I hesitate to even call this recipe “simple” because liquid soap is a bit more complicated to make than bar soap. Simple instructions and few ingredients make this recipe a winner; but those instructions don’t involve grating a bar of soap and adding water. About 2 years into my bar soap making I came across this recipe. I have made it several times and *most* times it has come out perfectly. A couple of times I had difficulties with it separating, although it seemed to still work like soap. I have never found another recipe like this one before so I wanted to share it with you.
Some basics of Liquid Soap making
There are a couple of differences between liquid and bar soaps. Potassium Hydroxide (potash or KOH) is used for making Liquid soaps while Sodium Hydroxide (lye) is used for bar soap. The process for making liquid soap is more like a hot-process bar soap. It is cooked for a long period of time, going through several different phases. When complete, a translucent gel is the final product. The gel is then reconstituted to the desired consistency. A translucent soap is what most people are looking for in a liquid and it is almost impossible to get a milk soap to be translucent. It is also almost impossible to cook a milk soap for an extended period of time without it burning and having a scorched odor. At the very least, the soap will be an unpleasing brown color and may have “floaties” in it due to the sugars and proteins in the milk.
There are a couple of differences between liquid and bar soaps. Liquid soaps are made using Potassium Hydroxide (potash or KOH) instead of Sodium Hydroxide (lye) which is used for bar soap. The process for making liquid soap is more like a hot-process bar soap being cooked for a long period of time and going through several different phases. When complete, a translucent gel is the final product. The gel is then reconstituted to the desired consistency. A translucent soap is what most people are looking for in a liquid and it is almost impossible to get a milk soap to be translucent. It is also almost impossible to cook a milk soap for an extended period of time without it burning and having a scorched odor. At the very least, the soap will be an unpleasing brown color and may have “floaties” in it due to the sugars and proteins in the milk.
I don’t care if my liquid soap is translucent or not, but I do like the properties of goat milk soap and this recipe is made like a cold-process bar soap and mixes up easily. You will use the same tools as you would for bar soap making including a stick blender and your designated utensils and bowls. I had to order my KOH, as I could not find a local outlet for it. You can find it at many online soap making sites, and even Amazon.
My liquid goat milk soap recipe
I have run the following ingredients through a lye calculator to make sure they are correct. If you are looking to create your own recipe, make sure you select the correct lye on this calculator.
In a double boiler, melt together:
7.2 oz. coconut oil
3.6 oz. sustainable palm oil
1.2 oz. grapeseed oil
While your oils are melting, mix 4.6 oz. of very cold to slightly slushy goat milk with 2.6 oz. of KOH.
When the KOH is dissolved into your milk, very slowly and carefully combine your oils and your milk.
Stir to combine. Use your stick blender to pulse the mixture in quick bursts to combine the oil and milk. If you are familiar with bar soap making, you will notice that it will take a bit longer for this soap to come to trace. Keep pulsing your stick blender until the soap traces back on itself like a thin pudding. Pour the mixture into a lidded container to cure for about 2 weeks. I usually use a mason jar and leave it on top of my fridge.
After 2 weeks, thin your soap with distilled water to the desired consistency. The instructions that came with the recipe said that a stick blender can be used for this step, but I felt that it bubbled too much and made a mess. I have found it’s best to add some water, stir a bit, then let it set before mixing some more. If you want to add essential or fragrance oils, do so at this time now.
I would love to see your liquid soap, so if you make some, drop me a line!
