Trouble with Goats Milk Soap

by Bee
(Texas)

I am having trouble with my goats milk soap as it completely separates as it gels..I mix my lye/milk mixture with the warm oils at about 110 degrees and have failed terribly..I save it by rebatching it..but its double the work..I measure out everything correctly and I add a tbs of raw honey at trace..it ends up an oily mess or it sets and has craters of oil down the center of it..what am I doing wrong?..I use fresh goats milk from a farm and freeze it , mix it with the lye water....its a 3 pound recipe and add 1 ounce fragrance oil at trace..I also don't insulate the mold..any help would be greatly appreciated..Thank You

Answer:

My best guess would be that the soap hasn't reached a proper trace when you have poured it into the soap molds.

I use a stick blender to mix the soap base to a trace. Usually the stick blender will make the soap batter seem thicker than it actually is.

To be sure that your soap has reached a full trace, use a whisk to gently stir it for a couple of minutes. If the mix is still thick then you have reached a full trace and are ready to add the scent oils.

Scents should also always be added last since they can cause all sorts of strange reactions.

Good luck,
Cathy