Powdered honey and goat milk.

[TashaBird]

Ok, so I don’t actually have 1:1 MB lye solution, I’m going to make it. And, since I haven’t used the calculator in this way before, could someone please check that I’m doing this right? I entered 1:1 MB lye solution. And this is what I got via the calculator. I believe I need to divide the lye solution weight in half and make one part lye one part water. The remaining liquid is what I get to use for the GM and honey. Correct? (Sorry if this sounds dumb. I have issues with numbers, and it’s best I be extra careful.)

 

[TashaBird]

Oops. I think I know what I did wrong in that last photo. I had selected %50 lye solution. Now I did %30 solution WITH mb lye. Here’s what I got.

 

[AliOop]

If you are starting with a 50% MB solution, want a final solution of 30%, and want to have additional water to use for dissolving additives, then your second recipe is correct. Good job!

 

[Carly B]

One more comment on GM powder. I use Meyenberg powder too. Since I use powdered GM in all my soap except the vegan ones, usually I add it after I've melted my hard fats and mixed them with the liquid fats while it's still warm. I put a scoop in and let it hydrate and sink, then I stick blend it. I think the warmth and the time must help,
because I've never had white streaks or clumps from GM powder. I have honey powder, but I haven' figured out what I want to do with it yet. I'm sort of afraid of it overheating.....

 

[AliOop]

I also do it like @Carly B, and find that a lot simpler.

Question: Since you don't have actually have any MB solution already made, what is the point of making an MB lye solution for this recipe? I don't really see how that helps you, and it actually complicates the process.

I suggest that you create your recipe normally, without selecting the MB lye option. That will give you the amount of water and lye you need.

Simply pour off a little bit of that water to hydrate the GMP and honey into a slurry that you can stickblend into your oils. That should leave you with more than enough water to dissolve the NaOH.

 

[TashaBird]

I also do it like @Carly B, and find that a lot simpler.

Question: Since you don't have actually have any MB solution already made, what is the point of making an MB lye solution for this recipe? I don't really see how that helps you, and it actually complicates the process.

I suggest that you create your recipe normally, without selecting the MB lye option. That will give you the amount of water and lye you need.

Simply pour off a little bit of that water to hydrate the GMP and honey into a slurry that you can stickblend into your oils. That should leave you with more than enough water to dissolve the NaOH.

Too late!
I made 1:1 lye solution. Then I heated and blended the rest of the water, GM pow, and honey and poured that into ice cube trays.
The plan is to add the GM/Honey/h2o frozen cubes to the 1:1 lye solution.
So here’s my next question. Could I do that (adding cubes to lye) this evening for soap making tomorrow?
I’ve got a friend coming over to make soap. This formula is predominantly tallow from a cow elk she hunted. I’d hate for us to have to wait around for ages while it cooled down.
Or! I can add the cubes to the lye with the co Rainer surrounded by ice.
(She’s bringing a photographer so I had to deep clean my soap making space. I’ll put the pic here since I’m not sure if I’m allowed to post it in WSTDYDT thread.)

 

[TashaBird]

@AliOop in hind sight I see what you mean and I agree. I just over complicated it. I think I was thinking I needed more water for the GM pow.

 

[AliOop]

@AliOop in hind sight I see what you mean and I agree. I just over complicated it. I think I was thinking I needed more water for the GM pow.

I totally get that... when I first started using it, I was trying to rehydrate it 1:1. Now I just SB into my oils and go - so much easier. Hope yours go well, and we will look forward to some pics

Sorry, just read the post before that one. I don't understand the purpose of making ice cubes out of the honey and GMP. Normally you would only do that if you were going to add the NaOH crystals to the goat milk to make a lye solution. In that situation, you freeze the milk to keep it from scorching as the lye heats it up.

But since your lye solution is already made, you will want to use room temp GM and honey. Otherwise, the frozen cubes could cause the lye to precipitate out of the water - no bueno!

The lye solution will still heat up a bit when you add those additional items, but not enough to need ice. If you want to be ready to soap tomorrow, I'd put those frozen cubes in the fridge so they melt (but stay cold enough that the milk doesn't go bad). Then take them out a bit before you want to soap. You also don't want to put the frozen cubes or fridge-cold honey-milk into your tallow, unless that oil is hot enough not to resolidify.

 

[cmzaha]

I have always dissolved my GM powder in my warm oils with no problems and have never had a problem with doing it this way. I started using GM powder exclusively when I changed soaping with vinegar if I wanted to make GM soaps.

 

[TashaBird]

Otherwise, the frozen cubes could cause the lye to precipitate out of the water - no bueno!

I don’t understand this part, but it does NOT sound good! Shoot! Now I’m super nervous!! I’ll defrost the cubes right now.
So then it’s ok to add cold GM/honey water to my 1:1 lye tomorrow?

 

[TashaBird]

I could just start over, I’ve got more GM pow, but I don’t have anymore honey.

 

[AliOop]

No need to start over! Let the cubes defrost in the fridge, and then set that cold GM/honey water out on the counter for an hour or so before you plan to use it. You can add it to your lye solution, or stick-blend it into your oils like others have suggested.

 

[earlene]

I don't quite understand why you don't just choose the masterbatch lye solution option in the calculator when creating the recipe. If you make a 1:1 masterbatch solution, that's how you set it up in the Soapmakingfriend calculator. No need to do all that extra calculation. Of course, it's good to understand how to do it, but once you understand how it's done, it's just so much easier to let the calculator do the rest of the math for you.

Then your remaining liquid is already figured out for you.

 

[TashaBird]

Revisiting my goat milk and honey soap. I’ve separated out 1/3 of the lye water and dissolved the liquid honey in that. Per Irish lass method I plan on adding that back to the cooled lye water. I have colloidal oat powder and goat milk powder I’d like to also add. What would be the best way to add that? I could save some honey water and dissolve it in that adding this remaining liquid to the oils, or to the batter. What say you?

 

[Virgogoddess]

Revisiting my goat milk and honey soap. I’ve separated out 1/3 of the lye water and dissolved the liquid honey in that. Per Irish lass method I plan on adding that back to the cooled lye water. I have colloidal oat powder and goat milk powder I’d like to also add. What would be the best way to add that? I could save some honey water and dissolve it in that adding this remaining liquid to the oils, or to the batter. What say you?

Just add it to your oils. Blend well. That’s it, easy!

 

[TashaBird]

I added shea butter and colloidal oats to this staple soap. And I finally found the right FO. I’m super excited!!!
I wound up taking part of the honey water and dispersing the colloidal oats and goat milk powder into that and adding it stick blended to the oils right before I added the rest of the honey water/lye. It worked out pretty good I think! It’s surprisingly fluid still. Hoping it’s all mixed well enough.

 

[TashaBird]

HALP! Did I volcano? Did I get false trace? Tallow, shea butter, CO, avo, rice bran, castor. My usual recipe, except added shea butter. Goat milk, honey, colloidal oat pow. Soaped w oils at 115-120, lye mix at 85ish. Stayed surprisingly fluid for awhile, but I was sure I reached emulsion. Put both loaves into a cooler w a small heating pad that turns off after 20 mins.
The top was real smooth last night. Where the discoloration is has a sort of skin over a squishy area, and it’s got an odd dip/mound shape.
Did I get a volcano? If so, it’s my first. Would the soap still be ok?
Or could it have been false trace? How can I tell what it might be?