Milk Soaps withOUT preservatives?

[orangeblossom]

I don't like to use preservatives in my soaps for various reasons. Mostly, because I use my soap up quick enough so that I don't need to.

I want to try milk soaps as I have a great supplier of fresh raw cow's and goats milk.

I've read the "Milk Based Soaps" by Casey Makela, but awhile ago, so I'll reread it before trying it.

I was wondering a few things:

What are the benefits of using 100% milk instead of water?
When you do this, do you do it in the sink with ice water like described in the book?

What are the benefits of doing half/half (water/milk)?

And the biggie: Can I make milk soaps withOUT preservatives?

I think that are all my questions.....but maybe I'll come up with more.
Also, any other resources for making milk soaps?

Thanks!

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Ahhh, milk soap, my specialty! I have been making Goat Milk soap for two years now exclusively! No, you do not need to add a preservative. I do use T-50 (natural vitamin E) to some of my oils that are prone to rancidity when I get them in stock. The saponification process takes care of the need to add preservatives. The used milk will not spoil. The whole process of making soap is turning oils, fats, and lye, into a salt through saponification. The milk solids in the soap is preserved by the salt that surrounds the milk fats. No preservatives required.
Goat Milk, and all milk, helps lower the PH of the soap. It brings it closer to our own skins PH level, thus, making a milder soap. Adding milk does decrease lather a tad, but I compensate by upping my coconut or palm kernel oil a tad above the 30% maximum most say is the limit without getting itchy skin from too high a coconut level. I only need to take a 5% lye discount, since the GM makes the soap naturally milder. Cleopatra, used to bath in milk. Milk is so good for the skin. That is why I fell in love with milk soap, and never even tried another type of Cp soap.
I room temperature all my oils, fat, lye solution. I use very cold Gm and add it right before light trace happens. This way, I never get burned GM soap, only light, creamy soap. I did not start out that way though! You DO NOT need to use frozen GM, or mix your lye to GM over a ice bath, bologna! :roll:

CP GOAT MILK SOAP ROCKS!!!

Paul..... :wink:

 

[orangeblossom]

So is your lye solution water/lye, and then you add your GM at trace? That is what you are saying? That sounds easier than the book.

Do you calculate your GM as part of your water? Meaning, do you have less water in the lye solution, and make up for it by adding GM later?

Or do you use GM just as an additive?

 

[Soapmaker Man]

So is your lye solution water/lye, and then you add your GM at trace? That is what you are saying? That sounds easier than the book.

Do you calculate your GM as part of your water? Meaning, do you have less water in the lye solution, and make up for it by adding GM later?

Or do you use GM just as an additive?

Yes! I use GM as about 60% of the total liquids required by the recipe and calculator. Say the recipe requires, and I'm going to make this easy, 10 ounces of water, and 4 ounces of lye. Since I masterbatch my lye solution at 50% lye to 50% aloe vera juice, I know I need to use 8 ounces of the solution to get 4 ounces of lye and 4 ounces of liquid. I add this amount to the oils and just emulsify. I need 6 more ounces of liquid to bring my total weight to 10 ounces, as the recipe called for. After I have brought to very thin trace I add the 6 ounces of very cold GM to my batter, stick blend a few times, color, swirl, add scents, then pour! Since everything was at room temp, and I mean everything except the very cold GM, I have plenty of play time even with finicky FO's! Never had it overheat on me since I've been doing it my way for over a year now! Done and SOOOO easy! That's Paul's version of RTCP using Goat Milk!

Paul.... :wink:

 

[orangeblossom]

Does the milk have to be pasteurized?

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Does the milk have to be pasteurized?

Nope! My GM is fresh from the farm. No need to heat the milk to kill the bacteria, the lye and the saponification process will take care of that for you!

Paul.... :wink: