[donotprint] Well, we are at it again. Yesterday we made our fourth soap – Lavender Goat Milk. We liked the goat milk soaps we purchased in Florida and at a local craft show so we thought we’d try one and add lavender from our garden. Also, I read The Sage blog where they are having a milk soap challenge. (I love challenges!) [/donotprint]
This procedure was a little trickier than the others because of the small amount of water and adding the goat milk. There are several different ways to handle milk in soapmaking. After lots of research I decided to try the method that I felt was the easiest.
Mango Butter (5%) 45 grams
Avocado Butter (5%) 45 grams
Shea Butter (5%) 45 grams
Castor Oil (5%) 45 grams
Coconut Oil (30%) 270 grams
Olive Oil (30%) 270 grams
Palm Oil (20%) 180 grams
Water – 171 grams
goats milk – 171 grams
lye – 126 grams
Liquid Silk – 9 grams (add to water)
1.5 tablespoon ground lavender buds
2 teaspoons lavender essential oil
1.5 teaspoon grapefruit seed extract (GSE) optional
This makes 4 lbs of soap or 10 bars. As with any recipe you get off of the internet, please run this through one of the calculators. This one is my favorite.
Please refer to the cold process instructions here. The major difference in this process from the link is the small amount of water which takes the lye longer to dissolve. To make the process go a bit smoother, especially since I added several more oils to the recipe, we measured all of the oils before adding the lye to the water.
We added the goat milk to the oils right before pouring in the lye water. The lavender buds were ground and soaked in the essential oil and then added at trace. I also added the GSE to the oils, but after more research I’ve found that most camps report that it does nothing to preserve. Kristina has a great comment about it on my Citrus Coffee Hand Soap post.
Since we ground the buds they are just flecks of lavender throughout the bars. We might try next time leaving them as buds. The soap is a pretty color and a nice lavender smell. I’m looking forward to using it after it’s cured.
If nothing else, we are learning a lot about the chemistry of soap making and are enjoying taking showers!
UPDATE: Check out our revised Lavender Goat Milk Soap recipe HERE.
Looks fabulous Lynda!! I always love simple soaps the best and lavender goat milk is such a great combination, it sounds so luxurious doesn’t it? I’m actually planning to make a soap exactly like that (though I haven’t thought about recipes yet) to give away at a charity event in June!
I always make the lye solution directly with the goat milk, but it’s a little tricky cause the fat content of the milk makes the solution a sort of pudding like consistency. Also I make sure the milk is nearly frozen when I start, because once you add lye it all gets really really hot and you have to wait to add it to the oils until it cools down. I don’t think it makes much a difference though at what point you add the milk, I might try your method with my next one and see if it is easier. I know some people also add the goat milk last, at trace.
Kristina, That’s great about making your soaps for a charity event!
I love lavender and I still had some buds left from last year I wanted to use. Can’t wait to try it. I licked it today and didn’t get zapped, but I think I’ll still wait for a couple weeks.
I didn’t use that frozen milk technique because it seemed harder and I was afraid of the milk burning up. However, I would like to do that once to see what it’s like.
Where do u find lavender buds
Sharon, We grow our own lavender, but you can find them also online. Just google Lavender buds and you will find lots of online stores selling them. Thanks for dropping by.