Homemade soap can be a welcome addition to anyone's bathing routine, especially for someone with sensitive skin. Goat is a very moisturizing, soft soap and not that difficult to make. Follow some simple instructions and make goat milk soap for home use or to give away as gifts.
Instructions
1. Prepare soap molds. Soap molds can be found at most crafts stores. Don't use molds for soap that will be used for food later. Grease the molds well with Vaseline.
2. Melt 1? half pounds of fat; this can be lard, tallow or even vegetable shortening. This should cool to a temperature between 85 to 90 degrees.
3. Carefully pour out 6.5 oz. lye into a paper cup. Use a stainless steel bowl, again being sure to have one for making soap only and not to be used for food. Add 3 cups of goat's milk and slowly add the lye. Mix this with an old hand mixer set aside for soap making. This will cause a chemical reaction that makes the mixture hot and causes the milk to turn golden. Let the mixture cool to 85 degrees. A dairy thermometer can be used to check the temperature.
4. Mix together 2 oz. of glycerine, 1 cup of baby oatmeal and 2 tsp. of borax. Add this to the fat and then add the mixture to the lye and milk. Use the mixer for 15 minutes and then let the soap mixture rest for 5 minutes. Mix again for 5 minutes and let rest again for another 5 minutes. Keep doing this until the soap noticeably changes consistency.
5. Pour the into the molds. Cover the top of the molds with a cloth such as cheesecloth. Keep the soap at a constant room temperature for 24 hours.
6. Peel off cloth and take soap out of molds. If using a big mold, cut into bar-sized pieces. Let the soap cure by air-drying it for a month to 6 weeks before using or giving away.
Tags: goat milk, milk soap, soap mixture, soap that,
