Help create a natural apple goat milk soap

[molman]

I made a basic goat milk soap last weekend with NaOH, olive oil, shea butter and coconut oil. It came out GREAT. Maybe too expensive...I need to get the shea butter content lower.

I'd like to make this a small, yet profitable, hobby to sell on our farm stand and at other local farms, including an apple orchard. Ingredients will be natural, organic, sustainable, and homegrown as possible- no artificial scents and no palm oil. I like to keep supplies minimal (no 8 oil soaps for me!). I have dairy goats and plan to use my milk, not water. We have lard and lots of herbs and flowers, too.

I'd like to make a couple of other soaps, especially for the apple orchard, and would like help figuring out the recipes from soap masters!

Last fall we pressed cider and I made a cider syrup- it's intensely apple with a consistency similar to maple syrup, maybe thicker. I can dehydrate some to make a sugar. Some end result ideas are cajeta apple (cajeta is goat milk caramel), mulled cider (cider syrup + cinnamon, clove, allspice), apple + oatmeal. When do I add syrup? Will it likely behave like honey? Will it retain it's apple-y scent? Any tips or recipes are really appreciated!

Separate from the apple endeavor I'll look for other goat milk recipes- goat milk + almond and/or coffee/chocolate. Feel free to point me toward recipes you know and like. I'm excited to hear from you!

 

[DeeAnna]

When do I add syrup?

I would add any type of sugar, including this syrup, to the water before adding NaOH.

Will it likely behave like honey?

That would be my guess, yes, since the sugars in apples are probably mostly simple sugars. The soap will probably end up a light tan or beige.

Will it retain it's apple-y scent?

Probably not. Or if there is any residual scent, it will likely be fairly faint.

There are as many goat milk soap recipes as there are soap makers. Here are some search results for you to check out -- Search results for query: goat milk

 

[dcornett]

I agree with the answers above. Also, you mentioned having lard, but you didn't use it in your first recipe. It's much cheaper than Shea butter, and along with some other oils, it can make a really wonderful bar of soap, so definitely try incorporating that. But just experiment till you get something you like and could be proud to call your own...that's half the fun.

 

[molman]

Your responses are pretty much as I expected. It seems pretty hard to get a natural apple scented soap. Maybe I'll try one batch and if it doesn't work, then I won't push it. I'd rather have tried and true recipes than do much experimenting. My life's a little too busy for an unproductive hobby .

I do like the idea of using our lard, even if it precludes buyers, I can do that for some.

 

[earlene]

I don't know if this is truly apple-like, but some say that Roman Chamomile EO has an apple-like scent. However, the EO is extremely expensive, so I will surely not be buying any myself. It would not be cost effective in soap.

Personally, if you want to incorporate apples as a theme, I'd go with a natural colorant to give a hint of the type of apple from your neighboring orchard, and add some applesauce made from the apple orchard (just a bit as you don't want a lot of extra sugar heating up your GM soap). That would give it a nice label appeal. You could go so far as to create an apple type of swirl as well.

ETA: Or a variation of something like this from Tóth Zsoltné @

 

[cmzaha]

It is wonderful you want to go "Natural", but natural does not necessarily make for a nice bar of soap. Adding in certain additives such as chelators will make for a better bar of soap especially if you live in a hard water area, but will help with soap scum even in softer water areas. I am saying this after changing my soap over my 10+yrs of selling in open-air markets against multiple soap sellers and listening to my customer comments. As the years went by and my soap changed the opinion of my customers went from my soap is great to awesome. It may sound like I am bragging but it was a fact I even took customers from a long-time GM soapmaker/seller in a market I was asked to attend. Out of respect to her, I quit that market after 2 months, and hopefully, her customers returned to her. I also did not develop my best soap overnight, in fact, it took 6-7+ yrs to get to my absolute favorite recipes.

As much as I understand you wanting tried and true recipes you still need to put in the time to test. Soap is quite suggestive and you may hate my soap which I would put next to any GM soap in a blind test and challenge you to pick out the gm soap. GM in soap is mostly label appeal with "the power of suggestion," which any well-balanced bar of soap will stand up to. GM is just not magic in soap. I will also guarantee you will change your recipe as time goes on and you realize what a good soap is versus a bad or not-so-good soap is.

Also, keep in mind with all the time and supplies we spend developing our recipes most will not give up their recipes but will be more than willing to help and give good starter recipes.

Another point if you really want to sell and make money making soap you will need to use Fragrance or EO's. People buy for smell ninety percent of the time, no smell no sale. You will really never get a soap fragranced with natural ingredients and if you try using spices such as cinnamon and clove you risk burning the skin with the amount you would have to use to scent the soap. Even using Cinnamon, clove, peppermint, and any of the hot EO's you have to use low percentages.

In closing, this long comment there is a fairly large learning curve when it comes to making soap. You do not just mix a few fats with lye pour in a mold and go sell. That is a good way to not have return customers.

 

[TheGecko]

I made a basic goat milk soap last weekend with NaOH, olive oil, shea butter and coconut oil. It came out GREAT. Maybe too expensive...I need to get the shea butter content lower.

My GMS contains Olive, Coconut, Palm and Castor Oils and Shea Butter (12%). Total cost...ingredients, purchased raw goat milk, packaging, overhead...$1.33. These are 5.0 bars that I sell as 4.5 oz for $6.00 Naked, $7.00 Scented.

 

[molman]

Thanks! Good tips in here to keep me going.

I'm not looking to get rich or go to markets (or get anyone's secret recipe!) but do want to enjoy the hobby, make a smidgeon of money, make gifts, and use my local ingredients for soap that people enjoy.

I never buy products with fragrance (EO's are natural and fine) and I love the smell of the soaps we use- even this unscented bar I made smells SO good. I know from experience with farmer's markets and the natural grocery industry that natural ingredient lists are important to many- I'm not worried about having enough sales to meet my modest goals, or marketing my goods to the right people. Or evolving. Different soaps for different folks, right?

The syrup addition is such a curveball. I'll treat it like honey in a small test and see what happens. My first batch stayed plenty cool, without burning the milk so maybe that means I have room for a little. I like the Chamomile and applesauce ideas!

TEMP QUESTIONS
How do you compensate for high temp/humidity? When mixing outdoors? It's HOT.

I'm unclear about the gel stage; some folks put their freshly poured soaps in a barely warm oven and some in the freezer. I left mine ON the chest freezer in the garage in wood molds and lids on, but I might have just been lucky (it was about 50 degrees that overnight) that it came out perfectly.

 

[TheGecko]

I'm more than happy to share my GMS recipe, it's makes a lovely bar of soap with or without an added scent.

I don't gel my GMS. Once the weather turns warm (75F+), I lightly cover the mold with plastic wrap and pop it into the back of the frig.

I don't mess around with my GMS. The raw GM is frozen, I set the bowl with the frozen GM in an ice bath (ice, water, salt) and let it sit for a bit so the bowl can get really cold. I then add the NaOH in quarters, making sure the temp doesn't get above 70F. I then only reheat my oils (I Master Batch) to about 120F, add my dispersed Kaolin Clay and FO (if I'm using one) and then add in my GM Lye Solution. Drops the temp of the Oils down and my batter is around 90F-100F, blend to a light, light-medium trace, pour in the mold, then pop it into the frig if the inside temp is more than 75F.

 

[earlene]

TEMP QUESTIONS
How do you compensate for high temp/humidity? When mixing outdoors? It's HOT.

I'm unclear about the gel stage; some folks put their freshly poured soaps in a barely warm oven and some in the freezer. I left mine ON the chest freezer in the garage in wood molds and lids on, but I might have just been lucky (it was about 50 degrees that overnight) that it came out perfectly.

I don't make soap outdoors. The only time I would be tempted to do so is if I were camping, which at my stage of life, I just don't do anymore.

I do believe there are a few soapers here at SMF who do or used to mix their lye out of doors, but I won't even do that. I mix my lye in the kitchen sink as a precaution (to catch any possible spillage or boil-over, which only happened a couple of times in 6 years).

In the summer, it is far too sweltering outdoors, also far too bright, unless it is rainging, then it is far too wet; in the winter, it is far too cold, or even ice or snow on the ground. Any time of the year, there are too many leaves, pollen, and various other air-floaters in the air, sometimes too windy, often too many critters around.

I have seen youtube videos of at least 2, who do make soap outdoors. One in the south in the US (I don't recall what state she is in) who soaps under an open, but covered area, which looks like a wooden picnic area with a roof above. Another in what appears to be a tropical climate who is always set up outdoors with trees/bushes behind her and a table set up with all of her ingredients. She has even mentioned the wind in a couple of her videos and she has not overhang or roof above, just the bright sunshine and open sky. I am sure there are many many who have experience making soap out of doors, but I am not sure how many of them are active members of our forum.

@Dawni may have once mentioned something about soaping in an indoor/outdoor type setting, but I don't recall for sure. She does live in a tropical climate, so can probably address your question more readily than those of us who don't soap outdoors at all.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

What I consider to be a fairly natural chelator is adding some citric acid to the water before adding the NaOH (and adding more NaOH to compensate) which makes sodium citrate. I class this as much natural as the man made NaOH we use

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I'd like to make this a small, yet profitable, hobby to sell on our farm stand and at other local farms, including an apple orchard. Ingredients will be natural, organic, sustainable, and homegrown as possible- no artificial scents and no palm oil. I like to keep supplies minimal (no 8 oil soaps for me!). I have dairy goats and plan to use my milk, not water. We have lard and lots of herbs and flowers, too.

Could you please adopt me? Your farm sounds like this soaper's dream -- everything within reach to make and sell wonderful soap! Lard makes wonderful soap all by itself. Google "Grandma's Old Fashion Lye Soap" for inspiraton. (Ingredients: Lard (food grade), Water (aqua), & Sodium Hydroxide (lye). The addition of goat milk is a plus.

I'd like to make a couple of other soaps, especially for the apple orchard, Any tips or recipes are really appreciated!.

@DeeAnna 's advice is well taken. It's highly unlikely that you will be able to scent your soap with the apple-based products you're considering. TIP: No extra sugar is recommended for GM (Goat Milk) Soaps.

However, there are several threads on using ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) for your lye solution. ACV is also used as a rinse for lye-based "Shampoo Bars". Think about an herbal-infused ACV for hair. Lovely stuff! Leaves hair soft, smooth & shiny. As a matter of fact, I use an ACV & water hair spray on my hair daily for control and shine.

While I LUV @earlene 's pics, put that on the back-burner for later. Save adding colorants & fragrance until after you've mastered a basic recipe (or 2 or 3)

For your reading pleasure:

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HAPPY SOAPING!