Lynda submitted her milk soaps for our Milk Soap Challenge. She used another variation of the Half & Half method and she also included Lavender Buds in her soap. The concentrated lye mixture is added after the milk. This is a different process for sure.
Enjoy!
| Yesterday we made our fourth soap – Lavender Goat Milk. We liked the goat milk soaps we purchased in Florida and at a local craft show, so I thought I’d like our next soap to include goat milk. Then I researched soap making with milk and I almost backed out. The first three soaps were so easy. This was going to be a challenge!
This recipe combines oils that were in a soap I bought at a local craft fair (and loved!), plus I added the castor oil and palm oil. I also wanted to incorporate plants from our garden so I included lavender buds from last year’s crop. Since we were using several more oils and other ingredients than the last three batches, I measured and mixed the smaller items before we even started. I measured the liquid silk and the GSE into their own bowls. I ground the lavender buds and let them soak in the essential oils. I measured out both the water and goat milk and set them aside until we were ready to begin. Then before working with the lye, we measured all of the oils, putting the solids in the soap pot and the liquids in another container. We then added the liquid silk to the water. I chose the half water and half milk cold process method. Having less water takes more time for the lye to dissolve and seemed to be hotter. Once the lye was added to the water and dissolved, I melted the solids that were in the soap pot. After that was completed I took the soap pot off the burner and added the liquid oils and the GSE. Now we stirred and waited for both the oils and the lye water to come down to 95 degrees. When they were around that temperature, I added the room temperature goat milk to the oils. Once they were stirred in, we added the lye water. I’m not sure how long it took, but it did take longer to come to trace than the other batches. Once it was at trace we added the ground lavender and essential oil mixture and poured it into the 4 lb wood mold. I left the mold on the kitchen counter without any insulation. After 24 hours we took it out of the mold, cut it, and put it away to cure. Since we ground the buds, they are just flecks of lavender throughout the bars. We might try next time leaving them as buds. I would also leave out the GSE since it sounds like the majority of soapers feel it doesn’t provide any benefit. The soap is a pretty color and a nice lavender smell. They also were firm bars, even after just 24 hours. I will make more milk soap, but will probably cut down on the number of ingredients since they contributed to our stress levels! |
|
Happy Acres Lavender Goat Milk Soap
Mango Butter (5%) 45 grams
Avocado Butter (5%) 45 grams
Shea Butter (5%) 45 grams
Castor Oil (5%) 45 grams
Coconut Oil (30%) 270 grams
Olive Oil (30%) 270 grams
Palm Oil (20%) 180 grams
Water – 171 grams
Goat milk – 171 grams
Lye – 126 grams
Liquid Silk – 9 grams (add to water)
1.5 tablespoon ground lavender buds
2 teaspoons lavender essential oil
1.5 teaspoon grapefruit seed extract (GSE) optional
This makes 4 lbs of soap or 10 bars.
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!
Don’t miss your chance to vote for future blog topics! The poll can be found on the right side of the screen between the Join In and Follow us on Twitter sections. Every vote counts! You can choose up to five answers if there are multiple topics you would like to see!