Back in November, when we were on vacation in Breckenridge, we stopped in a local, handmade soap shop. I bought probably 20 different bars of soap of varying scents, colors and formulas. I’ve tried most of them now, and my favorite by far was a goats milk soap. The lather was beautifully creamy, and the soap left my skin feeling soft and nourished. So of course I wanted to try a goats milk soap for myself!
Building upon my last recipe, the one I used for my Cranberry Fizz soap, I tweaked my base oils a bit to include palm oil. I did this mainly because I am a goof, and I accidentally ordered three giant jugs of the stuff on three separate occasions, not realizing I already had so much on hand. Fortunately, palm oil is great for soaping, and it works especially well in conjunction with coconut oil. I stuck with a high percentage of olive oil for this batch because I like how well that performed in my last recipe, and this one turned out just as great. It would be an ideal recipe for swirling because it moves slow, yet it firmed up in the mold quite quickly. I was able to cut it just 24 hours after pouring (and probably could’ve cut it a little sooner).
What makes this particular soap so wonderful, though, is the addition of goats milk and colloidal oatmeal. I could tell a difference in the feel of the soap as soon as I unmolded it. The soap felt nice and creamy in my hands, and even so fresh and dry, it felt moisturizing. I seriously cannot wait to pop a bar of this in my shower!
Thanks for watching, and if you have any suggestions for future projects or questions about this one, let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!
Oil Percentages
- 30% Olive Oil
- 30% Coconut Oil
- 25% Palm Oil
- 6% Rice Bran Oil
- 5% Castor Oil
- 4% Avocado Oil
I superfatted this recipe at 6%.
Fragrance & Add Ins
- Oatmeal Milk & Honey FO
- Goats Milk – Used in place of water and frozen ahead of time. I used powdered goats milk mixed into my pre-measured distilled water.
- Colloidal Oatmeal – I used it at about 3% of my oils. My batch size was 35 oz. of oils, and I used 1 oz. oatmeal.
- Titanium Dioxide – Keeps the soap white.
- Vanilla Color Stabilizer – To prevent discoloration from vanillin content in FO.
- Sodium Lactate – A salt that helps harden your soap and make it harden faster.
Always run your recipe through a soap calculator to determine the correct amount of lye and water for your particular oils and batch size! I use SoapCalc.net, and for this recipe I used a water:lye ratio of 2:1.
Hi Rachel…I would love to recreate this recipe of yours, however I cannot figure out how much lye and goats milk you used for the recipe. Please can you give me the exact measurements in ounces. Thank you
Hi there! The amount of lye/water/goats milk you use really depends on your own final recipe and the size of your mold. You want to run all recipes through a lye calculator to make absolute sure you’re using the correct amount. My preferred calculator is http://soapcalc.net/. It allows you to plug in the final weight of your oils, and calculate the rest from there. For example, for this particular soap, I used 35 oz. of oil, but yours might be different. I use a 2:1 ratio of water to lye, but for this soap, I just swapped out my water for the goat’s milk mixture. Hope that helps!
Hi, I love your video and I want to make this soap sooo bad! just had a few questions for you…How much goat milk powder did you use to distilled water before you froze into the small square sillicon molds?
When did you add sodium lactate?
How much volume/weight does the sillicon mold hold? or what was your finished weight before pouring into final mold?
Did you pre-spray your mold loaf pan with alcohol before pouring the batter?
Did you say you froze the entire soap mold for 24 hours?
The oil compound was 35 oz?
Again, this video is amazing and I am beggining to finally get my family away from chemicals so any advice will help. I am still a beginner at soap making but you did an awesome job with the video. I have learned so much today!
Hi there, and thank you!
For my particular recipe, I added 1.75 oz of goat milk powder (WSP brand) to 10 oz. water.
I add the sodium lactate straight to the lye/milk mixture before pouring into my oils.
That particular mold (from Bramble Berry) is a 2 lb. mold. The oil compound was 35 oz, and the finished batter weight is 3.25 lbs.
I do not spray my mold prior to pouring the batter. I do for MP soaps, but not for CP.
And no, I didn’t freeze the soap, I only froze the goats milk before adding the lye. Some people DO refrigerate their soaps after pouring to prevent gelling, but I’ve never done that.
I hope that helps! Soaping is such a great hobby. You will love it!
Hello, your oatmeal milk & honey ? Do you sell it ? I want to make my self. Your recipe is all in percentages ? Your soap is just beautiful !!! It good enough to eat !!
Hi there! No, I currently do not sell my soaps, but I hope to one day! And yes, I only give oil percentages because your final recipe calculations are dependent on the size of your mold. I recommend using a lye calculator to determine your final recipe. My preferred calculator is http://soapcalc.net/. It allows you to plug in the final weight of your oils, and calculate the rest from there. For example, the mold I used for this soap will hold 35 oz. of oil, but yours might be different. I use a 2:1 ratio of water to lye, but for this soap, I just swapped out my water for the goat’s milk.
I have a question …I slowly added my lye to my frozen goats milk and the first little bit I added immediately turned my goats milk dark yellow ..I think I burned it but I made the soap anyway..it didn’t cut good , is not good to use?
Hi there! The lye will turn your goats milk yellow, that’s expected. I wouldn’t be worried about it unless it turns brown, smells burnt or curdles. It’s a pretty distinct smell if you actually burn your goats milk. And as long as you used the correct lye to oil ratio, it’s still safe to use!
It does look a little grainy and bubbly inside and it did turn dark orange..it mostly crumbled when I tried to cut it. Oh well I’ll try again. Thanks for your feedback..your soap looks wonderful!
Hello 2:1 ratio of water to lye is how much ? For 35 oz of oils
The 2:1 ratio is by weight. So, for example, if you use 5 oz. of lye, you’d use 10 oz. water. As for how much you need for your oils, it depends on what oils you are using. Every oil has a unique SAP value that determines how much lye you need to saponify that particular type of oil. I highly suggest using a lye calculator, such as http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/soapcalcwp.asp. This will allow you to plug in the exact oils you’re using, how much you’d like to superfat, and will tell you how much lye to use.
What does comment “supperfatted this recipe at 6%” mean?
Basically, it means that you use enough lye to saponify only 94% of your oils. The remaining 6% of oils will stay oil. If you were to saponify 100% of your oils, the soap would be extremely drying. It’s important to superfat so that your soap imparts moisture as well.