Saltbar

[regansoap]

Hello everyone just wondering if salt bars are supposed to be really crumbly after cure - mine have been curing for about 6 weeks and they are almost chalky - are they supposed to be like that? No fo or eo was added.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Can you post the full recipe?

 

[Obsidian]

Salt bars often develop a thick layer of ash. Could that be what you are seeing?

 

[Bamagirl]

I've only made salt bars once, but they developed a thick layer of ash (which was easy to see since I added charcoal to my recipe ), but they did seem a bit crumbly on the edges and corners, but once I got them in the shower, they were fine and I didn't notice it any more. I don't know if they were supposed to or not, but we've been using them for several weeks now, and no issues. Sorry I couldn't help more, but if you post your recipe and techniques, I am sure someone with more knowledge than I will come along that can help you out.

 

[penelopejane]

I make 100% OO salt bar and it doesn't crumble. You have to cut it early or else use a cleaver to hack it into rock like chunks.
Mine isn't crumbly.

 

[regansoap]

This is the recipe I used:-
35% oo
30% co
30%po
5% castor
5.8 lye
7.5 milk
7.5 water
3.7 salt

Thank you everybody for replies

 

[shunt2011]

Your recipe may be part of the problem. Salt Bars are generally made with a very high percentage of Coconut oil (80-100%) in order for it to lather and is a really hard bar of soap.

I've not used a regular soap recipe and added salt so not for sure. Also, as stated sometimes it gets a really thick coating of ash but it's hard to tell from your pictures.

 

[cmzaha]

Not knowing what percentage of actual salt you used is, makes it hard to say. Part of your recipe is in percentage with the rest in either in grams or oz. I make salt bars with 90-100% salt using a recipe of 90% coconut oil, 10% castor. They lather great and only crumble if trying to cut them after a very long cure.I do cut my salt bar within 45 min, they are still quite hot when I cut. My salt bars do gel so they and do not acquire ash to badly, if I do not gel them they will form a very thick layer of ash that will roll of it you rub your finger across them. I have never used OO in salt soaps because I like a true high salt bar. In my opinion anything less than 40% salt is not a salt bar, just a hard bar of soap with less lather. JMO. A while back I had a vendor friend of mine go purchase a salt bar from a gal selling in my market that was labeled with OO, I could not tell any salt was in the bar and it did not lather well.

 

[Seawolfe]

This is the recipe I used:-
35% oo
30% co
30%po
5% castor
5.8 lye
7.5 milk
7.5 water
3.7 salt

Thank you everybody for replies

I cant tell from this what percentage your salt is of the oils. Typically I use 80% of the oil weight as salt (80% ppo). If thats 3.7 grams of salt in 100 g of oil, then you are probably fine with that low percentage of coconut oil - but thats more of a solseife soap than a salt bar. If thats 3.7 ounces in 9 ounces of oils then yeah, you're going to have lather problems.

Salt is a huge lather killer - that's why many soaps don't even lather in sea water which is only around 3.3% salt in water - unless of course they have lots of coconut oil, which is the only oil that can lather in salt water (except maybe babasu?).

 

[Steve85569]

Wow!
BW is having a bad experience in life.
You are welcome to pm me and we can write.

Steve