Chefmom
Well-Known Member
I'm posting this in the beginners forum because I made so many first time techniques with this soap that I certainly FEEL like a complete Newbie.
I have always been a hot process girl. From the beginning of my soap making journey (about 14 years), early on I just gravitated towards the hot process because I liked the speed and outcome, easy clean up etc.
I have come back to cold process recently as I started coming back to forums and wanting to play with different techniques.
Milk soaps have been my evil nemesis. Except for adding reconstituted goats milk powder in the end after the cook, I have never successfully made a full out goats milk soap. Back when I first started trying, there weren't the videos and tutorials that are around today.
Okay....this was my first batch of real milk soap. I wanted to try out the coconut milk soap that I have been reading so much about. And, I just can't help myself to try out a few other new techniques.
I tried out the salt in the lye water technique, not sure that I will be doing THAT again. I will most likely in the future dissolve the salt in one part of the water, and the lye in another. I think it would just go smoother.
I split the total water amount into 50% water and 50% canned coconut milk for the 32 ounces oil recipe I made.
The next new thing I did, was instead of trying to keep the milk cold, I added it, at room temperature into the oils before the lye. It looked weird, and didn't mix, so I hit it with the stick blender and made it smooth before adding the salt and lye mix.
I also have been reading about adding the fragrances into the oils before the lye, so I also tried that technique.
So.....lots of new things, and I'm glad that I have read about the issues, acceleration and ricing and separation that people have while doing cold process, because it ALL came in handy to know.
I had everything in the oil, salty lye water and ready to mix. I watched the milk oil mix go from liquid to thick mashed potatoes in.......I mean.....a blink of an eye. Instantly thick wall paper paste and looking like it was going to separate. I stopped with the stick blender and stirred with the spatula, but then went back to the stick blender and hit the thick mixture and yep....it went smooth. Still thick, but smooth thick.
It was still pourable, like freshly made, very thick pudding, more plop plop pourable, but it went into the mold. I didn't plan on any kind of color, so I didn't have that issue thankfully. It was 32* outside, so I just took it outside to keep it cool instead of the fridge. It spent about 4 hours outside and the sides and bottom felt cool, so I brought it inside after that.
Whew. What an experience!! I made it in the afternoon, around 2 pm and was able to unmold and cut the next morning around 9am. The color is beautiful and it was firm, not soft. I am thinking that the salt water helped with the firm bars from the get go.
In the photos, the first is the freshly poured soap in the mold and the second is the fresh cut bars.
I am NOT sure what made it thick so fast, being a milk soap or the fragrance. I used Peak's Almond Pastries. My house smells like homemade Spritz almond cookies. To the point that I'm making almond cookies today because everyone is asking "where are the cookies?" when they walk into the kitchen. LOLOlzzzzzzz
Now for the long wait to cure......something I'm not used to with hot process. I know I could test one of the little trimmings, but I want to test it first after a couple of weeks. It's been a great learning experience, even for this seasoned soap maker!!!
I have always been a hot process girl. From the beginning of my soap making journey (about 14 years), early on I just gravitated towards the hot process because I liked the speed and outcome, easy clean up etc.
I have come back to cold process recently as I started coming back to forums and wanting to play with different techniques.
Milk soaps have been my evil nemesis. Except for adding reconstituted goats milk powder in the end after the cook, I have never successfully made a full out goats milk soap. Back when I first started trying, there weren't the videos and tutorials that are around today.
Okay....this was my first batch of real milk soap. I wanted to try out the coconut milk soap that I have been reading so much about. And, I just can't help myself to try out a few other new techniques.
I tried out the salt in the lye water technique, not sure that I will be doing THAT again. I will most likely in the future dissolve the salt in one part of the water, and the lye in another. I think it would just go smoother.
I split the total water amount into 50% water and 50% canned coconut milk for the 32 ounces oil recipe I made.
The next new thing I did, was instead of trying to keep the milk cold, I added it, at room temperature into the oils before the lye. It looked weird, and didn't mix, so I hit it with the stick blender and made it smooth before adding the salt and lye mix.
I also have been reading about adding the fragrances into the oils before the lye, so I also tried that technique.
So.....lots of new things, and I'm glad that I have read about the issues, acceleration and ricing and separation that people have while doing cold process, because it ALL came in handy to know.
I had everything in the oil, salty lye water and ready to mix. I watched the milk oil mix go from liquid to thick mashed potatoes in.......I mean.....a blink of an eye. Instantly thick wall paper paste and looking like it was going to separate. I stopped with the stick blender and stirred with the spatula, but then went back to the stick blender and hit the thick mixture and yep....it went smooth. Still thick, but smooth thick.
It was still pourable, like freshly made, very thick pudding, more plop plop pourable, but it went into the mold. I didn't plan on any kind of color, so I didn't have that issue thankfully. It was 32* outside, so I just took it outside to keep it cool instead of the fridge. It spent about 4 hours outside and the sides and bottom felt cool, so I brought it inside after that.
Whew. What an experience!! I made it in the afternoon, around 2 pm and was able to unmold and cut the next morning around 9am. The color is beautiful and it was firm, not soft. I am thinking that the salt water helped with the firm bars from the get go.
In the photos, the first is the freshly poured soap in the mold and the second is the fresh cut bars.
I am NOT sure what made it thick so fast, being a milk soap or the fragrance. I used Peak's Almond Pastries. My house smells like homemade Spritz almond cookies. To the point that I'm making almond cookies today because everyone is asking "where are the cookies?" when they walk into the kitchen. LOLOlzzzzzzz
Now for the long wait to cure......something I'm not used to with hot process. I know I could test one of the little trimmings, but I want to test it first after a couple of weeks. It's been a great learning experience, even for this seasoned soap maker!!!