Lye Problem with Milk Soap

[mattiesmom]

Don't give up

Check out the tutorial for making cold-process milk soap on the Soap Making Resource website - it works. If you have questions call or e-mail Steve, always very helpful. I only make fresh goat milk soaps and the method I use is nearly identical to this and has worked for years. Don't give up and good luck!

 

[enchantedfrogpond]

Thank you!

I really appreciate all of this wonderful advice. I got sidetracked with a few family issues over the last several weeks, but I'm soaping today and I will let you know what I do and how it turns out. I'm going to get this right or die trying! :mrgreen:

 

[lpstephy85]

Knock on wood and cross my fingers but I have yet to have an issue with full GM in place of my water. Slowly add the lye, stir for a couple of minutes and repeat until lye is all in. I scrape the sides of my container with a spatula to get all of the lye and milk that is on the side of the container off and stir more until I don't hear any crunchiness at the bottom of my container. I strain my milk/lye solution twice and add water just to bring my liquid amount back up since some of the fat has saponified. Then I add the solution to my oils. I have checked every bar I have cut and nothing that appears to be excess lye. Not saying my method is the way to go but it has been working and you should do what works for you

 

[ninibug09]

I soap with a 50/50 lye solution and add in all my milk into my oils with no problems at all. If I want closer to using full milk I will mix in additional powdered milk, such as powdered coconut milk, goats milk or buttermilk. You can also use more water than 50% of your lye just use the balance of the required liquid for your batch as your milk. Side by side I notice no difference in an all milk bar versus one that is made with my 50/50 lye solution.
You have to use at lest 50% liquid for dissolving lye and it requires quite a lot of stirring. Is the soap zappy and are you sure it is tiny undissolved lye crystals and not stearic specks? I do find at times, when I mix my lye in icy gm that fat will start to saponify in my pitcher which is one reason I went to adding my milk into my oils and stick blending well. I have never hp'ed milk soaps so I am no help there

I am also having difficulty with milk soaps. I have used the "split method". I am adding the milk to the oil, not at trace. The issue is, once I add the lye water to the oil mixture, the whole thing immediately turns dark orange. I think I am still scorching the milk!

 

[jcandleattic]

I am also having difficulty with milk soaps. I have used the "split method". I am adding the milk to the oil, not at trace. The issue is, once I add the lye water to the oil mixture, the whole thing immediately turns dark orange. I think I am still scorching the milk!

How hot is your lye when adding it into your oils? Let it cool to room temp and that should help with that.

 

[ninibug09]

I wait until everything is around 110 degree before combining. I am wondering about freezing the milk and using it in place of the water in my lye mixture but the issue I have had with that technique is that it cools the lye down way too much.

 

[jcandleattic]

I wait until everything is around 110 degree before combining. I am wondering about freezing the milk and using it in place of the water in my lye mixture but the issue I have had with that technique is that it cools the lye down way too much.

You can soap with cool lye solution and warm oils, it won't hurt anything and your soap will still be soap. I soap with room temp lye and room temp or slightly warmed oils. It's a myth that your oils and lye solution have to be within 10 degrees of each other.

 

[ninibug09]

You can soap with cool lye solution and warm oils, it won't hurt anything and your soap will still be soap. I soap with room temp lye and room temp or slightly warmed oils. It's a myth that your oils and lye solution have to be within 10 degrees of each other.

Thanks for the info! I cannot tell you how often I have been frustrating waiting for everything to be within a few degree of each other!

 

[jcandleattic]

Thanks for the info! I cannot tell you how often I have been frustrating waiting for everything to be within a few degree of each other!

Very unnecessary. I don't even take temperature, I just soap when everything is at the ambient room temp. (or a little warmer if I need to warm my oils to get them completely melted.

You can do a search here on the forum for milk soaps and the split method, and there are TONS of great threads on how to do it.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...once I add the lye water to the oil mixture, the whole thing immediately turns dark orange...."

Mine does too. But that doesn't necessarily mean the finished soap will be dark. I also get that flush of orange if I have ROE (rosemary oleoresin) in my fats. In my experience, this flush of color doesn't determine if a milk soap will stay light or turn a darker color.

 

[IrishLass]

I soap my split-method goat milk soap when my combined oils/goat milk are at 110F and my lye container is warm to the touch. Although the batter turns orange-y when I add the lye, my soaps cure out to off-white (unless I also add honey, that is).

I soap it this warm because I'm trying to kill two birds with one stone: 1) I want my soap to fully gel, but I use a water discount which makes full gel harder to achieve, unless I increase the soaping temp; and 2) I don't want my soap to end up with stearic spots from the high % of butters and hydrogenated PKO that I use in my formula, which appear like clockwork whenever I soap my formula cooler than 110F.


IrishLass

 

[SunRiseArts]

What about soaping at room temperature? Would that not be better?

 

[Rusti]

I wait until everything is around 110 degree before combining. I am wondering about freezing the milk and using it in place of the water in my lye mixture but the issue I have had with that technique is that it cools the lye down way too much.

I use the ice method when I replace my water with milk and it makes the end temp of the lye solution about 70 degrees or so. Room temp. I mix it into oils that are in the neighborhood of 90-100 degrees with no issues at all.

 

[penelopejane]

I soap my split-method goat milk soap when my combined oils/goat milk are at 110F and my lye container is warm to the touch. Although the batter turns orange-y when I add the lye, my soaps cure out to off-white (unless I also add honey, that is).

I soap it this warm because I'm trying to kill two birds with one stone: 1) I want my soap to fully gel, but I use a water discount which makes full gel harder to achieve, unless I increase the soaping temp; and 2) I don't want my soap to end up with stearic spots from the high % of butters and hydrogenated PKO that I use in my formula, which appear like clockwork whenever I soap my formula cooler than 110F.
IrishLass

I do what IrishLass does because I want gel and I use a high % of butters and OO which get stearic spots if I soap too cool.
My oils are 110*F then I pour in the milk mixed with powdered milk and SB then I add my lye which is about 100*F or a bit less. It's just at the right temp to stop the spots but mixes without colouring the soap past an ivory colour.

So very annoying that this might not work perfectly for you but it's all about experimenting with your particular recipe, your GM and your soaping method.

 

[shunt2011]

I'm another one who does it like Irishlass. Split method works the best for me. I also add powdered milk to my liquid milk to make it full milk. My soaps too come out a pale beige and if I use TD I can get it pretty white.

 

[Lin19687]

I found that making the Milk ICY-SLUSHY consistency is better and Easier then making it totally frozen.
Took for E V E R to melt the ice.

 

[Klabeth]

Has anyone tried this split message with larger batches/larger molds? We are pouring 120 lb batches into a large mold and then cutting and having major issues with overheating that didn’t happen in our single-cell molds. We use frozen milk and mix the lye into it. Wondering if the split method might help us with the heat issues we’re having.

I have two words for you- "Split Method".

I use the split-method to make my milk soaps, even my 100% milk soaps.

If you have not heard of the split method, it involves mixing your lye with an equal amount of water to fully dissolve it, and then adding the remainder of the liquid amount for your batch as milk (added to your oils before or just after adding in the lye solution). This will make a 50% milk batch.

In order to make a 100% milk batch, fortify your milk portion with enough powdered milk to bring the total milk concentration for your batch up to 100%, and then add it to your oils either before or just after adding your lye solution.

Honestly, speaking only for myself, I would never make milk soaps any other way. It's so easy, and I don't get any overheating, or lye pockets or separation, etc... And my soap does not get that initial, nasty ammonia smell, and they cure out to a light off-white color.


IrishLass

ETA- Carolyn and I must've been posting at the same time. Yep- ditto what she said.

 

[Lin19687]

Has anyone tried this split message with larger batches/larger molds? We are pouring 120 lb batches into a large mold and then cutting and having major issues with overheating that didn’t happen in our single-cell molds. We use frozen milk and mix the lye into it. Wondering if the split method might help us with the heat issues we’re having.

If you are pouring 120# batches then you should know that it will heat no matter what.

You might want to start a new thread as what you are asking is not the same as what this was about