Salt soaps still sweating after months

[aab1]

I've been making salt soaps for several years and had never seen one sweat until I started doing them in larger quantities to sell which also happened to be the first time I made soap during the summer which is probably why. Sweating also just restarted recently as it's now cool enough outside for the AC to not run much if at all, I suspect the AC running more often during summer kept the sweating down. Would a simple oscillating fan over the soaps stop it or would i need a dehumidifier?

I have soaps that were made about 3 months ago and still sweat sometimes. I was under the impression that once cured and dried the sweating would stop, will they keep sweating forever depending on the atmospheric conditions?

Is this a problem when selling in store? Do they know handmade soap sweats? Is there anything that can stop it? Some of them have the labels soaked and will need a new label, at least they are color laser printed so there isn't ink running all over the place.

Would letting them cure on paper towels to absorb the sweat from the bottom help? What about putting them in a dehydrator for a while, will that prevent sweating?

Should I heat shrink the soaps after curing in plastic wrap to prevent sweating? If so after how much curing time can they be wrapped? Could they sweat inside the wrap?

Thanks

 

[dagmar88]

Salt soap is known for pulling moisture out of the air.

 

[new12soap]

What kind of salt are you using? Did you recently change? Some salts are better and some and worse about weeping. Never use dead sea salt or epsom salt in a solid bar soap, and others may have other minerals that increase sweating.

 

[aab1]

I use the least expensive sea salt I can find, however I do remember once the store was out of the regular sea salt and I had to get iodized sea salt for a few batches, could that make a difference?

I think it's mostly that it's the first time I make soap in this kind of weather, for some reason when I made soap just for friends and myself I always did it in winter.

It's a problem now because the labels on many of the soaps are now drenched in water and the soaps will have to be re-labeled.

What would be a good solution for this? I was thinking of:

-Would a simple oscillating fan blowing on my soaps all the time stop the sweat?
-Would sealing the soaps in plastic/shrink wrap stop it? If so, after how much curing time could they be sealed so they don't sweat inside the wrap?
-Is the only option a power hungry and expensive dehumidifier?

And what about selling soap in stores? I need something that will prevent the soaps from making a mess on store shelves when I get to sell them in stores and I doubt people will buy soaps that are drenched in water.

Thanks

 

[namad]

I use a dehumidifier personally. I use pink Himalayan salt in my salt bars, I found over time they sweat less but I still have my dehumidifier going as the humidity here is sick.

 

[aab1]

Thanks, I might have to invest in one, the AC did the job during the summer bu now I'd have to AC the house to uncomfortably cold temps to keep the humidity down.

Do you sell in stores and if so how do you deal with soap sweat in stores? Would a hermetic plastic wrap do the trick or would it just sweat inside the wrap? If it's outside humidity causing it I assume a hermetic wrap would solve the problem right?

Thanks

 

[namad]

Thanks, I might have to invest in one, the AC did the job during the summer bu now I'd have to AC the house to uncomfortably cold temps to keep the humidity down.

Do you sell in stores and if so how do you deal with soap sweat in stores? Would a hermetic plastic wrap do the trick or would it just sweat inside the wrap? If it's outside humidity causing it I assume a hermetic wrap would solve the problem right?

Thanks

I do not sell in stores yet, and when I do, salt soaps will not be on my list (out of nearly 30 soaps, I am only going to wholesale 9) - I would only sell those at the market, where I am and can keep an eye on them. Also, I am thinking of selling them labeless to be honest and supply the ingredients/my contact info on a separate paper - something along those lines as I could not deal with my labels getting damaged. I don't have patience for that sort of thing

 

[new12soap]

I had to get iodized sea salt for a few batches, could that make a difference?

Yep.

As far as I know there is no fix for those bars, in anything more humid than the Sahara they will continue to pull moisture and sweat. Even if you can repackage them, once the customer gets them home and puts them in the shower they will be gooey and I know I would be turned off by that.

 

[aab1]

Yep.

As far as I know there is no fix for those bars, in anything more humid than the Sahara they will continue to pull moisture and sweat. Even if you can repackage them, once the customer gets them home and puts them in the shower they will be gooey and I know I would be turned off by that.

Are you saying it's the iodized salt that's causing more sweating than regular sea salt? I noticed only some of the soaps sweat but I didn't note which were with iodized salt or not thinking it wouldn't make a difference.

I don't mind as much if they sweat once removed from the package, I just don't want soaps drenched in water on store shelves once I get to selling them in stores, and won't attempt to until I find a packaging that keeps them sealed like shrink wrap.

My salt soaps have never, ever been gooey, that's one of the main advantages of salt soaps, they remain rock hard to the very end. They just get covered in beads of water in humid conditions but remain hard as a rock.

Thanks

 

[savonierre]

I think a dehumidifier would really help that problem, I live in an area not known as humid and our dehumidifier needs to be emptied every day or 2, it is a good size. I cure my soap in the basement.

 

[aab1]

I think a dehumidifier would really help that problem, I live in an area not known as humid and our dehumidifier needs to be emptied every day or 2, it is a good size. I cure my soap in the basement.

Thanks, but I also need a solution for when they'll be in stores, I think shrink wrap will work.

 

[northwindsnaturals]

Sweating Soap

I made sea salt soap for the first time by special request from a client, and it has continued to sweat. After reading this forum and thinking about it I realized it makes complete sense. I wouldn't recommend selling sea salt soaps (if they are sweating) in a store, because of how it looks to customers. Or if you want to, use a plastic shrink wrapping method and over stretch the plastic leaving a hole in the back of the package so the soap can still breathe, and then you can stick on your label on the front and it isn't at risk of becoming wet. I would also make a special sign or note if selling in a store, telling the customer that this is a sweating soap.

I have been making soap for a few years and have never had a soap sweat before, I also have never used sea salt before. For exfoliates I use rosemary, ground cloves, fresh ground coffee, oats and other dried flowers or herbs.

Happy Soap Making

 

[SplendorSoaps]

northwindsnaturals, I'm having the exact same experience! I just made my first soleseife brine soap a couple of days ago, and they are absolutely WEEPING right now. I can literally spill water out of my cavity molds. Of course, I live in the Pacific Northwest and we're expected to get 0.5 inches of rain today, so lots of humidity here. I also used dead sea salt, which is apparently a no-no. Yikes!

Here's to hoping to the next batch works out better!

 

[aab1]

Since I moved to where I have better AC control I haven't had a salt soap sweat. I also do heat shrink wrap them once cured.