What oils do you like for your salt bars?

[Alfa_Lazcares]

I made a batch of salt bars using 100% coconut oil that i loved and then i made another batch using coconut, olive and castor... and was not impressed. So i was wondering what oils do you like to add to your salt bars besides the coconut.

To me the bars with olive and castor lack that fluffy lather the 100% coconut bars made. It still has that kind of lather but it seems more difficult to achieve.

I use 50% salt and i dont think i need any more nor any less.

I dont want to use butters since i havent purchased any yet, but i do have almond, olive, soy, avocado and crisco!

 

[jcandleattic]

I made a batch of salt bars using 100% coconut oil that i loved and then i made another batch using coconut, olive and castor... and was not impressed. So i was wondering what oils do you like to add to your salt bars besides the coconut.
To me the bars with olive and castor lack that fluffy lather the 100% coconut bars made. It still has that kind of lather but it seems more difficult to achieve.
I use 50% salt and i dont think i need any more nor any less.
I dont want to use butters since i havent purchased any yet, but i do have almond, olive, soy, avocado and crisco!

The coconut oil is what give it that quick, fluffy lather. Salt inhibits lather, which is why most people use such a high concentration of coconut oil. You can use any oil in a salt bar, but as you have found out, it will be harder and take longer to achieve any sort of 'fluffy' lather.

Personally in my salt bars I use coconut oil, shea butter and almond oil.

 

[Alfa_Lazcares]

The coconut oil is what give it that quick, fluffy lather. Salt inhibits lather, which is why most people use such a high concentration of coconut oil. You can use any oil in a salt bar, but as you have found out, it will be harder and take longer to achieve any sort of 'fluffy' lather.

Personally in my salt bars I use coconut oil, shea butter and almond oil.

Thanks! Yes, i know i sacrifice some fluffy lather by adding other oils, but the thing is that i dont feel the olive and castor bring anything to the soap. May i ask why do you like those two oils (the almond and shea)?

 

[jcandleattic]

Thanks! Yes, i know i sacrifice some fluffy lather by adding other oils, but the thing is that i dont feel the olive and castor bring anything to the soap. May i ask why do you like those two oils (the almond and shea)?

They make my salt bars less cleansing, and I like the feel of the salt bar better with them than just a 100% coconut oil salt bar.

 

[amd]

In my opinion, Olive Oil doesn't introduce much in the way of lather, so adding it to a salt bar is really not doing justice to a salt bar. I have been doing 80% CO and 20% Avocado Oil which I think was recommended to me by @shunt2011, and my husband really likes that combination. Salt bars are the only soap I intentionally use avocado oil for.

I have to confess that I am not a salt bar fan, they have to have a really ridiculous amount of aging on them (I mean 2+ years) before I kinda-sorta like them, so I relied on my husband when I was testing the recipes. He loves them and will use them at 8 weeks cure *note that a longer cure time really is recommended for salt bars, this is just how long my husband is willing to wait if he is completely out and I have dilly-dallied on making them, please don't bash me about salt bars needing a longer cure I KNOW* Back to the point, I tried a lot of oil combinations and avocado was the winner for my husband. I did not try any butters, though. I also did not try HO sunflower, HO safflower, or HO canola... but those are even higher oleic than olive oil so I'm inclined to think I would like them less. I did try rice bran oil, which was nice, but hubby liked the skin feel of avocado better.

 

[Obsidian]

I use 80% coconut, 20% olive. I've tried other oils in place of the olive and just don't like it as well. The OO seems to give a bit more longevity and mildness.

 

[Alfa_Lazcares]

In my opinion, Olive Oil doesn't introduce much in the way of lather, so adding it to a salt bar is really not doing justice to a salt bar. I have been doing 80% CO and 20% Avocado Oil which I think was recommended to me by @shunt2011, and my husband really likes that combination. Salt bars are the only soap I intentionally use avocado oil for.

I have to confess that I am not a salt bar fan, they have to have a really ridiculous amount of aging on them (I mean 2+ years) before I kinda-sorta like them, so I relied on my husband when I was testing the recipes. He loves them and will use them at 8 weeks cure *note that a longer cure time really is recommended for salt bars, this is just how long my husband is willing to wait if he is completely out and I have dilly-dallied on making them, please don't bash me about salt bars needing a longer cure I KNOW* Back to the point, I tried a lot of oil combinations and avocado was the winner for my husband. I did not try any butters, though. I also did not try HO sunflower, HO safflower, or HO canola... but those are even higher oleic than olive oil so I'm inclined to think I would like them less. I did try rice bran oil, which was nice, but hubby liked the skin feel of avocado better.

Ha! Forgot to add the last batch i made just a few days ago was with avocado but only at 5% i might try to ads more next, but first i will wait to try the one i made. I am reaaaaally trying to wait a year to use a bar i made like 3 months ago, but that same batch i did use already, and i think i’m on your husbands team, i need my salt bars, even if they are not quite ready.

 

[Alfa_Lazcares]

I use 80% coconut, 20% olive. I've tried other oils in place of the olive and just don't like it as well. The OO seems to give a bit more longevity and mildness.

I think it was because i saw your answer in another topic that i ended up using olive on my second batch of salt bars. I agree the batch with olive seems to have more longevity that without, but as for mildness i dont think i notices that much of a difference. Another thing i didnt quite like about the olive is that the bars ended up yellow haha, but my olive was super green to start with.

 

[Obsidian]

I think it was because i saw your answer in another topic that i ended up using olive on my second batch of salt bars. I agree the batch with olive seems to have more longevity that without, but as for mildness i dont think i notices that much of a difference. Another thing i didnt quite like about the olive is that the bars ended up yellow haha, but my olive was super green to start with.

How long did you cure them? I cure for at least 6 months now. I'm not actually using OO anymore due to the price increase, have switched over to HO safflower. Its cheap and makes a nice white soap.

 

[shunt2011]

I use avocado and cure 6 months or longer. I like them best at about a year.

 

[dibbles]

I have used 80% coconut oil with 5% castor; some with 15% olive and some with 15% avocado and like both. The last batch I made I used some cocoa butter, and I don't like it as well. I age mine a minimum of 6 months also.

 

[Alfa_Lazcares]

How long did you cure them? I cure for at least 6 months now. I'm not actually using OO anymore due to the price increase, have switched over to HO safflower. Its cheap and makes a nice white soap.

The bars with olive are 8 weeks today and the 100% coconut are 10 weeks. I know they still need to age more, i am keeping at least a bar of every batch i make to test in a number of months, so i am keeping one of the olive ones to see if my opinion changes is a few more months. But I really liked the 100% coconut even at its young age!