colloidal oatmeal and coconut milk

[Lina]

I am planning on making a soap today with colloidal oatmeal and coconut milk.

I am wondering if anyone can tell me how to add colloidal oatmeal to my recipe?

I am going to add my coconut milk by replacing half the water with coconut milk. I will mix it into my oils before adding the lye water. After the soap is made do I need to put it in the freezer so it doesn't heat up too much? Is it ok to keep it out.

 

[Obsidian]

You can add the oatmeal anytime. I've started to add most stuff to the oils so I can make sure it get mixed in well. I've never had coconut milk overheat my soap but if you are worried about partial gel, might as well play it safe and put it in the fridge.

 

[Lina]

Do I need to mix the oatmeal with water?

 

[Yooper]

No. Just stir it in with the oils, or mix it in with the batch of soap.

 

[BlackDog]

I've made soaps with 100% coconut milk that do not overheat if I leave them out (I also freeze it before adding lye and soap at cool temps). I do not gel my soaps.

HOWEVER, the one that I had heat up enough get partial gel (even in the freezer!) was the one I added ground oatmeal to. I haven't worked with colloidal oatmeal so I don't know if it reacts the same way, but oatmeal has been the only additive I've used so far that really heated up for me.

 

[jiroband]

Lina,

I always mix the colloidal oatmeal (or any dry ingredient like clays, etc.) with the oils. Then, I use my stick blender to mix it all together really well before adding the lye mixture.

Personally, I would advise adding the coconut milk to the lye solution -- not the oils. That's what I always do, and it always works quite well. Whether it's coconut milk, or goat milk, I always mix with the lye solution in a stainless steel pot (never aluminum) over a large bowl of ice. I'll add the CM or GM about 1/4 cup at a time to keep it from heating up.

 

[TVivian]

I'll have to disagree here, since she is only replacing HALF of her liquid with coconut milk, I feel it's better to add it into the oils with the oatmeal or to the soap batter. If she were replacing the full amount of liquid, then I'd suggest doing it how you said. That's me tho.

 

[shunt2011]

I too add the milk and oatmeal to the oils before I add my lye mixture. I soap as close to room temp as possible and never have a problem with scorching the milk.

 

[seven]

I too mixed the oats with the oils and stick blend before lye.

 

[Susie]

Lina, if you were more experienced, I would say mix the CM with the lye. But you are not. Mix the colloidal oatmeal and CM to your oils and stick blend well. Do try to have the lye mixture at room temperature to reduce the risk of scorching that milk, though.

 

[jiroband]

I'll have to disagree here, since she is only replacing HALF of her liquid with coconut milk, I feel it's better to add it into the oils with the oatmeal or to the soap batter. If she were replacing the full amount of liquid, then I'd suggest doing it how you said. That's me tho.

Mixing liquids into the oils first, no mater what the amount, increases the chance that they will not incorporate completely. You need to mix liquids into the lye mixture.

I've tried mixing some coconut milk into the oils before, and I ended up with bars that began to smell funny because the coconut milk started to go bad. I always tend to way overmix the soap batter until it gets as thick as pudding to ensure everything is well incorporated. Even with that, the coconut milk somehow did not mix in thoroughly enough, and it caused problems. I've never had this problem when mixing the coconut milk into the lye solution first -- and I always use a 50:50 premixed lye solution with 1/2 of the liquid as coconut milk.

I'm not disagreeing that this method works for you. I'm just saying that doing that very thing had caused a problem for me in the past.

 

[shunt2011]

I've been adding liquids into my oils for years with no problem ever. Just stick blend well before adding the lye mixture.

 

[Susie]

The few times I have added colloidal oatmeal, I added it to the oils. Then stick blended it within an inch of its life. You just need to be sure it is well mixed before proceeding.

 

[newbie]

I have found that if you SB the liquid and oils mixture very thoroughly just before you add the lye water, there should be no problems at all. It's what you are doing anyhow when you blend in your lye water if you are using full liquid in there. If you had a very fast tracing recipe, I could see where incorporation of the liquid might be a problem, like with pine tar soap, but with a reasonably tracing recipe, there should be no difficulties incorporating all your liquids no matter how you put them in.

I much prefer to make a 1:1 lye solution. I add the rest of liquids to the oils and SB until it's completely mixed, the add the lye solution. Even if I have to hand-stir the whole time because of an FO or something, it's worked every time for me.

 

[IrishLass]

Mixing liquids into the oils first, no mater what the amount, increases the chance that they will not incorporate completely. You need to mix liquids into the lye mixture.

As with Shari and Newbie and the others, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with the above. I mix my lye 1:1 and stick-blend my milks into my oils every single time I make milk soap. I've been doing it this way for many years now, and with absolutely no separation issues whatsoever. Works every single time.

I'm not doubting your experience with the stinky batch, but I wonder if there could have been something else going on with your batch that made it go bad/get stinky?


IrishLass

 

[Lina]

Thanks everyone! Great advice

 

[Dahila]

I've been adding liquids into my oils for years with no problem ever. Just stick blend well before adding the lye mixture.

So do I, and I had never problem with it)

 

[Krazekelly]

I always mix my milks and additives in with my oils and do a 1:1 lye mixture. Never a issue for me.