We have a dairy cow so I have raw milk that I'd like to use in soapmaking. I've been reading Milk Based Soaps by Casey Makela and it suggested pasteurizing the milk prior to using it in soap. Is that really necessary? I will be freezing it to a slushy state beforehand and the lye will heat it.
This will be my first attempt at soap so I want to do it right....so as to avoid a goopy mess but it just seems silly to me.
I'd also be interested in locating a recipe for just plain lye soap that I'd like to grate and use my laundry soap recipe. Anyone have a good one out there they'd be willing to share? Or can you suggest a good book/website?
Carla
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.
Edited by - FlipFlopFarmer on Sep 27 2005 5:40:37 PM
Robin
An organic farm in the forest in
Maine
USA
705 Posts
Posted - Sep 27 2005 : 6:41:42 PM
No, it's not necessary. Milk is pasteurized to kill bacteria. Lye will kill the bacteria - but you aren't going to be eating the soap anyway. Be careful of this book.
I don't ever pasteurize mine first either..like you said, it seems unneccessary, and didn't make a difference when I tried it both ways just to be sure.
Jenny in Utah The best things in life arn't things
Carla, if you do asearch of this sight you will find that we have a lot to say about soapmaking and our resources. Just go to the search button at the top and type in soapmaking and then choose the cleaning up category and match exact phrase. This will get you started with a lot of good reading about the topic. Eileen
To answer some of your questions. No, you wouldn't have to pasturize the milk before using it in soap. The lye mixture likes to heat up fast and no germies can survive that alkaline of an enviornment.
Second, do yourself a favor and make a batch or six of soap using plain water. Milk soaps require a whole different approach if you want them to turn out without a burnt milk smell!
Question about milk based soap
Posted - Sep 27 2005 : 5:39:57 PM
Carla
