# Doing something wrong here...



## Olivia67 (Mar 6, 2008)

I keep getting this dark brown goey blob on the bottom of the soap when I turn it out of the mold. What am I doing wrong? I'm using the Dr. Brent's recipe for soap because it uses so much goat's milk compared to so many other soap recipes. So, is it too much lye or am I not mixing it long enough? What do you think?


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## Tinker (Apr 5, 2004)

Not sure, but if it has extra milk, could it be burnt milk???? 

I've had brown ooze when I did not mix enough. The parts that were solid had lye crystals in it, so I knew it had not blended properly.

Did the recipe have honey in it? Sometimes if not properly mixed, the honey will esperate out.

Have you made soap before, using another recipe, or is this your 1st experience with soaping?


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

If you share the whole recipe, maybe we can figure out what is wrong.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

I have no idea who Dr Brent is or what his recipe is.

ETA

just did a BING search ... this is a Martha Stewart recipe??

ARGH!!!

4.25 oz Olive (20%)
5 oz coconut (23.5%)
12 oz veg shortening (56.5%)

3 oz lye
12 oz goat's milk


First, if you're going to work with such a small quantity, please convert it to grams instead of oz!!

Whew!! This recipe is at 0% superfat. Even with the excess goat's milk (I'd use about 7 oz of milk) you are still at almost a 0% superfat.

The 'magic' is in oils ... not the milk. *Switch your percentages around, say 55% olive oil, 25% coconut, 20% veg shortening (or corn oil). Use only 7 oz of milk and calculate your lye amount with a 5% superfat* on your favorite lye calculator like Soap Calc


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

Sounds like a bad recipe coupled with not mixing it up to a complete trace. IF you had used too much lye, the soap would actually be harder than normal to the point of being crumbly.
I'd throw the mess out and start over with a better recipe such as what Cyndi suggested.


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## Olivia67 (Mar 6, 2008)

This is my third try with the same recipe, the first time I had this brown spot along the bottom that did harden and it wasn't goopy like it turned out this time, the soap was very good and I used a few bars and gave some to friends and they liked it also, even though it wasn't as pretty as I felt it should be. The second try turned out nicer, prettier and still gentle on our winter's dry skin and now this is my third batch and there was this goo when I took the mold apart on the bottom, which is now the top of the big bar. I scraped it off since it was just on the surface and the soap is hardening now. I can cut off the piece on the finished bars to make it look prettier. I'm relieved that I didn't use too much lye-thank goodness. I actually used slightly less than the 3 oz because I'm still not too comfortable with lye. I loved this recipe because I have a postal scale that is in ounces and it was so easy to follow. I'm not very comfortable with math, I'm not an idiot and I can use a calculator, it's just that when it comes to the creative math in some soap recipes it kind of scares me. I like things more straight forward, especially since I'm just a beginniner. 

I'm not sure about what you are saying about the fat? Our Nigerian goat's milk is very high in fat. Nigerian milk can be as high as 4-6% fat.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Olivia67 said:


> I'm not sure about what you are saying about the fat? Our Nigerian goat's milk is very high in fat. Nigerian milk can be as high as 4-6% fat.



But you're looking at 4%-6% of the 12 oz of milk, so less than an oz of excess butterfat, which has a very low SAP value. Meaning that it would take much, much more butterfat to effectively affect the the lye called for in the recipe. 

Double checking that you ARE WEIGHING your oils, lye and milk and not using volume measurements?

Unless you raise your Nigerians from an established exceptionally good milking line and feeding for the high butterfat you may not be getting that high of butterfat. The only way to know for certain is to get it tested. Which part of the lactation cycle you are in will also affect the quantity of butterfat as well as if you are saving the fore milk or back milk (More butterfat when you first start milking that morning than the last part of the milking.)


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