Hi everyone! Recently I tried my first batch of goats milk soap and it turned out great. I had to order the lye from a company in Texas and found it to be a little expensive. I heard about making soap with Borax (laundry booster). Has anyone ever done this? Also, I have not heard about freezing the milk first before you add it to the lye. When I added the lye to the milk it hardened in the pan but it melted when I added the oil. Is that normal? Tips are appreciated! Thanks.
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I used to have a homemade soap business and I would buy lye in 50 pound bags from a cleaning supply store. It's called sodium hydroxide.
I used PVC pipe for my round molds. You can buy 8 feet or so and have someone cut it into 12 inch lengths. then use the plastic you cover windows on old houses with in the winter and attach it with those clamps that plummers use. (sorry, I don't know the technical terms for all these things) Then I stood them all in a tall white bucket with rags or towels inbetween and a towel or two on top.
I have a friend with a soap business who uses a square rubbermaid container with a flat bottom and then just cuts it. Her bars are each unique, but still very nice.
cleaning utensils? can you just wash the remaining soap from the pot down the sink? guess I would have cleaner pipes? ^^
trying my fist batch this morning hooray! small batch going to try the youtube video....
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Stick blender -- Although I use my regular kitchen stuff to make soap, I do have a stick blender and spatulas devoted to soapmaking only. My stick blender is mostly plastic and has some cracks and crevices in it, so I'm not sure it's 100% "clean" after I clean it. Plastic spatulas taste like soap after a few batches. Blech!
If you need to sub something for shea butter, you can put all of your ingredients into the lye calculator on here:
and it will tell you how much lye you need to use. In fact, you should put any recipe in there to make sure the lye amount is correct, because typos happen.
I've used Pringles cans for molds. They're plastic lined, and you just rip the can off the soap after 24 hours. You can use anything for a mold, as long as it isn't aluminum. If you have trouble getting soap out, you can always start cutting it up in the mold, and pop it out a chunk at a time. If you're not selling it, it doesn't matter how the bars are shaped.
I never thought about the bottom of the can. Must not be aluminum. The person who taught me to make soap used Pringles cans, so I never thought about it. Sure you could line the can if you want, but it's not hard to remove. You just rip the can open like those canned biscuits they sell in the refrigerator section. I'm not sure if lining the can would allow you to reuse the can or not, since the soap would be stuck to the bottom.
Melissa Johnson said:
Pringle cans - what about the metal bottom? And could you still line it with a round cylinder of freezer paper for easier removal? I bought my oils yesterday (coconut, palm, shea butter) still need olive so I am really excited to get a batch made this weekend!!
Pringle cans - what about the metal bottom? And could you still line it with a round cylinder of freezer paper for easier removal? I bought my oils yesterday (coconut, palm, shea butter) still need olive so I am really excited to get a batch made this weekend!!
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Stick blender -- Although I use my regular kitchen stuff to make soap, I do have a stick blender and spatulas devoted to soapmaking only. My stick blender is mostly plastic and has some cracks and crevices in it, so I'm not sure it's 100% "clean" after I clean it. Plastic spatulas taste like soap after a few batches. Blech!
If you need to sub something for shea butter, you can put all of your ingredients into the lye calculator on here:
and it will tell you how much lye you need to use. In fact, you should put any recipe in there to make sure the lye amount is correct, because typos happen.
I've used Pringles cans for molds. They're plastic lined, and you just rip the can off the soap after 24 hours. You can use anything for a mold, as long as it isn't aluminum. If you have trouble getting soap out, you can always start cutting it up in the mold, and pop it out a chunk at a time. If you're not selling it, it doesn't matter how the bars are shaped.
Stick blender -- Although I use my regular kitchen stuff to make soap, I do have a stick blender and spatulas devoted to soapmaking only. My stick blender is mostly plastic and has some cracks and crevices in it, so I'm not sure it's 100% "clean" after I clean it. Plastic spatulas taste like soap after a few batches. Blech!
If you need to sub something for shea butter, you can put all of your ingredients into the lye calculator on here:
and it will tell you how much lye you need to use. In fact, you should put any recipe in there to make sure the lye amount is correct, because typos happen.
I've used Pringles cans for molds. They're plastic lined, and you just rip the can off the soap after 24 hours. You can use anything for a mold, as long as it isn't aluminum. If you have trouble getting soap out, you can always start cutting it up in the mold, and pop it out a chunk at a time. If you're not selling it, it doesn't matter how the bars are shaped.
I forgot my other question - I bought a canister to line with freezer paper but then remembered you cant use aluminum with lye.
It is a cheap tin tea container, I thought I would line it with freezer paper cause it is a round shape - I can only use plastic or wood for a mold - is that correct?
back to the soap questions - I found an awesome video on youtube for cold process soap - anyone new to soapmaking might like it - it shows her doing the entire process, weighing ingredients to cutting the soap. It is a small batch using only 6.10 oz. of water - I will sub goats milk for the water. Oh, Julia Johnson, member, told me she went to Tru Value Hardware and bought the Rooto Household Drain Opener - it is 100% lye. it was only 3.79 for a 16 oz. container. The guy told me soapers came in quite frequently and bought this product for making soap.
My question is - I am assuming the stick blender I use along with the pot for melting oils in - can only be used for soap making -
Right?? since lye is poison correct?? I wanted to add shea butter or something like that, but the supply house I was going to was closed on Saturday. Any suggestions Deborah? the butter is all I lack - I have all the items now I need.
Oregon is also a state with a really serious meth problem - but you can still find this particular lye form anyway.
However, you know if you did that, we would still ask the question directly. LOL. I have been printing out the response and I "intend" to put them in a binder..... at least they are sorted on the table, waiting.............. ^^
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
That is a good point. I explain this at least a couple times a week (between here and emails and Facebook), and sometimes I get lazy. I should write up some of these things. How often you can separate varies depending upon how many kids and how many times the goats has freshened and her personal production capability.
Melissa Johnson said:
I will also say, had you not said not more than once a week for the first six weeks, I would have thought you meant ok every night. yikes.
That is a good point. I explain this at least a couple times a week (between here and emails and Facebook), and sometimes I get lazy. I should write up some of these things. How often you can separate varies depending upon how many kids and how many times the goats has freshened and her personal production capability.
Melissa Johnson said:
I will also say, had you not said not more than once a week for the first six weeks, I would have thought you meant ok every night. yikes.
Replies
I used to have a homemade soap business and I would buy lye in 50 pound bags from a cleaning supply store. It's called sodium hydroxide.
I used PVC pipe for my round molds. You can buy 8 feet or so and have someone cut it into 12 inch lengths. then use the plastic you cover windows on old houses with in the winter and attach it with those clamps that plummers use. (sorry, I don't know the technical terms for all these things) Then I stood them all in a tall white bucket with rags or towels inbetween and a towel or two on top.
I have a friend with a soap business who uses a square rubbermaid container with a flat bottom and then just cuts it. Her bars are each unique, but still very nice.
cleaning utensils? can you just wash the remaining soap from the pot down the sink? guess I would have cleaner pipes? ^^
trying my fist batch this morning hooray! small batch going to try the youtube video....
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Melissa Johnson said:
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Stick blender -- Although I use my regular kitchen stuff to make soap, I do have a stick blender and spatulas devoted to soapmaking only. My stick blender is mostly plastic and has some cracks and crevices in it, so I'm not sure it's 100% "clean" after I clean it. Plastic spatulas taste like soap after a few batches. Blech!
If you need to sub something for shea butter, you can put all of your ingredients into the lye calculator on here:
http://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php
and it will tell you how much lye you need to use. In fact, you should put any recipe in there to make sure the lye amount is correct, because typos happen.
I've used Pringles cans for molds. They're plastic lined, and you just rip the can off the soap after 24 hours. You can use anything for a mold, as long as it isn't aluminum. If you have trouble getting soap out, you can always start cutting it up in the mold, and pop it out a chunk at a time. If you're not selling it, it doesn't matter how the bars are shaped.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghvQ4v_Fjrs&feature=related
soapmaking video
I forgot my other question - I bought a canister to line with freezer paper but then remembered you cant use aluminum with lye.
It is a cheap tin tea container, I thought I would line it with freezer paper cause it is a round shape - I can only use plastic or wood for a mold - is that correct?
back to the soap questions - I found an awesome video on youtube for cold process soap - anyone new to soapmaking might like it - it shows her doing the entire process, weighing ingredients to cutting the soap. It is a small batch using only 6.10 oz. of water - I will sub goats milk for the water. Oh, Julia Johnson, member, told me she went to Tru Value Hardware and bought the Rooto Household Drain Opener - it is 100% lye. it was only 3.79 for a 16 oz. container. The guy told me soapers came in quite frequently and bought this product for making soap.
My question is - I am assuming the stick blender I use along with the pot for melting oils in - can only be used for soap making -
Right?? since lye is poison correct?? I wanted to add shea butter or something like that, but the supply house I was going to was closed on Saturday. Any suggestions Deborah? the butter is all I lack - I have all the items now I need.
Oregon is also a state with a really serious meth problem - but you can still find this particular lye form anyway.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Melissa Johnson said:
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