coconut cream

[busymakinsoap!]

hi everyone,

I am just wanting to pick some experienced brains

The other night I decided to try and use coconut cream in my lye solution. I didnt freeze the cream just chilled it.
The cream didnt burn, but got fairly thick and actually started to go kinda chunky - It almost looked like riced soap, it was also grainy. I couldnt tell if the lumps were lye or cream so I threw it out.

I'm finding it hard to find consistency in a method to use. Should I have frozen it? or is it better to just use coconut milk in the lye solution and save the cream for after trace?

(Ive got cans of each ready to go!)

 

[Midnight Rowan]

This isn't exactly a direct answer to your question, but you don't have to add milk or cream to lye at all. You can divide your liquid in half, use half cream, half water, and mix the lye in with the water half, adding cream at trace. And if you want 100% coconut milk soap, add powdered coconut milk to your cream in the amount it would take to convert your water to coconut milk, then mix your lye with water as usual and add the cream/powdered milk mixture at trace. Either way, your milk or cream doesn't come into contact with full strength lye.

 

[soapbuddy]

This isn't exactly a direct answer to your question, but you don't have to add milk or cream to lye at all. You can divide your liquid in half, use half cream, half water, and mix the lye in with the water half, adding cream at trace. And if you want 100% coconut milk soap, add powdered coconut milk to your cream in the amount it would take to convert your water to coconut milk, then mix your lye with water as usual and add the cream/powdered milk mixture at trace. Either way, your milk or cream doesn't come into contact with full strength lye.

I agree. Also did your coconut cream had any guar in it? That makes for a quick trace.

 

[busymakinsoap!]

Thanks guys, I have seen this method mentioned, just couldnt find any coconut powder at the supermarket.

I might just do 50% at trace.

No soapbuddy there wasnt any guar in it, but did check the can and its 80% coconut cream with water thickener and emulsifier.....sounds like they could add to a quicker trace?

 

[Guest]

This isn't exactly a direct answer to your question, but you don't have to add milk or cream to lye at all. You can divide your liquid in half, use half cream, half water, and mix the lye in with the water half, adding cream at trace. And if you want 100% coconut milk soap, add powdered coconut milk to your cream in the amount it would take to convert your water to coconut milk, then mix your lye with water as usual and add the cream/powdered milk mixture at trace. Either way, your milk or cream doesn't come into contact with full strength lye.

I agree. Also did your coconut cream had any guar in it? That makes for a quick trace.

quick trace???

 

[Midnight Rowan]

double post

 

[busymakinsoap!]

awesome, thanks guys

 

[Relle]

Thanks for the info too, I was looking at coconut milk in the can the other day, only to find there is actually only 25% coconut milk in it and the rest was water.

 

[Midnight Rowan]

Soapbuddy is right, the thickener/emulsifier combo is usually guar or xanthan gum and casein in coconut milk, which will definitely react with the soap process. Also, about the powder, I'd look at an asian or thai grocery, if any are within driving distance. They will usually carry it. Just make sure it has no additives (because many do). Pure powdered coconut milk (as well as the pure in liquid form) isn't terribly hard to find though, just have to look for it (I've found it at Safeway) :wink:

 

[kelleyaynn]

I had the same thing happen with coconut milk. I checked the can carefully, and the ingredients listed it as being 100% coconut milk - nothing else listed. I froze the milk. I was just making a 1 lb batch of salt bars for the first time, so I used the milk/lye mixture anyway. They appear to have turned out just fine.

 

[gaerwen]

I have used coconut milk at trace and with water/lye. I did have one batch go bad... Thanks for the info !! Ill try the water lye, then add 50% coconut milk at trace!!

 

[busymakinsoap!]

I had the same thing happen with coconut milk. I checked the can carefully, and the ingredients listed it as being 100% coconut milk - nothing else listed. I froze the milk. I was just making a 1 lb batch of salt bars for the first time, so I used the milk/lye mixture anyway. They appear to have turned out just fine.

Hi Kelleyaynn,

did your cream go chunky too? Thats kinda what I was wanting to know: whether it was normal, and could still be used.

 

[kelleyaynn]

Hi Kelleyaynn,

did your cream go chunky too? Thats kinda what I was wanting to know: whether it was normal, and could still be used.

It did. My first thought when I saw it was, "is this what riced soap looks like?", even though I hadn't put it in the oils yet. It really looked like pieces of rice in the mixture. I stirred it up a lot, and when I was sure the lye had to be dissolved, I pushed the mixture through a sieve into my oils, and all went well from there. As I said before, I used it to make salt bars, so they don't look like typical soap, but they seem to be fine. I guess I'll know for sure in 3 or 4 months - long cure time for a 90% CO salt bar. As the batch I was making was small (1 lb, only about 4 bars), I decided to just go with it, rather than toss the lye mixture.

I have some coconut milk left over and frozen, so I may use that to make a small batch of "regular" soap. That, I imagine, will be the sure test.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

I had the same thing happen the first few times that I used coconut cream. Thick and gluggy, but I continued and the soap turned out beautifully, even though initially it stank and had a green line in it.

Now I prefer to use minimum water for the lye and then add the coconut cream later. I used to add at light trace but that speeds things up dramatically, so now I add it into the oils and find that much better.

 

[busymakinsoap!]

Ohhh BG your a life saver Thats exactly how I am going to do it.

thank you!

 

[Bubbles Galore]

I think you'll love doing it that way BusyMakingSoap. I've been off on a tangent these past few days and am putting coconut cream into everything. I love it so much and find it much handier to have in cans and without the need for freezing. Unlike goat's milk. :wink:

 

[Midnight Rowan]

Out of curiosity, where are you getting your Coconut Cream, BG? I've had a difficult time locating cream at a good price vs. milk.

Or are you not differentiating between the two?

 

[Bubbles Galore]

I buy coconut cream at the supermarket for about $1 a can. Where do you live Midnight?

 

[Relle]

Jenny, so what % water and cream do you do ?

 

[Bubbles Galore]

Jenny, so what % water and cream do you do ?

I just use enough water to dissolve the lye and the balance coconut cream. So if the recipe calls for 136g of lye, then I mix it with 140g of water. :wink: