HELP....my first blunder....can it be fixed??? (LondonsMum)

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LondonsMum

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The mistake: diluting REGULAR goat milk with water instead of condensed goat milk. :shock:

My Mom & I make soap together and the other day I called her to tell her to put our goat milk in the freezer so it would be ready for soaping when I got there. Well....she bought a carton of regular goat milk and didn't tell me. When I get there, I realized she froze the milk (which I thought was condensed) without adding the water. So I chill a bottle of water and plan to add it as I mix the lye. Things were going well until the oils were added and the whole things seized up on us. After analyzing all our steps in the process I finally realized that adding the water to the regular milk did not allow for the right lye calculations. :(

Do any of you know whether this batch can be saved? Please help!
 
If I am understanding you right - you added water to the frozen goat milk but still used the correct amount of liquid the recipe called for? If so, the goat milk isn't the problem. All you did was dilute it. Most likely either your fragrance oil or temperatures are the problem.
 
Thanks for the reply. I don't use any FO's. All my goat milk soap is unscented since I make it primarily for my son. I've made this same recipe many times over and the only thing that changed in our process was adding water separate from the goat milk after the goat milk was already frozen....and the fact that the recipe is for condensed goat milk. Wouldn't the fat content of the milk be an issue? I thought that since I diluted regular goat milk with water that possibly this reduced the goat milk's fat content. :?: :?
 
Maybe... but probably not. Usually milk is considered an additive and so no SAP value is calculated for it. Am I correct in understanding that you still used the appropriate amount of lye for the oils in the batch? If so, the only difference is that you may want to let it cure a bit longer so that the bar will shed a bit of the water. It should still be good soap.
 
as long as you didn't include it in your superfat calculations, don't worry about it at all.

If you did, then don't worry about it anyway. see how the soap ends up and decide then if you need to do something.
 
After 30+ hours in the molds it's still a bit soft & squishy and has gone from a lovely milky white color to a peachy color. I guess I'll just let it sit for a few days and see what happens. Thanks for all the comments/info.
 
It could be temperature. I did use a brand new digital thermometer that day and if it's not accurate - perhaps that was the problem afterall. Thanks everyone.
 
Both the melted oils and the lye solution should be no more than a little warm to the touch. You don't really need precise temperature measurement.
 
When I manke GM soap (from a carton of milk, not condensed), I dissolve the lye in minimum water, add that to my oils then add the frozen GM, after the lye water has been incorporated. The reason I make GM soap this way is for the oil/lye solution to cool further before adding the milk. I use this method for coconut milk soaps as well. They always come out fine & have a lighter color due to the cooler temps.
 

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