Honey and goat milk soap

[dragonmaker]

I’m measuring things out a day before I make soap because I won’t have time to both measure and make on the same day for a while. I measured out 30g honey, 114g distilled water, and 20g sodium citrate, mixed well, then added 100g goat milk cubes into the bowl and stuck it all in the freezer to keep the goat milk frozen. This will also freeze my honey water. When I add my lye to this liquids bowl should I worry about anything like hissing and spitting when it hit the honey water, or will the solution being frozen help it not volcano? Anyone do this before?

Forgot to add it’s a 1000g oils batch of soap. I’m planning on dual lye, too, if that matters.

 

[dragonmaker]

I have an answer to my question now! I pulled the liquids bowl out of the freezer after it was all frozen solid and added lye to it slowly. I stirred the lye around the ice/rubbed it into the ice gently so it didn’t flick out of the bowl, and it was completely uneventful. It slowly melted the ice and turned the honey water brown with no hissing, spitting, or volcanoing. I might freeze my honey water every time now.

Last time I did a milk and honey soap, I added the lye to the frozen milk, waited for it to melt completely, then added my honey water to the lye solution and had a small volcano on my hands. Luckily it was in a very tall container so it didn’t rise high enough to spill everywhere that time. Freezing my honey water this time seems to have prevented the lye getting violent.

 

[dibbles]

I’m sorry this got missed, and thanks for sharing your result!

 

[dragonmaker]

No worries, @dibbles It all worked out in the end, and I learned something!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Thanks for sharing this. It sounds like a great way to add honey without the drama.

 

[ewhitake]

I have an answer to my question now! I pulled the liquids bowl out of the freezer after it was all frozen solid and added lye to it slowly. I stirred the lye around the ice/rubbed it into the ice gently so it didn’t flick out of the bowl, and it was completely uneventful. It slowly melted the ice and turned the honey water brown with no hissing, spitting, or volcanoing. I might freeze my honey water every time now.

Last time I did a milk and honey soap, I added the lye to the frozen milk, waited for it to melt completely, then added my honey water to the lye solution and had a small volcano on my hands. Luckily it was in a very tall container so it didn’t rise high enough to spill everywhere that time. Freezing my honey water this time seems to have prevented the lye getting violent.

Late to the party but couldn't you have added the honey water to the oils and then add your lye?

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Late to the party but couldn't you have added the honey water to the oils and then add your lye?

Yes, you can add honey to the fats. If you do it that way, you miss the opportunity to let the honey and lye react in advance, which reduces the issues with overheating in the mold and helps to keep goat milk soap light/white. If you want to add honey to the oils directly you will need to thin it with some water and stick blend it in very well. Even with thorough stick blending, there's a chance of ending up with honey spots in the finished soap.

 

[Zuleika]

I'm all in favour of making honey lye water then chill/freeze it. I've done that for all my honey soaps and no drama. Once I even forgot it was a honey soap and covered it with towels on a heating pad. The top didnt even crack, just expanded out of the mould a little at the top and bottom.

 

[ewhitake]

I'm all in favour of making honey lye water then chill/freeze it. I've done that for all my honey soaps and no drama. Once I even forgot it was a honey soap and covered it with towels on a heating pad. The top didnt even crack, just expanded out of the mould a little at the top and bottom.

I’ve made my first honey and oat goat milk soap. It’s now in the fridge. Do I need to let the loaf come to room temp before cutting? Or should I wait several days?

 

[Zuleika]

I’ve made my first honey and oat goat milk soap. It’s now in the fridge. Do I need to let the loaf come to room temp before cutting? Or should I wait several days?

I'm no help here. I've never put a soap in the fridge before. But I'm sure somewhere on the forum this has been mentioned before.

 

[ewhitake]

I'm no help here. I've never put a soap in the fridge before. But I'm sure somewhere on the forum this has been mentioned before.

Didn’t you say in previous post that you chill your soap after adding to mold? I’ve read and seen other makers talked about milk soaps and the need to stop gel phase or you’ll burn the milk. Anyway, I did that and it’s been 24 hours since removing from the fridge. It’s still quit soft though

 

[Zuleika]

I'm all in favour of making honey lye water then chill/freeze

I make honey lye water and chill that. Not the soap itself. Honey soap tends to be softer and need longer to unmold. Mine gelled so I cut in 30 hrs.

I did make a goat milk powder castile once that didn't even need chilling because it took 2 days to harden. I had to put it on the heat pad to help it along. But, I think it was the castile part and not the milk that made it so slow to set.

 

[ewhitake]

Well, I’m still new at this and I put my honey in the oil mixture and then processed as normal. But when I pulled the loaf out of the refrigerator, it had cracked and looked discolored. In full disclosure, my recipe included honey and oatmeal.

 

[Zuleika]

I love the colour and swirls! If it's still soft enough, just lightly mush the cracks over. I've done that before and no one can tell it cracked. My worst crack was a long line down the middle almost 1/4 inch deep.

I can never achieve a dark honey colour with honey only. Mine turns out pale as oatmeal unless I add some coloring.

Good attempt I'll say.

 

[ewhitake]

I love the colour and swirls! If it's still soft enough, just lightly mush the cracks over. I've done that before and no one can tell it cracked. My worst crack was a long line down the middle almost 1/4 inch deep.

I can never achieve a dark honey colour with honey only. Mine turns out pale as oatmeal unless I add some coloring.

Good attempt I'll say.

Thank you!! The soap is still soft enough so I could smooth out the cracks And also realized the honey color is probably from the sent I used
QQ- how long did it take before you were able to cut? I’m so impatient

 

[Zuleika]

how long did it take before you were able to cut?

I'm impatient too but I'm letting it set longer now as it cuts cleaner. I cut my normal soaps around 20-24 hrs. The goat milk castile was the longest. Between 48 to 55 hrs. Even now at about 3 weeks old, it's still soft enough to dent if pressed hard.

My latest honey soap went full gel so it cut fine at 24 hrs.

 

[ewhitake]

Well, I’m still new at this and I put my honey in the oil mixture and then processed as normal. But when I pulled the loaf out of the refrigerator, it had cracked and looked discolored. In full disclosure, my recipe included honey and oatmeal.View attachment 77356View attachment 77357

I cut them and it looks like they didn’t go all the way through gel phase. And the fragrance I used turned it brown. But why the darker outside ring?

 

[AliOop]

But why the darker outside ring?

That is part of the discoloration from the vanillin. It will eventually spread to the entire bar.

 

[justsomeguy]

I cut them and it looks like they didn’t go all the way through gel phase. And the fragrance I used turned it brown. But why the darker outside ring?

There's a thread here about an inexpensive vanillin stabilizer (ZCS) that works that might interest you

 

[ewhitake]

That is part of the discoloration from the vanillin. It will eventually spread to the entire bar.

Yep. It did. Now I have brown bars