Bottle Feeding Baby Goats: What You Need to Know
March 9, 2023
How to Make Soap with Goats Milk
As soon as I bought the farm, I wanted to have goats. Most importantly, I wanted to make homemade cheese, soaps and lotions! Since starting my goat milk product journey, one of the favorite things I’ve learned is how to make soap with goats milk.
Did you know, most products in today’s market are considered cleaners and synthetic detergents, not soap. As more people become aware of the harmful effects of the chemicals used in our everyday personal hygiene products, there has been a growing demand for more natural options.
Consequently, goat milk soap has gained in popularity due to it’s simplistic ingredient list and numerous benefits for the skin.
Let me share with you all the reasons I enjoy goat milk soap more than commercial soap products.
What is Goats Milk Soap?
Soap made with goats milk is made using a process called saponification. Saponification is an age-old chemical process creating soap using a combination of acidic oils and fats, mixed with base called lye.
Goats milk is high in saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, which makes goat milk soap rich, gentle, and nourishing.
Benefits of Goat Milk Soap
Typically, commercial soaps include harsh surfactants which strip your skin of its natural oils, leaving it leaves your skin dry and often irritated.
Goats milk contains high amounts of fats, particularly caprylic acid, which aids in the removal of dirt and debris without stripping the skin of natural oils. Additionally, goats milk is known to be rich in natural fatty acids and cholesterol, which helps maintain natural skin membrane.
Also, goats milk is a good source of selenium, a mineral known to aid in the protection from skin diseases and used to improve psoriasis symptoms like dry skin.
Finally, goats milk is a good source of vitamin A, known to have excellent anti-aging properties. In fact, Vitamin A (and subcategories such as retinoids) is the first vitamin approved from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an anti-wrinkle agent due to the fact that is changes the appearance of the skin surface.
My post, ‘The Amazing Benefits of Goat Milk Soap for Your Skin,‘ explains all the reasons why you should be including goat milk soap in your skincare routine.
Let's Make Goats Milk Soap!
The Supplies
First, let’s talk about the supplies you’ll need.
- Stock Pot
- Scale
- Bowls to Measure Oils
- Small Glass Bowl to Measure Lye – it will corrode metal so be careful!
- Large Glass Bowl to mix Lye and Goat Milk
- Spoon/Spatula
- Thermometer
- Stick Blender
- Soap Mold
- Safety Gloves
- Small Metal Strainer
The Ingredients
Now, let’s talk what ingredients you need.
- Frozen Goats Milk – Ideally in Cubes
- Lye
- Coconut Oil
- Olive Oil
- Fragrance Oil
Let's Make Soap!
This recipe is for cold process soap, meaning saponification happens at lower temperatures to minimize scorching of the goats milk.
It’s always best to gather all your supplies before you start. Some of these steps move quickly, so the more prepared you are, the better it’ll go!
Mixing Lye and Milk
It’s important to mention lye can burn if it touches your skin, so we want to be very careful when handling. Therefore, before handling your lye, make sure you put on safety gloves and glasses.
Now, carefully measure out your lye into a small glass dish. Always use glass when measuring lye, seeing that it will eat through plastic and corrode metals.
If you’ve never used a kitchen scale – place the bowl on your scale and zero it or “trace” it. This eliminates the weight of the vessel you’re measuring into. Now, you can start measuring.
Once your lye is measured and put aside, you can now measure out your frozen goats milk.
I HIGHLY recommend freezing your goats milk for this cold process because it will keep the milk from scorching or burning when mixing/reacting with the lye.
Naturally, I freeze mine in smaller cubes so they are easily measured.
Once you lye and milk are measures, you can now start to combine them. In a glass bowl, mix a little bit of the lye with all of your frozen milk.
At the same time, use your thermometer and make sure the reaction doesn’t rise above 70 degrees. By all means, feel free to use an ice bath to help control the temperature of this reaction.
See below.
As you slowly stir small amounts of lye into the frozen milk, you will start to notice the frozen milk melting. There’s no rush here so don’t get mixing too quickly!
Frequently remember to check the temperature of your lye/milk mixture as you continue to work through your lye.
Adding the Other Oils
In between mixing little-by-little your lye with your frozen milk, take time to measure out your oils.
Now combine the coconut and olive oil directly in a large stock pot. If the oils are not already melted, simmer on very low heat to make sure they’ll completely combined. On a hot day, you might not need additional heat!
Afterwards, mix out the fragrance oil. I usually keep any notes for each oil handy in case it’s mentioned that it accelerates or discolors. Set aside.
Combining it all Together
Once all your lye and milk is fully combined, and staying below 70 degrees, strain it through a small wire strainer. This helps remove and small pieces of lye that didn’t dissolve fully.
Now it’s time to combine all your ingredients. The key to successful saponification, is to make sure the lye/milk mixture and the oils are within 10 degrees of one another.
Now, combine your oils and your lye/milk mixture together in the large stock pot.
Using a stick blender, mix all ingredients together on low speed. Most importantly, keep the blender close to the bottom to avoid adding any additional bubbles into your soap.
What you’re looking for is a “thin trace,” a way soap makers describe a thickening of the mixture. This is the consistency of very thin pudding.
Now is the time to add your fragrance oil. Lightly blend together. If your mixture starts to accelerate and become thick (like pudding) make sure you move quickly and pour it into your mold(s).
The consistency you’re looking to achieve is called a “thin trace” – a term used by soap makers to describe a thickening of the mixture. This consistency is similar to very thin pudding.
Now it’s time to add the fragrance oil. Again, using your stick blender on low, lightly blend together.
If your mixture starts to accelerate and become thick (like pudding) make sure you move quickly and pour it into your mold(s).
Pour into Molds
Finally, it’s time to pour your soap into your mold(s). Take a breath! You made it!
Once your mixture is in it’s mold, cover and store in a cool/dry place. Even though you don’t have to, I really prefer to place mine into the refrigerator. This prevents any rise in temperature and minimizes cracking on the surface of your soap.
If you’re concerned about “ash” or a white residue on the top of your soap, you can spray the tops quickly with rubbing alcohol and cover before placing in the refrigerator.
Let it Cure
In 24-48 hours you can unmold the soap.
Typically, I wait 4-6 weeks before selling or using my soap. This allows the soap to cure, making a better quality of soap.
Of course, you can use any soap right away, it just dissolves quickly because it hasn’t had the time to cure.
Goat Milk Soap Recipe
This recipe is for 4 ingredient col processed goats milk soap. This soap is creamy, frothy, and delightful to use on your skin year round!
Ingredients:
- 16 oz Olive Oil
- 16 oz Coconut Oil
- 4.8 oz Lye
- 10 oz Goats Milk
- 1 1/2 TBSP Fragrance Oil
Directions:
- Put your gloves and safety glasses on!
- Measure 4.8 oz of Lye into a small glass dish
- Next measure 10 oz of frozen goats milk
- Using an ice bath, slowly combine goats milk and lye. Check temperature regularly to make sure mixture doesn’t go over 70 degrees F.
- In between mixing your lye and milk together, measure out your oils. Combine in a large stock pot.
- Once your lye and milk are combined, strain through a small metal strainer.
- When the oils and lye/milk mixture are within 10 degrees of one another, combine and using a stick blender on low, mix to thin trace.
- Now add fragrance oil (and any other additives – colorant, poppy seeds, etc…) Lightly combine.
- Pour mixture into loaf mold or individual molds.
- Place in Refrigerator for 3-4 hours minimum – 12 hours ideal.
- Unmold and cut accordingly. Enjoy!
Notes:
Lye is to never touch metal or plastic. It will dissolve both.
Be careful handling lye, it will burn skin immediately.
Clean up all supplies in hot water with dawn dish soap to strip excess oils from materials.
This recipe is simple yet one of my favorites! It makes great presents and is a staple in my household.
Have fun with additives, colors, and decorative tops. Make it your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have compiled a list of some of my favorite resources that helped me master making my soap with goat milk.
- Facebook Group – Soap Making from Beginners to Advanced
- Tree Marie Soapworks is one of my FAVORITE resources for all things soap.
- This is her Cold Processed Goat Milk Soap Video that I’ve watched a million times
- I also like Bramble Berry as a good resource for all things soap, supply, and DIYs
I highly recommend looking into through some of these resources! So many things can go wrong, it’s nice to have places to go to help you problem solve.
Currently, I’m purchasing most of my Oils and Fats from Amazon. I buy this coconut oil, and this olive oil. It’s the most cost effective way for me at the moment.
I buy most of my other additives from Bramble Berry and from Nature’s Garden. It depends on what I’m looking for honestly. I love their rewards and the quality of their products are the best.
I almost exclusively purchase scents from Nature’s Garden. The main reason is they provide the best information on how the oils will react when cold and/or hot processing soap. Some oils, like essential oils, will cause the saponification process to accelerate and seize your soap quickly. Also, some oils will discolor your soap.
Nature’s Garden is really good about researching and providing you with all the necessary information. This keeps you from finding out the hard way!
I hope this recipe really inspires your to try to make your own goat milk soap! It’s become a staple in our household, and I don’t doubt you will fall in love with it as I have!
Happy creating,
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Thanks for visiting my little piece of the internet!
I’m Maria, a lover of furry things, coffee and anything creative. This blog is where I love to share affordable home decor ideas, great DIYs, yummy recipes, unique crafts and so much more.
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21 thoughts on “How to Make Soap with Goats Milk”
Just made my first goat’s milk CP soap – thank you so much for the recipe! Does it matter if I cut the loaf prior to curing or after curing?
Oh yay!! So exciting. I usually cut mine within the first 24/48 hours to keep from popping my strings on my cutter. Cutting them also helps cure them faster since the inside is exposed to air. I would recommend cutting shortly after unmolding your loafs!
Happy soapiing!!
Cheers,
Maria
Can you substitute the goat’s milk with raw cow milk?
Tracy,
I believe you can, however due to the fat content being different in goats milk compared to cows milk I would want to run it through a soap calculator. If the fat content is off you might have difficulty with texture and quality of your soap. Just check that the fats and oils are accurate in your recipe before spending the time making!
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Maria
Hello,
I made two batches of this soap today (my first time making a goats milk soap). One with patchouli and one with oats.
I’ve read elsewhere that soaps need to cure in order to be safe to used (for lye purposes), but in this reciepe you have alluded this is safe to use immediately. Can you confirm which this is?
Thanks!
Erin,
So with CP soaping you are safe to use right away. The only downfall is you will use your soap very quickly. The longer it cures the harder the soap. This helps it last longer.
Once your lye mixes with your goats milk, it has processed. Through saponification, the lye breaks down the fats and oils and creates glycerol or what we consider soap.
Hope that answers your question! I’m so glad you’re venturing into soap making. Hope your loafs turn out smashingly!
Cheers,
Maria
Approximately how many 5 oz bars would you get from this recipe?
Christie,
Well that depends on the size of your mold you use!
I use this Bramble Berry mold and get 10 1′ bars out of my batch. It’s a hand size bar (see in the photos) that last 1-2 months in the shower!
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Maria
Christie,
I get 10 1″ bars of soap from my loafs. However, it depends on the loaf mold you use. Some molds are individual. I clearly use a loaf mold, so if you use the same mold I recommend in my post you will get 10 1″ bars!
Hope that helps!
Maria
Could you substitute a small portion of the olive oil with castor oil? And if so do you have to change the amount of lye you use?
I would completely recommend using a soap calculator instead of guessing at any substitutions. Oils very in weight and can alter the need for “water” or goats milk in this case. It can also require different levels of lye.
This is a great YouTube Tutorial on how to use a soap calculator and I recommend using SoapCal!
Hope you find something that works for you!
Cheers,
Maria
Is there a good alternative to coconut oil? Due to allergy I can’t use it.
Stacy,
Yes! There are alternatives, however I would recommend using a soap calculator. Castor oil is often a good substitute. There are some greeeat facebook soap making groups I recommend joining. People have tried before you and it’ll save you some time to just enquire there.
Cheers and thanks for reading.
Maria
Hi I am new to soap making. The goats milk, is this like the goats milk soap base like I would get a hobby lobby and melt it down to freeze? Or am I to get real goats milk and freeze it. Thank you so much for the help.
Krystal,
Great question!
This recipe uses actual raw goats milk that has been frozen. Soap bases contain other butters and oils, so if you wanted to use those you’d need a soap calculator. I will say, most pre fabricated bases use powdered goats milk and they do come out a different consistency, plus you lose the added benifts of fresh and raw ingredients!
I hope that helps! Happy soap making. 🙂
Cheers,
Maria
I absolutely love this recipe! This was my first goats milk soap and my first CP soap. I know, it was risky! The only issue I had was that the loaf started to gel in the refrigerator so I moved it to the freezer. Soap came out great other than the darker gel ring. I had enough frozen goats milk for a second recipe so I tried again this time putting it right in the freezer. Came out beautiful! This HP girl will be experimenting more with CP soaps and definitely making a ton of goats milk soap!
Melissa,
Oh YAY! I love a good HP to CP conversion. 😀 Good trick! I’ve had to salvage one or two loaves by throwing it in the freezer. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe and it worked so well for you!
Thanks for reading.
XOXO,
Maria
Hi! I loved this recipe but when I cut the soap, it crumbled. Do you have any remedies for this?
Rachel,
Oh no! Could you tell me what oils did you use? How soon after you processed it did you cut your loaf? Let’s see if we can get down to the bottom of this.
Cheers,
Maria
Does this soap need to cure before being used?
Emily,
Yes, I recommend curing for 4-6 weeks before use. The benefit is that the bar will last longer. There’s no reason you can’t use it immediately, you’ll just find they won’t last as long.
Happy soaping!
Cheers,
Maria