coconut milk soap

[lisafrantz]

I've been looking at some different CP recipes using coconut milk and am wondering if any of you have made these?  Some recipes replace all of the water with the coconut milk, some replace 1/2, some 1/3. What is your preference and why? 

[Candybee]

99% of my soaps are milk soaps. I only make about one or two soaps without it. I love the feel of soap with milk in it! Most of my soaps I use coconut milk while my oatmeal soaps I use goat milk.

 

Personally I prefer canned milk. The reason: its concentrated and super creamy and you can store the cans a long time whereas fresh milks have to be used within a certain date.

 

A concentrated milk (canned milk) needs water added. So I split my liquid; half canned milk, half water. I use the water half for my lye solution and I add the canned milk to my soaping oils. You can add milk to your oils before or after you add your lye solution. It will work either way. I love the richness of canned milk in my soap. I also love that I can have a "full" milk soap by splitting my soap liquid by using half canned milk and the other half water.

 

I have done the freezing fresh milk into ice cube method for my lye liquid many times. I just don't like it. I hate the ammonia smell milks give off when used directly with lye. I also am not good at keeping the milk from overheating even though its been frozen I still have problems with it. With adding canned milk to my soap oils I don't have any of these problems and no smell. Other soapers have no problem using the freezing method so you should at least try it.

 

The last milk type is using powdered milk. You can make your milk adding water and use the freezing method. Or, you can add half of your water to your lye solution and use the other half to "cream" the powdered milk and add that directly to your soap batter instead. This second method of creaming is also a splitting of your liquid; half for lye solution, the other for creaming your powdered milk. Powdered milk works just fine in your soap and feels the same as other milks. The pros are that it lasts a long time and is easy to buy in bulk. The cons are that its not exactly "fresh" milk and that you must be careful to work out any lumps in the powder.

 

There is one last method I haven't tried that I know of for coconut milk. You can make your own. I have heard the method of using coconut shreds you buy at the store. You soak the coconut overnight and squeeze out the milk the next day to use in your soap. Or, you can buy the coconut, shred it yourself, soak it overnight in water, and squeeze out the milk and use that in your soap. If you buy the coconut, be sure to save the coconut milk/water in the coconut to add to the milk you are making. The pros for making your own coconut milk is its fresh, has no preservatives, its organic and natural. The cons of course are the intensive labor and that it must be used within a short time frame or it must be frozen to extend its shelf life.

 

 

The best method of using milk is the one you prefer.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Candybee

[TallTayl]

I'm one that prefers coconut milk as an additive rather than the entire liquid. A bit of coconut milk powder is easy to reconstitute and add to the pot. I only add it to coconut scented soaps to give a wee boost to the coconuttiness....

[lisafrantz]

Thanks Candybee and TallTayl!  This is super helpful.  And TallTayl, you answered my next question about scents  I'm excited to try it!

 

Lisa

[ChandlerWicks]

I heat up any butters I'm using,  then add powdered goat milk to those. Lumps disappear fast with stirring. I'm like Candybee & not good with the freezing part & the ammonia smell.

[chuck_35550]

Be careful to buy canned coconut milk that does not contain agar. Its made from seaweed and causes your soap to turn into a monster that breathes. You want pure coconut milk with no additives. HTH

Steve

[Candybee]

One of these days I have been meaning to try out both techniques of making my own coconut milk. I think I wrote about some of it.

 

The 1st is to buy a bag of coconut shreds; soak the shreds in distilled water overnight, and squeeze/strain the coconut milk out.

 

The 2nd is to buy a coconut, retain the coconut milk inside it, then shred the meat to soak in water overnight. Then squeeze/strain out the milk. You can add in your coconut milk you retained from the coconut. This is a more intensive method but you get 100% fresh coconut milk.

 

Haven't made coconut milk but I have made my own almond milk and sesame seed milk before. This was back when I was on some health kick that included nut and seed milks in the diet. They are actually very good for you and taste good too.