Himalayan Salt Soap Bars

I made a luxurious-looking batch of Himalayan salt soap bars last night. Soap with salt in it may seem counterintuitive, but it actually makes a fantastic bar of soap. Salt bars draw toxins out and help the skin absorb moisture better, while providing a bit of exfoliation and adding minerals to the skin. They also look like smooth, chiseled marble, making for an excellent gift idea.

This is actually the third time I've attempting salt bars. My recipe is a high-quality one, using 80% coconut oil, and a balance of castor oil for moisture and avocado oil for creaminess, with finely ground Himalayan salt and a light Awapuhi Seaberry fragrance (from Nature's Garden Candles). You can use regular sea salt, but I love Himalayan salt for the gentle pink coloring. The first two times, I didn't get the soap out of the mold quickly enough, and it crumbled when I tried to cut into individual bars:

So I crumbled both batches completely and saved the crumbles in a sealed bag, because nothing here at Sage & Savvy goes to waste. I used these crumbles for half of the oil weight in last night's soap, AND, instead of trying to cut these salt bars, I used individual-cavity molds. In my previous attempts, I didn't have enough individual molds for it to be an option, but I have since built up my stock. (Soap making is kind of an expensive craft..)

So in a month, these bars will be ready for you (and me, because I'll definitely be claiming one of these for myself):