Candybee Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I wanted to try some coconut milk in my soap. I used half water and half coconut milk. I used the water for my lye solution. I prechilled the coconut milk like you would do with goat milk. The coconut milk was very thick and I had to spoon it into the soap mixture. I added the milk at light trace. I didn't have any problems with the milk heating the raw soap.My question is for those of you that have used coconut milk do you chill it beforehand or just add at room temp? It was quite a distraction trying to spoon it out. I know at room temp the milk is more liquid and easier to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soycrazy Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 (edited) I made a coconut milk soap the other day and just added it at trace from the fridge. Turned out nice I got a little crack from overheating, but I had oats soaking in the coconut milk and cracks seem to be normal for me lol Edited February 5, 2012 by soycrazy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 When I deal with milks, I use at room temp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlancaD Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Hi Candy..are you sure you didnt use the coconut milk meant for mixed drinks..because the coconut milk I use doesnt get that thick just by chilling it..I usually add it frozen to the lye mixture.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted February 6, 2012 Author Share Posted February 6, 2012 Hi Candy..are you sure you didnt use the coconut milk meant for mixed drinks..because the coconut milk I use doesnt get that thick just by chilling it..I usually add it frozen to the lye mixture..I get mine at the grocers. They have two brands; one is the expensive Thai brand and the other is Coco something from Mexico. I bought the Coco? brand cause it was cheaper. How can I tell which is meant for mixed drinks? Neither has mixing drink instructions on it and neither is in the section for drink mixers.I think next time I will just let it get room temp and see if I have any problems with it. I have been soaping at room temp anyway so it makes sense. The batch I made yesterday I had no problems with the raw soap heating up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_35550 Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Coco Loco is for making pina coladas or pouring over hot sheet cakes (yum). There is coconut water but I have used Silk coconut milk without vanilla flavoring or sugar added. I had some powdered coconut milk and didn't like it. When I added it to the mix it turned into a monster and did weird stuff. Soap it under 100 degrees. HTHSteve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted February 6, 2012 Author Share Posted February 6, 2012 Thanks Steve. Yes the Coco Loco is delicious!! I still have enough to make more soap so I am going to try it at room temp and see how it goes. I love that its thick, yummy, and has some sugar in it. Will see how the soap turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitn Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 The coconut milk with guar gum can wreck havoc with your soap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 The coconut milk with guar gum can wreck havoc with your soap.I was at Walmart yesterday and they had 4 brands of canned coconut milk. Three of them contained guar gum. The 4th said coconut milk like the others but did not list it in the ingredients. It said coconut water.So what happens using the canned coconut milk with guar gum in it? And is it better to buy the Silk brand coconut milk? Does anyone use the canned coconut milk? Now I am confused which one to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlancaD Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Hi Candy, I usually use the canned coconut milk that has as ingredients: Coconut milk,water and a food grade preservative..Goya brand has one as(found in the ethnic aisle in the grocery store) well as several Thai brands...the coconut creme that is sold for preparing drinks can wreak havoc in a soap as the added sugar(guar gum) can make soap overheat and burn or separate (false trace).. I agree with Kitn...hope that helps:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8-GRAN-ONES Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 what kitn..guar gum can cause instant seize.I have also found, it can change the smell of your cp soap..I had 2 or 3 scents I usually use water..I experimented with CM..and could defiantly smell a difference.Some where no different..Why? I don't know...other than than the two different ingred. interact chemically different when put together.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 I checked the Thai brand and it has guar gum in it also. I checked all the coconut milk in the store today and all of them have guar gum in them with the only exception being "Silk" brand. But the "Silk" brand in my store had vanilla and sugar in itAnyhoo-- I found "So Delicious" brand in the organic section of the grocers today. Its unsweetened and no vanilla. So I went with the unsweetened "So Delicous" brand. I made a batch with it today so I will see how it goes. Don't think the guar gum has anything to do with sugar. This coconut milk was definitely unsweetened but it still has guar gum.I didn't have any trouble soaping with it at all. Will have to wait and see what it does after a few days. Last batch of coconut milk soap I made last week is still very soft. I used the Coco Loco brand last week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudMarineMom Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Candybee, don't know if you have seen it but The Herbarie carries something called GuarThix that is made from guar gum. It's used as a thickener in products. I've seen it while browsing their thickeners. The description says it's made out of some type of sugar. So, maybe because it's a sugar-based thickener it doesn't do well with soap? I'm interested in how the coconut milk works for you. Sounds like a nice alternative to GM, which I love thanks to you and PrairieAnnie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonShadow Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 I made my first loaf of CM soap the other day and used the Goya brand. Ingredients :Coconut Milk, Water, Potassium Metabisulfite. (as a Preservative) Potassium Metabisulfite is also used in Wine making to inhibit bacteria and yeast growth. I can get it a Publix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted February 11, 2012 Author Share Posted February 11, 2012 Thanks. I found a can of Goya unsweetened coconut milk this morning and used it on my soap project today. Its the Lavender, Cucumber, and Sage batch shown in the gallery. It says right on the can no gums used! I had to search all over town for it. Thankfully Food Lion had it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonShadow Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 And your Lavender, Cucumber, and Sage batch in the gallery RAWKS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 Thank you MoonShadow. I was wondering if you had the same problem with the Goya I had-- my batch has a strong chemical smell like saloon hair dye gel? I'm hoping the chemical smell goes away. The good news is out of the 3 brands I tried the Goya hardened the soap up faster than the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonShadow Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Thank you MoonShadow. I was wondering if you had the same problem with the Goya I had-- my batch has a strong chemical smell like saloon hair dye gel? I'm hoping the chemical smell goes away. The good news is out of the 3 brands I tried the Goya hardened the soap up faster than the others.I didn't notice anything like what you described. It had a slight "milk" smell the first day, just like the Goats milk smell, but it's totally gone now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpg.7e8ff401dde48f6d12a5cda71c99ffe6.jpg)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.