the cure process has a tiny affect on PH but a big impact on hardness, and therefore how long the bar lasts. If salt bars harden super fast, is it necessary to cure them for as long as regular bars?
Thanks so much for your insight - this forum has been an invaluable resource!
I made my first salt bars yesterday, and I'm wondering about a few things.
Do they go through gel phase? I didn't use a colorant, so they're pure white, and they never got that "gel phase" look that my regualar cold process soap gets. I know they get really hard really fast, so I put them in individual silicone cups, but they never really heated up despite being insulated. They were already quite firm by the time I left for work, so I'm not worried about them being completely ruined. Yay!
Second, I did follow a recipe and did a 15% superfat. Does that much unsaponified fat make the bars spoil more quickly? Or does the salt act as a preservative and...pickle(?) the soap?
Lastly, what's a good cure time for salt bars? My understanding is that the cure process has a tiny affect on PH but a big impact on hardness, and therefore how long the bar lasts. If salt bars harden super fast, is it necessary to cure them for as long as regular bars?
Thanks so much for your insight - this forum has been an invaluable resource!