100% Oat Milk Questions

PatrickH · Sep 17, 2017

Does 100% home made Oat Milk make your soap have a pleasant Oatmeal scent to it?

How do I avoid the milk getting too thick when I add lye? I don't want to dilute the Oat milk with water as in 50/50 water and milk ratio or anything like that, just want to keep it 100% Oat milk.

Is a wire mesh strainer and cheese cloth underneath the best method of straining to get all particles out?

What type of Oats should I use? I heard Baby Oats? I want to use pure Oats with no residue of anything that might be on them.

dibbles · Sep 18, 2017

I've used 100% oat milk. Adding the lye will make a thick, rather gelatinous solution, but it blends in just fine. I watched a few youtube videos and chilled the oat milk overnight. I rinsed my oats by covering and letting them sit in water, pouring off the water and letting them sit a bit again - a few times. Mixing with your hands while doing this helps to eliminate some of the slimy feeling. I've strained it using a paper coffee filter in a mesh strainer, or through a loosely woven 'flour sack' towel. Both worked well, and I imagine a few layers of cheese cloth would work also. I used regular thick oats (not quick cook or instant).

PatrickH · Sep 18, 2017

Would a low simmer on the stove speed up this process? I would like to be able to pull out as much oat goodness as posible.

Kittish · Sep 18, 2017

PatrickH said:
Would a low simmer on the stove speed up this process? I would like to be able to pull out as much oat goodness as posible.

If you did that, couldn't you just puree the now cooked oats and use that instead? Question is mostly directed at more experienced soapers, I know you don't know yet, PatrickH. Neither do I, though, so hopefully we both learn something new.

PatrickH · Sep 18, 2017

I seen a video where someone cooked the oats then strained it in a sifter over a cheese cloth, then pressed it through, but it was looking like paste when it went through the cheese cloth. I'm assuming not enough water or it just doesn't work well when cooked?
Making a puree might give the same results I witnessed in the video?

artemis · Sep 18, 2017

I have only done this twice now, so keep that in mind. I let the oats sit in distilled water for 20 minutes or more (second time was more like overnight) then pulverized the water and oats with the stick blender (I had no food processor). I used a clean piece of cotton fabric to strain, not cheese cloth. Instead, I squeezed the liquid out. There were still solids left, but they appeared very fine. I suppose you could strain it more than once, but I didn't. When I used it, I just used 100% for my liquid. I shook it up we'll before measuring and stirred it pretty frequently after adding the lye.

A couple articles prepared me for gloppiness, but I didn't have any. I also didn't wait for it to cool to room temp-- did that help? I don't know.

The first batch was a "plain" batch with no color or fragrance. The second I scented with peppermint and was able to add a delicate black swirl. Like most additives, none of the natural scent of the oats survived.

Obsidian · Sep 18, 2017

PatrickH said:
Would a low simmer on the stove speed up this process? I would like to be able to pull out as much oat goodness as possible.

Sometimes less is better.

Even soaking the oats then squeezing them through a strainer bag will give you plenty of oaty goodness without having to worry about cooked bits or getting too much gooey starch.

I would stick to using soaked raw oat water.

PatrickH · Sep 18, 2017

Was hoping the smell would survive, would make a nice smelling soap.
That was a big part of the reason I wanted to use the milk.

Besides that, do you notice much benefits from the milk or was it not really worth messing with?

Obsidian · Sep 18, 2017

To me, it wasn't worth messing with. I didn't notice any benefits and I really didn't like working with the slimy, gooey milk. I would rather just use baby cereal if I wanted oats in my soap which I do not.

No natural additives will add scent to your soaps, you will always have to use some kind of scent. Beer and coffee will leave a little smell but it fades as it cures.

PatrickH · Sep 18, 2017

Ok. Good to know, thank you.
I'll just add a bunch of Colloidal Oatmeal powder I got and see what that does and skip the milk.

100% Oat Milk Questions

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