Canned coconut milk vs. coconut cream powder

[maheka]

I visited an Asian store recently and after a long thought bought a can of coconut milk and some powdered coconut cream. Now I'm wondering
which one to use in soap (ie. which one is easier to work with) and how.

I've read a couple of different forums and some say that the canned milk should be frozen, others say that it doesn't need to be. But it's vegetable, why freeze it?

And what should I do with the powdered cream? Should I add it to my lye water, oils or at trace? How much? I'm really confused...

 

[reallyrita]

Canned coconut milk versus coconut cream powder

I don't know about the powder. I have some coconut milk powder but I have not soaped with it yet. I know you can reconstitute it with water and use just like the liquid milk. I get my coconut milk at an asian market .It comes in a box, like little juice boxes. It is 100% coconut milk with absolutely nothing added. I did not freeze it but when I added the lye I got major stink. The finished soap smelled like "pee" for months. It is ok now and I use it at the kitchen sink and I rather like it...but I never did it that way again. Now I just add it at light trace...I subtract that amount from the water amount I use for the lye. Works much much better that way...no stink! Check the label of the canned....some have additives or emulsifiers that might do something funny in the soap pot. I know there have been threads about this in the past. Do a search here and see if you can find out more about the canned stuff.

 

[Guest]

If your coconut milk can has guar gum on the label , I have heard it can mess up your soap.I use the powder , mix it with a little bit of my water and add it at trace with my super fat oils.the powder is much easier to use imho.
If you use the canned you freeze it , so it takes the lye temp down .
Kitn