# Goat Milk Soap



## emma_c (Sep 19, 2012)

Anyone out there make goat milk soap? I just recently found some and have been using it for the past month and oh my goodness!! I am in love! Does anyone have any tips or knowledge they wish to share with a beginner? Or places to buy products, equipment etc.?


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I LOVE THE STUFF. My aunt makes it. When we have enough goat milk, I'll be making it too.


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

I know it sounds like odd advise, but if you have not ever made soap before, I don't suggest starting with goats milk. Start with plain old water for your lye solution. Start simple. If you've made soap, then disregard, hah! 

Goats milk can be tricky, and can go wrong easily. When lye and a liquid are combined, it creates large amounts of heat. Milk can burn and coagulate into a smelly, icky mess if the temperature of the reaction is not kept low. Not fun for a beginner! What I do is I measure out the milk the night before (by weight, in grams), put it in the freezer, and let it solidify. Then in the morning, I remove it to the fridge. I let it become a little slushy but mostly frozen. I then bury the container mostly in ice cubes in a pot. Only then do I add the lye in, very very slowly. A few grains at a time, stirring constantly. If all goes well, the result is a creamy, smooth solution of milk and lye, which is then used to soap with the oils. 

Learning how soap behaves is a very good thing. A lot of it is by 'feel'. So having to deal with the touchiness of goats milk on the first batch might make the whole learning experience a little more difficult.


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

Can soap be made with out lyle solution?


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

clearwtrbeach said:


> Can soap be made with out lyle solution?


Lye is a necessary ingredient. You can't make bar soap without NaOH. It is the key to saponifying oils, turning them from fatty acids into fatty acid salts (what soap is). It gets mixed with a liquid (water, goats milk, coconut milk, etc) and then that is what goes in your oils to make the actual soap.

There is melt and pour soap. Which isn't really soapmaking since you buy it in premade blocks, melt it, and boo, soap.


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

Sorry for all the questions. What about the glycerin soap you see, does it have lyle? I was just trying to see a recipe that is the most natural/ gentle for skin. thanks


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

clearwtrbeach said:


> Sorry for all the questions. What about the glycerin soap you see, does it have lyle? I was just trying to see a recipe that is the most natural/ gentle for skin. thanks


To literally be classified as "soap" a product must be composed of a fatty acid saponified by a strong base (NaOH for bar soap, KOH for liquid). Many well known 'soaps' are actually composed of detergents, such as sodium lauryl sulfate, and are NOT true soap! Ever wonder why dove 'soap' is called a "Beauty Bar"? That is because it is not actually soap. It cannot legally be called a soap.

*Lye is not hard on the skin if properly used in a soap.* It is needed to make soap in the first place! To make a gentle soap, you must use the right oils and amounts. For example, castille soap, a 100% olive oil soap, is super gentle and very moisturizing. But it has almost no lather, because the chemical properties of olive oil just don't lather. Bastille soap is a mostly olive oil soap, with something else like coconut or palm oil which do add lather, but are very drying if too much is used or there is too low a level of superfat.

Superfatting a soap is critical if it is to be used on the skin. It is additional oil that is added that does not saponify. Essentially you soap with more oil than the amount of lye can saponify into soap, leaving some free oil in the soap. Some oils are notorious for going rancid though, when used in a soap with too much superfat, so you have to be careful.

Edit: Also, glycerol is a product produced through saponification, in addition to fatty acid salts. That is because glycerol is a component of a fatty acid, and when a soap is made it is cleaved off and separates from it. To make a glycerol soap, they separate the glycerol from the rest of the fatty acid salts, then mix it with their proprietary mixtures. So all lye produced bar soap actually contains some glycerol.


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## emma_c (Sep 19, 2012)

Stacykins said:


> I know it sounds like odd advise, but if you have not ever made soap before, I don't suggest starting with goats milk. Start with plain old water for your lye solution. Start simple. If you've made soap, then disregard, hah!
> 
> Goats milk can be tricky, and can go wrong easily. When lye and a liquid are combined, it creates large amounts of heat. Milk can burn and coagulate into a smelly, icky mess if the temperature of the reaction is not kept low. Not fun for a beginner! What I do is I measure out the milk the night before (by weight, in grams), put it in the freezer, and let it solidify. Then in the morning, I remove it to the fridge. I let it become a little slushy but mostly frozen. I then bury the container mostly in ice cubes in a pot. Only then do I add the lye in, very very slowly. A few grains at a time, stirring constantly. If all goes well, the result is a creamy, smooth solution of milk and lye, which is then used to soap with the oils.
> 
> Learning how soap behaves is a very good thing. A lot of it is by 'feel'. So having to deal with the touchiness of goats milk on the first batch might make the whole learning experience a little more difficult.


Thanks for being honest!  I would rather know that I need to start out with simple soap making first rather than be disappointed that I wasted good goat's milk on icky soap! :thumbup:


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## emma_c (Sep 19, 2012)

clearwtrbeach said:


> Sorry for all the questions. What about the glycerin soap you see, does it have lyle? I was just trying to see a recipe that is the most natural/ gentle for skin. thanks


Thanks for asking questions! It helps me learn, too.


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## Arkie (Sep 25, 2012)

Folks see the word "lye" and think AAAKKKKkkk!! Caustic, eat yer skin, BBaaaddd. The mixture of caustics and acids are what cause the reaction to convert the end product into a neutral ph balance that serves it's intended purpose.

Bob


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

So true people have come accustomed to run screaming when they hear lye. I label the soap I sell with Sodium Hydroxide instead of lye to help with the hysteria. Lye can be very dangerous when by itself. I accidentally got a granule up my nose a while back. It nearly ate itself though my septum. Thankfully I got vinegar on it fast enough to stop it. So just a word a caution *do* wear gloves, a breathing mask, and glasses. It may seem silly once you get used to making it and you get laxed but don't. It burns the hell out of your skin.

The only soap I have ever made is goat milk soap. It can be very temperamental. I have made some batches where I have no idea what I did but it went wrong. Others I didn't mix enough or scorched the milk or under did the milk. I personally put my lye directly into the slushy milk and forgo the water. But mixing it with water gives you more time and its less temperamental. I have to act very fast to put the oils in and mix once the milk reaches where it should be. I personally have learned to go by the color of the milk. If I let it reach a deep yellow its gone too far and if its a light yellow its ready for oil. You will learn yourself whats best and what doesn't work. I had one that when it cured turned black due to something in a certain brand of scent it was otherwise just fine.


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

thanks for all the info guys it's great. Hopefully next summer I'll be able to try my hand at it. This year was my first for making chev, next summer watch out.


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## emma_c (Sep 19, 2012)

Wow, I will be careful with that stuff. Thanks for the info!


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

Yep, lye is a hazardous chemical that has to be treated with care. I mix my lye solution outside with no animals around.

Big safety note, never mix your lye solution in a glass container OR an aluminum one!

The reaction of mixing lye and water (or water containing liquid, like milk) produces substantial amounts of heat. It is a very exothermic reaction. Unless you are mixing in laboratory grade glassware that can handle high temperatures, glass can shatter. Modern pyrex used in the kitchen actually isn't good enough for the job, either. Many a soapmaker has mixed their solution in a glass mason jar, only to have it break and spill caustic solution all over the place.

Always keep vinegar on hand. I keep a gallon jug on hand. It will neutralize the lye in case of a spill or splash.

Another rule about lye is always pour the lye into the water, not the water into the lye. If you pour water over the lye granules, it can basically explode the granules everywhere. That is because the lye instantly starts to react violently, and there isn't enough water to dilute it fast enough.

My little saying is "Do as you ought'r, pour the acid in the water". Same applies to a strong base, like NaOH. Always pour it in the water. Strong acids do the same thing when water is poured in them, they react and can splash and splatter!

On the aluminum. Aluminum and lye both react with each other, even if the lye is dissolved in water. You do not want that happening to your pot! Basically the lye eats away at the aluminum hydroxide, which normally protects aluminum from reacting with water (yes, plain old water can react with pure aluminum, water can act as an acid or a base when it needs to), and BOOM insta chemical reaction with your pot! It'll corrode it badly. Stainless steel is safe.


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## amiandhergoats (Nov 14, 2012)

I've been making goats milk soap with my goats' frozen milk for a couple of years now and I've never had a problem. I feel that if you can bake well, you can handle soap making. It's very similar, though sodium hydroxide (lye) needs a little extra care and protection (eye and hands). 

I start with frozen soap, which I freeze in doubled plastic ziplocks. I have a kitchen scale that I weigh on, and chip off enough to get the right amount. I then use a meat tenderizer (the mullet style) to break up the milk in the bag. I chip it into smaller pieces with an ice pick. Once you put lye over the frozen milk, it melts within 30 minutes. It never gets warm enough to scald. 

My advice is to pick up a few soapmaking books and try a basic milk soap recipe. Keep it simple at first, just add one scent. Once you get that down, start experimenting with oils and scents. Also, once you get a little experience, you can substitute any water base recipe with milk! Good luck!


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

I got my soapmaking books on Half.com really cheap. Soap is really fun to make .. I also picked up an immersion blender at a thrift shop, and this is really helpful with the GM soap. I also made a soap mold from scrap lumber. an accurate (digital) scale is kinda important to make sure of your measurements (harbor freight has one for 10.00)
Good luck and have fun! Perfect time to make Christmas gifts!!!


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## Melissako (Sep 13, 2011)

*Soap questions*

At what point is the soap no longer caustic? I just made my first batch with all the goggle and glove precautions. We'll see how it turns out in 4 weeks. But as I was making it, I was wondering...
I know it is most caustic when adding the lye to the goat milk, but then is it neutralized after it is added to the oils? Or can I not touch it with bare hands until after the full 4 weeks? I cleaned all my supplies with my gloves still on, but could I have taken them off once I rinsed everything? 
Thanks!


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Once the soap is cured...4-6 weeks, it's no longer caustic.


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## lottsagoats (Dec 10, 2012)

A few years ago I decided I was going to make goat milk soap. I got what I needed, bought a book and made my soap. I had never done anything like that before and I have never had a batch come out bad.

Don't be afraid to try. You can get supplies form Hoeggars and Caprine Supply.


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## basstr (Oct 12, 2014)

Yes, I do. I make all types. Visit me at www.SoulNourishingHomemade.com


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## mayia97420 (Apr 22, 2014)

Don't touch it with your bare hands for 24 hours. By that time most of the lye should be converted to soap. You can test it to see if its still caustic - stick your tongue on an edge - if it zings you it needs more time - if it just tastes like soap the lye has been converted.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

OLD thread....


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## justamerefarm (Sep 2, 2014)

Just google how to make goats milk soap and there is a whole tutorial on making it complete with video. I'm going to make some too, hopefully this week


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## tatumhills (Feb 8, 2014)

I have been milking my first ever goat for only 2 weeks SO&I am brand new to it all. I have been doing a lot of research on the web but I am still confused about the ingredients you need for making soap..,
1. Lye
2. Goat's milk
What else?
3. A base oil? What are they? Coconut oil, olive oil?
4. An essential oil? Like lavander oil I guess?

And what quantities for each type?

Many thanks!!

www.tatumhills.weebly.com 
www.facebook.com/tatumhillsfarm
One Saanen and her beautiful baby boy!


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## CritterCarnival (Sep 18, 2013)

tatumhills said:


> I have been milking my first ever goat for only 2 weeks SO&I am brand new to it all. I have been doing a lot of research on the web but I am still confused about the ingredients you need for making soap..,
> 1. Lye
> 2. Goat's milk
> What else?
> ...


Way to much information to share on this thread safely. If you google "making goat milk soap" you will find tons of information. This is a good site: http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/. I also recommend these folks: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum.php

You also need to find a good lye calculator to be sure you don't use too much lye and make your soap caustic. I use http://soapcalc.net/calc/soapcalcwp.asp

Oh yeah...be prepared...soap making is exceedingly addictive:slapfloor:!!


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## harleybarley (Sep 15, 2014)

Agreed. It's easy to make soap safely, but it's also easy to hurt yourself or someone in your household. It's not like making dinner where you just throw everything together and, voila, a meal (or a harmless failure). Read about process before you even think about ingredients. You'll find lots of great recipes online.


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## tatumhills (Feb 8, 2014)

Thank you for the info. I have done a lot of reading about the safety and the process but I am still confused about which group of ingredients are essential and which are optional (see my first post) and I find the calculator so confusing too... Can you recommend and good books? Or share a bit more info? Thanks! 

www.tatumhills.weebly.com 
www.facebook.com/tatumhillsfarm
One Saanen and her beautiful baby boy!


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## CritterCarnival (Sep 18, 2013)

I'll offer a little overview of the basic ingredients, but I really recommend you start with this page: http://summerbeemeadow.com/content/make-your-own-handcrafted-bar-soaps, and then check out the links on the left side of their page. This one has properties of a lot of the base oils: http://summerbeemeadow.com/content/properties-soapmaking-oils. Then check out the other sites I linked. I really want you to get started out with successful soap, and it really is more than I can explain in a post here. :thumb:

OK, first the bare necessities. There are only 3 things that you absolutely _must_ have to make soap; an oil or oil blend, a liquid of some sort and lye. Then there are the many things you can add, including scents, colors, clays or even herbs and flowers. I'll start with the necessities and then list a few choices for additives and why you may want to use them.

Oil - (Not to be confused with "essential oils" or "fragrance oils", which are actually "scents" as described below.)You can use pretty much any oil or combination of oils to make soap, you can use 100% of just one oil or you can blend smaller percentages of multiple oils. These oils include lard, tallow, olive oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, avocado oil, even Crisco or plain old Corn Oil...really an almost endless list. Each oil imparts a variety of cleansing and moisturizing benefits to your soap. This is where it gets tough, you have to find the properties of each oil and learn how they combine to create the qualities of the soap you want to make. Do you want lots of fluffy bubbles everywhere, or maybe a thick, almost cream-like lather?? It's all in the oils.

Liquid - Again, there is a long list of liquids that can be used to make soap. Most recipes use plain water to dissolve the lye, but you can use milk, beer, fruit juice&#8230;you name it and someone has probably used it to make soap. Though, due to the sugars and fats and such in some non-water liquids, many of them behave in very bizarre ways when the lye is added. Some tricks have been discovered to make some of them a bit easier to use. Much like the oils, different liquids impart different qualities to your soap.

Lye - Last, but certainly not least, is the lye. There are two types of lye used in soap making, which one to use depends on what type of soap you are trying to make. Sodium Hydroxide, NaOH, is used to make solid bar soaps, Potassium Hydroxide, KOH, is used to make liquid soaps. And then you find the semi-solid soaps that use a bit of both&#8230;

Both types of lye are extremely dangerous if they get on your bare skin or into your eyes, nose or mouth. Wear gloves and goggles at the very least. Mix your lye solution near a water source so you can immediately flush the lye off within seconds in case you splash any lye on yourself. If you do spill lye on yourself, flush the area with large quantities of COLD water. DO NOT USE VINEGAR!! There is some thought that the vinegar should neutralize the lye, ie., a strong base should be neutralized by an acid.  But it has been found that because lye's reaction to liquids is to produce extreme heat, it actually causes the burns to get even worse. Even the MSDS sheet advises flushing with cold water.


There you go, the very basics. I'll make another post with a bit on additives when I get in from tending critters. In the mean time, go read!! :book:


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## tatumhills (Feb 8, 2014)

THANK YOU SO MUCH critterCarnival. I really appreciate your time writing this post and I have found sites with info about the rest so pls don't worry about writing more if you're pressed for time 

Your info about the three basic ingredients is exactly what I was after and that'll get me going.

Thanks so much!

www.tatumhills.weebly.com 
www.facebook.com/tatumhillsfarm
One Saanen and her beautiful baby boy!


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## CritterCarnival (Sep 18, 2013)

My pleasure, enjoy the addiction!! :wave:


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## tatumhills (Feb 8, 2014)

Sono have been making soap for a few months now. I have made a few batches and really love it. I am trying to perfect or rather create a recipe with mostly farm ingredients. I have tried a recipe I made up with beeswax, honey, milk, olive oil, and egg but then I also added coconut and castor oil. I have agreed to do a demo at a local community centre in a few months (silly me!) so I'd like to have an easy reliable recipe made up of easy to find ingredients... Any ideas appreciated 

www.tatumhills.weebly.com 
www.facebook.com/tatumhillsfarm
Three happy goats


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## tatumhills (Feb 8, 2014)

Hello again, I have made a few batches so far and loving it. I have agreed to do a demo at a small community event and would like to show a recipe that can be made from mostly ingredients one may already have or can find locally. Not necessarily with milk either. I tried olive oil, honey, beeswax, milk, coconut oil castor oil. Went to hard trace really fast... We'll see how it is when I use it. Any other ideas? Thanks!

www.tatumhills.weebly.com 
www.facebook.com/tatumhillsfarm
Three happy goats


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Good luck! Sounds like you have several options.


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## lovinglife (Jun 6, 2013)

Lard, coconut oil and olive oil. Makes a great soap and behaves well. You could do equal amounts or heavy on the lard, always use the lye calculator. You could try 50% lard, 25% coconut and 20% olive oil and then 5% castor oil.


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## tatumhills (Feb 8, 2014)

Thank you that sounds good. I will give that recipe out on the day as some people raise pigs and would be keen on that... But I am vegetarian do anything without lard would be my preference 

www.tatumhills.weebly.com 
www.facebook.com/tatumhillsfarm
Three happy goats


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## harleybarley (Sep 15, 2014)

One of the easiest recipes is 28% coconut, the rest olive oil. Just 4 ingredients, two oils, liquid, and lye. Run through a soap calculator for proper lye concentration. Fairly low-temp, and it doesn't trace too quickly if you are patient and keep temps low. If you use milk for the demo, be sure to keep the lye part cool (freeze the milk and mix slowly). Good luck!


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## tatumhills (Feb 8, 2014)

That sounds very doable, thanks!! I'll certainly give it a go. On the topic of temp, what temps do you aim for with the oils and lye mix before you combine them? And does this temp change if you have milk or water in the lye mix? Thanks!!

www.tatumhills.weebly.com 
www.facebook.com/tatumhillsfarm
Three happy goats


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## harleybarley (Sep 15, 2014)

There are a lot of opinions on temp... Milk wants to heat up, so I try to keep things very cool with milk soaps, starting at just a couple degrees above the melt point of the oil with the highest melt point (or warm room temperature for liquid oils that don't need a "melt point"). If you let it get very hot, it will trace fast and thicken fast. 

The easiest way to do milk soap fast enough for a demo is to mix the lye with water (it's very strong, very caustic, and dangerous, handle with respect - google "water discount" and "master batch lye") and let it cool to room temp. Then mix the lye water into milk ice cubes. It keeps the temp lower without waiting for milk & lye mixture to cool.


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## tatumhills (Feb 8, 2014)

Nice!! Lovely idea, thanks!! If I have olive and coconut oil, what temp do you reckon I should have those at before mixing all together?

www.tatumhills.weebly.com 
www.facebook.com/tatumhillsfarm
Three happy goats


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## harleybarley (Sep 15, 2014)

I use coconut oil that melts at 76 degrees, so that's a good temp for me. Check your label or supplier, or experiment. You'll want to do practice runs anyway, so you can experiment with different temps to find what works best for you.


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## tatumhills (Feb 8, 2014)

Yes indeed I will be doing a few trial runs, before the workshop which is in late Sept. Thanks so much for your help, I really appreciate your time 

www.tatumhills.weebly.com 
www.facebook.com/tatumhillsfarm
Three happy goats


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

I make soap with 100% goats milk...we freeze the milk ..before making soap..I set the frozen milk out to become soft yet still frozen...I like to soap between 88 and 100 degrees hot, and get that temp fairly quick with this method...

my oils are coconut, olive and palm...

have fun!


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Just read through this whole thread, have been looking at making soap but have a huge concern. It's really really humid here. Will that cause the lye to react?


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

good question Dayna...Im not sure lol...But in Texas we can get pretty humid..i'm sure no where near where your humidy would be...but I never had an issue with lye...it may clump in the bottle..I always make sure its broke up well before measuring..


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I don't think we have a local lye (lol) but I was looking at making a nice local soap with kukui nut oil, coconut oil, (mac nut oil?) goats milk and lye. Then the scent and maybe some soap dye. And sending it to family for Christmas. Make a cute little Hawaiian themed paper wrapper. I would locally source as much as I could to make it a more special soap.

I like soap with chunks of things in it, for texture. I've not seen anything like that though for add ins. I have a bar now that I think has speckles of oatmeal? Not sure if thats what it is. Has anyone made a soap with texture inside the soap?


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## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

^ I have a Rosemary Mint soap I make and it has actual dried rosemary in it.. I also do a honey oatmeal with oatmeal in it.


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## tatumhills (Feb 8, 2014)

Lovely idea JOY. I do the same with lavender, but I will try the mint and rosemary.  one of my fav recipes is the honest and oatmeal one but mine has palm oil in it. I would like to produce palm oil free soap if I can so currently experimenting around with other combinations.
I also just did a batch adding some eggs. Has anybody tried that? And how was it? Mine is still curing... Can't wait to try it!!


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## tatumhills (Feb 8, 2014)

I am using this blog as a farm diary so if you are interested in seeing my recipes and results you can check them out here https://farmerforfun.wordpress.com


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