Goat Milk Soap [Chapter 12] Raising Goats | Homestead Handbook

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Raising goats pays off when you get to make your own goat milk products! Learn how to make the desirable goat milk soap with intense nourishing qualities below in our homesteading handbook.

You are reading Chapter 12 of our Homestead Handbook:

Raising Backyard Goats

Chapter 12:

Goat Milk Soap Making

Soap making is probably one of the most enjoyable aspects of having a goat to me. I enjoy DIY so if any of you folks out there do too, it will be a fun task to do. There are two methods of soap making: hot process and cold process. The hot process soap making has all of the ingredients heated up, which causes saponification (producing soap). Saponification takes a few hours. Ou will need to stick around and be sure to stir the mixture often, so it does not bubble over. Most people will use a slow cooker in this process. The cold process method is more of a hands-on method. You mix the oils any lye together until it has the consistency of pudding where you then will pour it into molds.

While you are gathering your equipment, keep in mind none of them should contain aluminum because it has a negative reaction with lye, it is best to use stainless steel, glass, plastic or wood.

• Pot – It can be glass or stainless steel. It should be at least a 3-quart sized pot. The bigger you go, the more batches you can do in a single shot.
• Digital scale – You will need it, it will help you better than a measuring up
• Pitcher – Look for at least a 2-quart size pitcher or milking bowl that can withstand frozen goat milk and lye together.
• Measuring cup – A glass cup is the best. It will be used to hold the lye and essential oil.
• Thermometer – A standard thermometer will work fine so long as it can read temperatures between 90-140 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Molds – Any mold will do, even your containers
• Vinegar – Lye is basic, and vinegar is acidic, which will neutralize the lye.

You only need oil lye and water to make soap, but adding milk will make the bar extremely moisturizing and nourishing. Here are the ingredients to gather:

• Frozen milk
• Lye
• Oils (any of your choice: olive and coconut oil are extremely moisturizing)
• Essential oils (fragrance: rosemary, lavender, peppermint, ylang-ylang)
• Herbs
• Oatmeal (optional, but very nice as an exfoliate)
• Clay

Soap Making: The easiest & safest method for beginners to use is the cold process method

• If you use any oils that are solid at room temperatures, like palm oil or cocoa butter, weigh them and place them in a pot. Warm up the solids on low heat until they melt and remove them from the heat source. Weigh the liquid oils and combine them with the oils you melted. Stir it. Do not exceed a temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit and that occurs, wait until the heat lowers to that temperature.

• Use eye protection and to keep your eyes step at this point. Add the frozen goat milk into chunks and add them in your pitcher. You will want to weigh the lye and mix it slowly with the milk. Stir it until the lye dissolves, this will happen in minutes. Always add the lye to the liquid, not the liquid to the lye; it will end in a volcanic-like eruption. Once the milk and lye are dissolved, the temperature should be around 100-120 degrees Fahrenheit. Again, if the temperature exceeds 120 degrees Fahrenheit, wait until it cools before moving on. Some people say the lye and oil mixture should be the same in temperature, but it is not a necessary.

• Pour the lye and milk mixture with the oil mixture and, with a stick, mix the lye solution with the oils. If you are putting, clay, oatmeal, essential oils, or any other extra ingredient, it is best to add them now. If you raise your stick and see drops appear on the surface of the mixture instead of vanishing into the fluid, you can add it into the mold. You want the mixture to be thick, yet runny in consistency, like honey. If it is like the consistency of mashed potatoes, it will be too thick to pour, and you will spend more time scooping it out.

• Once the mixture is on the mold, cover the top with freezer paper to prevent the formation of ash.

• Allow it to sit for at least one day before you unmold and slice it. If you think you will wait a few days longer to slice it, you can. However, you do not want to wait for too long where your soap will become too dry to properly slice

• Put your bars on a rack or shelf to dry 3-4 weeks before using. That’s right, weeks, not days. Even though you technically could use them earlier, your soaps will last you a longer period if given enough drying time.

Butter Bar:

Butter bars are a great bar for people who suffer from really dry skin. It is also perfect for people to use during the winter months if your skin is not normally dry. (Note: this bar will be unscented. For fragrance, add essential oils of your choice)

• 2 oz. castor oil
• 4 oz. cocoa butter
• 12 oz. coconut oil
• 20 oz. olive oil
• 4 oz. shea butter
• 2 oz. lanolin
• 12 oz. frozen goat milk
• 6 oz. lye

Soap for Oily Skin:

• 4 oz. cocoa butter
• 16 oz. olive oil
• 8 oz. sunflower oil
• 6 oz. coconut oil
• 6 oz. palm oil
• 2 oz. castor oil
• 2 oz. grapeseed oil
• 13 oz. frozen goat milk
• 6 oz. lye
• 2 tbs. green clay
• 1 oz. Essential Lemongrass Oil
• ½ oz. Essential grapefruit oil

This recipe yields about 11 five-ounce bars

That was Chapter 12: Goat Milk Soap from our Homestead Handbook: Raising Goats

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Like Goat Milk Products? You’ll Also Love These Ideas:

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Originally posted on July 21, 2015 @ 2:00 AM

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