Freezer paper for sure. Shiny side up. (towards soap). Sorry, no experience with fridge or freezer.
Milk Soap - When to unfridge it?
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moodymama
Well-Known Member
Freezer paper is thicker and better but parchment works, just not wax paper. I can't find any freezer paper locally so when I want to spend $40-$60 I am going to order form amazon.
My mom also wanted goat milk soap and I did make her some but I found I like coconut milk way better.
My mom also wanted goat milk soap and I did make her some but I found I like coconut milk way better.
moodymama
Well-Known Member
Wanted to add be careful if you order form amazon, a search for freezer paper also will pull up and include butcher paper, which is not the same thing at all, it's basically just paper.
SoapMee
Member
Well, I haven't been soaping that long; but most of the soaps I make are milk soaps. I prefer to use goats milk (any brand I find at my local stores) and full fat buttermilk that I get at Walmart. I freeze my milk in ice cube trays the night or morning before and then store left overs in plastic bags. I mix my lye directly into the milk a spoonful at a time using an ice bath and stir, stir, stir. I use enough ice around my stainless steel pitcher to be about the same height as the frozen milk. I find the buttermilk tends to have a bit more of the fat reacting to the lye, but I've never strained it out and my soaps turn out great. I also use tray molds or individual molds to keep the batter on the cooler side because I do not gel my soap; and I soap between 80 and 90 degrees. Sometimes I get some soda ash and sometimes I don't. I haven't completely figured that part out yet, but since my soap is for myself I haven't gotten worked up about it.
Good to know. I prefer the soap to gel since it makes it harder to cut but was concerned over scorching. Mine came out yellow, sure the coffee FO plays a part.
I think the next milk one I am going to make I'm going to try your method shunt and see how it turns out.
Will post a picture of the sliced soap tomorrow when it's light out.
It's been a while since I shopped a grocery store in Florida, but I have done a few times. I don't recall all the different grocers in Florida and since I don't really know which ones are closest to you other than Publix (who does not list freezer paper on their website, BTW), but I'll do my best for some suggestions of stores I know that carry it.
If you can't find it in a local grocery store, try some of these options:
Walmart carries it in some stores, but you can order online for store or home delivery. (Reynolds link) (Weston link)
Target carries it in some stores and you can also order online for store pick-up and/or home delivery. (link)
Albertson's also has in-store pick-up and home delivery options. (link)
Amazon is another option. (link)
Freezer paper tends to be harder to find in some regions than others, and I've never really figured out why that is.
I have used parchment paper when I can't find freezer paper and it's okay. It isn't as sturdy and doesn't work as well for soap batter poured at a very light trace, because it can leak out. You could use a double layer of paper, though; maybe that would help. But it's fine for thicker trace. My advice: Avoid the type with printed designs on it; The design transfers to the soap and leaves ugly blurry stains on the surface of the soap.
After I started making soap, I learned to add a carton of freezer paper to roll of plastic wrap I always keep in the trunk of my car because I travel a lot (not now, but normally) and tend to need them everywhere I go. Usually I can find plastic wrap okay, but that's how I found out it's not so easy to find freezer paper when I want it while traveling.
If you can't find it in a local grocery store, try some of these options:
Walmart carries it in some stores, but you can order online for store or home delivery. (Reynolds link) (Weston link)
Target carries it in some stores and you can also order online for store pick-up and/or home delivery. (link)
Albertson's also has in-store pick-up and home delivery options. (link)
Amazon is another option. (link)
Freezer paper tends to be harder to find in some regions than others, and I've never really figured out why that is.
I have used parchment paper when I can't find freezer paper and it's okay. It isn't as sturdy and doesn't work as well for soap batter poured at a very light trace, because it can leak out. You could use a double layer of paper, though; maybe that would help. But it's fine for thicker trace. My advice: Avoid the type with printed designs on it; The design transfers to the soap and leaves ugly blurry stains on the surface of the soap.
After I started making soap, I learned to add a carton of freezer paper to roll of plastic wrap I always keep in the trunk of my car because I travel a lot (not now, but normally) and tend to need them everywhere I go. Usually I can find plastic wrap okay, but that's how I found out it's not so easy to find freezer paper when I want it while traveling.
I make GMS. I freeze my goat milk and then dissolve my lye, a little at a time, in an ice bath with some salt added to keep the water cold. I don't allow the lye solution to get above 75F while mixing as not to scorch the milk. It take a little longer, but it's not a big deal as I use the time between adding lye to melt and/or measure out my other ingredients, get my mold set up, pull out my scent (I don't color my GMS).
I use silicone molds myself and I don't freeze, I simply cover and refrigerate when the weather warms up; during the winter, the garage is cold enough. I leave the soap in the refrigerator overnight, then pull out, unmold and allow the soap to reach 'room temperature' and dry out a little before I cut. During the winter, it'll be a good two to three days before I cut my GMS, during the Summer, about six hours or so.
I have never had my GMS 're-heat' and I don't gel my GMS.
I have never used citric acid...don't know why anyone would.
Thank you for including some shopping links for online. I purchased some from one of the links you posted. Where I am located most of the stores around here have limited paper supplies than normal. A lot of things are out of stock. I had to place a order online for laundry detergent a few weeks ago to get some.
What temperature are your oils at when you mix your lye/milk solution?
Good to know. That was a worry there.
From my understanding, when citric acid and lye react together sodium citrate is formed and sodium citrate acts as a chelator. It reduces soap scum, improves lather, uses less soap to make that lather by binding with the metal ions in your shower water.
Here's a link that explains it better than me. Soapy Stuff: Citrate
I am on well water and don't have a water softner so I have hard water. Adding sodium citrate or using citric acid to form sodium citrate appeals to me.
So another update on the sliced soap. Took a look at the bars and have noticed some of them have developed these tiny little oily dots on the sides of them. The front and back of the bar doesn't have that though. Not all of the bars have the oily baby spots though. Its kinda hard to see but hopefully the pictures pick it up enough. I used a mica oil drizzle on the top with gold mica so that I got some on the sides initially but its definitely oil.
What could cause this? It's very minimal, hoping it doesn't get worse.
What could cause this? It's very minimal, hoping it doesn't get worse.
