How To Make Salt Soap Tutorial

Recipe:

The main part of your oils and butters should be coconut
oil. This will make sure your soap stays bubbly; even with a high salt
content. To compensate the drying effect of coconut oil, you'll have to discount your
lye by about 15 to 20%.

For this batch I'll use this recipe:

• coconut oil 95% 475 grams
• castor oil 5% 25 grams
• water 190 grams
• lye 72 grams
• 60% of the weight of the oils in fine non-iodized table salt.

You could add up to 100% of the weight of your oils in
salt. Any salt but epsom salt is okay to use. All comes down to personal
preferences.

Preparing colored sea salt

This is something that I really like; but it isnt
necessary.
A few days before I plan to make salt soap, I take out some coarse sea salt
and color it with blue food coloring. Just add a couple of drops to the sea
salt and mix real well.
Let is sit for a while to dry.

Get prepared

• I clean and sanitize my working space and get everything I need within reach.
• Prepare your lye solution by measuring the lye and water. I use a very
  sturdy plastic pitcher for my water and slowly add the lye to it while
  stirring gently.
• Let it cool down to room temperature.
• Make sure you never use containers that easily overheat for mixing your lye
  solution (like glass jars) and stay away from aluminum.!
• Measure out your oils/butter and soften them up in the microwave, on a low
  or medium temp.
• I directly add my EOs to the oils. Here I use a combo of amber, ylang ylang
  and bergamot.
• Line your mold and prepare your color(s).

Add your lye mixture to your oils and stick blend
Stop when you reach a light trace.


Add the salt

Mix the salt through your soap batter with a stainless steel spoon.

Ill be using 5 colors for this batch; blue, gray-blue, light blue, sea green and a
bit of white.
Divide your soap batter over different containers and add each color. Mix it
trough with a spoon until full incorporated.

In the pot swirl
Now transfer all the colors back into one bowl and mix them gently. Dont
stir to much or everything will just get bland.

Into the mold.
I grab the mold and slam it on my counter a couple of times to avoid air
bubbles.

The finishing touches: to keep a ‘nautical theme.
I sculpt the top with a spoon until it resembles a little wave. Remember
that colored sea salt? Nows the time to add it. Add a lot; not everything
will stick to the top and a lot will fall of while cutting later on.

Covering
up and my least favorite bit about soap making...
Cover up your log with saran wrap to prevent ash.

Unmold:

Get your log out of the mold as soon as it has set up and
cut it.
This time I fell asleep with my doggy curled up next to me on the sofa and
totally forgot I had to cut my salt soap. It was incredibly hard to cut the
next day!

Clean your soap up, rub it with a damp cloth and trim the edges if you want
to.

Author: Dagmar, Accomplished Soaper
Soapmakingforum.com.