Goats milk Soap question

[MommaSoaper]

Hi all! Going to use the 50/50 method when making next batch of goats milk soap.

Here’s the question: I always add sodium citrate to my soaps since our water is so hard here. I read somewhere that goats milk soap contains lactic acid which acts like chelator. Am I safe to leave sodium citrate out?

If you think I should still add it, how would I go about that with the 50/50 method??

 

[FrayGrants]

I am very curious to know about this as well as I am planning a full goats milk soap with frozen GM and was wondering how to go about adding SC and honey, or sorbitol.

To the OP when using the 50/50 method I would add the SC to the water used for the lye solution, dissolve and add lye as usual, then stick blend the milk into the oils before adding the lye water. Just be sure that your lye solution has more water than lye or it won’t dissolve properly. I believe it is supposed to be a 1.1:1 ratio or it won’t work properly.

 

[MommaSoaper]

I am very curious to know about this as well as I am planning a full goats milk soap with frozen GM and was wondering how to go about adding SC and honey, or sorbitol.

To the OP when using the 50/50 method I would add the SC to the water used for the lye solution, dissolve and add lye as usual, then stick blend the milk into the oils before adding the lye water. Just be sure that your lye solution has more water than lye or it won’t dissolve properly. I believe it is supposed to be a 1.1:1 ratio or it won’t work properly.

Will the lye cancel out the SC when added to the water? That’s my only fear. Ty!

 

[AliOop]

Will the lye cancel out the SC when added to the water? That’s my only fear. Ty!

Good news, sodium citrate does not react with lye. You are probably thinking of citric acid. Citric acid does react with lye, and becomes sodium citrate. You want that to happen since sodium citrate is a chelator.

Bottom line, you adjust the amount of lye to compensate for citric acid, but there is no need to do that for SC. HTH!

 

[MommaSoaper]

Good news, sodium citrate does not react with lye. You are probably thinking of citric acid. Citric acid does react with lye, and becomes sodium citrate. You want that to happen since sodium citrate is a chelator.

Bottom line, you adjust the amount of lye to compensate for citric acid, but there is no need to do that for SC. HTH!

Perfect! I had been mixing SC/water separately and adding that to oils. Then adding rest of water/lye later. It’ll be so much easier to just add SC to the water, mixing, and then adding the lye. Thank you!

 

[MommaSoaper]

Made the soap. Just finished actually. Everything went fine until the end. Could be perfectly fine but thought to share.

Did 50/50 GM/distilled water. 33% lye concentration. Poured milk in with oils/butters. Blended nicely. Added FO. Blended again. Added lye solution at 115 degrees into 75 degree oil mix. Blended really nicely and thickened a bit per usual. Batter Started heating up to around 115 but never higher. Batter light yellow. Poured and went to decorated top when I noticed tiny pool of water? on one side of the mold. It wasn’t a ton but noticeable. Finished the top and covered. Looked like it was thickening up quite nicely. Just checked it and they are 95 degrees. The room is cool.

- Possibly false trace?
-should have had lye solution cool to room temp?

Update: Loaves cut. Hardened up quite a bit. Pass zap test. Water reabsorbed into bars. Definite soda ash on tops from low temps I believe. I have a tendency to overthink

Question: should i not cover goats milk soap loaves? The room was around 55-60 degrees.