Coconut Milk

[LuvOurNewf]

I was attempting to make a batch of 100% coconut soap with coconut milk. As my oil was melting I mixed up the lye/milk and immediately noticed how it clumped up, almost like cream of wheat. I stirred and stirred but to no avail.

Since I had 30+ ounces of oil waiting in the wings, I quickly mix another batch of lye/water and soaped with this instead.

Was the coconut milk doing what it's supposed to do? Should it have been alright, looked awfully grainy?

 

[Hazel]

I don't know if coconut milk is supposed to look grainy. But when I've tried to mix lye in it, I also get little floaties which I assumed were the fat in the milk starting to saponify. This is one of the reasons why I switched to splitting the liquid amount and using water to dissolve the lye. Then adding the milk in after I've added the lye mixture to the oils.

 

[LuvOurNewf]

It had the consistency of cream of wheat or grits. It just didn't look right and instead of trying I put it aside and just went with water for the lye.

I'll try again but adjust with water & milk and mix like you recommended.

BTW do you notice any discernable difference with using coconut milk as compared to maybe just water?

 

[Fragola]

I never soaped with it, but I know coconut milk is grainy if you don't warm it up. The fat inside it solidifies into bigger or smaller chunks.

 

[LuvOurNewf]

I never soaped with it, but I know coconut milk is grainy if you don't warm it up. The fat inside it solidifies into bigger or smaller chunks.

In hindsight i should have realized that. Can says "shake well before using". I shook for 5 minutes and it never did sound "liquidy" as i shook.

 

[Hazel]

I've found my soaps seem softer when I use coconut milk. However, it does seem to help with a creamier and frothier type of lather as opposed to when I just use all water.

 

[Dragonkaz]

I make 50/50 soap when using milks, yogurt and creams.

I split the liquid 50/50 water and coconut milk and mix the lye in the water. Then when add the lye to the oils when the temps are in the mid 30's C. When I get light trace, while the liquid is still fluid, I add room temperature coconut milk and soap as usual.

When I made 100% coconut milk soap, I used to freeze the coconut milk and add the lye very slowly to frozen milk and mix, mix, mix and mix some more.

I'm finding the 50/50 loads easier to make and I honestly haven't noticed much difference (if any) between the 100% and the 50/50 ... although the 50/50 is loads easier to make.

 

[judymoody]

Last time I tried coconut milk as my full lye liquid, I got a container full of sludge. I stirred and stirred and made sure the lye was incorporated but you could practically stand a spoon up in it. It got hot as it should and the soap turned out fine. But coconut "milk" is mostly fat and yes it will start to saponify immediately.

In the future I will mix my lye and water (at at least 1:1 ratio) and then add the coconut milk when I blend lye and oils. It's much easier this way.

 

[falldowngobump]

I've made soap using coconut milk as 100% as the liquid lots of times. I freeze the required amount and add the lye to the frozen coconut milk slowly, stirring well. It always turns to a thick white sludge. Before I add this to the oils, I give it a buzz with the SB, it seems to reliquify it, but it's still fairly thick. I add it to my oils (scraping the pitcher well to get it all) and suprisingly it soaps like any other liquid--just blend well with the SB. I have never noticed that it accelerates trace in any way and I have time to do swirls if I want to. Good luck!

 

[LuvOurNewf]

Last time I tried coconut milk as my full lye liquid, I got a container full of sludge. I stirred and stirred and made sure the lye was incorporated but you could practically stand a spoon up in it.

BINGO! That's exactly what mine was like. I tossed it.

Next time I'll try what's been recommended on this thread.

 

[judymoody]

I've found my soaps seem softer when I use coconut milk. However, it does seem to help with a creamier and frothier type of lather as opposed to when I just use all water.

That makes sense as the coconut milk effectively increases your SF significantly. In a batch I made recently, using coconut milk doubled it from 8% SF to 16%.

 

[falldowngobump]

I figured it got thick because the milk has fats---I don't have the jug to check what the fat content is. When I use the CC milk I try to keep my SF at 6 or 7% but I have done 8% and had it work out fine. It sometimes does make for an initially softer soap depending on the oils that I use, but it always hardens up during the cure. I can tell a difference with the lather when using it, it's 'silky' (for lack of a better description). It's nice in a salt soap.

 

[LuvOurNewf]

I figured it got thick because the milk has fats---I don't have the jug to check what the fat content is. When I use the CC milk I try to keep my SF at 6 or 7% but I have done 8% and had it work out fine. It sometimes does make for an initially softer soap depending on the oils that I use, but it always hardens up during the cure. I can tell a difference with the lather when using it, it's 'silky' (for lack of a better description). It's nice in a salt soap.

I was going to try the coconut milk in a 100% coconut oil at 18% SF. Would the milk have increased my SF to above the 18%?

 

[kellistarr]

I love making soap with Coconut milk. The soap is certainly creamier and the lather is quite frothy and fluffy. I always, always freeze the coconut milk (and the cream on top that comes with it) in ice cube containers. I use it 100% and sit my lye container inside of a bowl with ice surrounding it.
The mixture is, of course, thicker than when using water, but the color remains white. I've never had a problem.

 

[falldowngobump]

I would think it stands to reason that it would increase the SF amount due to the fats in CC milk. 18%--wow I couldn't answer as to what that would do in a regular batch of soap. I did use Coconut milk in a salt soap--SF at 20%-Coconut oil, a little castor and OO and used fine grain sea salt at 75% of the weight of the oils. It made a very nice hard bar.

 

[skyfarms]

Coconut Milk is one of my standard ingredients now. It is wonderful for lather and in my unscented coconut milk bar it smells a bit sweet.

I always make my lye solution with water at 50-60% of the liquids and add the room temp or slightly warmed coconut milk as the remainder of the liquids after a light trace is reached. This method has worked really well for me, though there are others of course.

 

[ikindred]

I just purchased some Coconut Milk (powder form) and was wondering how to incorporate it into my soaps. I was planning to mix some of the oils with the powdered milk and then add at trace.

 

[Maythorn]

I like coconut milk but I just can't seem to use as much of it as dairy milks because the soap comes out softer than I prefer and a tich oily.

 

[Hazel]

I just purchased some Coconut Milk (powder form) and was wondering how to incorporate it into my soaps. I was planning to mix some of the oils with the powdered milk and then add at trace.

Isn't there any directions with the CM powder? Most milk powders are mixed in water so I would think coconut would be the same. But I don't know for sure since I've never used the powder.

 

[IrishLass]

I just purchased some Coconut Milk (powder form) and was wondering how to incorporate it into my soaps. I was planning to mix some of the oils with the powdered milk and then add at trace.

I set aside some of my water amount and stickblend the powder into that, and then add it to my oils.


IrishLass