Goat Milk Soap

[Adonech]

Why do people usually strain the lye-milk mixture. Doesn't doing that take out all the good fats which makes the soap even better?

 

[MHTSOS]

Why do people usually strain the lye-milk mixture. Doesn't doing that take out all the good fats which makes the soap even better?

Because the milk is opacue you can not see through it if there are any lye crystals that remain undisolved. So you strain it to make sure that no lye crystals end up in your soap. The strainer does not take out any fats from the milk.

 

[Adonech]

Because the milk is opacue you can not see through it if there are any lye crystals that remain undisolved. So you strain it to make sure that no lye crystals end up in your soap. The strainer does not take out any fats from the milk.

Thank you for your reply. The goat milk I use is super creamy and when I attempted to strain I could tell that there were clumps of the cream so I wondered if that was taking away really good benefits from the cream in the goat milk.

 

[shunt2011]

The fats in the milk can start to saponify when mixing lye with the goat's milk. Therefore it can strain some of it out. I prefer to do the split method and mix my lye with an equal amount of water then add the remainder amount in goat's milk fortified with some powdered goat's milk to make it out at 100% in the end. No worries with clumpy milk, burning etc.

 

[IrishLass]

I, too, use the split method where the goat milk and dry lye never meet, so there's never the problem of premature saponification of the milk taking place, or having the need to strain.....or of clumping, burning, off-colors, etc...


IrishLass

 

[cmzaha]

I also do the split method ^^^

 

[Adonech]

The fats in the milk can start to saponify when mixing lye with the goat's milk. Therefore it can strain some of it out. I prefer to do the split method and mix my lye with an equal amount of water then add the remainder amount in goat's milk fortified with some powdered goat's milk to make it out at 100% in the end. No worries with clumpy milk, burning etc.

I have no clue why it took me so long to sign up for this forum. thank you guys so much because I have being having the issue with the distorted color! You guys are super helpful....

SO just to make sur3 I have it right... if my recipe requires 20 oz of waster, I would use 10 oz in water to mix the lye solution and use 10 oz in goats milk at light trace....and if I want I would mix 10 oz milk with 10 oz powder to make it 20z milk in the end?

 

[shunt2011]

I have no clue why it took me so long to sign up for this forum. thank you guys so much because I have being having the issue with the distorted color! You guys are super helpful....

SO just to make sur3 I have it right... if my recipe requires 20 oz of waster, I would use 10 oz in water to mix the lye solution and use 10 oz in goats milk at light trace....and if I want I would mix 10 oz milk with 10 oz powder to make it 20z milk in the end?

Not quite, say your recipe called for 5.25 oz of lye(should always measure in grams for everything) you would then use 5.25 or a bit more water to mix the lye. The remainder of the liquid for the recipe I would use as milk and just add it to my oils and stickblend well. Then add your lye mixture (cooled). I don't add much of anything at trace.

 

[Adonech]

Not quite, say your recipe called for 5.25 oz of lye(should always measure in grams for everything) you would then use 5.25 or a bit more water to mix the lye. The remainder of the liquid for the recipe I would use as milk and just add it to my oils and stickblend well. Then add your lye mixture (cooled). I don't add much of anything at trace.

Under stood. and I agree with not leaving most things at trace. I was just considering that the other day. give you more time to work with the mix. Thank you all very much...

 

[penelopejane]

Under stood. and I agree with not leaving most things at trace. I was just considering that the other day. give you more time to work with the mix. Thank you all very much...

If you want 100% goats milk in the example above you need to turn the 5.25 oz of water you used with the lye into milk. So you use enough GM powder to do that - read the instructions on the container - and mix that into the liquid milk. It probably won't be 5oz of powder.

 

[IrishLass]

and if I want I would mix 10 oz milk with 10 oz powder to make it 20z milk in the end?

No- that's not right. That's way too much powder. If you want to make a 100% goat milk soap with the split method (the same as if you had used only goat milk in place of the entire amount of water that your recipe requires), add only enough goat milk powder to the fresh milk that would reconstitute the amount of water that you mixed with the lye.

In other words, say that your batch calls for 5 oz. of lye and 10 oz. of water.......

1) Mix your 5 oz. lye with 5 oz. water and set aside.
2) Your batch needs 5 more ounces of liquid , so weigh out 5oz. of goat milk and set aside.
3) Next, add only as much powdered goat milk to the 5 oz. of fresh goat milk as will normally reconstitute 5 oz of water (to account for the 5 oz. amount of water you mixed with the lye). You'll have to check your packet of powdered goat milk to see what the reconstitution rate is. On mine, 1-ounce weight (28 grams) of powder added to 8 oz. water will make 1 cup of fully reconstituted goat milk. To make only 5 oz of reconstituted goat milk, that translates to adding only .65 oz. (18 grams) of the powder to your fresh milk.


IrishLass

 

[Adonech]

If you want 100% goats milk in the example above you need to turn the 5.25 oz of water you used with the lye into milk. So you use enough GM powder to do that - read the instructions on the container - and mix that into the liquid milk. It probably won't be 5oz of powder.

Got it. Thanks a lot