Old Fashioned Goat Milk Lye Soap

Virtually unchanged throughout the ages, this is soap in it's purest form. The early pioneers of alchemy, mostly women, worked hard collecting rain water, filling leach barrels, and rendering trimmings in order to produce lye soap. Not only was this soap used to clean their families, homes and laundry it was also used to treat poison ivy and chiggers. The practice of adding goat milk to soap appears to be as old as the soap making process itself. Goat milk greatly improves the quality of soap, making a creamier bar with better moisturizing capabilities. If you thought lye soap was too harsh and irritating for your skin, try goat milk lye soap!

Old Fashioned Goat Milk Lye Soap
This recipe is by weight
16 oz lard
2.25 oz lye
6 oz frozen goat milk ice cubes

Equipment
Scale
Stainless Steal or heavy plastic bucket
Large Pyrex measuring cup
Thermometer
Spatula
Stainless steal or silicone whisk
Gloves
Goddles
Apron
Soap mold -your soap mold can be a simple plastic utility box

Lye Safety

Please read the following safety information regarding lye.

Keep children and animals away from lye. Lye is very caustic and can cause serious injury or even death if swallowed and can cause blindness if splashed into the eyes. 

Be very careful not to splash or spill the lye solution. When handling lye wear goggles, rubber gloves and long sleeves and an apron. Please be careful! 

With glove, goggles, long sleeves and apron on you are ready to begin

Weigh all ingredients

Warm Lard to 110F add to soap bucket, set aside

Place goat milk ice cubes into the Pyrex measuring cup

Carefully  add the lye and stir until the goat milk has melted

Carefully pour the lye/milk mixture into the melted lard

Stir with the whisk until the soap begins to thicken like cake batter

Pour soap into the mold, cover and allow to sit undisturbed over night until hardened

Remove soap from mold and cut into bars

Cure for 4-6 weeks

Enjoy!