dried milk into batter

[welsh black]

it seems that using fresh milk in soap has loads of problems with going brown when lye is added, ive tried the frozen milk idea and that seems to be better, but I,m just thinking has anyone added powdered milk to just traced batter? it might be a good idea to add all the benefits of the milk to the soap with none of the problems - or not??

 

[Ruthie]

I'm not saying it can't be done, but when I tried, I ended up ith clumps of milk powder in my soap. Feels fine, but isn't very pretty.

 

[welsh black]

yes - i started to mix some milk powder into small ammount of batter and it started to go thick and gloopy, so i didnt add it to the main batch of batter.

 

[kazmi]

how about mixing it with your oils instead of at trace?

 

[Rachelmf]

I like to stick blend it into the oils before adding the lye. I think another idea would be to reserve some of the water and mix that with the powdered milk, then add that in at trace.

 

[ForeverCharmed]

As a newbie myself i can't really say; however, anne-marie's method seems like it is a fairly effective way to introduce milk into soap without the nasty scorching.




Edit: Ehehe... i just realized you were asking about powdered, i had just gotten up when i posted that. It sounds like the advice of mixing your powdered milk to your oils before adding the lye water. I would just be sure to try and soap on the cooler side, if scorched milk in soap is anywhere near as bad as it is in cooking it's something to avoid XD

 

[Candybee]

I use half my liquid as milk and at at light trace. If you are using canned like canned goat milk, condensed, or evaporated milk those are all concentrated so it works out as a full milk soap that way.

If I use fresh milk then I do the freezing method. But I also place the lye container with the frozen milk into another bowl of ice to keep the bowl chilled as I slowly add the lye.

 

[pamielynn]

If you use powdered milk, you'd have to reconstitute it first, or you'd run into clumping problems. But people use powdered goat's milk all the time.

 

[Hazel]

I think another idea would be to reserve some of the water and mix that with the powdered milk, then add that in at trace.

I've done this for a few batches and it worked out fine. Although, the batch I did in a crockpot discolored but I liked the tan color.

 

[kazmi]

I just watched a soaping101 video where she added powdered milk to the lye/water solution after it reached room temp.

 

[TeriDk]

I like to stick blend it into the oils before adding the lye. I think another idea would be to reserve some of the water and mix that with the powdered milk, then add that in at trace.

I'm with her. I add the powdered milk to my oils and SB until thoroughly mixed in. I also freeze my mold and once poured, it goes back outside (winter) or in the freezer. Never had a problem with this method.

 

[cursivearts]

I do the exact same thing Candybee does: freeze my goat milk into cubes, and mix with the pitcher sitting in an ice bath. I have had very few problem with scorching and I find, since the milk is melting so slowly, I get a lot less stinkiness.

 

[Candybee]

I've used powdered goats milk, buttermilk, and regular powdered milk many times before I started using fresh and canned milks. It works out great if you put the powdered milk into a small container and add a few oz of liquid to it. You stir it until its thick and creamy and lump free then add it to your soap batter at light trace or even to your soap oils. Then SB well to incorporate.

But I really think its well worth the trouble to learn how to use fresh milk. Its a good skill to have and I'm sure you will find you can make some great soaps with it. Once I started using fresh and canned milk I could not go back to powder.

 

[welsh black]

i think ill have a go at adding the milk powder to the lye/water solution at room temp as kazmi suggested. thanks for all the replies - you have saved me from having to throw away a whole batch of soap- the trouble is with me that i never stick to the recipie......

 

[makemineirish]

But I really think its well worth the trouble to learn how to use fresh milk. Its a good skill to have and I'm sure you will find you can make some great soaps with it. Once I started using fresh and canned milk I could not go back to powder.

Could you "not go back to powder" because you liked the process better or because you liked the soap better? I am very curious as to how the choice you make affects the final product.

 

[tkine]

I've SB powder to my oils then added my lye also without any problems.

 

[ghia61]

I use powdered goat's milk because I don't have fresh available to me, and it's much less expensive than canned. I've always mixed it with enough oil (measured from the recipe) to dissolve the powder. I've added it to the batch of oils both before and after lye addition. Both ways seem to work out fine for me.

 

[Candybee]

Could you "not go back to powder" because you liked the process better or because you liked the soap better? I am very curious as to how the choice you make affects the final product.

I like the soap and the process much better. The soap just feels creamier. Plus, I love it when I can tell customers that ask that its fresh. It definitely has more sales appeal too.

I actually get fresh goat milk at my grocers. I also love Silk brand coconut and soymilk. Sometimes I use fresh buttermilk, dairy cream, heavy cream, and/or yogurt (plain or greek). I also make double and triple cream soaps with a combo of the above. The only milk I haven't tried yet is almond or rice milk.

I've also been looking at the sour cream, ricotta, and cottage cheese and wondering.... can I soap those? LOL

 

[lhaase0217]

it seems that using fresh milk in soap has loads of problems with going brown when lye is added, ive tried the frozen milk idea and that seems to be better, but I,m just thinking has anyone added powdered milk to just traced batter? it might be a good idea to add all the benefits of the milk to the soap with none of the problems - or not??

Dried milk powders (goat, cow, buttermilk etc.) can indeed be used in soap. I do it all the time. The key is to accurately measure and mix the powders in distilled water and use that as a partial substitution of the liquids called for to dissolve the lye, added to warmed oils before lye/water.

To illustrate, if you have a recipe that calls for 11 ounces of water, I cut that in half (5.5oz) and use my milk mixture for the other 1/2.

I make up my milks solution early with a lidded quart cup that has a wire mixing ball to help mix the powders. I think that it takes 4 of the included scoops to make a quart of goat milk. With buttermilk it takes less, I think. To make a quart of a mixture of goat and buttermilk, I add 1/2 of the required amount.

I then add these to the oils before the lye/water is added. This is emulsified real well. If you mixed up your milk powders well, you will not have dried floaties. You might have a few bubbles after emulsifying but you can knock these down easily.

Then you add your lye water and proceed as usual. Make sure you soap at about 100 degrees F or less. I sometimes end up putting my lye water in the fridge to cool it down. This is a key point in using milk in soap. Low temps but my way doesn't require an ice bath unless you want to go that far.

As an aside, I rarely put my soaps in the fridge to cool unless I see the top splitting, even with partial milk soap. Now, if it is a full milk soap, I will put in the fridge overnight.

Like Celine in "Iamhomemade.com", I will often use greek yogurt as a portion of the halved milk mixture. In the above example, the 5.5 oz of milk mixture would be further reduced by about an ounce for the yogurt, leaving 4.5oz of milk mixture.

 

[lsg]

I would save out some of the water before adding the lye and use it to mix with the powdered milk, blend until there are no lumps and then add to soap at thin trace. If your soap gels it will probably darken so stick it in the freezer for 12 hours.