First Milk Soap - Pimples?

[MrsMilk]

A quick question if I may please.

My first batch of soap is happily curing upstairs in the spare bedroom. It's a milk soap made out of cows milk - I'm making cows milk because my husband is a dairy farmer and we live on a dairy farm so really interested in seeing what can be done with milk soap specifically.

When I cut the soap I noticed a ring running through the middle. Because it's milk soap I put it straight in the freezer for the first 24 hours to avoid gelling - I think that maybe I let it get too hot while stick blending? The blender got warm in my hands and I was mixing in a metal bowl so I might go a little easier with the blender and use a different bowl- I'll add a photo below to see what you think.

Also, when I cut it, it looked like it started to sweat. But instead of drying out it looks like it has little soap pimples. Can anybody tell me what the formal name would be because I'm assuming there is no such thing as soap acne.

Next week I'm pushing the boat and and adding scents! I'm honestly, so excited about round 2 - Please tell me I'm not on a slippery slope.

 

[GemstonePony]

How exciting! The rings do look like gelling, but that is caused by warmth, not mixing. There are a number of strategies to mitigate that, but next question first:
What recipe did you use? I have a couple theories on the spots, but it would help to know exactly what and how much of everything that is in the soap.
Welcome to the slippery slope!

 

[MrsMilk]

Thank you so much for your offer of help. I followed a recipe from The Nerdy Farm Wife Website.

9 oz Milk
4.3 oz Lye
1.5 tsp sodium lactate

22 oz Olive Oil (71%)
8 oz Coconut Oil (26%
1 oz Castor Oil (3%)

I froze the milk first.

I mixed my oils together in the metal bowl but hadn't done a great job of melting the coconut oil so sat the entire thing over a Bain Marie to finish melting it off and to being it up to 90 degrees F (As per the recipe) - This could be where I started to go wrong, especially if the metal bowl was hotter than the liquid when I took the temperature - Hadn't thought of that. Doh!

Then, as I say, the stick mixer did get hot in my hand. Could this have added to my mysterious ring issue or my pimples?

XXX

 

[shunt2011]

Partial Gel, just cosmetic won't affect the soap at all and will fade somewhat during cure. Bubbles look like air bubbles. Again just cosmetic. Also, did you run that recipe through a soap calculator? Always be sure to do that. Errors in others recipes happen. Use your stick blender in short bursts. It will overheat if run too long. But did not cause the partial gel.

 

[Todd Ziegler]

I have had good luck using powdered milks along with oils that won't generate a lot of heat. I have not used powdered cows milk but others on the forum have. I have used powdered goat milk and powdered buttermilk. I did not need to refrigerate my soap at all.

I mix the powder straight into my hot oils and stick blend like crazy. I also give the powder about 30 minutes to completely absorb the oil before adding my lye water.

 

[shunt2011]

@Todd Ziegler She's using their cow's milk.

 

[Todd Ziegler]

@Todd Ziegler She's using their cow's milk.

Yes I saw that. I was just giving her other options, that's all.

 

[SPowers]

Welcome to the slippery sloap... once you venture down, you'll never come back!

 

[MrsMilk]

Yes I saw that. I was just giving her other options, that's all.

And I really do appreciate all the options!!!! There's no reason we couldn't dehydrate our own cows milk one day.

 

[Kathymzr]

I have had good luck using powdered milks along with oils that won't generate a lot of heat. I have not used powdered cows milk but others on the forum have. I have used powdered goat milk and powdered buttermilk. I did not need to refrigerate my soap at all.

I mix the powder straight into my hot oils and stick blend like crazy. I also give the powder about 30 minutes to completely absorb the oil before adding my lye water.

Quick question: I’m planning on using powdered goat milk. Can it also be reconstituted in some of the water? Also, how much do you use per lb of soap?

 

[The Bubble Fairy]

No sense in reconstituting milk powder - you'd only have to refrigerate it then and you won't if you use powder, as Todd says above.

 

[GemstonePony]

Quick question: I’m planning on using powdered goat milk. Can it also be reconstituted in some of the water? Also, how much do you use per lb of soap?

I'm not Todd, but I know powdered milk disperses in small amounts of oils, but clumps in small amounts of water. I don't remember his usage rate for powdered milk though.
Also, for liquid, what goes in must evaporate out, so I have a set amount of liquid that all my dispersals and solutions get subtracted from. Bear in mind that the more liquid you put in, of any variety, the hotter your soap will get, and (to a certain degree) the lower the temperature it will gel at.

 

[ghoshsmita]

A quick question if I may please.

My first batch of soap is happily curing upstairs in the spare bedroom. It's a milk soap made out of cows milk - I'm making cows milk because my husband is a dairy farmer and we live on a dairy farm so really interested in seeing what can be done with milk soap specifically.

When I cut the soap I noticed a ring running through the middle. Because it's milk soap I put it straight in the freezer for the first 24 hours to avoid gelling - I think that maybe I let it get too hot while stick blending? The blender got warm in my hands and I was mixing in a metal bowl so I might go a little easier with the blender and use a different bowl- I'll add a photo below to see what you think.

Also, when I cut it, it looked like it started to sweat. But instead of drying out it looks like it has little soap pimples. Can anybody tell me what the formal name would be because I'm assuming there is no such thing as soap acne.

View attachment 49680

Next week I'm pushing the boat and and adding scents! I'm honestly, so excited about round 2 - Please tell me I'm not on a slippery slope.

Your soap looks perfect!! The post cracked me up . The 'acne' I think would be stearic spots/fatty spots. It's absolutely beautiful! I usually gel my soaps, but not with milk soaps. You should stick blend very little and in short bursts. I too had made a similar mistake with my first soap. All the best with the fragrance. Happy soaping!!

 

[Todd Ziegler]

Quick question: I’m planning on using powdered goat milk. Can it also be reconstituted in some of the water? Also, how much do you use per lb of soap?

I would not reconstitute it in water. I use 1 tbsp per pound of oil. I put it in my oils and stick blend it a minimum of 3 times while the oil is cooling down. It takes about 15 minutes for the powder to absorb the oil but since I start at room temperature, mine absorbs for around 30 minutes. I have yet to have a problem with over heating doing it this way.

 

[MrsMilk]

Well, I reduced the temperature of the oils to 85 from 95 and was careful about not over stick blending but still managed to get hte circle through the centre - Oh, and I forgot to add the sodium lactate - Amazing what a difference that made to softness of soap when birthing it from it's mould this afternoon.

Still got some pimples, @ghoshsmita mentioned they're probably fatty spots and I'm inclined to believe that now I've examined every square inch of soap. Will need to find out what I can do about those - Google here i come.

Oh, and it was way thicker when I poured it in this week, hence some ugly looking edges - Everey days a school day!

 

[Dawni]

I'm going with shunt n saying air bubbles, not fatty spots, better known as stearic spots. If you search within the forum you'll get better answers than Google, unless it includes answers from this forum hahaha

The other thing you'll want to search is "partial gel" which is your ring in the center. There's two options to prevent this, both of which I've not tried coz I don't CP much. Either you force gel, which they don't recommend for milk soaps, or you prevent them by keeping the soap cool, which might be easier to do.

When I was new I searched everything and anything haha, on Google but this way - ("keyword" site:soapmaking forum.com)

Good job on both soaps by the way

 

[ghoshsmita]

Well, I reduced the temperature of the oils to 85 from 95 and was careful about not over stick blending but still managed to get hte circle through the centre - Oh, and I forgot to add the sodium lactate - Amazing what a difference that made to softness of soap when birthing it from it's mould this afternoon.

Still got some pimples, @ghoshsmita mentioned they're probably fatty spots and I'm inclined to believe that now I've examined every square inch of soap. Will need to find out what I can do about those - Google here i come.

Oh, and it was way thicker when I poured it in this week, hence some ugly looking edges - Everey days a school day!


View attachment 49850View attachment 49851

The circle through the centre could be avoided if you either fully gel it, or pop it into the fridge for a while and a kid gel totally

 

[ghoshsmita]

The circle through the centre could be avoided if you either fully gel it, or pop it into the fridge for a while and a kid gel totally

*avoid