Hey Mama! Got some extra breast milk? Tired of all the chemicals in the store bought baby soaps? Welcome to the world of handcrafted soap-making, where creativity and natural ingredients come together to produce something truly amazing. In this blog, we'll explore the fascinating process of making soap using a superpower ingredient: breast milk. Breast milk soap is gaining popularity among parents for its potential skin benefits for the whole family! Let's dive into the steps involved in making this nourishing soap right in the comfort of your own home.
Understanding the Benefits:
Breast milk is rich in nutrients and antibodies that contribute to its reputation as "liquid gold." When incorporated into soap, these elements can provide potential benefits for the skin, such as moisturization, anti-inflammatory properties, and gentle cleansing. While scientific research on the specific benefits of breast milk soap is limited, many DIY soap makers enjoy the process for its personal touch and the belief in its skin-friendly qualities.
Vitamin E Oil is a common ingredient in a lot of skin care products. Vitamin E Oil is known for moisturizing the skin, helping to alleviate dryness and itchiness from eczema, healing wounds and scars, decreasing fine lines and wrinkles, and decreasing the severity of sunburn. Vitamin E Oil can be sourced from a few different avenues- soy, sunflowers, olives, or a combination of oils. For my soap, I opted for a 100% pure, organic oil sourced from sunflowers. You can find the link here: https://amzn.to/3sSLDoH
Essential Oils can also add additional benefits. Some common essential oils and their skin benefits are:
1. Lavender Oil:
Calming and Relaxing: Lavender is renowned for its calming properties, promoting relaxation and reducing stress.
Skin Care: It has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, making it beneficial for minor skin irritations.
2. Tea Tree Oil:
Antimicrobial: Tea tree oil has powerful antimicrobial properties, making it effective against bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Skin Health: It's commonly used for acne-prone skin and helps soothe various skin conditions.
3. Chamomile Oil:
Soothing: Chamomile oil is known for its calming effects, making it useful for relaxation and sleep.
Anti-Inflammatory: It may help reduce inflammation, making it beneficial for sensitive or irritated skin.
4. Frankincense Oil:
Grounding: Frankincense has a grounding and centering effect, often used in meditation practices.
Skin Rejuvenation: It's believed to have anti-aging properties and can promote skin rejuvenation.
When choosing Essential Oils, you always want to chose a brand that is Therapeutic Grade. My favorite brand is Young Living. You can shop their oils here: https://www.youngliving.com/us/en/referral/2978295
Choosing Your Soap Base: Choose or make a soap base that aligns with your preferences and skin type. Lye is a common ingredient in soap bases. It’s also a common ingredient in cleaners and fertilizer. Lye is very corrosive and if used in large enough amounts, could cause burns to you or baby’s skin. Since we try to do things as natural as possible in our home, I opted for a lye- free soap base. I chose Our Earth’s Secrets Goat’s Milk Soap Base and absolutely loved the results! They have a few different types of bases so you can really tailor the base to whatever is going to be best for you and your baby. You can shop their Amazon Store here: https://amzn.to/3Nmk6mP
Gathering Your Materials: Before you embark on your breast milk soap-making journey, ensure you have the necessary materials. This recipe only calls for three simple ingredients: breast milk (thawed to room temperature), a soap base (such as oatmeal, goat milk, or hemp seed oil), and Vitamin E Oil. You can also add your favorite essential oils for the additional benefits listed above. Other materials: Soap molds, a double boiler (or you can also melt in a glass bowl in the microwave), and stirring utensils.
Putting it all Together: Once you have gathered all of your ingredients, it’s super quick and easy to put everything together. You will need 0.5 pound of soap base, 1 cup (8 ounces) of room temperature breast milk, 6 drops of Vitamin E Oil, and 10-15 drops of Essental Oils. This will make about 4 bars. I doubled the recipe to yield 8 bars of soap.
Melt your soap base in a double boiler or in a microwave safe bowl. If microwaving, microwave for 30 seconds than continue with 5-10 second increments until melted. Be careful not to overheat. Gently whisk in your Vitamin E Oil and the Essential Oils of your choice.
Lastly, pour in your room temperature breast milk and stir well to combine.
Pouring and Setting: Pour the mixture into your chosen soap molds and allow it to cool and harden in the refrigerator overnight. Once set, carefully remove the soap from the molds.
I was torn between making basic soap bars and fun designs so I opted for this Amazon set that has both: https://amzn.to/47IW7Wq
Pro tip- if you are using soft, silicone molds, place them on a cookie sheet prior to pouring for easy transferring into the fridge.
My husband took some creative initiative and tried to add some organic food dye to color the oval molds. It didn’t really work 🤣 It all just sunk to the bottom.
Creating breast milk soap is a unique and rewarding DIY project that allows you to combine the nourishing properties of breast milk with the artistry of soap-making. Whether you're a new parent looking for a creative way to repurpose excess breast milk or someone intrigued by the potential skin benefits, making breast milk soap can be a delightful and fulfilling experience.
Full Recipe:
0.5 pounds of soap base (I used: https://amzn.to/3Nmk6mP)
1 cup of breast milk
6 drops of Vitamin E Oil (I used: https://amzn.to/3sSLDoH)
10-15 drops of essential oils of your choice
Silicone soap mold (I used: https://amzn.to/47IW7Wq)
Double boiler or microwave safe bowl (this one on Amazon is super affordable: https://amzn.to/3N14WTM)
Melt your soap base in a double boiler or in a microwave safe bowl. If microwaving, microwave for 30 seconds than continue with 5-10 second increments until melted. Be careful not to overheat.
Gently whisk in your Vitamin E Oil and the Essential Oils of your choice.
Lastly, pour in your room temperature breast milk and stir well to combine
Pour the mixture into your chosen soap molds and allow it to cool and harden in the fridge overnight. Once set, carefully remove the soap from the molds.
Pro tip- if you are using soft, silicone molds, place them on a cookie sheet prior to pouring for easy transferring into the fridge.
Use to bathe your baby, children, or yourself. You can also keep it next to the kitchen or bathroom sinks for handwashing.
Share this with a fellow milky mama and enjoy!
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