First time milk soap

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Sunaelurus

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I will be doing my first milk soap tomorrow. I'm freezing the milk, at which temperature should I soap the lye/milk and oils at? I will be putting in freezer afterward. Any other tips or tricks?
 
I would suggest room temperature for your lye and oils. I think I have seen some people soap at higher temps and though they said they put it in the freezer they still had some overheating.
 
Make sure that you add the lye to the frozen milk a little at a time, stirring constantly. Keep stirring even after you think the lye may be dissolved. When using frozen milk, I alway strain the lye/milk solution before adding it to my oils. That way any undissolved lye will go into the strainer and not you soap. Good luck with your soap. Please post a picture after you cut it.
 
All my soaps are milk soaps, and though I have only been soaping since September, I think I can already say that the temperature of your lye and oils depends on what oils you are using. I started off with a high percentage of olive oil plus a bit of coconut and palm, and soaping at room temperature was just fine. When I changed my recipe because I still found it slimy and drying, I upped the palm oil content and added a bit of castor. Suddenly room temperature didn't work for me any more. The cool lye was re-solidifying the palm oil as soon as it hit it.

I don't claim to have the answers because my results are still very hit and miss. Just wanted to say that any small change in any variable can produce a dramatically different result. Good luck! I love my milk soaps and have no desire currently to make soap with water!
 
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