Thursday 10 March 2011

Goats Milk Soap - we kid you not



Goatsmilk soap was a challenge. The qualities of the milk that give the extra creamy lather complicate the soap-making. There is a very rapid generation of heat from the fats and proteins in the milk, so you have to work quickly and keep checking the temperature of the lye mixture.

If you get past this stage without incident, the soap mixture can still become unstable during the super-heating process that happens naturally once it has been poured into the wooden mould. If this happens, some of the oils that should remain in the soap are driven off, seeping out through the bottom of the mould and the soap is ruined, with gaping holes left in it. Not very appealing.

So the perfect method took three attempts to evolve and we still make this very special soap only in small batches, just 12 bars at a time, as it is easier to control the heat this way.

The smell of the finished soap is amazing and worth all the effort. The milk gives the soap its nutty caramel colour and sweet, warm scent, slightly reminiscent of toffee and the kitchen after baking.



To complete the fragrancing of Just Kiddin, Sweet Orange essential oil is added, plus a swirl of golden calendula petals within and on the top. One of my favourites, there's a bar of it in the shower at the moment.

Anne

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