Milk soaps

[dlewis17]

When adding almond, coconut, or goat's milk to soap, when do you add the milk? What is best adding to the lye or can you add to the oils and the milk not spoil? I need to know for CP soap only.

 

[lsg]

You can either use frozen milk as 100% of the liquid and disslove your lye in that (very slowly), or you can dissolve the lye in water (60%) of the liquid and use milk as the other 40%, adding the milk at thin trace. Either way works, but if you are a beginner the second method would probably be easier for you.

 

[dixiedragon]

Here is my process. I use 1/2 water and 1/2 canned milk. (Make sure it is not sweetened milk!) When I use soapcalc, I up my water from 38% to 40%. I put my can of milk in the freezer to chill. This may not actually be necessary, but when I did this my soap came out great, so I have superstitiously stuck with it. I mix my lye with my water, then melt my oils. When the oils and lye water are between 95 and 100 degrees F, I add my milk to my oils, stir, then pour my lye into my oils. This way I consistently get milk soap that doesn't smell like baby vomit.

 

[ca_soap]

I substitute the milk for my water on a 1:1 ratio. I measure the amount of milk out them pour it in an ice cube tray and freeze it. After frozen make sure to re weigh as you will lose some weight through evaporation and small bits that don't come out of the tray. I add water to compensate for any loss of weight through the freezing process. I then add my lye slowly to the ice cubes while carefully stirring. The lye will melt the ice and I end up with a liquid that is about 90-95 degrees. This keeps from scorching the milks. Also be aware that milks with high fat content such as coconut milk will begin to thicken and saponify with just the lye and milk so be ready to work with it and don't let it just sit or it will thicken on you.

Another method is to use powdered milk. You can get goats milk, buttermilk, etc in powder form. Figure the amount of powder you would add to the water quantity to make milk per directions on the can. Add the powdered milk to your oils and blend it in before adding your lye water mix.

 

[seven]

50/50 is the easiest, less fussy method me thinks. I simply dont hv the patience to add my lye bit by bit. I like to work fast, lol..

 

[grayceworks]

I also use 1:1 substitution of milk for water. BUT I am always paranoid that I will not see undissolved lye in opaque liquids, so my method is that I mix my lye in just enough water to dissolve it, and then make up the difference in required liquids with the canned milk mixed into the oils. This has worked well for me in both HP and CP. HP does turn more of a marbled tan though.

(and also, I am too impatient to worry about freezing milk cubes)

 

[dlewis17]

Thanks everyone. I've been adding the milk to my lye, and not freezing it first.

 

[seven]

^^^
How can you keep it from scorching if it aint frozen? Interesting...

 

[shunt2011]

I too do 50/50. I mix my lye with water and add my milks to the oils. I usually add some powdered or use condensed (goat's milk) and that makes it full milk. I don't have a problem with burning as I RTCP and everything stays pretty cool.

 

[nebetmiw]

I do full sub but then subtract a few oz to use water to dissolve my lye and if I need more i add a little milk. Then rest goes in the end after i add lye mixture and FO and start mixing. I have never used frozen milk but it is out of the frig. I still get a white soap just an off white sometimes depending on FO.

 

[neeners]

i do full sub with frozen milk. by the time lye is dissolved, the milk is around RT, which is the temp i soap at. i find there aren't as many fumes as dissolving lye into RT distilled water, so it's my preferred method.....