Milks, clays and silk....

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Mindyw86

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I am wanting to experiment with some different stuff...milk soaps is first on my list.....got goats milk, trying to find a good coconut milk but haven't been successful locally with that yet :/

Anywho, I have heard of a lot of people using silk and clays along with milks and was wondering what the benefits are, and where to get them. I have seen clays on BB but I have no idea what to get.

Any input is greatly appreciated! :)
 
I use a pinch of tussah silk fibers in every recipe, even milk recipes. One caution, when dissolving lye with frozen milk the temp is kept low, so the raw silk fibers won't dissolve well. I suggest using a percentage of the liquid as water and dissolving the lye in that, then adding raw silk fibers to that mixture, then using cream as the rest of the liquid and adding that at thin trace. You can use liquid silk if you want to use 100% milk as the liquid.
 
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I think I will be trying the 50/50 method for milk (the GM is canned) so I take half of the liquid and add the lye to that, right? Then do I add the silk to the lye water? Also, can I mix the milk with my oils before adding the lye water, or is it better to add it at trace?

Oh, and where do I find silk?
 
This is where I get my silk fibre-- http://store.scent-works.com/tusnoilsilfi.html and I love using it! When I use GM, since it is undiluted, I subtract the ounces of goats milk from the lye water (12 oz ) since i use a whole can in a 10 pound batch, and I add the milk to the oils before adding the lye.. Works for me! I also don't use cubes, because I use it in Oatmeal, goats milk and honey soap, and the honey (1T per pound of oil) turns the soap a nice caramel color.
 
I use a pinch of tussah silk fibers in every recipe, even milk recipes. One caution, when dissolving lye with frozen milk the temp is kept low, so the raw silk fibers won't dissolve well. I suggest using a percentage of the liquid as water and dissolving the lye in that, then adding raw silk fibers to that mixture, then using cream as the rest of the liquid and adding that at thin trace. You can use liquid silk if you want to use 100% milk as the liquid.

Wish I'd known that this weekend. Cold milk water, silk ended up wrapped around the end of the blender. Lol, lessen learned.
 
Each clay offers different things, so it would be good to look into them first. I think it is bentonite that can be drying, going on memory here. I've used bentonite and rose kaolin, no adverse effects on soap making.
 
Thanks, I have heard of white clay, but that seems to be the one I can't find.....I have heard kaolin clay helps with moisturizing, is that right? I also want to try to anchor scent with it.
 
I like the pink (rose) Kaolin for ladies shaving soap, and my husband likes the bentonite in his shaving soaps. I have read that the red kaolin can be good for oily skin, but I mostly use it for coloring ItP swirls, so not a lot in a batch. YMMV.
 

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