Teach Soap

Is it possible to do this with sugar instead of salt, or will sugar's higher solubility be problematic?

This weekend, I was able to make two gigantic batches of salt bars.

I used a modification of recipe--80% coconut, 10% olive and 10% castor (I normally don't use that much castor). I also superfatted to 20% instead of usual 10%. I cpop'd for about 30 minutes, left out for 30 minutes, got frustrated and threw the mold into the freezer for about 45 minutes.

Here is what I learned. 1) the bars don't get really hard until they are gelled throughout. Hence, the top of my soap was mushy and hard to hold after cutting while the insides were very hard. 2) these lather much less than previous bars and I think it might be the extra castor or was it the extra fat? 3) I have salt granules wherever I step in my house from walking each indivdual cut bar to the drying rack because I was too impatient to actually wait until the bars were cool to touch before messing with them. And 4) Salt bars are forgiving and they are all uniformly hard now so no matter what you do to these, they will all harden up.

Any thoughts on the lathering issue? Is the increase superfat causing lame lather or is it the castor?

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

Thanks soapbuddy!

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

i think the extra superfat does kill some of the lather, yes. i superfat to about 6%. i'd probably drop the castor to about 5% while you were at it, and i cpop those suckers to insure complete gel.

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

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

If you process your salt bars in the oven at 160 for 30 minutes then what is the cure rate for the bars, 3, 4, 6 weeks?

This sounds like it might be fun! Thank you everyone!

_________________

~bytheSEAsoap~ Mella bythesea, bythesea, bythebeautiful sea

海の皂

OK here is a photo if it isn't too big of my first salt bar. Thanks to lisa, soapbuddy and Magic for all the help and guidance. It is a very fun bar!



I give up on the size of this photo. Others I've done here are ok so I don't know why this one is so big.

eta, This is a mint and rosemary salt bar for the kitchen and there are sparkly bits in it and also ground rosemary. Yum.

_________________

~bytheSEAsoap~ Mella bythesea, bythesea, bythebeautiful sea

海の皂

You're welcome & congrats!


Weird...my first reply dissappeared.

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

I like the colour of the bars.

Hi soapchick here you found it!

_________________

~bytheSEAsoap~ Mella bythesea, bythesea, bythebeautiful sea

海の皂

I have to ask how long do salt bars last compaerd to regular CP?

_________________

~bytheSEAsoap~ Mella bythesea, bythesea, bythebeautiful sea

海の皂

I can't believe how long salt bars last in the shower. First of all, my soap dish is almost directly under the spray so they get more water than most people's showers create. Second, we have 4 people sharing one bathroom/shower (old house, what can I say?) I took a smaller bar of the salt bars I made last month the day after I made it and put it in the shower. The sucker is still there and is only 3/4 gone. Amazing. It's actually a big selling point, I think, if you are selling to talk about the lasting power of these. I also haven't noticed overwhelming dryness with my skin and the smell seems to be way more powerful in a salt bar than in a regular cold process bar. I don't know why but my lemon curd salt bar is better than any bathroom deoderizer I have ever used!!!