Question- Milk in soap. Will this work?

[apoemge]

Here is a recipe I usually use just to start making soap and remind myself what to do....

4 oz water
2 tablespoons lye
.5 lb of lard

This makes about 2 bars.

Here is another recipe I use that usually works with no drama.

8oz cocoa butter
5oz palm oil
3 oz castor oil
2.2 0z lye
1 c water
1 c cold milk
1 tablespoon eo

So I added up the oz in the 2nd recipe and then I kind of proportionally figured out how much milk might go into the top recipe. Tossed in some almond milk - like eighth of a cup if that and stirred it up. It traced and I tossed it in the mold. After all, it's not like I lose much if it doesn't turn out. I realize that it's not the typical milk soap recipe, but I did it anyways.

Tomorrow I unmold it and so far it looks like what I'd anticipate, but very very white.

So here I am now wondering the following:
- Almond milk will work just fine I assume?
- And if it looks like soap, ages and works like soap- then it should be fine right? I don't need to worry about the almond milk or soap doing something strange later?

I have images of pulling out my box of soap and finding it all melted because of this batch or having a sour milk soap in a few months.

Just as an FYI I'm not a professional. I'm not into selling my soap. I typically make soap every 3-5 years for my family of 5. We like the handmade soap and it saves me a bunch to make it my own self. I usually make small batch soap say 5-8 bars (sometimes as big as 12 bars). I usually make several recipes I trust and then try a few new ones. This way I can make a variety (which keeps me from being bored making it) and we can experience a lot of different soaps and smells for our individual preferences.

 

[shunt2011]

Okay, first you should be running all your recipes through a soap calculator. Also you need to measure everything by weight, grams is best. Especially when making small batches.

To make milk soap, you can do 2 different things. 1. Freeze the milk until slushy and slowly add your lye to it. 2. Mix your lye with water 1:1 and then add the difference for the required liquid in milk to your oils before adding your water/lye mixture. I use mostly coconut milk, sometimes goat or buttermilk. I've never had a problem with long term storage or usage. If you are making your soap correctly, it shouldn't be melting. I have soap 7-8 years old and other than it having lost a lot of it's scent it still great soap.

Your recipe is as follows in soapcalc.net

50% Cocoa Butter (226.80 g)
31.25% Palm (141.75 g)
18.75 Castor (85.05 g)

2 oz lye (59 g)
6 oz water (172 g)

You're using too much castor and I would recommend switching your palm and cocoa butter and adding a liquid oil like olive, rice bran, HO sunflower. Also adding some coconut would give you some bubbles.

But if you like the recipe you have been making then go for it. However, weigh it in grams not cups. Especially when making 2 bar test batches.

 

[IrishLass]

Welcome, apoemge!

So here I am now wondering the following:
- Almond milk will work just fine I assume?
- And if it looks like soap, ages and works like soap- then it should be fine right? I don't need to worry about the almond milk or soap doing something strange later?

As long as you are making lye-based soap, any kind of milk you add to the batter will be fine in your finished soap. It shouldn't go bad on you. I make coconut milk soaps and goat milk soaps, and I've also made oat milk soap, and they all hold up great for years.

You may be doing this already, I don't know, but just in case not, I'd like to echo what Shari said ^^^ in that it's important to weigh ingredients as opposed to using volume measurements in order to ensure against any lye heaviness, or at the other extreme, excess superfat in the finished soap (especially when making such small amounts), and also to make sure you run any recipe that you find through a lye calculator first before making it in order to make sure you are adding the correct amount of lye for the particular oils in the recipe you are trying (because each oil/fat has its own particular SAP number/lye requirement).....

I'm going to differ with Shari, though, in your amount of castor. I personally think it's fine in your particular recipe. I've found that large amounts of castor are fine in soaps made with large amount of hard fats, such as what you have with your combined 71% of cocoa butter and palm. For example, I make a soap with 23% castor in it, but it's not sticky or unpleasant because 65% of the soap is made of beef tallow. However, if I were to do that with a soap made primarily of olive oil, I don't think I'd like it as well.


IrishLass

 

[dixiedragon]

Well, I'd suggest using weights...but it seems to be working for you!

In my experience, non-dairy milks do not make the funky sour-milk smell. My suggestion would be to check the ingredients - I'd be hesitant to add a veggie milk with flavoring, for example, because you don't know how that flavoring might behave. I'd choose a plain veggie milk - no flavoring, no sweetener.

 

[apoemge]

Thanks Ladies. I usually do run everything through a soap calc. when making a new recipe. However, I have been making those two recipes for forever.

I just wondered how the first recipe would work with adding milk.

I unmolded it and it's very very white. But it seems to be ok.

Yes. Plain Almond milk.