Goat milk soap, slab or bar mold?

by Charlie
(SWMN)

When making goat milk soap is it better to use a bar mold or a slab mold. I have done both and the bar mold appears to heat more and the soap darkens. I would love to hear other opinions.

Answer:

Thicker blocks of soap will certainly get hotter and in the case of a milk soap, it could also get darker if the soap heats up too much.

I just finished up making a goat's milk soap using the room temperature method and a loaf mold. I reduced the water in the recipe and added fresh goats milk fortified with coconut milk powder when the soap reached a thin trace.

The soap did heat up quite well but I knew it would so I kept an eye on it and unwrapped the mold once a full gel was achieved. I have not yet unmolded it but it looks to be a creamy off white colour so far.

A slab mold could, I believe, produce a lighter coloured soap due to the greater heat loss a slab mold experiences. More surface area = greater heat loss = less chance of overheating.

Cathy