GM soap stinks like baby spit-up?

[marilynmac]

Ugh, I just cant seem to get goat milk soap working. I made a GM batch a few weeks ago, scented it with lemon & litsea EOs. It over heated quite a bit, full gel, but no explosion. It had the usual ammonia smell when tracing.

Today when I smelt it, it still smells good and lemony, but after wrapping a bar I noticed my fingers stink like baby spit up. Do you think this the GM gone bad? or the GM reacting with the lemon EO like milk &lemon juice?

 

[TVivian]

Honestly, I kind of notice that with all soaps (even non-milk soaps) handling them dry, over and over, either to wrap or organize leaves a weird scent on the hands.

 

[Jstar]

I get the same thing in animal milk soaps..the bars smell great, but the stink is left on my hands only after touching the dry bars {its fine once its wet}..almost made me give up completely on milk soaps..however once I tried coconut milk, I have been hooked..no more baby spit up smell..just a nice clean milky smell. I use coconut milk in almost all my soaps now.

I don't gel my coconut milk soap, but others do. I freeze mine, and use it at 100% and add my lye to it a bit at a time while stirring constantly..I also keep my lye container in an ice bath so it stays cool. Try the coconut milk and see the difference. I use the Goya brand..look for a brand that has no guar gum or other additives.

 

[marilynmac]

Oh, thank you. I've been sampling the soap, and it's great soap; but I was just about to toss it because of that stink on my fingers.

 

[Consuela]

. I freeze mine, and use it at 100% and add my lye to it a bit at a time while stirring constantly.

Props to alll you lucky ducks who have good luck with that
Every time I try, my lye mixture gets thick and, gummy...and gross loooking - and frankly I just get terrified to use it, so I go back to my old way of adding at trace... (I gather not many people do this?) But then obviously I can't use it at 100%...so it's more of a 50% that I soap with when using Coconut Milk.

But back to the topic: I haven't used Goat Milk, but with Coconut Milk I haven't noticed anything like that. And I really really really like the creamy feel of the bars...maybe give it a try as JStar suggested, and see how you like it?

I don't insulate either or cover when making coconut milk soaps - because they do overheat I find.... and now that I have a fridge rather close to the soap-room, I'm going to pop it in the fridge next time and see if I can stop gel altogether.

 

[JustBeachy]

I'm with Jani. I use coconut milk in all my soaps. Love the feel it gives to the soap. I do a 60 % CM to water split and never have any problems. Also, I CPOP all of these with no problem, except for one that had a problem FO in it.

I CPOP a little different though, I put mine in a 170F oven for between 45 mins to an hour. Just watching it for gel. Then immediately take it out and let it cool on a shelf. Works for me like a charm.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I would think that the results from CM and other milks would be different - even though we call it all "milk" there is a big difference between what is in animal milk and what is in the "other milks", for example, coconut milk. I imagine the ammonia smell would be there with many animal milks but then not likely with the "other milks"

 

[IrishLass]

I sometimes get the mild, vomit-smell after handling my cured, dry soaps at wrapping time, too. I've noticed that it seems to happen the most with my soaps that are quite high in coconut oil (without any kind of milk having been added to the formula, btw). It doesn't happen when washing with them, though, and I can't smell the vomit smell just by sniffing the actual bars. I could be wrong, but my theory is that the dry soap might be reacting with our body chemistry via the natural body oils that are present on our (dry, not wet) hands.

Props to alll you lucky ducks who have good luck with that
Every time I try, my lye mixture gets thick and, gummy...and gross loooking - and frankly I just get terrified to use it, so I go back to my old way of adding at trace... (I gather not many people do this?) But then obviously I can't use it at 100%...so it's more of a 50% that I soap with when using Coconut Milk.

Hahaha Oh boy, I can completely relate. I do all my milk soaps (even 100% milk soaps) via the 'split method', where I mix my lye with 50% water and stick-blend my milk into my oils just before or just after adding the lye solution. When I want to do a 100% milk soap, I fortify my 50% milk amount by mixing/dissolving enough powdered milk into it in order to bring the total liquid amount for my batch up to a 100% milk concentration.

Like JustBeachy, I have no problem gelling all my milk soaps. They all get CPOPed and they all come out fine.

IrishLass

 

[Jstar]

It doesn't happen when washing with them, though, and I can't smell the vomit smell just by sniffing the actual bars. I could be wrong, but my theory is that the dry soap might be reacting with our body chemistry via the natural body oils that are present on our (dry, not wet) hands.

Same here..I can leave the bar sitting, and just sniff it, and no vomit smell..but if I touch it, the smell is only on my hands...Im thinking your theory is correct and it's reacting with the body chemistry.

 

[marilynmac]

Do you sell your soap? Don't people walk away and notice the stink?

 

[snappyllama]

I've noticed this on some goat milk soaps that I have previously bought, and it made me very nervous to try my hand at making them. I've made a couple of batches using canned goat's milk and was very cautious to prevent ammonia smells and discolorations - icy milk mixed within an ice water bath. My first batch was made for a family member that also wanted lavender EO. Since I dislike florals, I thought for sure I'd hate the soap, but nope... I really like it and am planning to duplicate the batch sometime in the New Year for myself!

I also love CM in soap.

 

[ngian]

I sometimes get the mild, vomit-smell after handling my cured, dry soaps at wrapping time, too. I've noticed that it seems to happen the most with my soaps that are quite high in coconut oil (without any kind of milk having been added to the formula, btw). It doesn't happen when washing with them, though, and I can't smell the vomit smell just by sniffing the actual bars. I could be wrong, but my theory is that the dry soap might be reacting with our body chemistry via the natural body oils that are present on our (dry, not wet) hands.



Hahaha Oh boy, I can completely relate. I do all my milk soaps (even 100% milk soaps) via the 'split method', where I mix my lye with 50% water and stick-blend my milk into my oils just before or just after adding the lye solution. When I want to do a 100% milk soap, I fortify my 50% milk amount by mixing/dissolving enough powdered milk into it in order to bring the total liquid amount for my batch up to a 100% milk concentration.

Like JustBeachy, I have no problem gelling all my milk soaps. They all get CPOPed and they all come out fine.

IrishLass

How is this 100% milk soap is done?

You have a 50% water/NaOH (Lye solution ) and milk.

Say for example that a recipe needs 100 gr of water and 50 gr of NaOH.

You add 100 gr of Lye solution and for the rest 50 gr of liquids that is needed you add 50 gr milk.

From this point you add milk powder to the 50 gr milk so that its weight will rise to the total liquids weight needed, that is 100 gr milk+milk powder? And then you add this to the oils?

Is that correct?

Nikos

 

[snappyllama]

When I make a 100% milk soap, i do not use any water at all. I first freeze my milk into ice cubes and slowly add the lye to it - stirring constantly and adding just a bit of lye at a time. I keep an ice bath handy just in case things start to heat up too much.

 

[Jstar]

I do the same as snappy at 100% milk, only I sit mine in an ice bath right at the start.

 

[IrishLass]

How is this 100% milk soap is done?

You have a 50% water/NaOH (Lye solution ) and milk.

Say for example that a recipe needs 100 gr of water and 50 gr of NaOH.

You add 100 gr of Lye solution and for the rest 50 gr of liquids that is needed you add 50 gr milk.

From this point you add milk powder to the 50 gr milk so that its weight will rise to the total liquids weight needed, that is 100 gr milk+milk powder? And then you add this to the oils?

Is that correct?

Nikos

Yes- that is correct!


IrishLass

 

[ngian]

Thank for the tip IrishLass