Can I gel goats milk soap?

[KiwiMoose]

It's my first foray into using goat milk in loaf molds - previously I used cavity molds to trial it.
I popped them in the oven but just to insulate them - I didn't heat it at all. When i checked after a few hours the oven was warm inside - they have generated their own heat while saponifying. Do I need to take them out in case they gel? I hear that you can scorch the goats milk if they gel. Is this true?
I usually gel my soap, so not gelling is foreign to me...

 

[Relle]

I haven't a clue about the scorching. Why don't you try non gelling and see if you like it, take it out of the oven, put a cover over it and put it straight in the frig overnight, then take it out, leave a day then cut. You might like it better.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I've already had non-gelled goat milk soap Relle. I did like it. But my concern here is that if it gels will it ruin the soap? Has anyone ever gelled goats milk soap?

 

[Ford]

yes, I do it all the time. with no ill effects. I have scorched milk. (in the past) When mixing with lye. But I use powdered form now. So have not seen/had any problems.

 

[Jersey Girl]

I gel my GM soaps. They get a shade or two darker than non gelled ones. I do “babysit“ them and move them to a cooler place if they seem to be getting too hot.

 

[AliOop]

Same here - I gel mine with no problems.

 

[dmcgee5034]

Well, isn’t this good to know! I’ve been totally scared of gelling my GMS.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Too slow - soap gelled, cut and now curing. It survived : )

 

[Shelley D]

Late to the party ~ story of my life! I prefer not to gel, instead I slide mine into the fridge to chill. I don't even cover the loaf, I just let it "breathe". When I started making goat's milk soap I was worried about scorching so I took every precaution against it ~ plus, I prefer the lighter creamier color

 

[lucycat]

I don't know about scorching but I have had the center of my log discolor in splotched affect from overheating. I was using a 33% lye solution and changed to 36% and stopped having the issue on most fragrances. Gel is ok but still the log doesn't need to overheat.

 

[TheGecko]

All it took was one time for my GMS to overheat and never again. If it is over 75F in my garage, I put my GMS in the frig.

With this said, I use fresh goat milk...it might be different with powdered.

 

[Marie_with_an_e]

I use liquid GM in all of my soaps as at least 50% of my liquid and gel every single one of them. I also have a couple that are 100% GM. Only 2 recipes have ever cracked from over-heating and those both had honey in them as well. I soap cool (70s-low 90s) with a 30% lye solution and after pouring into silicone-lined wooden molds, I put the covers of the molds on and wrap them in one of my ‘soaping’ quilts for insulation. Also, I soap in the basement so it’s cooler there as well.

Edited to add that I use fresh or frozen unpasteurized GM, not powdered.

 

[dmcgee5034]

Did we miss a photo of yer soap, @KiwiMoose? I’m curious, do you use fresh or powdered GM? I “almost always” use powdered, but used evaporated liquid GM the other day in a pinch. I felt lucky it didn’t overheat and gel.
On the other hand, I made a “vegan, color and scent free” with canned coconut milk that was room temp as the extra liquid to my 50/50 MB lye, and even with the fridge, that puppy got the ring of partial gel.

 

[not_ally]

When I use GM I use the powder and CPOP/gel, I don't remember ever having a problem, although I do watch over it just in case (I soap at RT, 33% lye concentration.)

Question: When you guys use GM, how do you account for it in your superfat percentage? I usually add a couple of TB of GMP ppo and drop my SF from 5-6 to 3-4 but never know if there's a better way, although it feels OK in the soap.

dmcgee (I feel an overwhelming urge to call you dmac as your OG soap name ), that is a crazy partial gel even in the fridge, especially with no color or FO.

 

[Marie_with_an_e]

When I use GM I use the powder and CPOP/gel, I don't remember ever having a problem, although I do watch over it just in case (I soap at RT, 33% lye concentration.)

Question: When you guys use GM, how do you account for it in your superfat percentage? I usually add a couple of TB of GMP ppo and drop my SF from 5-6 to 3-4 but never know if there's a better way, although it feels OK in the soap.

dmcgee (I feel an overwhelming urge to call you dmac as your OG soap name ), that is a crazy partial gel even in the fridge, especially with no color or FO.

I use a 6% SF and don’t account for the GM at all.

I love the dmac handle!

 

[KiwiMoose]

You did see it @dmcgee5034 but you just didn't know you saw it
I put it in the 'soapy thing' thread.
I use 30% lye concentration and superfat 3% to account for the addition SF in the goats milk. The milk I buy is UHT off the supermarket shelf, and then I freeze it. This batch was only 50% GM, but previously i have use 100%. I tend to soap around 40 degrees (your 100).

 

[Savage Daughter]

I gel my goats milk batches all the time with no issue, and I do use sugar or honey, as well as some salt.

I never put soap molds in the fridge for any reason & have yet to have issues with a circular ring being gelled on the inside of the loafs / slabs.

I have never had issues with overheating or cracking either, despite the fact that I insulate with several layers of towels & blankets and also use an old electric blanket to kick off the soap heating.

I sometimes use 100% goats milk replacement for my water portion, sometimes 50%.

I do all of the above with coconut milk soaps as well with no issues.

 

[dmcgee5034]

You did see it @dmcgee5034 but you just didn't know you saw it
I put it in the 'soapy thing' thread.
I use 30% lye concentration and superfat 3% to account for the addition SF in the goats milk. The milk I buy is UHT off the supermarket shelf, and then I freeze it. This batch was only 50% GM, but previously i have use 100%. I tend to soap around 40 degrees (your 100).
View attachment 74470

Very sneaky, @KiwiMoose - LOL! Beautiful soap, and thanks for sharing the details

 

[dmcgee5034]

Question: When you guys use GM, how do you account for it in your superfat percentage? I usually add a couple of TB of GMP ppo and drop my SF from 5-6 to 3-4 but never know if there's a better way, although it feels OK in the soap.

dmcgee (I feel an overwhelming urge to call you dmac as your OG soap name ), that is a crazy partial gel even in the fridge, especially with no color or FO.

@not_ally - first off - , and I’ll totally own that dmac
I agree, and was super surprised by the partial gel - that hasn’t happened to me since my very first batch, and even it was no where near this one!
I don’t account for the GM (powder or liquid) in my SF at all. I set my SF to 3%, but then use extra oil (not batch oil) to disperse my colorants. I prefer powder and use about 3% of my oil weight, so typically that is 30g of GMP for 1000g of oils per batch.
I feel compelled to end this post by saying Peace Out, but I’ll opt for

 

[not_ally]

Kiwi, I love the colors in that soap, what is that red?

DM, at one of my previous jobs a couple of friends and I were huge fans of the Onion’s Herbert Kornfeld, the fictional accounts-receivable supervisor who (in his own head) fancied himself “the Mack Daddy Enforca of tha Accountz Reeceevable Department … tha baddest stone-cold supastar in tha whole third-floor administrative office.” As similarly situated white collar-employees, we had our own gangsta names (B-Dogg here!), I am glad you took it in the spirit intended

https://www.theonion.com/tha-autobiography-of-herbert-k-1819583561