These gorgeous bars of soap remind you of lazy, relaxing spa days!
A salt or spa bar of soap is made with 50-100% of oil/butter weight in salt. They are a great way to combine handmade beauty soap with the cleansing and exfoliating properties of a salt or spa bath. Providing you use a good recipe you can achieve a VERY hard bar of soap that is also nourishing, cleansing and creamy.
Using Dead Sea Salt in the soap helps to remove dead skin cells, absorbs toxin from the skin, soothes pain and inflammation, cleanses pores, balances oil production, increases blood flow and helps skin conditions likes spots and acne. It is full of minerals including, Magnesium, Zinc, Bromine, Calcium, Potassium and Iron.
How to make Cold Press Salt Bars
Any type of Dead Sea Salt can be used i.e. fine grain, course grain or the more exotic Himalayan Dead Sea Salt which will provide a part pink colouration to the bars. Ordinary table salt is OK to use but please do not use Epsom Salts as you will end up with a gloopy, messy soap due to its high content of Magnesium.
Types of Oils/Butters to Use
Salt bars of soap need a high percentage of Coconut Oil to provide a good lather as the salt greatly reduces the bars lathering qualities. I would suggest using 75% or above Coconut Oil in your recipe and then to combat the drying effect of coconut oil choose 25% good moisturising oils like Shea Butter, Avocado Oil, Olive Oil, Castor Oil or Sunflower Oil. A high percentage of Superfatting is also recommended - for example 15-20% which might seem high but gives a great moisturising effect to the finished salt bar.
Salt/Spa Bar Recipe
Recipe 1 - 75% Coconut Oil
375g Coconut Oil
50g Shea Butter
50g Olive Oil
25g Castor Oil
190g Distilled Water
69g Sodium Hydroxide
250g Himalayan Dead Sea Salt added at trace
15g Essential Oils
20% Superfat Oils
Recipe 2 - 85% Coconut Oil
425g Coconut Oil
50g Shea Butter
25g Olive Oil
190g Distilled Water
69g Sodium Hydroxide
250g Dead Sea Salt
15g Essential Oils
20% Superfat Oils
Melt Oils/butters in double burner.
Add Sodium Hydroxide to cold water, stir until dissolved. Place in a bowl of very cold water.
Reduce the heat of the oils/butters and the lye to a temperature of just below 90F.
Gently pour the lye into the cooled oils/butters and stir.
Stick blend, stopping to stir the batter occassionally until you reach first trace.
Add your essential oils and colour if you are using one and pour in your 20% super fat oils.
Pour in all of the Dead Sea Salt and stir well with blender or spoon.
Pour immediately into your mould(s).
NB Due to the high coconut content your batter will harden very, very quickly. If you are using a loaf mould you may need to cut your bars as soon as possible. You might even prefer to use individual moulds when making salt/spa bars of soap.
If you are using colour you will have to have your colour prepared beforehand and then you will have to work very quickly to incorporate it into your batter as it will harden very quickly.
Remember these bars of soap are really hard so they are ideal for using in your shower as they will last a long while as well as giving you your spa treatment. I hope you have enjoyed learning how to make cold press salt bars
Enjoy soaping and enjoy your spa treatment, and don't forget to leave a comment as this helps encourages others to learn how to make products.
x Diane