Goat’s Milk Soap

Yesterday I had friends over and we made almost 70 more bars of soap! I don’t know if I will need to make soap again for a while now and it kind of makes me sad… :o(  We even had fresh goat’s milk to try a milk soap recipe! It turned out so nice that I am really excited to try it with canned coconut milk next! But I think it will need to wait for at least a little while.

I have to confess that for a long time I was afraid our little batch of milk soap was going to be a complete and utter disaster! You should have seen it… but it pulled through and turned out just lovely! It even has a bit of a swirled or marbled look to it.

The recipe is from Soap Making Essentials but I did a bit of modifications and substitutions and my method is a bit different, too. If you want to stick with the original, go HERE.

I wouldn’t recommend this if you are a novice. You need to be familiar with the steps and how your finished product should look before tackling this one. I wish I had taken pictures of all the stages, but I honestly didn’t think it was going to work.

But here is my version:

*The recipe is easier to measure if you use grams. So this recipe is in grams, except for the lye. Sorry to make it so confusing, but it really is easier this way. But watch out! Grams are really tiny!!! ;o)

270 grams coconut oil

315 grams olive oil

45 grams castor oil

180 grams palm oil or lard

90 grams shea or cocoa butter

215 grams distilled water

100 grams fresh goat milk

4.5 ounces lye

Follow my basic crock pot directions with pictures HERE.

First melt all of your oils in your crock pot on high heat.

Stir your lye into the distilled water until dissolved.

Carefully pour into the hot oils in crock pot.

Mix with stick blender (keep in touching the bottom to prevent splattering) until it reaches a light trace. It will just barely hold a line behind the blender.

Slowly mix in the goat milk.

This is where it may get kind of funky.

It will go through all kinds of stages that may not seem normal. Ours was VERY separated and thin almost the entire time. Just keep it covered while cooking and be sure to check it and stir it every so often. Don’t worry, it will get done eventually. Ours cooked about an hour before it was done!

When it starts to look thick and dry (not oily), take out a small amount and place it on a plate to cool. If it becomes hard and soapy as it cools (much like wax does), it is ready for the tongue test.

Place the small piece of soap lightly on the side of your tongue. If it zings (like licking a 9-volt), it is not ready. If you don’t feel any zing, pour it into your parchment-lined mold.

Let cool and cut into bars. Cure in the air for at least two weeks before using. The longer it cures the longer it lasts!