benefits of milk in soap?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

I have just learned how to make soap! Yes, I have been bitten by the bug. Yesterday, I went over to a friend's house to teach her how to do it. She didnt have the correct ingredients for the recipe we had, so I went on-line, and found out how to formulate a recipe with the ingredients we had on hand. We ended up making a very nice honey-tan soap out of lard, olive oil, canola oil, and beeswax. It worked perfectly!

I am currently learning how to formulate my own recipes for soap, based on the qualities each oil or fat yeilds to the finished product. Another friend of mine has extremely dry skin, and I am wanting to formulate a soap to fit her needs.

Can anyone tell me what milk contributes to soap? And what differences are there between cow's milk soap and goat's milk soap? How much milk do you use in your soap, and how do you incorporate it into the soap? At what stage?

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), January 29, 2002

Answers

I do know that fresh milk will soften skin soaked in it, probably due to the acids in it (lactose). Don't know if the effect stays around during soap making or not.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), January 29, 2002.

What site did you use to find the recipe for lard in the soap?? Someone e-mailed me for my soap recipe (I had answered on a hog thread I liked the lard for soap and I had not made it clear that I bartered my lard for soap and had not made it.) I have the book on making goat's milk soap. A friend makes it and it is WONDERFUL....I think it adds something to the whole thing that makes it very gentle on hands and restores the oils or something. My hands use to crack and bleed in the winter with milking and all, and since I started using it, they don't.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), January 29, 2002.

We make sheep's milk soap. Milk in soap if allowed to sour slightly is high in alphahydroxies, it helps exfoliate without drying. I'm not sure how far along our soap site is (being moved, rebuilt, etc.) but here's the addy. There was a great description on it. Ewes milk soap site. If it's not there let me know and I'll bug my wife for it or my SIL

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), January 29, 2002.

dianne, I found the chart telling how to formulate your own soap recipe on this page:

http://users.silverlink.net/~timer/soapdesign.html#

There is a long list of different kinds of fats, and after those fats, there are two lists of numbers. The first number is how many ounces of lye to use per ounce of fat to make a stronger soap. The last number is what to use if you want to make a milder soap, easier on the hands. We had lard, olive oil, canola oil, and beeswax on hand. So we weighed each fat, and did a separate calculation for each one. Then we added up all the numbers we got, and we had the total amount of lye needed to turn our specific batch of oil combination into soap!

Another important concideration is to use the 1:3 ratio of water to fats in your recipe. In other words, divide the ounces of fats you are using by 3, and that is how many ounces of water you should dissolve your lye into. If you are using milk instead of water, make it a 1:2 ratio.

Different fats have different soap-making properties. Lard will make a softer soap, depending on whether or not it is a harder lard. The lard I rendered myself turned out a LOT softer (less saturated) than what I had been buying from the store. A lot depends on the diet of the animal. Lard will make a little better lather than tallow will. Tallow makes a hard bar, but a thin and somewhat slimier lather, from what I have read. What I am excited about trying, is coconut oil. It has revolutionised the soapmaking industry, because of how it makes hard bars, while also lathering profusely. However, it is drying to the skin if too much of it is used. So the amount of coconut oil in soap should be only up to 30% of the fats used. It seems that under 30% is actually moisturising.

Another site that I am excited about is:

http://www.columbusfoods.net/

Click on "Soaper's Choice" and then on the next page, go to "base oils for soapmakers." Their prices for bulk oils are really good!

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), January 29, 2002.


The milk helps dry skin. I have very dry skin in the winter. My goat's milk soap is the only soap I will use. The recipe can be found on my soap page at: http://www.amazinggrazefarm.com/soap.html I don't know if there is a difference in goat and cow milk in soap. I know you can use both. The goat milk is naturally homogenized, so maybe there is a greater value. Not sure on that part.

-- Marci (Marci@amazingrazefarm.com), January 29, 2002.


I have used both Goats milk and cows milk and I prefer Goat milk Hands down in fact thats the only kind i make anymore....My skin is always so soft and I never use a lotion, also is good for shaving.:> Castor oil is another skin living oil that you just use a bit of.helps with the lather also as does coconut oil... Lard is skin loving and makes for a very HARD bar of soap, Olive it wonderful but makes a softer soap (castile) the two together is a winning combo, I dont use canola as have had some problems with it sweating later on... as far as how much to use... from what you have said im assuming you found a lye calculator, Just sub the milk for the water,(Use 100% milk for best moisturizing affects) I freeze the amount of milk im going to use and then break it up and mix the lye with the frozen chunks of milk,Stir until all the chunks are melted, that way you dont end up with a nasty amonia smell, which does evenutally go away but isnt always the most pleasant thing. Welcome to the addiction lol..... Trina at Homestead soaps

-- Trina (trina@ccountry.net), January 29, 2002.

Thanks for the links daffodyllady..........I have been psyching up to do soap for almost a year. I have assembled all the stuff to do it and just have to get up the courage to try.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), January 29, 2002.

I will add my two cents worth about sensitive skin--specifically eczema. People who have eczema are usually allergic to lanolin that is found in most commercial soaps and shampoos. I'm interested in making soap without lanolin so this is very interesting.

What I don't understand is how you are making soap without lye? Is it really soap without lye?

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), January 29, 2002.


Thought maybe some of you would like these:

GOAT'S MILK SOAP

Goat Milk Soap Recipe #1

This size recipe can be mixed with the electric mixer. The recipe can be doubled and mixed by hand with a wooden paddle. Have ready an electric mixer and 2 large bowls, stainless or glass (not plastic).

Mold: Can use styrofoam or an old cake pan. Have a piece of cloth ready to put on top of the soap and a lid to put on top of the cloth. Can be wrapped with a blanket or towels for insulation. (note from steve: I use glass casserole dishes well greased with vaseline. Don't try to grease with oil, as it will saponify! Clear plastic candy molds make nice little soaps, too.)

Fat: 1.5 lb melted fat (tallow, lard, tallow/lard mixture. Lard can be purchased in 1lb boxes.) Clarified fat, mixed pork and beef. If the fat has burned particles in it or is rancid, it can be clarified by boiling it up in a large pan with about a quart of water and then cooling it and scooping the clean fat off the top. The impurities settle to the bottom in the water.

Measure 1/2 can lye (6.5 ounces). Handle with great care. Pour into a paper cup. Make sure the lid is securely back on the lye can. Put 3 cups goat milk in stainless steel mixer bowl. Pour the lye in slowly, running the mixer on low. It will get hot and the milk turns golden as the chemical reaction takes place. Cool until about 85 degrees. May use dairy thermometer.

2 tsp Borax 1 cup baby oatmeal 2 ounces glycerin

This can be stirred in while the lye and milk mixture is cooling. It is not necessary to stir the whole time. Watch the temperature of 1.5 pounds of fat. Fat should also be at about 85 or 90 degrees. If you have to heat it to melt, make sure it has cooled again. Run the mixer on low for about 15 minutes, then turn off and let soap rest 5 minutes; run 5 minutes and rest 5 minutes. Repeat this and watch closely because soap will suddenly take consistency and must be poured into the mold. Pour when ready; smooth top surface and keep mold at even temperature for about 24 hours. Cloth can then be peeled off and bars can be cut with a serrated knife or scored and broken.

Aging: Age the soap for at least a month, unwrapped. It is better if it ages 2 or 3 months. Failures sometimes occur. Sometimes melting the soap on a very low heat and stirring it some more is all that is necessary to make it set.

A few suggestions: I always double the recipe so that I can use the whole can of lye and I can also buy 3 pound block of lard. I mix the lye and milk. Then I put in the block of lard and stir until it has melted. I powder regular oatmeal in the blender. I add it some baking soda and glycerin to the mixture. I stir about 5 or 10 minutes. I stick my thermometer in. It is usually about 120 degrees. I go about my business for an hour or so and then come back. When it is around 90 degrees I stir for 15 minutes, rest 5, stir 5 and so on. When the spoon can stand up in the middle of the bowl by itself I start spooning it in the molds. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

Basic Goat Milk and Honey Soap #2

13 cups lard or rendered fat (6.5 pounds) 1 can red Devil lye 1/2 cup honey 4 cups goat milk 1 cup hot water

Into a large stainless steel or enamel container, dissolve the honey into the hot water. Add the 4 cups goat milk, stir to mix well and slowly add the lye to the milk/honey mixture. This will get very hot. Let it set until it cools down to 75 degrees. This could take an hour or more. When the lye mixture reaches 75 degrees, warm the lard to 85 degrees and pour in a slow steady stream into the lye/milk mixture. Stir constantly until the mixture reaches the consistency of honey. This will take 20 or 30 minutes.

When thick as honey pour into prepared molds. Allow to set for 24 to 48 hours. Unmold and cut into bars. Air-dry the soap for 4-5 weeks to cure it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

Oatmeal & Honey Goat Milk Soap #3

6 cups goat milk 4 cups lard (2 pounds) 2/3 can Red Devil brand lye 2 cups dry oatmeal (run through the blender) 1/2 cup honey

Carefully mix the milk and lye in a stainless container. Allow to cool to 85 degrees. Stir in the refined oatmeal and honey. Mix well. Warm lard to 85 degrees and slowly add to milk mixture. Mix for 15 minutes, let stand 5 minutes. Mix again for 5 minutes. Watch closely as soap takes shape suddenly. When thick like honey pour into prepared molds. Let set 24-48 hours until set. Cut into bars and air cure for 3 to 4 weeks.

I made the above one over the weekend. I used my regular recipe (doubled) and added about 3/4 cup of honey. I did it the way I normally do. I left it to set and checked on it about every 15 minutes. The last time I checked it it had almost hardened in the bowl. It did do okay though and I managed to pour it into a large pan. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

Rhonda's Goat Milk Soap Recipe!

Hello! Here is a great recipe for goat milk soap...works every time!

42 oz olive oil 28 oz coconut oil 18 oz palm oil 12.7 oz Red Devil Lye 33 oz goat milk (or buttermilk can be used too ) 1 cup ground oatmeal 4 Tbsp. raw honey

fats and oil temp: 92 degrees lye/milk temp: 92 degrees cure for 4-6 weeks Even with no FO added, this soap still smells like honey and oatmeal 4 weeks later. Enjoy! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

Soap XI -- Goat Milk Soap - Elaine White - copyrighted

(by measurements, not weight) 1 cup lard, melted 1 cup coconut oil, melted 1 cup goat (or other) milk 1/4 cup Red Devil lye granules (not flakes or crystals from other sources) 1/4 cup water Dissolve the lye in the water. Ingredients near 110 to 120 degrees F. Add the lye/water to the fat. Stir in the milk. Tracing time about 1 hour 15 minutes. Leave in molds 2 days Place in freezer 3 hours Remove soap from molds, age 3 weeks. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- Fat to Lye temperature chart:

Beef tallow = 130 degrees Lye = 95 degrees Pure Lard = 85 degrees Lye = 75 degrees 1/2 Beef & 1/2 Lard = 110 degrees Lye = 85 degrees ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

HAND-MILLED SOAP

Christmas Spice Bars

4 tsp (4g) ground ginger 1 TBS (6g) ground cinnamon 4 TBS (28g) fresh grated orange peel 10 drops each of cinnamon and neroli fragrance or essential oils

1-1/2 pounds (680g) grated Basic Soap 18 oz (510g) water

Melt grated Basic Soap and combine with water as per instructions on the Hand-Milled Soap page. Combine the first 3 ingredients and add to the melted soap. Mix well and then stir in the scents. Mix thoroughly and pour into prepared molds. Finish as per instructions on the Hand-Milled Soap page. Due to the spices added, soap will have a medium brown color. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

Handmade Oatmeal Soaps Sugar Plum Sundries - copyrighted

We have all seen the oatmeal soaps in the store that cost a fortune. Here's how to make your own. Uou can also add other dried material such as cornmeal or pumice for varying abrasive effects.

10oz palm 4oz coconut oil 2oz olive oil 1/4cup regular oatmeal, run through the blender 2oz lye 1 cup distilled water optional scent

Mix lye and water and set aside to cool. Melt palm oil and coconut oil together and set aside to cool. In a blender or food processor, mix the olive oil and oatmeal. When the lye reaches 100* and the fats are 120* pour lye into fats and stir until it traces. Add the oatmeal mixture, and stir until well mixed. pour the soap into the molds. Allow to sit for 48 hours. Unmold and cut if needed. allow to age for 3 weeks. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

LAUNDRY SOAP

Soap I -- Pure Soap Elaine White

This is the only recipe I've discovered that remains scent-free without adding fragrance to the recipe. This soap is a bit too harsh for bath soap, but great for cleaning, washing dishes, delicate laundry, etc. Great lather and no fragrance.

16 oz coconut oil 2.8 oz lye 1 cup water (8 fluid ounces) Fat and lye/water temperature about 120 degrees F Estimated tracing time: 1 1/2 hours Time in molds: 48 hours Age: 3 weeks ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

Tony's No Fail (and no weigh) Soap Recipe

2 cans (3 lb) veggie shortening 1 can (12 0z) lye 2 cups water

Mix lye and water in enamel pan, OUTSIDE, set aside to cool. Melt shortening, set aside to cool. When both are "hot to the touch (on the outside of the pan) pour lye into shortening. Stir until consistency of mashed potatoes. Pour into prepared mold and let set 24 hours, covered. Uncover, poke it and see if it's firm. If it is, turn it out on newspapers and cut it into bars. Put them someplace safe and let cure for 2-3 weeks, minimum. If its not firm, cover and let sit for another 24 hours, then turn out and cut.

MOLD: my favorite is a cardboard box lined with a trash bag. I usually get the ones that soft drinks or beer are shipped in because they're the perfect size for this batch. YIELD: around 24 bars, usually.

CONVERTING TO WASHING POWDER: Let it cure out for about a month minimum. Grate it up real fine and there it is. I use around 1/2 of one of those disposable scoops from the commercial detergents. I also add a little dry or liquid bleach and a little borax to help with whitening and odor control. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------

Grandma Herald's Laundry Soap Flakes

1 quart cold water 12 ounce sodium hydroxide 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup borax 2 quarts washed strained grease 1 cup Ammonia scent

Pour water in earthenware jar. Pour in lye and stir with wooden stick. Let stand till cold (will take around an hour). Put sugar and borax into an earthenware or enamel vessel and stir well. Pour warm grease into borax mixture and stir well. Add ammonia and stir. Add cooled lye solution to grease mixture. Stir until mixture thickens to fudge consistency. Pour into a mold and let stand overnight. (Use a paper box lined with waxed paper). The soap hardens in a few days. Grate the soap finely into soap flakes and use.

Washing fat drippings: Put fat in a large pan with 2 times the amount of water and one sliced potato, washed but not peeled. Boil hard for 30 minutes and strain into another pan. Cool for 24 hours. Cut fat off the top, hold under faucet to wash off scum which forms at the bottom. The fat is now clean and free of salt. Favorite scents: Sassafras, wintergreen, pine. Vegetable dye can be used to color the soap. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

Laundry Cleaner and Fabric Softener

1 cup soap flakes 1/2 cup borax 1/2 cup vinegar, in rinse cycle

You may have to fiddle around with the amounts to fit your machine and type of laundry. This should cut down on rashes from detergent. Fabric softeners are just waxes that melt in the dryer, and evidently they are bad for fabrics, cottons especially (I can't stand the little oily spots they leave all over t-shirts and cotton knits).

Bleach your whites about once a month with 1-1/2 c. chlorine bleach, instead of 1/2 c. every wash. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

Liquid Laundry Soap

2 1/2 gallons distilled water 1 sodium hydroxide, can 7 cups lard, melted 1 cup Ammonia 2 cups borax, or Borateem 3 cups wisk or similar liquid detergent booster

Mix in 5 gallon crock or plastic bucket. Add enough water to fill pail. Stir a few minutes till reaches consistency of chicken gravy. Stir a couple times a day until it thickens. It will get like thick lotion and turn white. You can add 1/4 c liquid bluing if you like. Amount to use depends on type of water and size of load (no better directions given). Source: Countryside and Small Stock Journal, Vol 79, No 3: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

LIQUID SOAP

Handmade Liquid Soap - Sugar Plum Sundries - copyrighted

In the old days, people made soap using the lye they had leached from wood ashes. This was a long and arduous project, and resulted in a paste- like soap. The reason for the paste consistency was the fact that the lye was Potassium Hydroxide rather than Sodium Hydroxide. Today, you can purchase either variety. The more Potash (Potassium Hydroxide, or KOH) you use, the softer the soap, if you increase the amount of Sodium Hydroxide, your soap will be harder.

WARNING! you cannot replace NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide) with KOH in a 1 to 1 swap. IT requires approx. 1.4 times as much KOH as NaOH. So, without further ado, here is the recipe

12oz Palm Oil 4oz coconut oil 3.5oz POTASSIUM hydroxide 1 cup water

Mix potash lye and water, set aside to cool. melt oils and cool. With lye at 95* and oils at 115* combine and stir. This is a much warmer reaction than the NaOH soap. You will notice it if you use a big gulp cup and are holding it in your hand. It takes a little longer to trace, about 45-50 minutes. The trace happens suddenly. You can leave this soap in the cup to age if you like, since you will be mixing it with water later (maybe) Age for 2 weeks.

If you wish, you may now thin it to a usable consistency. Add water a little at a time, and mix well. A blender works well for this. When you have the thickness you like, Add whatever fragrance you wish to use. This is another good thing about liquid soap, the essential oils need never come in contact with the lye, so the fragrance stays pure. Store it in a bottle or pump jar, and enjoy. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

Liquid Soap

1 ounce avocado oil 4 ounces coconut oil 11 ounces soybean oil 3.1 ounces lye 8 ounces water

Mix as usual per basic instructions

Combine water and lye, then added to melted fats. Stir until trace . Allow to sit for a few days until pH tests low. Then slowly stir in extra water to create a liquid soap. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

Liquid Soap

Grate 2 oz (56.7g) of Basic Soap recipe under Bath and Body Bars 8 oz (227g) water Scent or color as desired

Gently heat grated soap and water in saucepan. Stir gently until melted. Mix in any additives. Check consistency in a cool water bath. Correct thickness by adding water, thicken by adding more grated soap. Pour into container. Shake every few days to keep smooth. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------

SHAMPOO

Soap II -- Pure Soap Mink Oil Shampoo Elaine White

16 oz weight coconut oil 1/2 cup mink oil or (4 T. Castor oil) 2.9 oz lye 1 cup water (8 fluid oz.)

Oil room temperature. Mix and use lye when the water turns clear. Put all ingredients in the blender. Follow the instructions for "Blender Soap" Don't let this soap trace. Process until the mixture is smooth (no oil streaks) and pour it into molds.

Leave in molds 2 days Freeze soap 3 hours to release it from the molds. Age 3 weeks.

SOAP BALLS

Soap balls is a nifty way to get rid of extra soap that won't fill an individual mold or get rid of all those little scrap pieces left over from the shower. There are two easy ways to do this:

Method One - For Scraps: Gather together like colors of soap (or you'll end up with an ugly colored ball). Place scraps in a bowl. If they are very small - great, no further work needed. If not, either break them up with a knife or grate the pieces with a vegetable grater. Sprinkle pieces with warm water; let sit 15 minutes to soften. Gather up a handful and squeeze into a ball shape. It will take from two days to two weeks to completely cure in a warm, dry area. Reshape every two days to maintain a round shape. Don't worry about irregularities; they will lend interest to your soap.

Method Two - Balls From New Soap: Select your favorite Hand-Milled Soap recipe, but instead of pouring it into individual molds, pour the soap into one large one mold. Place everything in the freezer until it can be cut into blocks and hold its shape.

Grate the blocks and allow to dry in a bowl up to a week. While still moist, gather up a handful and squeeze into ball shapes. It will take from two days to two weeks to completely dry in a warm, dry area. Reshape every two days to maintain a round shape. Again, irregularities will make your soap interesting

---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- Contributors' Websites: Countryman's Rustic Cuts Soapworks Elaine White's Lather Land Sugar Plum Sundries Tony O'seland's Cedar Wolf Productions Rainbow Meadow



-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), January 29, 2002.


in answer to ann's question

FYI

You cannot make soap without lye...Soap is actually the chemical process of the fats reaction to lye, which is known as soponification.

Most commercial soap you buy isn't actually "soap" but detergent!

-- Tracy (tconklin@ncci.net), January 30, 2002.



I really wonder why Goat's milk would be so much better than cow's milk in soap. The naturally homogenised factor wouldnt make any difference in soap, I would think, because by the time it turns into soap, all the fats have been saponified. I would really like to know the reason goat's milk is preferred, if anyone knows.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), January 30, 2002.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ