Hello

[MooreThanBags]

I am so excited to find this forum. My husband and I raise dairy goats and have been making cheeses for a few years and now we are interested in expanding into soap making using our goat milk. I do have a few questions. I found some lovely metal molds at a yard sale and would like to use them for the soap but didn't know if you could pour into metal. They are small and would probably hold about 3/4 cup. If ok to use what would you use to keep the soap from sticking to the metal? I have all my ingredients ready and just waiting for this hot Oklahoma weather to cool off so that we can open the windows for ventilation.

 

[judymoody]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Do you know what kind of metal? Aluminum is a big no-no, in reaction with lye it can cause a dangerous explosive chemical reaction.

Stainless steel would be OK but you'd want to brush them with mineral oil (which does not saponify) in order to release the soap. Putting them in the freezer for an hour would also help to release the soap cleanly.

However, unless you're ABSOLUTELY certain there is no aluminum in the molds, I would not use them for CP soap. Melt & Pour would be fine.

There are lots of cute individual silicone molds out there that are safe for CP soap and release easily.

 

[MooreThanBags]

Thanks for your tips. I am not sure but the molds are probably aluminum so I will sadly put them away for another use. I am sure I can find some silicone molds to use. Can you prepare food in utensils that have been used for soap making if you run them through the dishwasher first?

 

[Hazel]

Hello and welcome!

I think it's better to use designated utensils for soapmaking. I've noticed some FOs appeared to absorb into silicone molds. It doesn't seem to affect the fragrance of the next batch but you wouldn't want to bake food in them. I should explain that a couple of my molds aren't really soap molds. They are silicone mini loaf bread pans that a friend found for me at a Goodwill store. I also don't want to use plastic spatulas or spoons in food prep after I've used them in soap.

I generally use an old Rubbermaid pitcher for mixing lye which has PP #5 on the bottom. It works great! You might have one you can use for lye. If not, ask family or check out garage sales or thrift stores. Other people have mentioned they use plastic buckets to mix lye. You just want to make sure what ever you use either has PP #5 or HDPE #2 on it. I recommend PP #5 since HDPE #2 isn't as heat resistant. When I first started soaping, most of my supplies were old stuff from my kitchen or were given to me by family and friends. You don't have to spend out a lot to get started. You can line an old drawer for a mold, a cardboard box or use a well washed out milk carton (the kind with the waxy interior). I used to use freezer paper for lining molds until I switched to silicone.

Besides aluminum, we also don't recommend the use of glass or wood for any soapmaking supplies. There is a possibility of glass shattering (lots of discussions about this topic). Wood becomes degraded by lye and can eventually splinter. You don't want to make a batch of soap and then find splinters in it.

 

[MooreThanBags]

I just un-molded my first batch and thought it turned out great. I did have trouble getting it out of one of the hard plastic molds I used. Any tips?

 

[Hazel]

Some people place the soap into the freezer, leave in until cold, take out and set on counter to come back up to room temp and then remove the soap. I've also used a thin coat of mineral oil in the mold. This really helped for deep, detailed cavities.

 

[MooreThanBags]

Thanks for the tip. I also had a really weird idea. What would happen if you poured the soap into muffin tin liners (paper). I have a plastic muffin pan for the microwave.

 

[Hazel]

That's not a weird idea. It's actually a good idea if it would work. I think the paper might adhere to the soap but I don't know for sure. They might work if the liners were slick like freezer paper on the inside.

 

[MooreThanBags]

Thanks. Next soap I make I will try out the muffin liners and let you know how it works.

 

[Hazel]

Thanks! I'd be interested in learning if it works.

 

[MooreThanBags]

I could hardly wait to tell you how my soap turned out using plain old muffin liners. I only tried four but they turned out beautiful and look just like cupcakes. The paper just peels away. I left them for 24 hours before I removed the paper. They were a little stuck to the container on the bottom where oil seeped through but we ran warm water for a few seconds over the bottoms and they popped right out.

 

[Hazel]

Thanks for letting us know!

I'm surprised because I really thought the paper would stick to the soap. Your soap looks great. If it had been brown, I would have thought it was a Reese's Cup.

 

[MooreThanBags]

Thanks, this soapmaking is really fun but now I need to see if I can sell some. Otherwise my family will be getting only soap for Christmas lol.

 

[Hazel]

I recommend you experiment for awhile and make sure your soap is the best you can make and will hold up over time.

Helpful link on how to know when you're ready to sell viewtopic.php?f=17&t=17621

Also, there's a discussion going on right now about attempting to sell to soon. You can ignore my "harsh" comments but other members have added some excellent posts on the advisability of giving yourself more time. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33382

 

[MooreThanBags]

Thanks for the good advice Hazel. I read the post you recommended and was amazed at all the potential problems with selling soap. Had I read it first I would probably not invested in all the molds, stik blender, etc. At any rate I have had lots of fun making it. I gave a bar to a friend and she is raving about how moisturizing it is.

 

[Hazel]

There's nothing wrong with having a goal towards selling. I would love to sell some soap and make some extra money. I just don't think my soap is good enough to sell (I've been doing CP for less than 3 years). However, just because I don't think my soap is good enough doesn't mean that you won't create a wonderful recipe quickly and find it holds up well over time. My sister knows a lady who sells goat milk soap and her most popular seller is unscented and without any colorants. You may not even need to be concerned with fragrance at first. You probably wouldn't even need a lot of fragrances or even colorants.

I suggest making small batches and tweaking your recipes. Give the soap to family and friends and ask for honest feedback. Tell them of your dream to start a business and you need them to be completely forthright in their critiques of the soap. If you have extra soap, you could see if a local shelter or some type of community service might be willing to take the soap. The more batches you make, the sooner you can perfect your soap. :wink:

 

[Avalon's Essence]

Donating extra soap to shelters is an excellent idea!

 

[MooreThanBags]

So far I have made two batches of soap using a recipe for goat milk soap I found on line. I have given away a lot of samples and my husband is using it. Everyone is raving about the rich lather and how soft and moisturized their skin feels even hours later after using it. I plan to make my third batch tommorrow and hoping it will turn out just as well. So far I am not inclined to tinker with the recipe since it is turning out such nice soap.

 

[MooreThanBags]

I made another batch of goat milk soap and initially it looked much lighter in color than previously. My first soap is a caramel color and I really tried to keep the lye mixture from getting too warm by setting it in a ice bath. When we un-molded the soap it was really light in color and I was so happy with it. It is now (after a week) the darkest in color I have ever made , almost a chocolate color. I used the same recipe and it hardened just fine. Any ideas of what happened with the color changing?