Questions about Lye and Goats Milk

[justrambling]

I'm so excited! I've been trying to accumulate things I need to make my first batch of soap. Lye has been the hardest because I would find low prices online, but the shipping cost would be ridiculous. The big box stores here either didn't have it or was also high priced. I just found some at a local Aubuchon Hardware store. 1lb for $5.49. I just have to go to the store and see if they have any in stock. I've got a few questions....they are in red to make it easier to find, since I tend to be long-winded.

I'm assuming for a 2lb. loaf, I won't need more than a pound, right? I'm just using OO, CO, Avocado oil, and if I can find some, Castor oil. Might be using goats milk too. Really, the only thing I have to get besides castor oil and the goats' milk, is fragrance oil. Then I'll be good to go! I can't wait!

Another question I have is, if I use goats milk, I know I should freeze the milk first. I guess I should weigh it out first and then put it in a container to freeze to make it easier. Anyway, here's my question, I know sometimes goats milk soap has that kind of metallic smell to it, is that because the milk was burned? Or will it always have that kind of smell? I'm planning to freeze it and then put the bowl in ice when I add the lye, to help keep it from burning the sugars. Once I pour the soap into the mold, should I still cover it with a towel to insulate it and allow it to go through the gel phase? Or will that burn it? Thanks for your help!

 

[shunt2011]

I'm so excited! I've been trying to accumulate things I need to make my first batch of soap. Lye has been the hardest because I would find low prices online, but the shipping cost would be ridiculous. The big box stores here either didn't have it or was also high priced. I just found some at a local Aubuchon Hardware store. 1lb for $5.49. I just have to go to the store and see if they have any in stock. I've got a few questions....they are in red to make it easier to find, since I tend to be long-winded.

I'm assuming for a 2lb. loaf, I won't need more than a pound, right? I'm just using OO, CO, Avocado oil, and if I can find some, Castor oil. Might be using goats milk too. Really, the only thing I have to get besides castor oil and the goats' milk, is fragrance oil. Then I'll be good to go! I can't wait!

Another question I have is, if I use goats milk, I know I should freeze the milk first. I guess I should weigh it out first and then put it in a container to freeze to make it easier. Anyway, here's my question, I know sometimes goats milk soap has that kind of metallic smell to it, is that because the milk was burned? Or will it always have that kind of smell? I'm planning to freeze it and then put the bowl in ice when I add the lye, to help keep it from burning the sugars. Once I pour the soap into the mold, should I still cover it with a towel to insulate it and allow it to go through the gel phase? Or will that burn it? Thanks for your help!

I can sense your excitement and it's great.

I have never had a metallic smell from my goat's milk soaps. I highly recommend trying the split method for milk soaps. No risk of burning/scorching. Mix your lye with an equal amount of water (distilled) then use the remainder amount of liquid that soap calc recommends in milk and add that to your oils. Stick blend the milk into the oils and then add your cooled lye mixture. I insulate and gel all my soaps (all make with some kind of milk, beer or coffee).

As for your 2 lb mold it should hold about 1 1/2 lbs of oil or so.

 

[lsg]

I sometimes freeze the milk and sometimes divide the liquid into half water and half milk. Dissolve the lye in the water and add the milk to the oils/fats and blend well before adding the lye solution. May I suggest that you try a plain soap as your first effort. Dealing with milk is somtimes difficult for a beginner.

 

[justrambling]

I can sense your excitement and it's great.

I have never had a metallic smell from my goat's milk soaps. I highly recommend trying the split method for milk soaps. No risk of burning/scorching. Mix your lye with an equal amount of water (distilled) then use the remainder amount of liquid that soap calc recommends in milk and add that to your oils. Stick blend the milk into the oils and then add your cooled lye mixture. I insulate and gel all my soaps (all make with some kind of milk, beer or coffee).

As for your 2 lb mold it should hold about 1 1/2 lbs of oil or so.

Thank you! What if I used the powdered goats milk? If I couldn't find liquid goats milk at the store, I was going to buy the powdered kind and mix it up then freeze. Could I just add the powder to the oil and add the lye to the amount of water I would need then mix it all together once the lye solution cooled down? What temp would you suggest?

 

[Deborah Long]

I'm assuming for a 2lb. loaf, I won't need more than a pound, right?

If this question is about the lye, you certainly won't need more than one pound of lye for a 2 lb loaf. If you put your recipe into a soap calculator, it will give you exactly the amount of lye that you need for your oils. (just guessing at a generic recipe, but I would say about 5 oz of lye). I found castor oil at the pharmacy dept. at Walmart.

Milk soap is pretty advanced for your first loaf! Why not just try another one to get the hang of it all? You are buying enough lye for a couple of tries, actually...

 

[shunt2011]

Thank you! What if I used the powdered goats milk? If I couldn't find liquid goats milk at the store, I was going to buy the powdered kind and mix it up then freeze. Could I just add the powder to the oil and add the lye to the amount of water I would need then mix it all together once the lye solution cooled down? What temp would you suggest?

Yes, you can certainly add the powdered milk to the oils. I personally would still dissolve it in a bit of water. I would have your lye room temp. I have found that using only powdered milk my batter tends to get a bit orange. It cures out to a beige/ivory. Using milks can be a bit tricky for a newbie. But I'm seeing more and more going big so it just depends on your confidence level and that you're prepared for some issue as they can happen.

Just be sure to run any recipe through a soap calculator for correct measurements.

 

[MadTeddyBear]

I use powdered milk. What worked best for me (after having a few batches burn) was basically the split method. The instructions for reconstituting the milk were ~1oz powder to 6oz water to make 8oz milk. So then if a recipe called for 8oz of water, I would mix 4oz of water with the lye, then 2oz of water with 1oz of powder and freeze the concentrated milk. Then take your milk slushy and mix it directly into the oils when you're ready to blend everything together.

Easy way to remember the math is take the original amount of water and half it at each step.