# Does powdered milk change the color?



## Pigeon Lady (Apr 4, 2004)

Hi, I'm new to soap making. Dh has been butchering the pigs and I decided not to let all that fat go to waste. 

I've been making the very basic lye, lard and water recipe in the crockpot. (2lbs lard, 12 oz water, 4.4oz lye) 

I read somewhere that adding a half cup of powdered milk at trace would make the soap easier to pour. So, today I did that. What a big surprise, instead of the soap remaining a creamy white, it came out brown with darker brown speckles! It's really nice, rustic looking, I love it, but did the milk do that? 

Pauline


----------



## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

Pigeon Lady said:


> Hi, I'm new to soap making. Dh has been butchering the pigs and I decided not to let all that fat go to waste.
> 
> I've been making the very basic lye, lard and water recipe in the crockpot. (2lbs lard, 12 oz water, 4.4oz lye)
> 
> ...


I have had several batches of milk cp soap turn dark looking because I let it gel. I usually add powdered milk to my rebatched soap and I don't think it turns brown, but then this was soap that had already gone through the gel stage.


----------



## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

First thing I noticed is that you have a 0% superfat. All this means is that if everything weighed out accurately, then there is no extra oil or extra lye in the finished soap.

Most soapmakers will give their recipes a 3%-10% superfat. For your recipe, decrease the lye amount by .2 oz (using only 4.2 oz)

On to the milk!

Yes, it was the milk that made the soap brown. The sugars in the powdered milk were scorched. The soap may have an ammonia or 'off' smell for a month or 3.

This is what happened when I Hot Processed my milk soaps.

I always let my milk soaps gel and although they are not bright white, neither are they brown.


----------



## Pigeon Lady (Apr 4, 2004)

Ahh thank you. The milk was the only change so I figured it had to be that. 

No off smell so far. Most of my other soap is just plain but I added Linen fragrance to this batch. It smells nice and fresh.

Here's a pic. 










I'll try the superfatted Cindi, thanks.

Pauline


----------



## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

next time you want to add some powdered milk to your HP batch mix up the milk in a bit of oil. This can be part of your base oil. Stir it really well with a whisk to break up any clumps. If you let it sit a while, then whisk again before adding to the pot you'll not end up with dark brown spots.


----------

