jaybyrd Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 I tried TOG's recipe that he posted a few days ago (thanks, Paul!), although I used equal parts salt to oils rather than 75%. Sure enough, they turned out major crumbly - I need to remember to leave a recipe alone until I actually know what I'm doing. :embarasse Stranger thing was that they didn't want to harden, which seems to be the opposite of what people experience with sb's. I soaped very cool - oils & lye were at 82 degrees and used my vertical mold. It didn't heat up much at all, but I pulled it out of the mold after about 90 minutes since I was afraid I'd end up with a single granite log. No chance of that - it held its shape, but was cool to the touch and soft. So then I tried putting it in the oven at 175 for a bit, and in just a few minutes it started getting dark & hot (gelling I guess) & even softer. Pulled it out, & left it alone for a while, still fretting all the while about it getting too hard to cut. Finally did slice it after another 90 minutes or so - it was kind of like room temp cream cheese, but also crumbly where it was harder, and has made for some major ugly slices. At least they lather this time, though the jury's out until I give them a few weeks cure.Good news is they smell wonderful. Bad news is I was using Rocky Mtn Xmas which I bought for the FOH swap, and don't have enough left for a second attempt. :rolleyes2 If shooting myself in the foot were a profession, I'd be better off than Bill Gates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan_in_Tucson Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 LOL, Jeri! How can something that sounds so easy be so difficult?I did a batch of salts, too, this week. Used Paul's 75% recipe. Just covered them for an hour, then cut. Very moist and soggy. Not what I was expecting at all. Even now after a couple of days, they're still moist. I used coconut lime verbena fo, and they smell quite wonderful, but I don't know if they are going to end up the way they should.Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoapDiva Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 You guys are scaring me. I want to attempt one today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybyrd Posted July 4, 2007 Author Share Posted July 4, 2007 No worries, Jennifer. Think how good for your ego it'll be when they turn out great. And if they don't, well, you're not alone. Really, you can't lose. Nan, is it at all humid where you are? Maybe the salt is reacting & you need to put them near a fan. The fo sounds yummy - backyard tropics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann M Posted July 4, 2007 Share Posted July 4, 2007 My first attempt at salt bars was not too successful either. Yet, I tried another recipe and voila, they worked beautifully. I did 90% coconut and 10% castor. I did a 10% superfat and used 32% solution strength (about 20% water discount). I used 1:1 oils to salt. After pouring into my log mold, I covered with saran wrap and popped into 170 degrees oven. After an hour, it had gelled nicely so I turned the oven off, but left it in the oven for another 45 minutes. Then I moved to the counter and removed lid and saran wrap. I let it sit another 45 minutes and it was ready to unmold and cut. It was solid, but still easy to cut. The soap was very hot so I needed to wear gloves. No cracking at all. They looked really nice too.For my first batch I did 75% coconut and 25% shea butter. I unmolded too soon and was left with the cream cheese type consistency. I was worried about them getting too hard to cut. So I cut them very soft. THey were so darn ugly. I also didn't get as much lather as I liked from these. My 90% coconut and 10% castor lather nicely.Ann M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soapmaker Man Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Golly, guys, don't know what to say.:tiptoe::embarasse I have 3 batches under my belt, and all 3 were fine, bar the last one acted a little weird on me, but is fine now. Here is a picture of the second batch using the recipe of 75% CO, 15% Shea Butter, and 10% SAO. This was the best of the 3 batches I've done. I scented them with "Riverdance, coloured with hydrated chromium green oxide. They cut beautifully within 1 hour of pouring...Paul.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoapDiva Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Ok, can I hijack here? I'm confused (and I've googled, which just made me more confused...bad google, bad!).Just to clarify, if I make a recipe with lets say 46 oz of oils and butters, I would add the same amount of salt right (46 oz)? Same amount of lye and water etc - nothing changes there?Now, will this fit in my normal mold or will it make double? Cause like, the salt won't all dissolve. So, one would think it would make more.Sorry for asking a dumb question. :embarasse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybyrd Posted July 6, 2007 Author Share Posted July 6, 2007 Considering my salt bar record, I may not be the best one to listen to, but I'd say whether the salt dissolves or not, you've still increased the recipe by the amount of extra ingredients you've added, and should allow some extra room in the mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meridith Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 Ok, can I hijack here? I'm confused (and I've googled, which just made me more confused...bad google, bad!).Just to clarify, if I make a recipe with lets say 46 oz of oils and butters, I would add the same amount of salt right (46 oz)? Same amount of lye and water etc - nothing changes there?Now, will this fit in my normal mold or will it make double? Cause like, the salt won't all dissolve. So, one would think it would make more.Sorry for asking a dumb question. :embarasseNo it will not fit in your regular mold. You will have to adjust your recipe so that it will. I'd half that and make a recipe with only 23 oz of oils so I could fit it in my regular mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybyrd Posted July 6, 2007 Author Share Posted July 6, 2007 Golly, guys, don't know what to say.:tiptoe::embarasse I have 3 batches under my belt, and all 3 were fine, bar the last one acted a little weird on me, but is fine now. Here is a picture of the second batch using the recipe of 75% CO, 15% Shea Butter, and 10% SAO. This was the best of the 3 batches I've done. I scented them with "Riverdance, coloured with hydrated chromium green oxide. They cut beautifully within 1 hour of pouring...Paul....Nah, Paul, I figure it's something I did/didn't do, or else the planets just weren't aligned properly. My ingredients all seemed to be in order, this time. Let's see, I was doing CP. Oils and lye solution were both 82 degrees. I used an 80/20 mix of water/aloe vera juice, at 35% of oils according to soapcalc. Superfat 7%. Anything jump out at you about that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soapmaker Man Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 Nah, Paul, I figure it's something I did/didn't do, or else the planets just weren't aligned properly. My ingredients all seemed to be in order, this time. Let's see, I was doing CP. Oils and lye solution were both 82 degrees. I used an 80/20 mix of water/aloe vera juice, at 35% of oils according to soapcalc. Superfat 7%. Anything jump out at you about that?Nope, Jeri, everything looks right to me. I guess the soap ferries were controlling this batch. Just try again, I don't see any reason why this batch did this. On another note about figuring volume. I take my normal ounces of oils I use in a normal CP batch multiply by .80 to come with the reduced weight of oils because of the added salt. I take that number, (oils for salt batch) multiply by .8 to get my amount of salt for the batch. These numbers work to fill my mold up to the regular CP log I produce. Hope this helps.Paul.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybyrd Posted July 6, 2007 Author Share Posted July 6, 2007 Nope, Jeri, everything looks right to me. I guess the soap ferries were controlling this batch. Just try again, I don't see any reason why this batch did this. Paul....Cheers, Paul! And tx for the encouragement!:smiley2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
singleyellowrose Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 My salt bars are made with 75% coconut and 25% shea. Lye amount 8%. Mix in 75% sea salt at medium trace and pour. Then I stick it in the oven at 170* for 2 hours. Take out, unmold and let them sit for the next 24 hours rotating occasionally. Then I put them up to cure for 6-8 weeks.HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareBear Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 I make salt bars with salt in an amount equal to the oils. I'm about 2 for 4 in this endeavor. I think it's mostly an issue of technique. If I liked them better I'd put more energy into a better track record.BTW, I do either 100% CO or 75% CO/25% shea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.