Soap Makers Help!

[TM Chickens]

Quote:
50% Olive, 25% Lard, 20% Coconut, 5% Castor
Made with reverse osmosis water from our undersink filter.
Superfating at 5%
Soap is stored on paper towels laid out on a table in our huge unfinished basement.

 

[Morgaine]

Hmm. Recipe looks fine. You are using fresh oils? Anything smell a little off?
Superfat is fine, not too much at all.
What fragrances are you using?

I see you are storing in your basement? How is the heat and humidity in there? That could be it. Can you store them in the AC? The extreme heat and humidity could be making your soaps oxidize faster than normal.

How old are the soaps that got DOS?

 

[TM Chickens]

Quote:
Oils are fairly fresh. Most of the time they sit around for maybe 3 weeks before being used. I don't refrigerate any of them though. They all smell fine. All the fragrances I use are from MMS. The basement usually feels cooler than the house, which is kept at about 76 degrees. There is a dehumidifier in the basement about 7 feet from the soap which runs full blast all the time. I might could find room for the soaps in the AC if you think it would help. I usually notice the DOS about 4 weeks into the 6 week curing.

Is there any use for DOS soap other than using what we can and chucking the rest? Anyone want about 20 bars?

 

[Morgaine]

Hmm, if you are getting DOS that fast, I am thinking it is your water. I would do an experiment by doing two identical batches, one with your reverse osmosis and one with bottled distilled water.

It sounds like you are storing them fine to me.

Ohhh, just had a thought, are you 100% sure the OO you are using is pure? Could it be mixed with a different oil like Canola that is known for getting DOS? Maybe try a different brand of OO?

 

[MrsCountryChick]

Do any of you Experts have a recipe for a Goatmilk Lotion Bar? I've searched EVERYWHERE & can't find Goatmilk Lotion bar recipe. I have found ALOT of lotion or massage bar recipes, but none with goatmilk.

I understand that everything has a certain consistancy to be able to solidify & become a lotion bar.... but certainly there must be a recipe that calls for 'some' goatmilk & then compensates by having more shea butter, etc. ???? Any help would be Greatly Appreciated

 

[Morgaine]

All lotion bar recipes I know of are made without water so you couldn't add goat's milk to it either. If you want to use GM to make a lotion, you are going to need to look up lotion recipes. I would start with Teachsoap.com they have some simple recipes there.

And if you are going to use Gm in a lotion please make sure you read up on using a preservative or how to store your lotion if you don't. You don't want any nasties growing in the lotion.

 

[TM Chickens]

Quote:
Mmm. House smells like almond soap; made with distilled water. We'll see how it works. Thanks!
I'm 95% sure my oo is pure. It says all over the bottles that it's "100% pure olive oil", and the ingredients list only has olive oil listed. I'm using either Sam's Club oo or Walmart's virgin olive oil, depending on which is cheaper at the moment. Is there a way to test if it's pure?

 

[aussieheelr]

I've never had problems with walmart OO, has always worked just fine for me when I've made purely OO soap. It just didn't end up being my favorite... I have a combo of lard and castor with milk I just LOVE!

Fellow soapers! I think I'm just about ready to begin selling my soap, lotion bars and chapsticks. SO I was wondering about licenses. I know I'm going to have to go to the county clerk to get some specific answers but thought I'd also ask my fellow soapers.
Storefront is going to be internet based, making face to face at local events (festivals, farmers markets etc.). What licenses did you have to get? How is your shop set up? What are some do's and don't you ran into? I hope to never be anything HUGE... just something fun and keeping it simple.

 

[roosterdog]

Quote:
and yes again!

 

[roosterdog]

Quote:
mix the lye and milk?? I am also ready to make.. I have all the materials. Need the kahunas...LOL.. but I am going to make coconut milk soap and all the recipies that I have read with any milks. Is to take out the same amount of liquid from the lye water mixture and then add the milk liquid back in at trace. The way that I am interpreting your post is that you mix the milk in at the begining during the first lye/liquid chemical reaction. Did I interpret that right?

You can do it either way. Personally, I use all milk for my liquid when making milk soap--no water. If you go slow, and keep the temp down, it does not have to turn brown...but it takes practice. Plan on a few brown batches while you learn how to work the properties of milk in soap.

Some people, to avoid messing with the volatile nature of all-milk soap, do what you're describing, and add the milk in at trace. That will decrease the browning factor, but it also decreases the amount of milk in your soap. Personally, I prefer the milk being the total liquid in the soap formula, no water. For a really low-risk way to add milk to soap, you could add powdered milk at trace, also.

If enough people would be interested, I'd be happy to do a couple of picture tutorials posted here. People could follow along? It would just be a very basic recipe, and it would probably be better to start with plain water, and then move on to working with milk.

How about a fresh cucumber soap lesson?

Yes!!!!!! I would like tofollow along?