Chocoholic’s Milk Soap
There’s just something about the look of swirled chocolate! Even when you can’t eat it! Since this handmade soap recipe has a good punch of luscious oils AND whole milk, it is super creamy. So much for the “one quarter moisturizing cream” statement. This leaves you feeling quite moisturized…
Over time I’ve come to realize that the use of lard and tallow really do give soap a wonderful feeling. So this recipe is quite simple and easily available oils. I challenge you to do a blind “wash test” against more exotic oils!
If you have not made any soap do check here to learn the Basic Cold Process Soap method. Since this is a milk soap, the temperatures of the lye solution should be kept cooler to keep from burning the sugars in the milk. I freeze the milk in a ziplock bag prior to soap making.
Chocoholic’s Milk Soap:
- 4 ounces Coconut Oil
- 9 ounces Lard (home rendered – even better)
- 7 ounces Olive Oil
- 10 ounces Canola Oil
- 9 ounces (frozen) Whole Milk
- 4.1 ounces Lye (sodium hydroxide)
- 1 tablespoon or less of cocoa
- essential/fragrance oil
- 1 teaspoon of Titanium Dioxide -optional
* For safety wear protective gear; gloves, goggles, long sleeves and keep kids and pets (or spouses) away.
Method:
Add the lye slowly to the frozen milk. I use an ice-water bath as well to keep it cool. Make sure to keep stirring and do not inhale any fumes. The milk/lye mixture will become thick as the lye will react with some of the fats of the milk. If kept cool enough, by adding the lye slowly, the milk will stay pretty white and creamy coloured.
Weigh out the oils and lard, melting the solid oils first and adding the liquid ones to keep the temperature low. My goal is to just have them warn enough to be liquid or soft.
Once the lye is all incorporated add it to your oils and start to stick-blend.
This recipe traces fairly quickly. I have added a tablespoon of titanium dioxide to keep it even more white however you can omit if you like.
Separate a small portion of your batter and add a tablespoon of cocoa. Stick blend carefully to not splatter.
Mold Time:
Pour into your prepared mold (lined with parchment) and swirl to your hearts content! I use chopsticks to swirl and wait a bit til it thickens enough to keep a high swirl. Lightly insulate and cut when firm enough. Since milk has natural sugars, do not over-insulate as it will overheat and possibly crack. Eight hours was enough for me.
It has a naturally sweet subtle fragrance if left unscented. Voilà!
I love White soap – pure and unpretentious, this one is all that and a bit more! Smooth and luxurious, and lasts forever as well! Let me know how you like it!
There is evidently a bundle to know about this. I think you made various nice points in features also.
Yes, soaping was one of the first DIY’s I taught myself. Thanks for the comment. There is so much research and things to be aware of. It is however very addictive! And just writing this makes me want to whip up a batch….
I am new to soap making. I was wondering if I can substitute goat’s milk for the whole milk in this recipe. Is there a difference? And is there a substitution for Lard? I can’t seem to find Lard in a store near me.
Oh yes, you can use goat’s milk! It is my favourite!I am surprised you can’t find lard as it is usually in the baking aisle next to the shortening ( one pound blocks). Lard is often used to make pie pastry. Some butcher shops also sell it as they render it themselves. If you substitute some other oil like palm oil be sure to plug the numbers into the Soapcalc calculator. Good lick and enjoy
What size mold do you use? What flavor of essential oil?
I don’t use a soap mold. I use a plastic ‘tupperware’ type of container and it makes 12 bars at a time. Any flexible plastic container can work. I like to keep it unscented but you could use some with a warm scent like a bergamot. Most essential oils will fade over time anyways.
How much essential oil do you use and when do you add it?
I did not add any as I wanted it to be quite mild. The ‘soapcalc’ will advise how much essential oil to add but you can always add less to your liking. Have fun!
When and where did you pour the darker (brown) chocolate batter? Is it a middle layer? White, chocolate, white? Is it on top? I want that wispy, delicate look as pictured
Beautiful soap! Thanks!
Kim
I poured most of the white soap mix into the mold and then poured the chocolate part in a line along the middle. It should be a bit thick so that it doesn’t run. Then use a thin instrument like a chop stick to swirl the chocolate through but not too much. Have fun! ‘Hope that helps!
I was wondering if the lye could be substituted for something else, like Shea butter soap base or something. Thank you.
Nope! if you just use oils and butters then it does not act as a soap. See here Lye makes the fats change to be soap in a chemical reaction.
I’m wondering how you preserve the soap with so many food ingredients, (to maintain longer shelve life). I have on a rare occasion experienced spoil in my soaps, granted this did take time but when it did it was very disappointing, and of course had to discard my soaps. I would love to try this recipe and have various product(s), I use for the preservation of my beauty products. I was just curious how long yours keep.
Thank you,
Gabriella
Soap can last for a very long time; I have some that is probably 6 years old. And then again some less than a year old can go bad, but rarely. It’s all about the oils usually, and some like canola will go bad sooner. Canola will give a soothing soft quality to the soap but if you are worried about the spoiling then substitute another oil, just run it through the Soapcalc Using goats milk will also make it great. Storage is important, a steamy bathroom is the worst place to store as well as airtight containers. Adding organic matter can hasten the spoil but the cocoa is a dry matter here, it would be more about the freshness of the oils. I used it up before I had any spoiling. Hope that helps!
Thank you for posting these soap recipes. I’m new to soap making so I’m wondering how long you leave the milk in the freezer? Thanks again; your web site is very nicely done!
I leave it in there until it’s at least slushy frozen, and if it completely freezes that’s fine too. It’s better to keep the lye from getting so hot that it burns the sugars in the milk… Good luck and stay safe