Help! Milk Soap issues.

[Fran2]

Hi ladies,

Evey thing has been going well with my milk soaps until I decided that I did not want to use the ice cubed milk method. I tried the split method. The inside of the last few batches have been mushy and partially gelled, sigh.....

This is how I did it. The recipe called for 16.49 water, I used 11 ozs of water and the rest added dry Coconut Milk to remaining water, stick blended and added at trace. (got it from BB).

I did the same thing with my goats milk, and that batch is a complete failure, yucky gooey in the middle. Completely unusable.

In the past I have used the ice cube method, but was not pleased with the congealed bits of milk that were in the soap, so I decided I would do it this way.

Did I use too much dry powered milk? Both were dry goats and coconut. Is there such a thing as too much powdered milk in the recipe?

 

[lsg]

I would only use the amount of dry milk that was called for on the directions. You might try staining your lye/milk solution before adding it to the oils. I have never had a problem with the split methold, but I use water for the lye solution and add cow's cream at thin trace. You can always rebatch those failed soaps.

 

[100%Natural]

How much lye did you use and was it fully dissolved? I'm hit and miss with milk soaps, but have learned a lot from my mistakes.

 

[ruby61]

I too think you should have premixed the dry per directions and then split your water and add milk solution amt desired at trace. Maybe there was just too much liquid.

 

[Fran2]

I too think you should have premixed the dry per directions and then split your water and add milk solution amt desired at trace. Maybe there was just too much liquid.

I did use the right water amount, I just did not have any directions for the coconut milk powder so I used an 1 oz. of powder by weight which did seem like alot of coconut powder.

With the goats milk I used triple the amount that was called for in powdered goats milk, so that may be the problem.


The lye amount was 8.12 for 58 ozs of oil, with a 33% lye concentration. I use the soapmakers 3 software to get my lye and water amounts.

 

[Seifenblasen]

I used the split method, too. Tried the ice-cube milk method and ended up with saponified milk fat. Even thought the soap turned out very well as far as hardness, lather, etc., I did not like the look. What I do is make a very strong lye solution (about 1.3 : 1 water to lye ratio), add the milk either in oil or at trace. So far never a failed batch.

I suspect your soft center could be from too much fat from the milk which can result in soft soap.

This is one of my favorite tutorials from Amanda at Lovin Soap:

http://www.lovinsoap.com/2013/02/th...d-honey-cold-process-soap-milk-in-oil-method/

 

[Fran2]

I used the split method, too. Tried the ice-cube milk method and ended up with saponified milk fat. Even thought the soap turned out very well as far as hardness, lather, etc., I did not like the look. What I do is make a very strong lye solution (about 1.3 : 1 water to lye ratio), add the milk either in oil or at trace. So far never a failed batch.

I suspect your soft center could be from too much fat from the milk which can result in soft soap.

This is one of my favorite tutorials from Amanda at Lovin Soap:

http://www.lovinsoap.com/2013/02/th...d-honey-cold-process-soap-milk-in-oil-method/

Thanks ladies. I do think I it was too much concentrated powdered milk as well. I will try goats milk per directions on the can. I did read somewhere that you could double the strength of the goats milk powered to compensate for not using it as the whole liquid amount. But I guess that was not right.

I printed out Amanda's directions. Thank you all again.

 

[MaitriBB]

When I freeze my goat's milk, I usually use a little extra water than called for in the powdered GM instructions. So it's watered-down GM. I've never had any problems with bits of milk not saponifying.

 

[nebetmiw]

I know that when I use the split my milk is liquid not powder. I use water only for lye and add milk at trace. I am betting you are having the problem because you are using powder instead of real milk liquid. Like out of can or carton.

 

[Fran2]

I know that when I use the split my milk is liquid not powder. I use water only for lye and add milk at trace. I am betting you are having the problem because you are using powder instead of real milk liquid. Like out of can or carton.

you think using powdered milk and turning it into liquid could be the problem? I wonder if that is the culprit. It is not easy to get real goats milk in the carton. My supermarket does not carry it. That is why I bought the powdered. I would have to travel to a speciality supermarket.

I may go back to the ice cube method. Does anyone strain the lye as to not get those tiny bits of milk fat?

 

[lsg]

I made soap yesterday from frozen yogut and yes I strained the lye solution into my oils. It eliminates those little bits of white or yellow in the soap.

 

[chicklet]

I also strain my lye. I got a stainless steel strainer from Walmart that is pretty fine mesh and it fits my soaping pot well. I started out straining just my yogurt or buttermilk lye but then I started adding silk to my lye so now I strain it even when I just use water.