Teach Soap

I've read sooo many ways to to make goats milk soap, so I'll just tell you what I'm planning and if looks wrong or like it will go bad, will you please let me know ahead of time?! LOL

I only have canned GM right now, I can't find the powdered anywhere, will have to order that online. So, what I am thinking is that I will add my lye to half the amount of liquid (being water, since the canned GM is double strength), let it cool, and once it has cooled add the rest of the liquid as the canned GM.

~Does this need to be frozen, cold, or just straight from the can? I would like to avoid the orangey color, and hoping that adding it to cooled, room temp lye water will keep it from overheating, or does the addition at that point heat the solution back up?

~ If so, my next option is to add the milk to the oils, then add the lye solution. Will that make a difference?

Finally, about adding honey.....I've been adding 1 tsp. sugar to my water before adding the lye (is 1 tsp. enough, because I've seen up to 1 tbsp. PPO added), so can I add honey first instead of the sugar, and if I do, will that combine with the sugars in the GM and cause it to overheat, even following the plan above?

Sorry for all the questions, but I truly appreciate all the feedback! Thank you!

Canned GM has a lot of sugar already. I would not add more sugar and chance it on overheating. Is the canned GM just milk and nothing else? I would not add the milk to your lye water. I would dissolve the lye in minimum water required. Let cool. Combine your oils & lye, then add the rest as room temp milk. This is what I have done. Others may have different suggestions on this.

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

I would add my canned goat's milk at light trace.

I agree w soapbuddy, I would not add any honey to this mix. Also, for an easier time and if you are wanting to avoid orange, you better add it to the oils. When I made it last, I froze the canned goats milk and added lye to a slurry of 1/2 gm and 1/2 water. It definitely turned orange. It did not overheat though, as I also sat it in an ice bath. So, to avoid all of that, adding to the oils is much better, plus you get a softer colored bar too. But I like to add it after I get the lye mixed in pretty well.

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

Tammy

Okay, I did what you suggested, thank you! It came to trace almost immediately, I added the milk, got it in the mold and was able to play with the top a little, then stuck it in the freezer to see if I could prevent the gel. It turned an odd peachy color when I added the milk but went back to a nice creamy color by the time I got it into the mold. This is the first CP soap I've done and it's going to be slowww torture to wait weeks to see if I like this recipe or not! Could I have added honey at the same time as the milk or would that have caused it to heat up way too fast?

I think the honey would have made it heat up.

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

Okay, thank you Now I REALLY have a newbie question! After HP when I clean up the spoon and crock pot there are profuse bubbles. When I started to clean my bowl and utensils after doing this batch CP there are NO bubbles at all; is that because it hasn't completely saponified yet? The recipe I used had 20% castor. I rubbed a tiny piece between my fingers under running water and still there were no bubbles, but it's only less than two hours old....my DH thinks I'll never be able to make CP because I'm so impatient....I'm sure he's right!

I agree w SB, it probably would have heated up too much. Choosing goats milk for your first cp recipe is a little challenging, and just because you put it in the freezer doesnt mean that it wont gel. It still may. Sometimes they have a mind of their own, just sayin' so you wont be surprised if it happens. Of course sometimes even after it comes out of the freezer it gels. Anything is possible, so I hope you remembered to leave out some cookies and milk for the fairies, or wine and cheese if they are like mine!
Oh, and yes, the pots dont bubble when they are fresh. I generally leave mine til the next day when they are soap, then I scoop out as much as possible to save my drains...plus this gives me a good reason to not have to clean up right away too!

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

Tammy

If you want to clean up right after you've made soap - don't put water on anything. If you put your dishwashing soap (I use Dawn) directly on your pot and utensils and rub it into all the soap residue with your gloved hands, and then rinse, it makes clean up a lot easier! It cuts through the oils much more quickly.

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

I cut it this morning, it did not gel at all but was a small batch; 8X8. I had to test it No zap, smells nice, and it's bubbling some. I know, patience.....I have none! But I can't wait to test this out in a few weeks and compare the difference to how it feels today. Thank you all for your help!