I Made Soap!

Here is the grapefruit soap all sliced up and ready to dry. It turned out very pretty and smooth. The scent isn't quite as pronounced as I'd like, but it does smell nice.

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"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." ~ Philippians 4:11

Gorgeous!

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~Jill~

Riverbend Farm

WWW.Freewebs.com/jyllie63

I always have Goatmilk soap for sale

Oh good. I had hoped that was what you meant.

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Roseanna
Morning Mist Herd
Journey's End Jerseys
Jerseys, Jersey/Norwegian Reds, Beef, Boers, Nubians & crossbreeds

I was at Meijers today but I couldn't find Lye. Does it say Lye or does it also have a different name? Sorry to sound so dumb but I've never had to buy it before so not sure what I'm looking for.
I might have to go to Walmart.

Katie, it's very hard to find lye locally. You can try Ace Hardware or True Value Hardware. TSC sells it as well under a drain cleaner name (can't remember the name of it off hand) and it has to say 100% lye. If you can't find it locally you can order it from Hoegger's and other soap supply companies.

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~Jill~

Riverbend Farm

WWW.Freewebs.com/jyllie63

I always have Goatmilk soap for sale

Thanks Jill, I'll check with TSC & the Ace Hardware before ordering.

Okay, stupid question, but how did you get the grapefruit soap so perfectly round? Did you use round molds? Or a tube and perfectly sliced them? I HAVE to learn to do something with all this goat milk! You're improving my confidence toward soap making. Was this a first for you? Any tricks or pitfalls to avoid?

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Look for incidents on the learning curve at: http://littlecricketchronicles.blogspot.com/

I used a length of 3 inch PVC pipe that we had here. I just capped the end, stood it up, poured it in, and capped the other end. When it was ready, I used a can of food to push it out. It slid right out. I laid it down and used a knife to mark 1 inch increments along the length, and then just sliced through it at the marks.

This was my first attempt at soap making, and I found that, following the instructions carefully, it wasn't too hard. It would have been easier and faster if I'd had a working immersion blender, but even with the stirring, it wasn't too daunting. The next batch will be easier because yesterday, my very thoughtful DH went out at bought me a new immersion blender! He's so thoughtful!

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"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." ~ Philippians 4:11

I may have to try this....
I have goat milk and I have frozen homemade lard from a pig we butchered a year ago
I'm growing my own honey right now too
What I need are a couple more hours in each day
But this looks like fun thanks for posting about it!

I have been kicking this idea around and I am really going to have to do it! Your soaps look very pretty and I can imagine how good they must smell! Beautiful job!

The link is broken...can you please put it back in a different way...would like to give this a try...yours looks wonderful!

Well, I tried going back to the site, and apparently, it is no longer active. Good thing I printed the recipe. Here is the information I copied from the site:


Background Information
This recipe uses a low temperature technique which uses a liquid:hard oils ratio of 55:45. This prevents the soap formula from becoming solid at low temperatures. You can use this table for determining if your oils are hard or soft. Low temperature soap making prevents the more volatile elements of essential oils and the more delicate top notes of fragrances from burning off and prevents the starches and proteins in the goat milk from scorching during the process.
When using the low temperature method, expect to leave your batch in the mold for approximately 24 to 48 hours. Turn your batch out of the mold when your soap feels firm to the touch. Time will vary with soap oil formula, water amount, and fragrance or essential oils used.

Ingredients:
Lye : This can be found in most grocery and hardware stores in the cleaners section.
Fats: The most commonly used are coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, or lard
Goat milk: Pure, powdered, or canned milk will do well
Essential Oils (Optional): Any essential oil or combination of essential oils can be used depending on the effect you want to experience. Want to relax? Try lavender. Want to strengthen your immune system? Try tea tree oil or lemon oil. Want to protect yourself from skin cancer? Try sandalwood oil.
Materials Needed:
Soap mold
Stainless steel pots
Stove top
Thermometer
Blender
White vinegar (for cleaning lye spills)
Procedure:
1. MEASURE YOUR INGREDIENTS
Any combination of fats and oils can be used as long as they meet the 55:45 ratio discussed earlier. Use the saponification table for determining the amount of lye needed. One recommended combination of oils/lye/goat milk is listed below. Do not include the essential oils at this point if you are using them,
Olive oil – 24 oz.
Coconut oil – 10 oz.
Lard – 30 oz.
Lye – 8.7 oz.
Milk – 24 oz. – Pour the goat milk into a shallow pan and freeze solid. Break into chunks before using.
2. Melt the solid fats in a stainless steel pot and then add the oils. Be sure to not heat them above 115⁰F as this will cause the mixture to burn!
3. Add lye to your frozen milk in a plastic container. The mixture will get hot, so keep an eye on the temperature, making sure it does not go above 140⁰F. Any higher and the milk will burn. If the milk has thawed, put the lye in very slowly in small amounts and wait for the temperature to drop below 90⁰F before adding more.
4. Watch the temperature of the lye/milk and oil/fats. When they both reach a temperature of 90⁰F or 100⁰F, proceed to the next step.
5. Pour the milk/lye mixture into the oils while stirring. Stir until the soap forms a trace.
6. Add your essential oils to the mixture.
7. Stir well with a blender. It has blended enough when the mix begins to thicken. This could take several minutes, or several hours, depending on your starting ingredients.
8. Pour the mixture into a soap mold.
9. Allow the soap to sit for 24 to 48 hours, or until hardened. After it has hardened, remove it from the mold and cut it into bars using a large kitchen knife.
10. Cure the soap on a non-metallic surface for three 3weeks.
11. After three weeks, the soap is ready to use.

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"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." ~ Philippians 4:11

Along with the recipe above, I watched A LOT of Youtube videos showing people actually making soap so I could get an idea of what things to look for and how to handle the soap and ingredients. Hope this helps!

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"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." ~ Philippians 4:11

Thank you so much! Just had our first ever doe kid last week. She had only one little guy and is producing a ton of milk. He is drinking from one side and I am milking the other. I am looking for stuff to do with all of the milk I am getting.

Oh, a couple of things that aren't listed in the materials list: rubber gloves (I use the yellow ones for dishwashing) and a pair of safety goggles. I also wear a long sleeved shirt. Lye is caustic stuff, and I don't want a fun hobby to turn into a burning incident.

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"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." ~ Philippians 4:11

Now the fun begins . . . How many things can you do with your soap.

1. Use it as soap -

2. Rub it on a damp rag - rub rag on the couch where the dog rubbed all of its dirt and hair on - clean couch.

3. Dissolve a bar in a jar of water - dilute and spray on vegetable garden - no more bugs or worms, clean veges when you rinse them.

4. Grate it up, mix with Borax and washing soda - best laundry detergent EVER - no chemicals - towels stay fresher longer.

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Cathy Westbrook, Tallabred Soaps, Inc.
Purebred Nubians

Okay, but kinda confused over the 55:45 ratio thing. Is there a chart missing? I assume that means 55% liquid, 45% fat - but exactly how do you measure that? By weight? Volume?

I truly want to try soap making and have two half gallons of goat milk in the freezer waiting, but I don't have anyone to show me so will need a real basic list of instructions. Again, I'm thinking there's a chart or table I'm not seeing. Care to try that link again? Maybe the name of the website in the event they changed moved that page?
Thanks. Hoping to get there one day (like 8 weeks before christmas).

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Look for incidents on the learning curve at: http://littlecricketchronicles.blogspot.com/

That is saying that you should use 55% liquid oils and 45% hard oils, fats or butters - oils that are hard at room temp. All oils are done by weight, not volume.

My best bar is my butter bar which is almost 70% hard oils - I never saw that ratio requirement before I started making soap I like to see the same information from 5 different sources before I take it as a fact off the internet.

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Cathy Westbrook, Tallabred Soaps, Inc.
Purebred Nubians

WOW! That is just lovely!

My first attempts at soapmaking are nothing to write about, except to say , "They were abysmal."

But I do have a nice scale now, as well as TWO stick blenders (one was a gift; the other won at auction when we got a whole table's worth of stuff for $1).

After seeing your lovely soap, I may get out all my stuff and try, try again.

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Je ne suis pas Alice

http://homesteadingfamilies.proboards.com/

Is goat milk considered a liquid oil? I know it has butter fat in it, but it's mostly comprised of water, right?
Sorry to be so dense.

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Look for incidents on the learning curve at: http://littlecricketchronicles.blogspot.com/