Goat's Milk

[srenee]

I haven't had a problem with color. I have made pink, yellow, and teal color soaps. No problem.

 

[adoptapitbull]

Oh OK, so there's no dreaded orange milk color? Do you have to use water to mix with lye in your recipe, or do you mix the lye with the warmed oils?

 

[srenee]

I just followed my recipe as usual, except I half my water and mixed the lye and oils, the other half is milk I added that shortly after adding the oils and mixing a little just at light trace or slightly before, then finished as usual.

 

[adoptapitbull]

Hmmmmm...so it's only 1/2 GM and 1/2 water. I was thinking of doing that, but then I didn't want to feel like I short changed my customers by only making half milk soap. If you sell, do you feel that way?

 

[srenee]

No. But I have done both, where I only mixed lye in enough water to dilute it, mixed, and added the remainder as gm. It works either way.

You have to play with it and see which you like better.

 

[Half Caper Farm]

I only make 100% GM soap, because I have goats and have access to as much milk as I want. Basically, it's why I started making soap!

Near as I can figure, the only way to make it using 100% milk is to freeze the milk, either solid or slushy. I have more success freezing it solid - the milk doesn't turn yellow and I get a lighter coloured bar.

 

[adoptapitbull]

I made my first batch with slushy milk because I didn't measure and then freeze like I should have. Now I know better for next time! :wink:

As I was mixing slowly with the lye I noticed a slight color change. Now that the bars are cut, they are very white. I was so worried my first bars would look like oompa loompa colored soap!

 

[Angelica]

I LOVE MY GOAT MILK SOAP!
I want to get goats someday just for my soap.
:0)

 

[Half Caper Farm]

I LOVE MY GOAT MILK SOAP!
I want to get goats someday just for my soap.
:0)

Goats are wonderful creatures - even if you never make another bar of soap, you won't regret having them.

 

[jennikate]

I want to make goats milk soap but need find some first. So as it stands I sometimes make soap with cows milk. I use the disolve lye in water and then add slushy milk to avoid burning it.

 

[MeadowHillFarmCT]

I am milking 3 does right now to feed 5 babies and after their babies are weaned I should have about 2 1/2 gallons of fresh goats milk a day

I intended to make cheese with my milk but that is a huge investment in CT to be approved and I just don't have the capital right now so it will go into soap and cheese for us - of course drinking some for the wonderful health benefits it has.

I can sell it to soapers (as long as I get my label approved by the Dept of Ag) and was thinking of overnight frozen but I think the shipping cost would not justify the cost. Really what is the difference between canned and raw in a soap..

 

[adoptapitbull]

I've never used canned. My raw did very well in my first ever batch. I made the milk slushy in the freezer and added lye verrrryyyy slllloooowwwlllly. Mine turned out pretty well.

I'll be in the same boat as you when my kids are weaned. I'll have lots and lots of milk. Good thing is we can freeze it and use it in the winter when they'll be dry.

 

[Half Caper Farm]

Gee, am I the only goat person that milks all winter? I try to stagger my breedings so they don't all go dry at once, and I often have one or two that are "milking through" and not bred.

 

[adoptapitbull]

I was thinking of doing that with one of my goats, but her little teats (and my hands) would be frozen. I think I'm going to dry them up by Sept 1 so they are ready for later breeding in Nov and Dec. I want April babies, not Feb babies like this year. Brrrrr!

 

[mmsigl]

I use GM in soap also. I found someone that will let me "pay" for boarding and goat feed and in trade she brings me goat’s milk. I have heard of a few small dairy goat farms setting up a co-op and having the co-op "own" the goats and the members then pay for the boarding and feed. That way you can legally give the raw goats milk to the "owners”. It’s cheaper than setting up a dairy and is legal.

 

[Angelica]

Any of you goat having ppl have goats near me in Downers Grove< Il???
I could use some goatmilk for my soap and I would like to pay a human rather then a store.

 

[PippiL]

I would love to have goats in my yard...I always loved goats,plus they eat the grass for you,I guess not allowed in the burbs, made my first batch of goats milk soap yeasterday, I was just a little confused about all the options how to mix it, first mixing lye with water, than adding milk at trace, or 50/50...endless...