Sometimes I struggle with patience. I know, I know. It's something I need to work on. So, here we are preparing our home for dairy goats, reading the soapmaking book cover to cover several times over, gathering all the necessary soap making supplies, and just waiting for our goats to be ready to come home. Knowing that the soap would have to cure for at least 3 weeks before it's ready for use (and ready for me to see how it turns out / tweak the recipe), I decided to let my eagerness to begin get the better of me. When I was in LR last, I purchased some goats' milk at Whole Foods. Tuesday night, I gave it a whirl.
Here are all my supplies, ready to go. At the last minute, I couldn't find my safety goggles (a necessity when working with lye), so I used John's tinted weed-eating goggles. I must have looked ridiculous, but I was so excited that I didn't care.
Here they are! I used a silicone mold that makes these 3" diameter circles. I think that's a good size to hold in the shower. Also, I tried my hand at using a soap stamp. I love the design, but I had no idea when I ordered it that it was so small. It kind of gets lost in the middle of the bar. I'll probably try to get a larger one for the next try.
I will say that milk soap making was pretty intense. I used a recipe that incorporates goats' milk, olive oil, cocoa butter, coconut oil, rice bran oil, and apricot oil. For the first try, I didn't add any scented oils. This recipe is supposed to produce a hard bar that lathers well and has tons of nutrients and moisturizers for sensitive skin.
The pH levels tested great, so, chemically speaking, my 1st attempt was a success. In three weeks, I'll get to give it a try. If the bar goes soft too quickly in the shower, I'll allow additional curing time for the remaining bars.
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