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Now I am confused. I started another thread yesterday about using coconut milk in cp soap, and the consensus was that I can use my usual recipe, add HALF the recipe's water to the lye, and then add the difference in coconut milk at emulsion or trace. Since the coconut milk is obviously not all...

Fuzz-juzz...when you dissolve the lye in 2/3 of the water, do you only add the equivalent 1/3 of coconut milk to the soap batter? I guess what I am asking is must your water and coconut milk always equal 1? I am still struggling with the idea that this thick coconut milk makes up for the missing...

If my local grocery store doesn't carry it, we also have a Trader Joe's nearby. There is a small farm not too far from here...hmmm, I wonder if they would sell me some? Again, showing my lack of farm-savvy...can you use it "straight from the goat" lol, or does it need to be pasteurized or...

Great, I'll give goat's milk a try, too, and see how it compares to coconut milk. Not living in a rural area, is there anywhere to find non-canned or non-powdered goat milk?

Thanks Pamielynn, I'll try that too. Dumb question...can I do this same process with canned goat's milk, or will it behave differently?

Thanks, I will try lowering the palm because you are right...this recipe tends to get a bit thick anyway. When I added the coconut milk, it really thickened. It doesn't always cooperate for swirling, etc. So, lower the palm, soap a bit cooler...any other tips? :-)

I finally found the time to try making the coconut milk soap I have been wanting to try for a while. For fear of scorching the milk, I decided to do half water, half milk at emulsion for my first attempt. It went so-so, things moved much faster than I had anticipated. Here's the breakdown...are...

I found these silicone molds with wire basket to hold their shape...I was excited to see they are 3.25 inches wide, which is what I have been searching for :-) Anyone have experience with these molds and baskets? http://www.essentialdepot.com/servlet/the-668/Silicone-Soap-Mold--dsh-/Detail

Thanks for the info. I guess I will give it a shot and see what happens. I'll definitely freeze the mold first and soap cool. I wish I could find a silicone mold that is no more than 3.25 inches wide. If anyone knows of any, please pass along the info. Thanks!

I have always gelled my soaps, but recently I have had it with overheating and steric lines/crackle issues. I love the look of non gelled soaps, so I would like to try this approach. My favorite molds that fit my soap boxes perfectly are wooden. Will this cause a partial gel issue in the...

Thanks for the advice. When you use canned, do you freeze it before adding the lye, and can I let the soap go through gel phase?

I have read lots of posts about using powdered coconut milk, but I want to make sure I am understanding this correctly. It sounds like a popular method is to add the powder to the oils before the lye water is added. And to add the amount of powder needed for whatever the amount of water was...

If you do ever decide to go with a planer/beveler, I can't say enough good things about the acrylic one from soap making resource. Its really an awesome little tool to have...I use it not only for beveling, but for shaving a paper thin slice to even out imperfections, bumps, etc. Super easy to...

Jeneelk, do you use 1 oz per pound of oil,or,per pound of soap. I have been using 1 oz per pound of oil, but many of my scents don't stick. I have read about some others using per pound of finished soap...is that too much?

Thanks for the advice on the oils...I'm always interested in learning why soapers prefer certain oils/butters over others. I just finished making the butter blend recipe. It went okay, but I could tell things were thickening up and getting a little lumpy toward the end. Definitely one to move...

Judymoody, thanks for the feedback. Just curious why you recommend olive oil over rice bran or sunflower? What about those two are less desirable? I always gel my soaps, so no worries there. Just looking for the goldilocks of soaps...not too hard, not too soft, but just right :-) I wasn't...

I haven't used many butters in my soaps, and I would like to experiment with a blend. Any thoughts on this recipe? 5% cocoa butter 5% Shea butter 5% mango butter 5% castor oil 25% coconut oil 25% palm oil 30% olive oil (or I also have rice bran oil, or sunflower oil??...which would be better?)...

My trays are metal, but I never put my soaps directly on the trays...they always sit on freezer paper. Do you think this could still cause a problem?

Thanks to everyone for all the good ideas (and kind words about my soaps!). The TD test batch is a great idea, so I think I will try splitting a batch into thirds....one with TD dispersed in sweet almond oil, one with TD dispersed in another carrier oil (to see if the sweet almond oil is the...

Thanks for the info...glad to know it is just glycerin rivers and safe to use. Does this tend to happen more with some colors than others? Is there a rule of thumb for avoiding this?