I learned the same last year.
Oatmeal, Milk and Honey recipe?
- Thread starter John Harris
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Well, I just made a batch of OMH using AliOop's recipe. (Thanks!) For coloring, I used dibbles' suggestion of reserving part of the batch so that it is not exposed to the OMH scent. Seems to have worked well. I did an ITP swirl.
I used my old lye which is 78% pure (using the purity calculations on DeeAnna's Classic Bells page.) Then, again from DeeAnna's page, I adjusted the amount I should use. Trace came very slow (as I expected from the last time I used 78% pure lye.) If things come out the way they did last time I used that lye, I will be very happy.
For the actual oatmeal, milk, and honey I used powdered goat's milk and powdered honey. (Again, the idea from AliOop!) One Tbs for each pound of oils for each ingredient.
Poured at thin trace, but the reserved color portion was at medium-thick trace. It spread out real nice and smooth in the 40-bar slab mold.
Now comes the nerve-wracking gestation period. Pictures will follow, of course!
I used my old lye which is 78% pure (using the purity calculations on DeeAnna's Classic Bells page.) Then, again from DeeAnna's page, I adjusted the amount I should use. Trace came very slow (as I expected from the last time I used 78% pure lye.) If things come out the way they did last time I used that lye, I will be very happy.
For the actual oatmeal, milk, and honey I used powdered goat's milk and powdered honey. (Again, the idea from AliOop!) One Tbs for each pound of oils for each ingredient.
Poured at thin trace, but the reserved color portion was at medium-thick trace. It spread out real nice and smooth in the 40-bar slab mold.
Now comes the nerve-wracking gestation period. Pictures will follow, of course!
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
(just leaving a dumb reply here, so that I get notified, once there is something to gawk at)
Honestly, I'm also curious how that lye works out (i. e. if the soap turns out to be zappy or not).
You really don't need a special recipe per see. You can make your own oat milk and use it in place of water, you can buy a powdered oat milk, you can buy powdered honey or use real honey.
To make oat milk...you need oats, water, blender and cheesecloth. Whiz the oats and water in a blender, pour it in cheesecloth and strain out the oat "milk". I've never used it myself, but to be on the safe side, I'd probably freeze it into cubes and then add my Lye to it. If using real honey, I'm told it's best to thin it out with a bit of hot water and add it to your oils.
I have a bottle from BeScented and it didn't discolor.
I have several 'brown' soaps and have no issue selling them, but I think it depends on the scent. Bourbon Chi Toddy turns brown; I separate part of it out and mix a little TD with it and end up with a nice swirl. Chocolate Espresso turns brown; I separate out part before adding the FO and then I add Hershey's Cocoa to the main batter and TD to the unscented and create a 'whip cream' for the top and sprinkle with more Cocoa.
@ResolvableOwl The last batch I made with that 78% pure lye, I just used it straight with no adjustments or allowances. It took forever to trace, but it finally did reach a thick trace. For days afterwards it was quite oily, soft and sticky. Still, it could hold its shape enough to be cut. Through the first 2/3's of the curing period it was rather soft and sticky. But I left it in my drying/curing rack for a full 42 days. It actually turned out very well in the end. It is one of my favorite soaps (Frankincense and Myrrh). To be honest, I have no idea why it worked out. Since the lye was weak, the batch would have been lye-poor, no? Which means there would have been the opposite of being zappy. It would have been seriously super-fatted, no?
With this OMH batch, I did allow for weak lye by adding more of it, according to the calculations on DeeAnna's site. I am anxious to see how it will turn out once it is uncovered and about to be cut. And, of course, how it will turn out after 6 weeks of drying/curing.
With this OMH batch, I did allow for weak lye by adding more of it, according to the calculations on DeeAnna's site. I am anxious to see how it will turn out once it is uncovered and about to be cut. And, of course, how it will turn out after 6 weeks of drying/curing.
The house reeks of OMH fo! My God, is it nice! 
John, thanks for asking about a recipe here for OMH soap. I too plan to try AliOop’s recipe and am quite excited. I just want to say to all of our seasoned soap makers in this forum a Big Thank You for your generous sharing of knowledge. I feel so fortunate to learn from you all.
They are a nice bunch of gals and guys, aren't they!I just want to say to all of our seasoned soap makers in this forum a Big Thank You for your generous sharing of knowledge. I feel so fortunate to learn from you all.
Hi all! Cut the OMH batch last night. Seems to have come out well. Below are some pictures. Pardon all the soap "crumbs". I want them to harden up a little before I start polishing them. As they cure and harden more, I will keep you posted. Thanks for all the help on this one!
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Powdered goat milk (or coconut milk) is your friend! You can either rehydrate it in some of the water, or stickblend it dry into the oils before adding lye solution.
You can also use powdered honey, but if you prefer the real thing, search for Irish Lass' honey method.
And with that, here are my two versions of OMH:
1. Version 1 is ZNSC (using the faux sea water) with 75% OO, 20% CO, 5% castor. This is one of my best friend's absolute favorite soap - the one that won her over to handmade soap. Apparently her skin loves olive oil more than lard. It's ok, I still love her.And I also love this soap, which is saying a lot, since I generally don't like high OO soaps.
2. Version 2 is 60% lard, 20% CO/PKO blend, 10% soft oil of choice, 5% shea, and 5% castor. This is the version almost everyone else likes the best, including me.
To both recipes, I add 1 Tbsp (PPO) each of goat milk powder, honey and colloidal oats. I either blend them directly into the oils, or I rehydrate them in my additional water and/or mix with the FO (if it is a single color soap which it often is due to browning). I also add sodium citrate to all my soaps, sometimes use sodium lactate, almost always have tussah silk in my MB lye, and often CPOP on heating pads so I can unmold sooner. Enjoy!
AliOop,
I thought I read you use faux sea water with your 60% lard recipe. If not, what are your guidelines for using it? Can use it in all recipes to substitute for distilled water?
Thank you,
Jan
Hi there, I only use the faux sea water with the version of Zany's No-Slime Castile recipe that I use. That was listed in post #2 of this thread. I don't use sea water or salt with my 60% lard recipe, but you can if you want. You can either make a quart of sea water using the ingredients listed in the original ZNSC thread, or use the ratios listed in post #2 this thread to make just enough sea water for your specific batch. HTH!
When's a good time to test it for ZAP?
ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
It can't hurt to wait a week or two. But for large batches that underwent intense gelling, it might be alright to judge as early as one day in.
The best way to find out is to just try, and do a daily zap test from day 1 on, until the result doesn't change.
The best way to find out is to just try, and do a daily zap test from day 1 on, until the result doesn't change.
Even my smaller batches (gelled) I test a small piece when I cut. If I suspect for some reason there is a problem and it could be lye heavy I wait at least a week.
I tried the zap test this morning. It is zap free!
Lovely!!!
