Each month this year, Traces of Rose has set out to bring a new soap to the forefront of our online store, revealing the benefits of that particular soap or its ingredients. This month we are going to highlight the benefits of a salt soap bar.
Let’s start with the definition of a salt bar. In order for a bar of soap to be considered a salt bar, it should contain between 50% - 100% of the oil weight in salt. This means that if a soap recipe requires 30 ounces of oil, it can contain up to 30 ounces of salt in that soap loaf. That’s a whole lot of good loving for your skin!
In “Sand”, the first salt bar ever created by Traces of Rose when we initially opened, we used a 36 ounce oil recipe but we used a total of 18 ounces of salt in that loaf, which consisted of the 50% minimum requirement. This produced a very hard, very exfoliating and amazing soap as we also used a high percentage of coconut oil for a luxurious lather.
For most handmade artisan soap companies, the hardness and longevity of their soap creation is a priority. This can be obtained by adding a few different ingredients in the mix including waxes or clays, increasing olive oil levels, using sodium lactate (salt brine) and of course, using natural salt. When creating a salt bar however, especially one with a very high salt percentage, the recipe has to be altered to include a high superfat (lye reduction) so as to prevent the bar from crumbling.
This being said, salt bars are typically the hardest soaps once completely cured other than those that are milled at professional soap companies. This means when making these bad boys, cutting it can also cause the bar to crumble if not careful and if not cut at the right time in the process. But once they’re cured and if you take care to place your soap in a properly draining dish, it can typically last two or three times longer than your body wash which is worth all the extra effort if you ask me.
We have briefly touched upon three benefits of a salt bar. The hardness and the longevity, as well as the ample exfoliating properties of these bars. Let’s look further into exfoliation. The salts that are added into a soap bar recipe are often added at trace, meaning they maintain their texture as they aren’t dissolved in the water content of a soap. This creates a grit in the bar that is perfect for removing dead skin cells and rough patches which leaves softer brighter skin for an improved complexion and glow.
Salt bars are also very moisturizing. Seems counter intuitive but it’s true. Because of the superfat (lye reduction) in many of these salt bars, there’s lots of moisturizing oils floating around in the bars which does not convert in the saponification process. This means your skin stays nourished and moisturized during their use.
Because of their formulation, salt bars also end up having a lather which is rich and creamy. No big bubbles here but still so fluffy and luxuriously smooth. This is once again because of the extra oils in the soap. When formulating “Sand”, we created a soap with a 10% superfat which meant every shower provided a luxurious non-stripping cleanse.
Salt bars also help to detox the skin by drawing out impurities. Yes they clean the surface but one of salts most beneficial properties is its ability to pull out toxins. When taking a bath in salt water this process is known as reverse osmosis. This is where the pores are opened and all the nutrients and minerals from the salt seep in while the dirt and gunk get pulled out.
Which leads to another awesome benefit of a salt bar, the nutrients they are rich in. Depending on the salts that are used in a salt bar, they can contain sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc and many other beneficial trace elements. As stated previously “Sand” our first salt bar contained sea salt as the featured choice of salt. That bar contained all of the above mentioned nutrients. If regular table salt is used, most of those nutrients are stripped. Other options can be used but if you are a budding soap maker, please note Dead Sea Salts and Magnesium salts are not optimal for these types of bars.
“T.K.O.” is an essential oil rich soap that was created by Traces of Rose shortly after “Sand”. Its recipe called for Dead Sea Salt to create lines of color in the bar in between layers of white creaming soap. This process of using Dead Sea Salt actually increases the curing time as this type of salt makes the soap weep. It wept for weeks on end, pulling moisture from the air and from the soap itself. It turned out beautifully and works wonders, but if that is not something you expect during the curing process, it can be off putting as your think your soaps will never cure correctly. It will. Be patient.
The last benefit I want to mention about using a salt bar is its ability to reduce acne. Salt is an antibacterial agent, hence the reason it is used as a preservative. This antibacterial property added to the mild exfoliation and regulation of oil production helps to fight acne and reduce skin irritations.
If you have acne, eczema, psoriasis, athlete’s foot, insect bites or oily skin, grab a salt soap bar on your next trip to the shower and see Mother Nature at her best.
Keep an eye out for our upcoming salt bar this August 2020 called “Pink Sand” where, YUP, you guess it, Himalayan pink salts will be featured and in the meantime,
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