Teach Soap

I just wanted to move this conversation out of the soap swap thread so it doesn't go on forever.
But with the help of Vinca, Kate, and a few other nice people here... plus reading several salt bar threads on 3 different forums (including some invaluable advice to others from Soapbuddy)...
I've just made my first salt bar!

Here is what I did...
PKO - 50%
Olive - 35%
Castor - 15%
10% SF
70% "Canning & Pickling" salt (Just fine ground salt with no anti-caking additives)
1 Tbl. White Kaolin clay PPO
(plus scent, lye, etc)

I read more than one thread where the salt didn't stay blended so I decided to wait until light/medium trace to add it. It blended beautifully and was then ready to pour. I insulated in towels and waited only 2 hours (peeking of course) until it felt firm but spongy. It cut very easily like a block of cheese with zero crumbling.

It's now in the rack and from what I can tell it feels like what I imagine a salt bar should feel like at this stage...
so now we wait!

I'll post pics and more details in a few days once I see how it is going.

Thanks for your help everyone!

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- Mickey!

Good for you! Can you post pics?

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

AWESOME Mickey! I always thought you had to use almost all coconut so can't wait to see how yours does.

What is SF?

Lisa

YAY!!!!

IMO, if you get a salt bar cut you have won 90% of the battle!!!

Woot! Woot! Congrats! Salt bar on the first try. Way to go!

great job Mickey! can't wait to see pics. One of these days I'll work up the courage to attempt salt bars.

Thanks everyone...
I'll take some pics this evening after work.

Lisa the 10% SF is the superfat percentage I calculated which seems to be a big factor in salt bars. I read everything from 8% to 20%. 10% seemed like a good place to start since I usually do 5%-8% on non-salt bars.
I tried to compensate for the drying factor associated with salt bars by including the Olive and Castor. PKO is pretty close to CO in properties (and cheaper) so I just played in Soapcalc until I was happy.

Could be a total bust but so far things seem good.

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- Mickey!

So excited for you!!!!! Post photos!

honestly, salt bars are not like other soaps. I use all coconut and pko, only enough olive to buffer the fragrance. so you might have less lather than you planned, but give them a good cure and see how they turn out for you.

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http://www.magichandsworkshop.com
http://www.magichands.etsy.com
http://www.magichandsworkshop.blogspot.com

Here they are!



I thought they would be much harder by now but they are much like my other soaps are at this stage other than the grittiness of the salt. We'll have to see about the lather but they look and smell good to me so far...

Oh and the yellow flecks are just a bit of another batch shredded up into this one for color. The scent is a blend of Lemongrass Sage and Teatree Oil.

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- Mickey!

They came out well and the color too!

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

They look terrific! Nicely showcased with the greenery, too.

I love what you did with the other yellow soap flaked in there like that.... fantastic!

Let us know how it lathers since you used PKO instead of the usual coconut oil. Your soap looks great!

_________________
http://www.magichandsworkshop.com
http://www.magichands.etsy.com
http://www.magichandsworkshop.blogspot.com