Buttermilk Soap...Smells BAD!!!

[thepurplemoose]

I've been a member for a few months, and although I read LOTS of threads, I haven't posted...until now.

I'm not new to soaping (about 2 years in but only for myself/friends/family, as I have a full time artisan jewelry business), I am new to all milk soaps. Tonight I made a recipe with all buttermilk (frozen in to cubes beforehand, and added lye to cubes)...and it REALLY has the ammonia/lye heavy smell. My partial milk soaps have never smelled as bad!!

Any chance curing will take the odor out? Or is it a "wait and see" kind of science?


Here's the recipe. Its not my own, but I can't for the life in me remember where I got it from, but I ran through MMS calculator:

Almond Oil, Sweet .5
Coconut Oil 7.8
Grapeseed Oil .6
Olive Oil 1.0
Palm Oil 9.2
Rice Bran Oil 5.3
Shea Butter 1.8
Beeswax .4
Lard 5.3


10 ounce of frozen buttermilk
Lye 4.35 superfatted 8%
1 tsp PPO of tumeric added with melted beeswax at trace. In fridge straight away.

Is it possible that I should have gone with the full water % (12 oz)?

 

[Lindy]

Not to worry that will go away.

 

[somedayHomefree]

Hi, I am like you... been making soap a while and read here a lot but just registered to post. I too have found any kind of milk to be really foul smelling especially after cutting it. Rest assured, that smell goes away and the scent you added becomes the primary smell.

 

[thepurplemoose]

Thanks! Here's to hoping the soaping gods are kind to me during curing!

I didn't add any EO/FO to the batch, and I usually don't for anything I make for myself...

 

[judymoody]

It should cure out just fine.

BTW, I looked over your recipe and the sweet almond and grapeseed are such small % of your total recipe that I'd be tempted to make my life easier and substitute olive oil for them. Less finicky measuring. Of course, you'd want to recalculate your lye amount in a lye calculator. Just a suggestion.

 

[thepurplemoose]

Judy, I agree the SAO and grapeseed didn't make much sense to me either, but I followed a recipe and decided to stick to it. If the batch turns out, I'll definitely rethink them! Thanks!

 

[camillehabawel]

You have to completely control the temperature of the lye when making milk soaps. Control - meaning, trying to completely prevent the lye-milk solution to heat. Because the more heat, the more likely your solution will turn yellowish and give off that ammonia smell.

I suggest you surround your frozen milk with ice cubes imitating that of a double boiler set up. That's when you add your lye. This way, both the inner (frozen milk) and outer (ice cubes surrounding frozen milk container) heat is controlled.

 

[fuzz-juzz]

Give them a few days to couple of weeks and real fragrance should come through.
I usually use coconut milk and all my soaps are a bit whiffy when I first cut them, but start smelling nice after a few days