The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Food & crafts => Crafts => Topic started by: melodrama on July 21, 2011, 03:30:11 pm

Title: Soap Making
Post by: melodrama on July 21, 2011, 03:30:11 pm

I have now made my first two batches of soap in the last 24 hours and already I am addicted.  Was dancing around like a kid at Christmas this morning when I looked at the first batch and it had worked.  Now made a handy kitchen soap and away to try a goats milk - so excited!!  Shame I can't actually test any of them four weeks though ;D ;D ;D :love:

Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: melodrama on July 21, 2011, 04:39:26 pm

Ok, so I may well have ran away with myself there  :-[  I made goatm milk soap this afternoon (which is really why I'm taking up soapmaking) and I think it curdled as soon as I put the lye in - looked awful anyway but I ploughed on through the recipe and whisked it to try to get rid of the curdled-ness(?) but there is still a few white spots in it from curdled milk (doesn't sound appealing does it)  should I discard the whole batch or will it be ok?  Just for me and family.  It smells really nice and traced ok.  What can I do to prevent that happening in future?  Any help greatly appreciated.
Melanie x

Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: Anke on July 21, 2011, 08:07:29 pm

If it is just for family it will be fine. You need to add the lye when the milk is really cold, best is to freeze the amount you need and then start to de-frost and add the lye when it is just at the slushy stage. You can help the partial defrost by puting in a fork and trying to crash/slush the ice/milk in the process.

Should probably work other way round too - put in lye once it is almost frozen.

Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: plumseverywhere on July 22, 2011, 08:31:02 pm

test it with some ph strips just to make sure its not undissolved lye.

Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: melodrama on July 23, 2011, 08:52:02 pm

Thank you - I will test them - I take it I do this after the curing process and before I use them? :-[

Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: plumseverywhere on July 23, 2011, 09:07:41 pm

Ideally yes, but you could probably test for lye in less than a month. quite often mine have reached PH of 7 by a week of curing but you will need to be looking for white lumps (if you were to stick a pin in to them, clear liquid could ooze) nasty - have lost a few batches in the early days to lye crystals appearing  ::)

Title: Re: Soap Making
Post by: melodrama on July 24, 2011, 01:08:01 pm

Thank you very much for your help, I'll test them and keep you posted x