Enjoy!

First, here’s the recipe I used — it’s a little varied from my usual mix, because I wanted to use the last of my cocoa butter & shea butter, hence the odd numbers: 400g Coconut Oil 400g Palm Oil 200g Water 200g Coconut Milk 200g Olive Oil 172g Sodium Hydroxide 100g Grapeseed Oil 56g Cocoa Butter 22g Shea Butter 28ml Lemongrass Essential Oil

I did the usual measuring out of the lye & water. I can’t be sure, but I think the lower volume of water made it heat up more. At least, I can only assume that’s the reason that the glass jug I’ve been using for 8 months to hold my lye/water solution broke off cleanly at the
bottom when I submerged it into the water bath. Crap. Well, at least it broke in the sink and not all over my counter. At worst, my sink will drain a little more clearly. Lye all over my kitchen is NOT something I want to think about.

So, I switched to a pyrex measuring cup instead. This worked fine. Phew. Left that sitting in the water bath while I went on to measure & mix the rest of my oils.

The shea butter & cocoa butter were already measured out, because I needed to see how much I had left so I could run that through my lye calculator first. I added the rest of my oils, and measured out the coconut milk and set it aside. Heated the oils, cooled the lye until
everything was about 120F (Yes, I measure my oils in g, and my temperature in F — “120″ is a bit more exact than “50″ so being a degree or two off is less of a big deal.)

Got my stick blender out, and started stirring the lye solution into my oils. Blended in very short bursts — I’ve discovered before that a low-water soap can go from “untraced” to “seized in the pot” SUPER fast, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to end up with a solid lump again. Huge pain in the butt. When I guessed it was roughly halfway to tracing, I added in the room temperature coconut milk, stirred a bit more to get everything fully blended, added in my essential oil (lemongrass — yummy!) and grabbed my prepared mold.

It was starting to trace super fast at that point, so I started lumping it into the mold as fast as I could. I usually make round soaps, using a lined PVC pipe, so the more firmly traced it is, the harder it is to get it into the mold. By the time I was finished molding it up, it was roughly the consistency of playdough, which is ridiculously hard to work with, especially with a narrow mold. Upon reflection, I probably should have grabbed one of my flat pan molds, but I really like my round soaps. Here’s hoping there aren’t any major air holes in there — I pushed at it a lot with my spatula to try to shove it down. Next time, I think I’ll add the essential oil at the
same time as the milk so I can avoid extra stirring.

I had a bit more than fit into my single round mold, so I grabbed one of the washed, clean milk cartons I save for exactly this purpose. They’re neat, they make perfectly square soaps.

So, everything is in the molds, and I’m leaving them uninsulated because… well, it’s a milk soap, and I’m told those heat up a ton. They’re sitting out in my pantry right now, and I’m looking forward to unmolding them on Wednesday.

—
Wednesday:

I unmolded my coconut milk soaps, and hooray, they seem to have turned out! Will wait a few weeks to really try them, but washing the residue off my hands sudded up quite nicely and left my hands nice and soft, so I think it’s going to be pretty good stuff.

As expected, there are a few “gaps” where there were air pockets. Next time, I have to work on getting it into the molds faster, it’s difficult to work with a long narrow mold when you’re at a super thick trace.

Color: Not much different from my normal soaps, maybe a tinge more yellow… although that’s probably from the lemongrass, which has some minor discoloring effects. Next batch I do (I still have another 200g of coconut milk) I will probably try to color a bit. We’ll see.

I scented these a lot stronger than I usually do, and my kitchen smells very strongly of lemongrass. I am totally okay with this, because lemongrass is awesome.

And there we have it. I’m super pleased with it, and definitely plan on making more. I really like the half and half method, it works like a charm (even if I did manage to break a jug trying it!)

Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by March 1st for posts during February.

Did you know that you can become a fan of Majestic Mountain Sage on Facebook? Receive the latest updates, blog post notifications and more!

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Collect needed items:

Weigh the baking chocolate, chop into small chunks and set aside.

Measure oils on your scale. Warm on the stove or in the microwave. Once the oils are melted, add the baking chocolate and stir until completely melted. Bring temperature to near 120 °F. Exact temperature is not critical. Add sodium hydroxide to the water. Mix well. Allow to cool to near 120 °F. Once again, exact temperature is not critical.

Combine oils and lye solution. Stir until thin trace. Add fragrance if you desire. Stir well. Pour soap into molds. Allow to sit until soap is firm.

Cut into bars. Stack to allow good air circulation. Allow to cure for several days before using. Longer curing will result in a harder bar.

This soap smells like Devil’s Food Cake and allows any chocoholic to enjoy their addiction even while bathing!

Notes: We only recommend 1/8 to 1/4 to ounce of baking chocolate per pound of fats in a batch. We are primarily using the baking chocolate for scent and color, so a little will go a long way!

Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by March 1st for posts during February.

Did you know that you can become a fan of Majestic Mountain Sage on Facebook? Receive the latest updates, blog post notifications and more!

Oils ready for the microwave.

Adding lye to the water.

Mixing the lye solution.

Melted oils.

Adding baking chocolate to the melted oils.

Baking chocolate mixed with the melted oils. Mixing the batch together. The batch is almost at trace.

Adding the lye solution to the batch. Continuing to mix the batch. Soaps sitting in the molds.

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Top row of soaps, starting at the top left of the picture:
Cows Milk, Goats Milk, and Buttermilk.
Bottom row of soaps, starting at the bottom left of the picture:
Soy Milk and Almond Milk.

Don’t forget about the 5 Milks Soap Set Special! If you would like to receive all 5 soaps and test them on your own, you can order them for $18 including shipping! Each bar weighs between 4.5 oz and 5 oz and has measurements of 2 1/2″ X 2 1/2″ X 1″. They have not been scented at all, so you will only have the soaps as made on their respective posts. I will only send the set of 5 soaps, no single soap requests please.

Click on photo to enlarge.

How do I order the 5 Milks Soap Set?
1) Go to the Gift Certificate Form on our website.
2) Fill out all required fields for shipping and billing information as well as the credit card field for payment.
3) Give a Gift Certificate Value of $18.00. Type it into the “Other Amount” box as 18.00 (no dollar sign) to prevent problems.
4) In the “Gift Message” box, type the following message “Please send me the 5 Milks Soap Set!”
5) Submit your order request!

What do I get for $18?
1) 1 Cows Milk Soap
2) 1 Goats Milk Soap
3) 1 Buttermilk Soap
4) 1 Soy Milk Soap
5) 1 Almond Milk Soap
6) Shipping is INCLUDED in this total!

Kim & Margaret: Your soap sets left today!

Can I place this through the MMS Catalog Online Ordering?
No. At this time, our MMS Catalog Online Ordering will add a shipping calculation to all orders processed through the system. Our Gift Certificate System will not add any additional shipping charges to your order.

Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by March 1st for posts during February.

Did you know that you can become a fan of Majestic Mountain Sage on Facebook? Receive the latest updates, blog post notifications and more!

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Again, here are the directions that we will follow in a step by step format.

1) Calculate the amount of lye and liquid needed for the oils you plan to use.

2) Measure all of the oils and set aside to heat gently.

3) Measure the lye and set aside.

4) Measure HALF of the needed liquid as water and set aside. Measure HALF of the needed liquid as milk and set aside. Milk should be room temperature, not frozen or heated.

5) Add ALL of the lye to the water. Stir well. No crystals should remain on the bottom of your mixing vessel. When the temperature of this lye solution is within 110° F to 130° F, (cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, cooler for large batches and warmer for small batches), add it to the oil mixture. Blend with an immersion blender until you estimate you are halfway through the mixing process. This will happen with most oils in about 1 minute. The mixture should NOT be thick or viscous. The mixture should be very fluid, like water.

6) Now steadily pour the milk into the batch. Use the immersion blender to finish the blending so there is no chance of separation.

7) Add fragrance. Pour into prepared SHALLOW molds (1 inch deep or so). Milk soaps can get very hot and shallow molds help the excess heat dump into the air. This will prevent the milk sugars from interrupting the saponification reaction.

This is called the Half and Half Method, because you use half water, half milk, and add the milk half way through the blending of the batch.

Collect needed items:

Notes: I will also show you a picture of the Almond Meal leftover from making the Almond Milk. I showed you some of the almonds with their skins still on so they could still be easily recognized, but the Almond Milk is best if you take the time to slip the skins off the hydrated almonds.

Don’t forget to give me your guesses on the final colors of the soaps! We will see a cut soap comparison on Monday!

Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by March 1st for posts during February.

Did you know that you can become a fan of Majestic Mountain Sage on Facebook? Receive the latest updates, blog post notifications and more!

Hydrated Almonds.

Almonds in water to make almond milk.

Fresh Almond Milk.

Oils ready to be melted.

Adding lye to the water.

Mixing the lye solution. Mixing the batch to halfway to trace. Adding the Almond Milk to the batch. Filling the first mold.

Adding the lye solution to the melted oils. The batch is ready for the milk to be added. Beginning to pour the batch into the mold. Pouring the last bit of soap out of the mixing bucket.

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

Again, here are the directions that we will follow in a step by step format.

1) Calculate the amount of lye and liquid needed for the oils you plan to use.

2) Measure all of the oils and set aside to heat gently.

3) Measure the lye and set aside.

4) Measure HALF of the needed liquid as water and set aside. Measure HALF of the needed liquid as milk and set aside. Milk should be room temperature, not frozen or heated.

5) Add ALL of the lye to the water. Stir well. No crystals should remain on the bottom of your mixing vessel. When the temperature of this lye solution is within 110° F to 130° F, (cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, cooler for large batches and warmer for small batches), add it to the oil mixture. Blend with an immersion blender until you estimate you are halfway through the mixing process. This will happen with most oils in about 1 minute. The mixture should NOT be thick or viscous. The mixture should be very fluid, like water.

6) Now steadily pour the milk into the batch. Use the immersion blender to finish the blending so there is no chance of separation.

7) Add fragrance. Pour into prepared SHALLOW molds (1 inch deep or so). Milk soaps can get very hot and shallow molds help the excess heat dump into the air. This will prevent the milk sugars from interrupting the saponification reaction.

This is called the Half and Half Method, because you use half water, half milk, and add the milk half way through the blending of the batch.

Collect needed items:

We only have Almond Milk left! Don’t forget to give me your guesses on the final colors of the soaps! We will see a cut soap comparison on Monday!

Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by March 1st for posts during February.

Did you know that you can become a fan of Majestic Mountain Sage on Facebook? Receive the latest updates, blog post notifications and more!

Hydrated soybeans on top and dehydrated soybeans on the bottom.

Oils ready for to be melted.

Adding lye to the water.

Mixing the lye solution.

Adding the lye solution to the melted oils.

Mixing the batch to halfway to trace. Adding milk to the batch. Filling the second mold.

The batch is ready for the milk to be added. Beginning to pour the batch into the mold.

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

Again, here are the directions that we will follow in a step by step format.

1) Calculate the amount of lye and liquid needed for the oils you plan to use.

2) Measure all of the oils and set aside to heat gently.

3) Measure the lye and set aside.

4) Measure HALF of the needed liquid as water and set aside. Measure HALF of the needed liquid as milk and set aside. Milk should be room temperature, not frozen or heated.

5) Add ALL of the lye to the water. Stir well. No crystals should remain on the bottom of your mixing vessel. When the temperature of this lye solution is within 110° F to 130° F, (cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, cooler for large batches and warmer for small batches), add it to the oil mixture. Blend with an immersion blender until you estimate you are halfway through the mixing process. This will happen with most oils in about 1 minute. The mixture should NOT be thick or viscous. The mixture should be very fluid, like water.

6) Now steadily pour the milk into the batch. Use the immersion blender to finish the blending so there is no chance of separation.

7) Add fragrance. Pour into prepared SHALLOW molds (1 inch deep or so). Milk soaps can get very hot and shallow molds help the excess heat dump into the air. This will prevent the milk sugars from interrupting the saponification reaction.

This is called the Half and Half Method, because you use half water, half milk, and add the milk half way through the blending of the batch.

Collect needed items:

Tomorrow we will make a Soy Milk Soap. We only have Almond Milk left! AND THEN (drum roll, please). I will show you the pictures of ALL the soaps! Which is the whitest? Which turned peach-colored? Which is tan? Go ahead and give me your guesses!

Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by March 1st for posts during February.

Did you know that you can become a fan of Majestic Mountain Sage on Facebook? Receive the latest updates, blog post notifications and more!

Oils ready for the microwave.

Adding lye to the water.

Mixing the lye solution.

Adding the lye solution to the melted oils.

Mixing the batch to halfway to trace.

Adding the milk to the batch. Beginning to pour the batch into the mold.

Batch at complete trace. Filling the second mold.

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What is the advantage to using the Half and Half Method rather than adding the milk to the lye solution?

The advantage is that we allow the normal saponification to happen, without stalling using cold temperatures, we get firm soap quickly, AND we don’t have any separation in the mold. We feel that our best batch of soap is the first batch and by following the Half and Half Method, we reduce the chances of our soaps failing and increase our chances of getting that perfect batch of soap the first time around.

The Half and Half Method is actually very easy to follow. Here are the directions that we will follow in a step by step format.

1) Calculate the amount of lye and liquid needed for the oils you plan to use.

2) Measure all of the oils and set aside to heat gently.

3) Measure the lye and set aside.

4) Measure HALF of the needed liquid as water and set aside. Measure HALF of the needed liquid as milk and set aside. Milk should be room temperature, not frozen or heated.

5) Add ALL of the lye to the water. Stir well. No crystals should remain on the bottom of your mixing vessel. When the temperature of this lye solution is within 110° F to 130° F, (cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, cooler for large batches and warmer for small batches), add it to the oil mixture. Blend with an immersion blender until you estimate you are halfway through the mixing process. This will happen with most oils in about 1 minute. The mixture should NOT be thick or viscous. The mixture should be very fluid, like water.

6) Now steadily pour the milk into the batch. Use the immersion blender to finish the blending so there is no chance of separation.

7) Add fragrance. Pour into prepared SHALLOW molds (1 inch deep or so). Milk soaps can get very hot and shallow molds help the excess heat dump into the air. This will prevent the milk sugars from interrupting the saponification reaction.

This is called the Half and Half Method, because you use half water, half milk, and add the milk half way through the blending of the batch.

Collect needed items:

Tomorrow we will make a Buttermilk Soap. We only have Soy Milk and Almond Milk left after buttermilk!

Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by March 1st for posts during February.

Did you know that you can become a fan of Majestic Mountain Sage on Facebook? Receive the latest updates, blog post notifications and more!

Oils ready for the microwave.

Adding lye to the water.

Mixing the lye solution.

Adding the lye solution to the melted oils.

Mixing the batch to halfway to trace.

Almost ready for milk to be added.

Adding the milk to the batch.

Batch at complete trace. Filling the second mold.

Pouring the batch into the mold. Filled molds resting.

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

The Half and Half Method is actually very easy to follow. Here are the directions that we will follow in a step by step format.

1) Calculate the amount of lye and liquid needed for the oils you plan to use.

2) Measure all of the oils and set aside to heat gently.

3) Measure the lye and set aside.

4) Measure HALF of the needed liquid as water and set aside. Measure HALF of the needed liquid as milk and set aside. Milk should be room temperature, not frozen or heated.

5) Add ALL of the lye to the water. Stir well. No crystals should remain on the bottom of your mixing vessel. When the temperature of this lye solution is within 110° F to 130° F, (cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, cooler for large batches and warmer for small batches), add it to the oil mixture. Blend with an immersion blender until you estimate you are halfway through the mixing process. This will happen with most oils in about 1 minute. The mixture should NOT be thick or viscous. The mixture should be very fluid, like water.

6) Now steadily pour the milk into the batch. Use the immersion blender to finish the blending so there is no chance of separation.

7) Add fragrance. Pour into prepared SHALLOW molds (1 inch deep or so). Milk soaps can get very hot and shallow molds help the excess heat dump into the air. This will prevent the milk sugars from interrupting the saponification reaction.

This is called the Half and Half Method, because you use half water, half milk, and add the milk half way through the blending of the batch.

Collect needed items:

Tomorrow we will make a Goats Milk Soap. Later this week, we will make milk soaps with Buttermilk, Soy Milk, and Almond Milk.

Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by March 1st for posts during February.

Preparing to add lye to water.

Adding lye to the water.

Almost completely melted oils.

Adding the lye solution to melted oils.

Mixing the oils to halfway to trace. Adding the milk to the batch. Pouring the soap into the Extra Large Square Tray Mold. Filling a Square Tray Mold. Ready to cut the soap.

The soap is almost ready for the milk. Using the immersion blender to mix batch completely. The Extra Large Square Tray Mold is almost completely filled. Soap after 24 hours. Pile of cut soaps.

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Collect needed items:

Weigh your fragrance oils and set aside.

Measure oils on your scale. Warm on the stove or in the microwave. Bring temperature to near 120 °F. Exact temperature is not critical. Add sodium hydroxide to the water. Mix well. Allow to cool to near 120 °F. Once again, exact temperature is not critical.

Combine oils and lye solution. Stir until thin trace. Upon trace add the fragrance oil blend and color. Stir well. Pour soap into molds. Allow to sit until soap is firm.

Cut into bars. Stack to allow good air circulation. Allow to cure for several days before using. Longer curing will result in a harder bar.

Notes: I haven’t cut this soap yet. I expect to release pictures of this soap once it has been cut this afternoon. I love how yummy this soap is smelling right now! Most of the staff have found various reasons to wander by the test kitchen and tell me that this smells just like a bar of soap!

Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by February 1st for posts during January.

Measured oils before melting.

Adding the lye to the water.

Mixing the lye solution.

Melted oils.

Adding the lye solution to the oils. Adding the fragrances to the soap.

Mixing the soap to a light trace. Pouring the soap into the mold.

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Collect needed items:

Grind oatmeal to a fine flour. Measure 4 ounces. Set aside.

Measure oils on your scale. Warm on the stove or in the microwave. Bring temperature to near 120 °F. Exact temperature is not critical. Add sodium hydroxide to the water. Mix well. Allow to cool to near 120 °F. Once again, exact temperature is not critical. It is a good idea to record your temperatures so refinements can be made. Since this particular batch of soap was poured into one deep mold, the temperatures do not have to be as high as when pouring the same batch size into a shallow mold.

Combine oils and lye solution. Stir until thin trace. Add finely ground oatmeal and ground cinnamon. Adding the oatmeal slowly while continuously stirring will help prevent lumping. Stir out any lumps. Upon trace add the Gingerbread & Spice Fragrance Oil. Stir well. Pour soap into molds. Allow to sit until soap is firm.

Cut into bars. Stack to allow good air circulation. Allow to cure for several days before using. Longer curing will result in a harder bar.

Notes & Comments:
Please note that some individuals can have an allergic reaction to cinnamon. Please label your soap. We think the color is gorgeous! Try it if your family doesn’t have a cinnamon allergy.

Ground cinnamon will accelerate the trace, so be prepared to see your soap turn from very fluid to mashed potatoes in 2 minutes flat! You may add the cinnamon to the soap when you add your fragrance to minimize the acceleration. Before adding make sure your molds are ready for the soap!

Don’t forget to submit your blog or video posts to win the MMS Perfumer’s Kit. Remember, this kit is worth $280! Submissions are due by February 1st for posts during January.

Measured oils before melting.

Stirring the lye solution.

Almost completely melted oils.

Adding the lye solution to the melted oils.

Starting to mix the oils and lye solution together.

Adding the Ground Cinnamon to the soap. Mixing the additives in completely. Blending the fragrance into the soap. Pouring into the second mold.

Blending the Cinnamon and Oatmeal into the soap. Adding the fragrance. Pouring the soap into the mold. Cut soap.

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