The Willy Nilly 4-H Livestock Club

Sudsy Soap Workshop

by: Nat of Nat's Little Bit Farm

  

 

Cold Process Goat's Milk Soap Continued!
Now the tough parts happens... the wait for all ingredients to cool down to about 95-100 degrees. I mixed the lye first because it takes the longest to cool and the oils are quick to heat up and melt. We can't combine the ingredients until they are all around the same temperatures. Keep taking the temperature of the ingredients while you set up to mix and pour. Time varies by recipe and other conditions.

In the mean time I'll set up my fragrances, colors and grease my molds with vegetable shortening to help pop the soap out later. You can pop the soap in the freezer for a few to help it break from the molds. 

Speaking of molds.. anything that holds liquids is fair game so be creative.  Rubbermaid makes great drawer organizers that are perfect bar sized.  There are also neat containers made by Ziplock that are disposable and come with lids that are popular in the kitchen.

The Time has Come!!! The oil and the lye are at about the same temperature of 95ish degrees as verified by my high heat thermometer. I'm wearing my safety gear and a hat to keep my long hair on my head and not in my soap.  Adding natural herbs is neat, as well as other goodies.. however, hair is just a little too natural for my liking, in my soap, esp. those for sale or for gifts.  Keep fido and fluffy out of the soap making area too!

We pour the lye and water mixture INTO the oils in a gentle stream, mixing with a Stainless Steel whisk.  The goat's milk should be heated up at this time while we begin mixing looking for "trace."
Here I'm using the stick blender to help speed up the soap making process.  (I got it at the hardware store for $20) Keep an eye out at discount stores for one and other "soap making" supplies.

I'm in deep thought answering a few audience questions.

We are now waiting for the soap to "Trace" which means that it thickens from a watery consistency, to cake-batter like. When you pick up the mixing utensil and it leaves lines on the top, you've reached trace. I'm going to add my warm goat's milk just before trace.  Not sure if that's how it official works, I've heard different variations, but its worked fine.
Here I'm hand mixing after I've added the lye, just before I use the stick blender. The goat's milk is warmed to about 95 degrees and is added when the mixture is thicker.

 You'll notice that the color of the soap slowly changes from that marmalade like transparent color, to a thicker, more yellow cake batter looking substance as it gets closer to trace. In this photo its in the early stages and looks like marmalade.

I'll alternate from the stick blender, to the spoon, and then a hand whisk to make sure I'm paying attention to the soap and help scrape the sides of the bowl down. I still have gloves on as the soap is still caustic at this point.  It will be even after pouring for a good 4-6 weeks while the "free lye" is used up in the soap process. (why we have to age Cold Process Soap).  A little more about that later.

When the soap is almost near trace, I add the goats milk in. I quickly blend with a whisk and have had no problem of it curdling. If your milk does this then hit it quickly with the stick blender and it should blend right in.  When it starts to trace (leaving those lines on the top like cake batter) I'll add my Cosmetic Grade Fragrance to it.   This can be either Essential Oils (more naturally derived) or a synthetic Fragrance Oil... its like comparing butter to margarine.. both work, some people just have preferences. (The soap can react to the different colorants and fragrances too - and SET UP QUICK so BEWARE and TEST! ) I'll then add my colorants in which were micas.  We could have a whole page on colorants and fragrance.. but that's another day.  Colors will change as the soap is aged.  Once mixed, pour into your greased molds and wrap them in a towel overnight. The next day  I'll put them in the freezer for a short time to help release them from the molds and place them on racks to dry. (disposable plastic containers are nice when the soap is hard to get out of the "mold"  because you can cut them off if needed).   Be sure to still use caution as the soap can cause mild skin irritation before its aged 4-6 weeks for use.

TA DA!!!!  The Finished Products!!! (the adults got to play too but were camera shy).

Thanks for all the help and technical assistance! Especially the Southern New England Soap and Candlemakers Group that got me started with another fun hobby that I enjoyed sharing with others!

If our 8 year olds could make some Cold Process Soap (with a little help) there's no excuse for anyone out there!
(even the 48 year old folks got the hang of it!)

The last important step is to let the soap age!!!  After removing from the molds, I'll cut and place the soap on a drying rack (be creative at the dollar store here on cutting tools and other things.. I found a nice wide putty knife that works great to cut!) and flip them every so often to prevent grooves.  Be careful because the soap is still lye heavy and needs time to complete the soap making process over the next few weeks before you think of using it, or giving it away as a gift.

After 4-6 weeks you should have a nice bar of soap.  Gently par any ridges off or sharp edges off with a knife and then wrap or package your soap with a piece of fabric or other cloth and don't forget to label it with a name, sent and ingredients. If you get fancy, there are many boxes and plastic wraps, bags available for soap makers....  That is of course, unless you want to use it at this point :-)

Happy Soap making!!  The world's but a mold that is awaiting soap!

by: Natalie

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