goat milk powder

[brainonbrett38]

I’ve been working at making cold process for about a month. I have two questions:
1. Is ‘trace’ when it sits on top or just making a lasting line in the mixture? It seems I’m making it too thick.
2. What’s best way to use goat milk powder? Can you just sub it for distilled water and mix it with the lye?

 

[AliOop]

"Trace" is a continuum that can be very light to heavy, and it's affected by a number of factors, including temperature of your batter, amount of stickblending, amount of water, and which oils and additives you use. Many FOs and EOs will accelerate trace; a few of them, like citrus, decelerate trace. I recommend watching this video to learn how to reach emulsion rather than trace. That is a must if you want to create designs.

I find the easiest way to use goat milk powder is to stickblend it very well into my oils, before adding the lye solution. You can also use some of the liquid from your recipe to reconstitute the powder, if you prefer. I would also add that to the oils, before adding the lye solution. Just know that if you add NaOH directly to room temp goat milk (fresh or reconstituted), it can scorch and turn dark. That's why you see and read about many soapmakers who chill or freeze their goat milk before adding the NaOH.

 

[lsg]

I usually mix powdered goat milk with just enough water to dissolve it and blend that into my oils. Make sure to deduct the water used from the water for your lye mixture. https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/trace/

 

[MelissaG]

I've started adding powdered goats milk directly to the oils. I mix it very very well using my stick blender, then I add in the lye water. Seems less likely to overheat. I found adding it to water first makes it less likely to break up in the oils so you get spots where there's a clump of goats milk rather than having it spread over the whole bar. It's also not as dark in color. But people do things differently. I didn't like the ice method.

 

[AliOop]

^ same here.

 

[cmzaha]

I always SB GM powder into my oils and I always use Gm powder versus liquid GM. I find it so much easier to use. Plus the fact I soap with vinegar so milk powders are easier to use.

 

[Zuleika]

I've only used GMP once and added it to the oils. I realised it didn't blend well. The end soap has a speckled look with visible tiny spots. Sorry I don't have a better close-up picture.

Should I have heated my oils before adding the GMP? The oils were about 28C. I don't have a SB but I did use a milk frother stick to blend it. This recipe was ZNSC with GMP only. 30g GMP in 1200g batter.

 

[MelissaG]

I've only used GMP once and added it to the oils. I realised it didn't blend well. The end soap has a speckled look with visible tiny spots. Sorry I don't have a better close-up picture.

View attachment 77451

Should I have heated my oils before adding the GMP? The oils were about 28C. I don't have a SB but I did use a milk frother stick to blend it. This recipe was ZNSC with GMP only. 30g GMP in 1200g batter.

I've rarely not had a bit of a speckled look with milk soap. Just make sure you blend it very well with the oils before adding your lye water. It's handmade so it's not going to be perfect.

 

[akseattle]

@brainonbrett38 I have only made goat milk soap twice. I use goat milk powder. I added the GM powder directly to my oils. I first heated the oils to about 150 F, when it had cooled to 109 F, and BEFORE combining with my lye water, I added it to the oils and stick blended until I could see that it was well disbursed. I think I made sure the oils had cooled because I wasn't sure at what temperature GM burns (I don't even know if powdered GM can burn the way fresh GM can burn.) I also put my loaf into the refrigerator overnight. I've read that putting your loaf in the refrigerator right away will prevent gelling and risking the GM overheating and burning. I don't know if that is true. The only two times I've ever gotten cracks in my soap were the 2x i put it in the fridge. They were small little cracks that I easily smoothed closed. I don't know if there was something I did wrong or if my refrigerator was too cold.
Good luck trying out GM and let us know how it turns out!

I recommend watching this video to learn how to reach emulsion rather than trace. That is a must if you want to create designs.

Ditto on the video. I watched it on AliOops recommendation. I wish I'd seen it before my first batch! Although I can't say that I can clearly see the oil separating from the lye water (maybe by the time I look it has reached emulsion??) The video erased the big gigantic question mark I had over my head wondering how I'd know I had NOT reached emulsion, and it gave me more confidence that I would not over blend. I use the stick blender very, very sparingly. After a few short blasts, then hand stir. It seems like my batter reaches a light trace, then medium, then thick trace fast enough. I'd rather hand stir a little longer- since there is no going back once it has thickened.

 

[melinda48]

I always SB GM powder into my oils and I always use Gm powder versus liquid GM. I find it so much easier to use. Plus the fact I soap with vinegar so milk powders are easier to use.

I use GMP exclusively and love it! I will never go back to using liquid goat milk. I do not soap with vinegar - have had no problems with incorporating powdered goat milk into my oils.