February 2017 Soap of the Month

[Candybee]

 

 

OATMEAL, GOAT MILK, HONEY & ALOE SOAP

 

This month I chose to do an oatmeal, goat milk, honey, and aloe vera soap. It's perfect for this time of year because I find it helps my skin best in cold weather. It's perfect for dry, itchy skin and the aloe and oatmeal are very soothing. If you get winter itch you know what I am talking about. I find February and March to be the coldest, driest, windiest winter months so I want a soap that moisturizes while it helps relieve my dry itchy skin.

 

I don't make traditional "full" milk soaps. Instead, I always split my milk with another liquid. In this case I am using aloe vera juice as it helps make a more gentle soap that adds extra punch to help combat dry, itchy, flaky skin.

 

If you want to make a full milk soap I will cover that later during the adding of milk.

 

This is a fairly easy soap to make even for a beginner who has never worked with milk soaps or using honey. Honey accelerates soap batter because it speeds the process of saponification by creating extra heat. But if you follow my instructions you may easily add an eccelerant like honey like a pro.

 

For this recipe I am using Essential Depot's red soap mold. I will be using 35oz of oils in this recipe which fit nicely into the mold. This recipe will produce approximately 11 4oz soaps.

 

I'm using my favorite basic lard soap recipe because I personally love a good lard soap. However you may use any recipe you wish. Its the additives that gives this soap its personality.

 

I am using a 33% lye solution and standard 5% superfat using soapcalc.net

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

OILS

 

• Olive Oil 15.75oz (446.50g) @ 45%
• Coconut Oil 8.75oz (258.06g) @ 25%
• Lard 8.75oz (258.06g) @ 25%
• Castor Oil 1.75oz (49.61g) @ 5%

 

ADDITIVES

 

• 4.92oz Lye (139.46g)
• 5oz Aloe Vera
• 5oz Goat Milk
• 1oz Honey
• 1 tbs Colloidal Oatmeal
• 2.2oz Fragrance Oil (optional)
• Whole Rolled Oats

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

Prepare lye solution using cold aloe vera juice from your refridgerater. Pour 5oz into bowl. I use hard plastic bowls and rubbermaid spatulas for my soapmaking.

 

 

Next carefully weigh out your lye crystals and add them to the aloe juice. Blend thoroughly to dissolve the lye crystals, set aside to cool. I use a large hard plastic spoon to stir my lye solution.

 

 

 

Next, weigh out your soaping oils. Gently warm your solid oils and add them to your liquid oils. Blend them altogether in large bowl. I am using a rubbermaid spatula to mix my oils.

 

 

 

At this point I pour out cold goat milk into a glass and put aside. I am using fresh goat milk by Meyenberg in my recipe. They also make the canned. If you want to make a "full" milk soap use 5oz of the canned but do not add any water to the milk. This was it will stay concentrated. Since It is already condensed this will give you the equivalent of 10 oz of goat milk equal to your full liquid requirement without changing your water discount.

 

 

 

Next I weigh out my honey in a small plastic cup. I pop it into the microwave for a short 20 second burst. Then when I take it out the honey is liquified. Do not overcook your honey. Experiment with your microwave in short 10 second bursts. The honey should be liquid with a few bubbles on top. Overheating can ruin the honey and cook your container.

 

The reason I always liquify my honey before adding to my soap is that I have found I will get ugly dark brown spots in my batter if I don't.

 

Once the honey is liquid, add a tbs of cold goat milk to the honey, then stir. This will help temper the honey milk mixture. Then add the honey mixture to the cold milk in the glass and stir it altogether. Add this to you soap batter.

 

The honey I am using for this soap is a clover honey from a local apiary. Normally I use only wildflower honey because I simply prefer it. But I always use wildcrafted honey from local crafters or apiaries here in the valley where I live.  As the bees harvest from local flora that helps produce a more beneficial honey product that hasn't been over pasturized as local beekeepers filter their honey.

 

Next add your colloidal oatmeal to the batter. Don't worry about what the batter looks like. We are going to emulsify it with a stick blender.

 

I am using Aveeno bath oatmeal. It is 100% colloidal oatmeal but you can buy it from a  soap supplier or sub oat flour and get the same results. I prefer colloidal oatmeal as it is ultra fine ground and won't make a scratchy soap. Colloidal oatmeal will provide a smooth skin exfoliation without giving you that scratchy feeling.

 

 

 

Next I take my stick blender and emulsify the batter and it should look like this:

 

 

 

 

Check your lye solution. By this time it should be cooled enough to add. I tend to soap at room tempurature but rarely check my solution with a thermometer. If the bowl feels cool to the touch on the outside I know its ready.

 

Pour in your lye solution and stick blend thoroughly to mix in the lye. Next, I add in my scent. I am using fragrance oil for this at 1oz per pound of soap oil. So for a 35oz oil recipe that comes to 2.1875oz. I rounded it up to 2.2oz.

 

I am using the Chemistry Store's Sandalwood Rose FO by Lebermuth. I have never used it before so this is a first time test soap for me.

 

 

As a side note, this FO was a dream to use. No acceleration or ricing. It does have some vanillan in it so I expect that as it cures it will discolor to a tan or brown color. The scent is a very soft and feminine floral with notes of wood and musk.

 

Continue stick blending your soap batter until you reach medium thick trace. Then carefully pour the batter into the mold.  I like a medium trace so that I may texture the top with a chop stick or bamboo skewer as pictured below:

 

 

 

Last, I sprinkle whole rolled oats on the top to finish my soap and give it some charm. I like to use the whole oats sparingly so I only sprinkle a line of oats across the middle of the top.

 

 

I clean off the edges of the mold where any soap batter droplets fell and cover the mold. I am using Essential Depot's red mold pictured below.

 

 

Twenty four hours later I have these newly cut fabulous oatmeal, goat milk, honey, and aloe soaps ready to put on my soap racks to cure!

 

I like to cure my soaps from 6 - 8 weeks so they are extra mild and conditioning. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 31, 2017 by Candybee

[PhoenixFyre]

Just beautiful, Candybee! I've been wanting to try making soap with milk instead of water, but I've been nervous about the whole aspect of scorching the milk. This may give me the boost I need to go ahead and try it, scorching be darned!

[Candybee]

The milk won't scorch if you use this method of adding in your milk directly into the soap batter rather than using it for your lye solution. This is why I prefer to make my milk soaps this way. I never get that sulfur smell from the goat milk either.

 

You can still learn to use milk as your only liquid for your lye solution but it will take some practice to do it without scorching. Most soapers freeze the milk into cube trays and slowly pour lye over the ice milk cubes. I have even done this with my ice milk cube in a chilled stainless steel bowl sitting inside a container filled with ice. The trick is to pour the lye very slowly over the ice milk cubes as you stir.

 

I still prefer making my milk soaps the same as in this recipe. That way I can still make a 'full' milk soap if I want and even use aloe for my lye solution.

[PhoenixFyre]

Yes! That was what was exciting about this. I have only read about slowly adding the lye to frozen milk in a bowl sitting in an ice bath, but you have now taught me another way to do it. Love it!

[Moonstar]

Oh this great ! Ive been looking for a recipe like this to try and here it is - thank you for taking the time to post this   Question, if swapping out the lard with 

palm oil, how will the end product be different than with the lard ? I have that same exact FO, hows it smelling so far in the soap ? 

I forgot to ask, what brand of lard do I buy, I didn't see a pic of that unless I missed it ? Great tutorial  

Edited February 3, 2017 by Moonstar

[Candybee]

Switching out lard for palm oil won't change the soap properties that much. It would be a good sub. The lard I use is Manteca brand from Walmart. I just like using lard because it feels so creamy and luxurious like a premium soap. Also because its a good oil for beginners to use and easily sourced locally without having to buy it over the internet.

 

The FO smells wonderful and is holding nicely and even getting stronger. I have the soap curing in my back wash room and its scenting the whole kitchen and washroom area. It has already turned a dark brown but not a deep dark brown like a vanilla scent.

[puma52]

Beautiful recipe and soap Candybee! Thank you so much for sharing. A soap maker will NEVER go wrong making a Oatmeal , Milk and Honey soap....for me it is one of my best sellers. The Sandalwood Rose scent sounds wonderful and love the look of the oats sprinkled on top. Pretty, pretty!

[Candybee]

Puma they are one of my best sellers too! During fall craft shows I sell out of them at every show because my customers know to stock up on them before winter.

 

And yes the Sandalwood Rose fragrance is holding and smells stronger! It did darken to a cocoa brown color but I kind of like that.

[Moonstar]

I actually like dark soap, I think its looks so pretty + organic looking ! 

[Candybee]

Moonstar are you the one that said you have the same FO? If so you should try it. I can't wait til these babies cure and I can bathe with one.

[Terry]

Candy...I now have all the ingredients on hand to make this soap and dying to try this recipe out, but I want to do it with the HP method.

I thought I read somewhere that mostly any CP recipe can be made in the HP way - is this true?

 

[Moonstar]

On 2/8/2017 at 8:18 PM, Candybee said:

Moonstar are you the one that said you have the same FO? If so you should try it. I can't wait til these babies cure and I can bathe with one.

I made my daughter a roll on perfume in the sandalwood rose - she loves it ! BTW hows the scent holding up ? 

[Candybee]

Still goin strong!

[Candybee]

1 hour ago, Terry said:

Candy...I now have all the ingredients on hand to make this soap and dying to try this recipe out, but I want to do it with the HP method.

I thought I read somewhere that mostly any CP recipe can be made in the HP way - is this true?

 

 

Sorry I didn't get to you earlier Terry. Yes you can HP this recipe. You can add the goat milk, honey, and colloidal oatmeal to the soap batter after you have added the lye. SB or whisk while it's still liquid to emulsify the batter then let it cook. Cook on low as the honey will heat the batter. Or, you can add the honey after the cook if you prefer. Either way works.

 

After the cook when the batter has cooled down a bit that's when I would add your fragrance if using any. That's how I do it.

Edited March 2, 2017 by Candybee

[Terry]

No worries Candy - was out tonight, just getting back here.  I will let you know how it turns out and post pix. I know I mentioned here that I love Peak's Asian Sandlewood so this is what I'm going to use. Thanks very much!!

 

[Candybee]

I've used Asian Sandalwood in the OMH soap before and its wonderful and the scent holds for a long time. It does fade after about 6-8 months but you can still smell it.

[debratant]

This is the prettiest omh soap I have seen!  I'm going to be trying this too, I've never soaped with goat milk or honey!

And your photo taking skills are epic lol...just saying!

Edited March 5, 2017 by debratant

[Candybee]

Thanks. My old camera does not take closeups very well so I have to be very careful and patient taking them.

 

I hope you do try the soap. I know you will love it. You don't have to use my recipe, use whatever recipe you like. I just like mine because it feels really good on my skin.