Powdered Goats Milk

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Anne Wight

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I normally use fresh goats milk for CP soap but would like to try powdered. Should the milk I create with the powder be frozen as well? Thank you.
 
I normally use fresh goats milk for CP soap but would like to try powdered. Should the milk I create with the powder be frozen as well? Thank you.
It you are going to use powdered GM it is easiest to use the split method. Mix the NaOH with an equal weight of water. Make up the remaining water as GM (at the strength required to make the total water into GM) and SB into the oils.

So recipe says 100g water total and 20g NaOH. Mix 20g water and 20g NaOH. Say GM requires 15g powder to make 100g GM. Mix 15g GM powder with 80g water and add to oils.

Alternatively you can use fresh GM for the remaining water (eg: 80g) and add GM powder to make the 20g used to mix the NaOH to the fresh GM and SB it all into the oils. This makes the total water component into milk.

Both these methods mean you don’t have to freeze the milk component and the soap won’t turn brown.
 
It you are going to use powdered GM it is easiest to use the split method. Mix the NaOH with an equal weight of water. Make up the remaining water as GM (at the strength required to make the total water into GM) and SB into the oils.

So recipe says 100g water total and 20g NaOH. Mix 20g water and 20g NaOH. Say GM requires 15g powder to make 100g GM. Mix 15g GM powder with 80g water and add to oils.

Alternatively you can use fresh GM for the remaining water (eg: 80g) and add GM powder to make the 20g used to mix the NaOH to the fresh GM and SB it all into the oils. This makes the total water component into milk.

Both these methods mean you don’t have to freeze the milk component and the soap won’t turn brown.

Got it~! Thank you.
 
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I have used GM powder in CP for years and put it right into the oils and SB it to be sure all lumps are gone before adding lye water. Never encountered a problem that I can remember.
 
I have used GM powder in CP for years and put it right into the oils and SB it to be sure all lumps are gone before adding lye water. Never encountered a problem that I can remember.

@soaplady30 just to clarify, you add JUST the powdered GM to the oils (no water) and stick blend those. Do you determine the amount of powder to use based on the amount of water you mix with the NaOH? Do you ever use more or less?
 
Yes. Exactly. I have varied the water with no issues.

@soaplady30 Ok. So the amount of GM powder you add is based on the amount of water being added? If the GM powder calls for 1 tablespoon of powder for 100g of water and your recipe calls for 200g of water, you add 2 tablespoons directly to the oil? (numbers are not accurate, just using them for simplicity)
 
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I have been adding mine to some oil and making a slurry. I have been doing HP will this work with CP and not scorch? I finally froze some to try that way but if I can do it by making a slurry in CP that's ideal for me
 
I have used GM powder in CP for years and put it right into the oils and SB it to be sure all lumps are gone before adding lye water. Never encountered a problem that I can remember.
Glad this has worked for you.
Lots of people have had difficulty incorporating GM powder into the oils without It resulting in spots in the final soap. That is why I mix it in water first.
 
Glad this has worked for you.
Lots of people have had difficulty incorporating GM powder into the oils without It resulting in spots in the final soap. That is why I mix it in water first.
I also mix powdered goat milk into the water “split”. I’ve wondered if water soluble powders added to the oils will fully dissolve by the time the batter is poured in the mold. Maybe it doesn’t matter in the end, but it’s easy enough to mix it with the water.
 
I also mix powdered goat milk into the water “split”. I’ve wondered if water soluble powders added to the oils will fully dissolve by the time the batter is poured in the mold. Maybe it doesn’t matter in the end, but it’s easy enough to mix it with the water.
It does matter if you want a perfect soap in the end. Not everyone cares but I do.
 
It does matter if you want a perfect soap in the end. Not everyone cares but I do.
Goats milk powder is completely soluble in oil as well as water. I've used it the same way as soaplady30 does and I don't see a problem with doing it that way. In the end you wind up with the same stuff in the bars at the same ratios. The only issue I can see would be if you don't get rid of the lumps. That's pretty easy to do with a stick blender.
 
Actually, milk is not “totally soluble,” even in milk, but we can all be partially correct. The info below is for cow milk, but it should be similar for goat milk.

“The principal constituents of milk are water, fat, proteins, lactose (milk sugar) and minerals (salts). Milk also contains trace amounts of other substances such as pigments, enzymes, vitamins, phospholipids (substances with fatlike properties), and gases.”

As shown in the table below, the fats in liquid milk are present as an oil/water emulsion. The proteins are suspended as tiny particles (also called a colloidal solution) and the sugars and minerals are dissolved in a true solution (as molecules or ions). When dry milk is added to oils, the fat component will dissolve into the oils as long as it’s not encased in something that isn’t oil soluble. Sugar is not oil soluble (think of sugar scrub mixtures), so it should stay in suspension if blended into the oils, while it will dissolve if added to the water fraction. The interactions between proteins and fats are complicated, depending heavily on the structure of the protein.

Here’s what I think this means in terms of the different approaches to adding milk powder in soap making. When adding powder to oils, the oil fraction of the powder is most likely to dissolve, and possibly some of the proteins as well. The sugars will likely stay in suspension as will some of the proteins and the minerals(?). When adding milk powder to the water fraction, the sugars and minerals will dissolve and the oils may form an emulsion depending on how the powder is mixed into the water. The proteins probably end up in suspension.

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Source
 
Goats milk powder is completely soluble in oil as well as water. I've used it the same way as soaplady30 does and I don't see a problem with doing it that way. In the end you wind up with the same stuff in the bars at the same ratios. The only issue I can see would be if you don't get rid of the lumps. That's pretty easy to do with a stick blender.
All I know is that we regularly get posts on this forum asking what are the spots in a soap. If they’ve used GM it is generally unmixed GM. So easy to mix it with water and add to the oils and this seems to cure so many problems people have.
I’m glad it works for you but for others using water is a good solution. Pardon the pun. :)
 
Thank you for that, Mobjack Bay. It had not occurred to me that the sugars in powdered were not oil soluble. I know it is true about sugars and always pre-dissolve plain sugar in hot water before adding to soap, but just had not thought of it in reference to powdered milks before. Something to keep in mind for future soaps!
 

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