Goat's Milk Soap *Recipe*

Goat Milk Soap

^ I want a goat like that one!! ^ 

Makes approximately 40 (4 oz) bars.

From The Natural Soap Book by Susan Miller Cavitch

"This bar offers all of the qualities of the Soap Essentials Bar, plus the extra moisturizing quality of goat milk. I add only enough goat milk to affect the bled, because too much makes the soap more vulnerable to premature rancidity. 

Though the inclusion of goat milk involves a bit more precision and fussing, it is fun to experiment with other recipes. I love to scent these bars with a sassafras blend. This soap is homey and fresh"

Ingredients (by weight):

~2 and 1/2 pounds (1.13 kg) cold, distilled water (does not need to be refrigerated). 

~473 grams sodium hydroxide

~4 pounds (1.81 kg) olive oil

~2 pounds 8 ounces (1.13 kg) coconut oil

~1 pound 8 ounces (680 g) palm oil

~30 grams grapefruit seed extract (preservative, optional)

~2 and 2/10 grams tocopherol (preservative, optional)

~1/2 pound (227 g) cold goat milk

~45-50 grams (approximately 15-18 teaspoons combined) pure essential oil (fragrance, optional)

Preparing the Work Area

1) You will need: Goggles and rubber gloves, a 2 quart glass container, a rubber spatula, 2 large sauce pots or double boilers, wax paper, masking tape, and soap molds of your choice (A big, shallow, wooden box does great).

2) Line your mold - a wooden tray or cardboard box (About 25 and 1/2" x 13 and 1/2" x 4") with heavy duty wax paper. Be sure to mitre the corners to flatten the paper against the sides of the box. Use masking tape to secure the paper to the box without waves and wrinkles. 

3) Measure out the essential oils, preservatives, and any extra ingredients, and set aside in tightly sealed containers. 

Mixing the Key Ingredients

4) Put on goggles and gloves. Weight out the sodium hydroxide (lye) and set aside.

5) Set the 2-quart glass container on the scale and zero out, then add the distilled water; remove from the scale. Carefully add the lye while stirring briskly (but not splashing) with the rubber spatula. The fumes will overwhelm you for about ten seconds, so hold your breath while stirring, and then leave the room for fresh air. (I always do this step outside if it's not too windy or rainy.) Return after two or three minutes to finish dissolving the lye (NOTE: NEVER ADD THE WATER TO THE LYE, THIS COULD CAUSE AN EXPLOSION. ALWAYS ADD THE LYE TO THE WATER.) The reaction will heat the lye solution to over 200 degrees F, so set the bowl aside in a safe place to cool down to 80 degrees. 

6) While the lye solution cools, begin mixing the oils (with the spatula). Set the soapmaking pan on the scale, zero it out, and add the olive oil. Then set the other sauce pot on the scale, zero it out, and add the coconut oil,  then zero out again and add the palm oil. Place the sauce pot over low heat until the solid pieces of the oils have melted. Pour the heated oils into the olive oil. If you choose to add the grapefruit seed extract and/or the tocopherol, add it now to the warm oils, mixing thoroughly. Let the oils cool to 80 degrees F.

Making the Soap

7) As the lye solution approaches 80 degrees, gently heat the goat milk to 80 degrees, stirring gently and constantly. At this time, be sure that the oils are at 80 degrees, so the oils will be ready and waiting. If they are too cool, heat the pan over very low heat, removing the pan from the heat when the temperature reaches 76 degrees.

8) Now add the lye solution to the goat milk, drizzling the lye in slowly and stirring the mixture briskly (with the spatula) to avoid curdling. Combining the lye with the milk may cause the mixture to heat up by a few degrees, though no higher than 85 degrees. 

9) Wearing goggles and gloves, slowly drizzle the goat milk mixture into the oils, stirring briskly (with the spatula) as you pour. Continue to stir, circling the pan and cutting through the middle of the pan to keep as much of the mixture as possible in constant motion. Do not beat or whip the mixture, but stir briskly throughout the entire process. DO NOT scrape the sides or bottom of the pan. This soap will be slightly grainy and will take anywhere from ten to forty minutes to saponify, depending on the oils and how closely the temperature directions were followed. 

Once a small amount of soap can be drizzled across the surface, leaving a tracing pattern before sinking back into the mass, the soap is ready for essential oils. And yet, be sure that all oils on the surface have been incorporated, leaving a uniform mixture.

10) Immediately drizzle in the essential oils to scent the soaps, stirring swiftly and thoroughly with spatula, without beating the mixture, Stir for twenty to thirty seconds, or as little time as needed to fully incorporate the essential oils. Too much stirring causes streaking and seizing (a quick setup which makes it hard, if not impossible, to pour soap into frames). Use pure essential oils for a uniform incorporation of product, synthetic fragrance oils are more likely to streak and seize.

Pouring Into the Mold

11) Quickly pour soap into the mold without scraping the sides of the pan. The mixture should be nice and uniform in color and texture. Try to pour from one end of the frame to the other to evenly distribute the soap within the frame for more even bars. If your first attempt is not quick enough, and the mixture begins to set unevenly, use the spatula to spread it out to the corners. Keep in mind that the soaps can be trimmed smoothly once the bars are ready to cut. 

If the last bit of soap mixture at the bottom of the pan is watery and not uniform, the stirring process was not quite complete. Watery or oily puddles signal a poorly mixed solution and will result in pockets of solid lye within the final product. Do not pollute the rest of your batch by adding this unsaponified portion, better leave it out.

Curing and Cutting the Bars

12) Cover the frame with another frame, a piece of plywood, or a piece of heavy cardboard, then finally with a blanket or two. Leave undisturbed for eighteen to twenty-four hours (I always do 24 hours, just to be sure.) This period is critical, as the insulation allows the soap to heat up and complete the soapmaking process.

13) Uncover the frame and set away from drafts and cold temperatures for one to seven days, or until the soap is firm enough to cut. Do not wait until they are rock hard. 

14) Using rulers and a paring knife, lightly (do not cut all the way through) mark the mass into bars. Once the bars seem straight and uniform, cut lengthwise and crosswise through to the bottom of the frame. Holding the sides of the waxed paper, lift the soaps out of the frame. carefully peel the soaps from the paper, then slice a thin sliver off of the top of each bar to remove the powdery white soda ash. Also trim any uneven edges.

15) Lay the soaps, in a single layer, on plain brown paper bags, wor wicker or rattan placemats. Do not use bags with ink on them, because the bars are still alkaline and will pick up the dye. Set the bags in a dry, well ventilated room and do not expose them to temperature extremes. 

16) Allow the soaps to continue to cure for four to six weeks, turning them over once to fully expose the other sides. this is an important period, as the soaps become harder and more mild. Wrap as you'd like, once cured, preferably in a breathable material, and store.

If anyone makes this soap, I would love to see pictures and hear reviews! If you get creative and come up with good variations, feel free to share! And if you are really into natural soap making, I highly recommend Susan Cavitch's book as linked at the top where you will find this recipe, among many other goodies!