Making Milk Based Soaps

Using the recipe already provided in my blog, you can make goat's and other milk based soaps. Simply replace the water with goat's milk when making your lye solution and you will have lovely, creamy, moisturizing soap.
Follow the general directions for making your lye solution, being sure to follow all safety protocols.
Milk used in soap making must be treated first, to prepare it for the soap making process.  You do this by ensuring that your milk is pasteurize. This is easy if you are purchasing your milk from the grocery store, as this milk will already be pasturized.
The second thing you need to do to the milk is to freeze it. I freeze my milk overnight and then take it out of the freezer in the morning and let it start to thaw out prior to my soap making. I want this milk to be cold and even still partially frozen, like a slushy, when I start to add the caustic soda.

Measure out your cold, partially frozen goat's milk into the container you are going to use to make your lye solution. Place this container in a sink of cold water and add ice cubes to the water. You want this iced water to reach up to the level of the milk in your container. Be careful not to add too much water, as your container will start to float and may spill.

Slowly add a small amount of your measured caustic soda to the milk.  As it starts to dissolve, it will start to heat up. Stir the solution gently and then wait for it to coll down. As a rule of thumb, you do not want the solution be get above 38 degrees C.

Add some more of your caustic soda, and following the same procedure, wait until the solution cools back down. Continue to do this until you have added all of your caustic soda to your milk.


The solution will change colour to a golden yellow as you continue to mix in your caustic soda. This is natural and does not mean that there is anything wrong. This colour will be transferred to your soap.. Just be sure that it does not get heated above 38 degrees C, as this will make it much darker and will also produce an offensive smell.

Once you have your milk based lye solution made, all the remaining steps of the soap making are the same as in the recipes provided.

Just add the milk based lye solution to your oils and mix until you get a trace.  Then pour your soap mix into your moulds and allow to set.

I leave my soaps overnight and pop them out of the moulds in the morning and set them out on a drying rack to dry. 

Milk based soaps are luxurious and cream and are excellent for those with sensitive skin.
Give it a try. It is easier than you think!