There are several ways to make goat’s milk soap, the most common options being either a melt-and-pour soap or a base of liquid goat’s milk or powder. Powder appears to be the most popular choice with many pre-made varieties available in store. I prefer to use real goat’s milk in my soap recipes, and I’ll be sharing how to do that in the recipe below. I’ve paired this goat’s milk soap with calendula infused oil to incorporate the wonderful healing properties of calendula.

I just want to be upfront and share that I am no expert when it comes to soap making. I am very much a newbie, and I hope that by sharing my experiences I can (hopefully) help you to avoid making the same mistakes that I did when I started out.

Thankfully, everything went relatively smoothly and there weren’t too many mishaps. The biggest reason for this was I made sure to research as much as possible before I even started out making any soap. I did this mainly because I was scared of using lye and I wanted to know as much as possible to avoid injuring myself with it along the way. The flip-side of this was I realised (after watching and reading many people’s experiences of making homemade soap) how easy it actually was to make homemade, natural soap, and it turned out to be nowhere near as hard as I thought it would be.

Over the past few months I’ve been experimenting with making different kinds of soap bars with my partner (we started deep-diving into soap-making this year as a new creative project we could do together), and this soap bar recipe was one of my favourites!

Recipe Tutorial Video

How to Make Soap

I’ve always wanted to learn how to make soap, but what turned me off making it for so long was using the lye. I’d been too scared to try it. Especially after hearing about the potential for chemical burns to occur. I did researched into making homemade soap without it, but it just didn’t seem the same.

So, as a result, I tried to settle for store-bought soap. But, as you may know, I’m a DIY kind of girl, especially when it comes to skin care, bath, beauty, and herbal products.

So, the fact that I had never even tried making soap was always kinda lingering in the back of my mind. It was one of those things that I knew I would eventually build up the courage to do, but when?

It wasn’t until my boyfriend suggested we try making soap bars together that I jumped at the idea. Having someone to share it with and support me along the way made me feel better about giving it a go. Plus, as I looked further into it, I discovered how many varieties and variations of soap could be made! There were cleansing soap bars, conditioning soap bars, exfoliating soaps, moisturising soaps… I went down a rabbit hole. The options were limitless! Plus, I discovered that different herbs and natural ingredients could be incorporated into the soap bars to provide an array of health benefits.

As it turns out, lye is actually derived from wood ash, and has been used for generations to make soap. And, if the process is done right, there isn’t any lye left in the soap once it’s finished curing.

Soap-Making Equipment

Please note that any kitchen utensils or pieces of equipment used for making soap shouldn’t be used for anything else. Here are some of the absolute basics that you’ll need when making soap:

• Small plastic container for measuring the lye
• Larger heatproof plastic container for mixing the lye and liquid
• Digital kitchen scale
• Rubber gloves, apron, goggles, and long clothing as PPE for handling the lye
• Stainless steel pot for mixing the soap in (avoid aluminium)
• Cooking thermometer
• Immersion blender
• Large stirring spoon
• A rubber spatula
• Soap mould of some sort (my boyfriend made one for me out of an old cardboard rectangular milk carton)
• Parchment paper for lining the mould

I love calendula and use it in many of my own homemade natural skin care products, like my herbal ointment and calendula cream. It’s very well-known for it’s skin healing properties.

I used lye which I sourced from Bunnings, and calendula infused olive oil which I had infused for over a month beforehand. You will need dried calendula flowers for this recipe, to make the calendula infused oil.

Once you have all of your equipment, ingredients, and infused oil, it’s time to make the soap! I’m going to briefly go over all the steps here, but as I mentioned earlier, I’m no expert. So I highly recommend taking the time to research into soap making, and discover what ingredients and combinations you’d like to try when making your own soap bars. There are also so many wonderful guides out there for soap making, too.

The first step is to make the calendula infused oil. I share a full post on how to do this in detail, but to sum it up here, infuse the dried calendula flowers in olive oil for four weeks, then strain.

Then, weigh out the oil into the heatproof plastic container.

Next, carefully weigh out the lye in a well ventilated place, making sure you are taking all the necessary precautions with gloves, long sleeves and goggles if needed to avoid chemical burns.

It is very important to avoid any contact with the lye. Make sure there are no children or pets in the area while you are making the soap.

Next, pour the goat’s milk into an ice cube tray and set it in the freezer to freeze. Freezing the goat’s milk before adding it to the lye helps prevent the milk from scorching, as the sugars present in the milk can burn if the mixture gets too hot. Freezing the milk before adding the lye helps to keep the temperature down.

Thaw the milk slightly before using it in the soap making process.

Set yourself up well-ventilated area. Next to an open window is good. Pour the lye (sodium hydroxide) into the water and stir with a stainless steel spoon to dissolve the crystals. Avoid breathing in the fumes. Stir the lye until it has completely dissolved, then set the mixture aside to cool to 38°C (100°F).

Once the lye solution has cooled, add all of the goat’s milk ice cubes to the container. Allow the cubes to melt and for the lye solution to cool to room temperature (between 20-22°C or 68-72°F).

While the lye solution is cooling, move on to melting the solid oils. In a large stainless steel pan, heat the coconut oil and shea butter on very low heat until the oils just liquefy. Avoid the temptation to turn up the heat.

Once melted, take the pan off the heat and pour in the liquid oils. Pouring the liquid oils against a spoon held just inserted in the hot oils will help to reduce air bubbles.

Stir well to combine and keep an eye on the temperature. The oils should cool to 32°C (90°F).

When the lye solution is fully melted, and the oils are at the right temperature, pour the lye solution into the oils. Again, pour the lye mixture against a spoon to reduce air bubbles in your soap bars later on. As an optional step, you can pour the lye solution through a fine-mesh sieve to catch any undissolved bits of lye.

Using an immersion stick blender, place the blender into the pan and use it (turned off) to stir the contents together. Then bring the stick blender to the middle of the pan, hold it still, and pulse for a couple of seconds. Repeat the stirring and pulsing until you notice what is called a “trace.” This is when the mixture is thick enough that the soap leaves a pattern on the surface before sinking back in.

If you’re using the optional lavender essential oil, you can add it in here.

Working quickly, pour the soap into your preferred mould(s), whether it be a silicone mould, an empty paper milk carton, a wooden mould, or something else. Protect the exposed part of the soap with plastic wrap and place the mould into the fridge to set. Leave it there for 12-24 hours. Give it a tap to settle it and release any trapped air bubbles. If you desire, you can sprinkle dried calendula flowers on top. Please note that if you live in a warm, humid climate, it is strongly advised not to do this as any kind of botanicals on/in your soap can go mouldy.

The following day, take the soap out of the fridge but leave it inside the mould. Set it someplace on the counter and leave it there for three or four days to harden up a bit. This soap is very soft when it comes out of the mould and could break or get stuck if you try to cut it too soon.

To cut the soap into bars, an ordinary kitchen knife will do just fine. You can decide on how thick you would like your bars to be. After cutting them, leave the bars someplace well-ventilated and out of direct sunlight to cure for four to six weeks. The soap is safe to touch 48 hours after making it but it needs time to cure to allow the excess moisture to evaporate out of the bars.

To cure, you can place the soap bars on a bookshelf, metal racks, cardboard boxes, stacked milk crates, or even make towers of soap. Stacking soap during curing is perfectly fine. Just ensure you flip the bars every so often during this time to make sure each side of the bar is receiving adequate air flow. The cure time begins not from the day you made the soap but from the time you set it on the shelf to cure.

When it comes to cleaning up the equipment, it’s best to leave it aside in a safe place to wash the next day, as it won’t be as harsh after it sits for a while. This is because the chemicals of the lye could still be present. So it’s best to wait.

I hope this post helps you on your soap making journey. Let me know how you go, and how the soap turns out for you!

Before we get started in learning how to make this homemade goat’s milk bar soap, if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my email newsletter at the bottom of the page to keep up to date on the latest recipes, DIYs, gardening and health tips I share!

Homemade Calendula Infused Goat’s Milk Soap Bars

Before making your soap bars, particularly if you’re calculating the amount of each ingredient yourself, it can be helpful to use a soap/lye calculator. This one at SoapCalc is free to use.

The below recipe makes 500 g (1 lb) worth of soap, with a 5% superfat content.

Ingredients:

Calendula infused oil
25 g (0.88 oz) dried calendula flowers
500 g (17.6 oz) olive oil

Lye solution
69.29 g (2.44 oz) sodium hydroxide (lye)
95 g (3.35 oz) distilled water
95 g (3.35 oz) raw organic goat’s milk

Solid oils
125 g (4.41 oz) refined coconut oil
75 g (2.65 oz) refined shea butter

Liquid oils
275 g (9.70 oz) calendula infused olive oil
25 g (0.88 oz) castor oil

After the “trace”
600 drops (30 mL or 1.06 oz) of lavender essential oil (optional)
Natural toppings like dried whole calendula flowers or petals (optional)

To Make:

Making the calendula infused oil:

1. About a month before you plan on making this homemade soap bar recipe, start infusing the olive oil with dried calendula flowers.
2. In a large glass jar, combine the calendula and oil together, then cap the lid and leave the flowers to steep and infuse in a dark, warm place for four to six weeks. Shake the jar every now and then during this time.
3. After a month, strain the oil using a cheesecloth or a nut milk bag and compost the flowers. The oil should look orange-tinted in colour. Whatever oil you have left after making the soap can be used to make this ointment.

Preparing the goat’s milk:

1. To make this goat’s milk soap, first pasteurise the milk to prepare it for soap making (if it has not already been pasteurised). 
2. Next, pour the goat’s milk into an ice cube tray and freeze. 
3. Thaw the milk slightly before using it in the soap making process. Freezing goat’s milk before adding it to the lye helps prevent the milk from scorching, as the sugars in milk can burn if the mixture gets too hot.

Making the calendula infused goat’s milk soap:

1. Before getting started, please note that the lye is completely neutralised in the soap-making process, however, it can be harmful if not handled correctly. So please ensure you read up about the proper handling techniques of lye and what PPE will be needed before proceeding.
2. Prepare your workstation with all that you will need. Wear long sleeves, rubber gloves, eye protection (goggles), and an apron when handling the lye. Carefully pre-measure the ingredients and have them ready to go before starting.
3. Set yourself up in an area with good ventilation. Next to an open window is good. Pour the lye (sodium hydroxide) into the water and stir with a stainless steel spoon to dissolve the crystals. Avoid breathing in the fumes. Stir the mixture until the lye has completely dissolved, then set the solution aside to cool to 38°C (100°F).
4. Once the lye mixture has cooled, add all of the goat milk ice cubes to the container with the lye. Allow the cubes to melt and for the lye mixture to cool to room temperature (between 20-22°C or 68-72°F).
5. While the lye solution is cooling, move on to melting the solid oils. In a large stainless steel pan, heat the coconut oil and shea butter on very low heat until the oils just liquefy. Avoid the temptation to turn up the heat.
6. Once melted, take the pan off the heat and pour in the liquid oils. Pouring the liquid oils against a spoon held just inserted in the hot oils will help in reducing air bubbles.
7. Stir well and keep an eye on the temperature of the oils. You want the oils to cool to 32°C (90°F).
8. When the lye solution has cooled, and the oils are at the right temperature, pour the lye mixture into the oils. Again, pour the lye solution against a spoon to reduce air bubbles in your soap bars later on.
9. Using an immersion stick blender, place the blender into the pan and use it (turned off) to stir the mixture together. Then bring the stick blender to the middle of the pan, hold it still, and pulse for a couple of seconds. Repeat the stirring and pulsing process until you notice what is called a “trace.” This is when the mixture is thick enough that the soap leaves a pattern on the surface before sinking back in.
10. If you’re using the optional lavender essential oil, you can stir it in here.
11. Working quickly, pour the soap into your preferred mould(s), whether it be a silicone mould, an empty paper milk carton, a wooden mould, or something else. If you’re using silicone soap moulds, it’s not necessary to do anything to them before pouring the soap in. Other moulds may require parchment paper. Protect the exposed part of the soap with plastic wrap or beeswax wrap and place the mould into the fridge to set. Leave it there for 12-24 hours. Give it a tap to settle it and release any trapped air bubbles. If you desire, you can sprinkle dried calendula flowers on top. Please note that if you live in a warm, humid climate, it is strongly advised not to do this as any kind of botanicals on/in your soap can go mouldy.
12. The following day, take the soap out of the fridge but leave it inside the mould. Set it someplace on the counter and leave it there for three or four days to harden up a bit. This soap is very soft when it comes out of the mould and could break or get stuck if you try to cut it too soon.
13. To cut the soap into bars, an ordinary kitchen knife will do just fine. You can decide on how thick you would like your bars to be. If you’ve opted to decorate the top with flower petals, cut the loaf from the bottom to avoid dragging the petals through the soap with your knife.
14. After cutting them, leave the bars someplace well-ventilated and out of direct sunlight to cure for four to six weeks. The soap is safe to touch 48 hours after making it but it needs time to cure to allow the excess moisture to evaporate out of the bars.
15. To cure, you can place the soap bars on a bookshelf, metal racks, cardboard boxes, stacked milk crates, or even make towers of soap. Stacking soap during curing is perfectly fine. Just ensure you flip the bars every so often during this time to make sure each side of the bar is receiving adequate air flow. The cure time begins not from the day you made the soap but from the time you set it on the shelf to cure.
16. When it comes to cleaning up the equipment, it’s best to leave it aside in a safe place to wash the next day, as it won’t be as harsh after it sits for a while. This is because the chemicals of the lye could still be present. So it’s best to wait.

Using your homemade calendula goat’s milk bar soap:

1. This homemade goat’s milk bar soap creates a rich a creamy lather on the skin. These bars are ideal for anyone with sensitive or dry skin.
2. Once made, these bars can last up to two years. Just ensure you keep a close eye on them and if there are any signs of contamination or mould, discontinue use. As the bars contain natural oils, they can go rancid over time.

This blog is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice. The use of information on this blog or materials linked from this blog is at the user’s own risk. The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard, or delay in obtaining, medical advice for any medical condition they may have, and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.

Have you made your own soap before? How did it go? Share in the comments below.

Lots of love,

Vanessa