Teach Soap

with any soap, but especially with milk soaps, you can do whatever you like, for as long as you like, and if it wants to heat, it will still heat and gel or partially gel. It is quite determined at times and it is very funny that way. Soap Buddy doesnt gel, and always puts her soaps in the fridge or freezer. If asked, I am sure she will tell you that she has had milk soaps partially or fully gel when she didnt intend or think that would happen. It is the soap fairies we think, not getting their fair share of wine or cookies and milk, or whatever yours like! But it happens and that is a fact. I do not try to prevent gel, in most of my soaps I encourage it. But in milk soaps I put them in the 12 bar silicone BB mold, leave them out, soap cool, use a slurry, use an ice bath, and dont insulate at all. They still gel, but I like the coloring, so no biggie to me.
Have lots if fun experimenting, the journey is quite exciting. But if you are looking for exact answers, and think it will always be one way and that way alone, you will find out differently as you go along. There are many variables, and sometimes you will believe everything is the exact same, yet you will get a different response. That is soap making!
Just made



after curing

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy

It's true. I got a partial gel on a GM soap that was in the freezer. It happens. Bribe them soap fairies and see if that helps.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

And don't forget to WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING!!!!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Karri- I have to thank you for posting this topic It gave me the push I needed to try my own goats milk soap! I made two one pound batches yesterday and they're sitting in my refrigerator right now. I will take your advice and leave them in the fridge for 48 hours. The first batch I made was the minimum of water and then the extra with goats milk added in at trace and the second was 1/2 and 1/2 goats milk to water. The goats milk did burn and turned orange but I'm fine with that If I get the chance I'm going to try a third batch using 100% goats milk today! I'll post results once I get them! Again, thank you for posting all your notes and to everyone else who have added in their own advice when using goats milk!

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Tamra
New to soaping, long time crafter and artisan, avid learner of new things!

Part art and part science ain't it?

Good points everyone! So much for "perfect" eh? LOL.

Tammy - those soaps you posted are gorgeous! Are those milk soaps then I assume? And what kind of swirling technique is that? VERY cool!!

tcmatteson - Glad all this soap sharing has helped! I've always found these kinds of discussions to be where so much learning - and confidence building - happens!! Let us know how your soaps turn out!

Karri

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I soap therefore I am.

So here is the strawberry soap photos; I also included one after I put the label on as it hid the partial gel. I do not have a preference for gel or non-gelled soap - I just do not like partial gel, even though it does not affect the quality of the soap.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Now that is an idea, I just tell my family it is the "power circle" in the center of the soap!

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

@Karri - when the GM turned orange after you added the lye, that's normal, too. If it turned dark brown and smelled awful, then it would have burned and you wouldn't be able to use it. I usually try to get my GM/lye mixture into the oils before it gets to the orange stage, but that doesn't always happen. That's why I like the powdered GM and use it most of the time.

You might want to try using coconut milk in a batch of soap in place of the GM. I think you'll like it!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Bubbles, I agree with Irena, you have a nice power circle, I like that description! And extra oomph for sure! It is lovely!
Karri, Yes this is my Baby Soap, and was made with goats milk. It was just an in the pot swirl (itps) with titanium dioxide (td). And if you are going for perfect in soap, well.....sometimes those soap farries just have other ideas. It is a fun ride though. I think that is why it fascinates us so, sometimes 1 + 1 will really = 3!
TC, good for you! Congrats on your first batch of milk soap!

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy

So, here are my three batches of Goats Milk Soap:


Didn't turn out as poorly as I thought they would! Hehe!
The green is scented with Green Tea and used 30% water for the lye dilution and 8% Goats Milk added at trace.
The orange was half and half water and goats milk (for a total of 38% liquid) and scented with Energy. The goats milk did burn 'causing the soap to turn orange (I had colored it with yellow oxide).
The creamy was all goats milk for the liquid content. It took forever to get the lye to dissolve! Almost an hour, I think? Anyway, when I first cut into it, it was creamy all the way through. I had put all 3 batches into the refrigerator for 48 hours prior to cutting. After I cut, some of the bars ended up turning orange in the middle... I think next time, those pieces will go back into the refrigerator for another 24 hours after they're cut? Maybe that will help keep the soap from turning orange?

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Tamra
New to soaping, long time crafter and artisan, avid learner of new things!

Good job tcmatteson! Looks like the soap in the last pic got a partial gel.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

It did go into partial gel- after being in the fridge for 48 hours and being cut... when I was cutting them, they were a uniform cream color all the way through... this happened after they sat at room temperature for a couple hours

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Tamra
New to soaping, long time crafter and artisan, avid learner of new things!

Just remember - you have a soap 'power circle'!!!

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!