# Lye Questions



## jimandpj (Mar 11, 2008)

Has anyone ever premixed their lye with milk? 

I know Vicki premixes it with water, but I'm trying to figure out if I can premix it with milk and how long it would last.

What's the longest you've had a milk/lye solution sit before using? 

Can a milk/lye mix "go bad"? And if so, what does it do?

The quest to make more soap faster continues...

PJ


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## momofmany (Aug 18, 2009)

If you mix it with milk ahead of time, wouldn't it just continue to burn the milk making it orange and smell bad?? Or would you refridgerate it after mixing until you were ready to mix it with your oils? I'm also curious about premixing with water? If you premix with water is that still considered "goat milk soap" ?


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## jimandpj (Mar 11, 2008)

Yes, it is still goat milk soap - lots of soapers out there use goat milk powder. 

If nobody else has tried it, I'll mix some and see what happens over time. Just thought I'd save some time & milk if someone else has tried it already.

I'd love to mix two days worth of lye/milk at a time - just don't know how long it will hold.

PJ


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

Any time I've left my milk/lye mixture sit too long it's turned orange. I've never tried to refrigerate it....that would be way too dangerous in *my* refrigerator since I'm still soaping in my kitchen.


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

I've always used my lye/milk solution asap. Wouldn't you end up with blobs of soap in your lye/milk solution if you made it up ahead of time? The butterfat would just turn to soap.


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## jimandpj (Mar 11, 2008)

Kathy - I can handle orange. I'd just save the colored soap for day two.

Heather - that's a good point, hadn't thought of that. Have to think on that one...

I'm thinking I see a homeschooling chemistry lab coming up. Ok, children, write down your hypotheses... 

PJ


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## Guest (Mar 13, 2010)

No the fat will not turn to blobs of soap... not enough of it in there, but it will turn orange.. What if you froze it fast..
Barb


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

MRFBarbara said:


> No the fat will not turn to blobs of soap... not enough of it in there, but it will turn orange.. What if you froze it fast..
> Barb


But you would get "flecks" of soap in the lye/milk solution. Whether or not those flecks would be visible in a batch of soap is another question. So who's going to try this?


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## Guest (Mar 14, 2010)

No, you don't get flecks of soap in the solution... I tried mixing it ahead of time once, I had a class to do for kids and wanted my solution premixed because it would be easier since I was doing this class in a barn with no running water.. there were no flecks of soap in it.. but it turned a horrible orange, which I won't use..


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

MRFBarbara said:


> No, you don't get flecks of soap in the solution... I tried mixing it ahead of time once, I had a class to do for kids and wanted my solution premixed because it would be easier since I was doing this class in a barn with no running water.. there were no flecks of soap in it.. but it turned a horrible orange, which I won't use..


Did you use it then? How was the finished soap?


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## Guest (Mar 14, 2010)

I did not use it, threw it out and started from scratch.. did not want burnt milk in my soap.. so I premixed some lye with water.. add cold milk to that when I was making it
Barb


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I premixed the whole days worth, then used it, picking the darkest to go into 'vanilla' soaps, but never more than several hours before. I think also with the big batches you make it will be much easier to control the lye. But I also kept my stainless steel lye containers in cold water in the sink until I was using them. In your quest to cut time I will be watching to see when you give up on all this 100% goatsmilk  I ditched it pretty early on 

Imagine a whole weeks worth of lye water sitting in jugs just waiting on you  HA!


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

Well, I am a purist and the reason I make soap is to use up all of that goat milk. Time doesn't factor into anything that I do. Remember that I have a hobby business and really just want the goats to support themselves. The more time I can spend in my soap kitchen which is far removed from the house the better. Quiet, peaceful, me time.


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