Breast Milk Soap

[Best Natural Soap]

It's similar to rebatching, but not because the soap didn't turn out!!!
Many French soaps were originally milled to produced a different texture. I wiki'd it when I was trying to figure out the difference between Savon de Marseille and Castille. The French versions were most similar in formula, but ground up, melted and repoured.

 

[shonnyisley]

It's similar to rebatching, but not because the soap didn't turn out!!!
Many French soaps were originally milled to produced a different texture. I wiki'd it when I was trying to figure out the difference between Savon de Marseille and Castille. The French versions were most similar in formula, but ground up, melted and repoured.

Thanks! I do how hard the milled soap is. I think it helps with lather and lasting as well.

Anyhow...what does everyone thing the best way to do this is? I have never done a milk soap before...only yogurt whey.

 

[Best Natural Soap]

because the sugar content of the milk (and breast milk has even more) is so high, it will cause your lye solution to heat up like crazy, leading to scorched, brown, stinky yuck. So, I like to partially freeze my milk first. This goes for goat's milk, coconut milk, milk milk (!), basically any liquid you use that has sugar (it works well for juices too...). Get it nice and slushy. Pour your lye on top- it will melt right into the milk. Stir, scrape the frozen block so the lye can really get at everything. Open a window- it can get a bit stinky.
:shock:

The key with milks is to keep things as cool as you can.

And don't insulate. It'll stay plenty hot on it's own.

 

[shonnyisley]

because the sugar content of the milk (and breast milk has even more) is so high, it will cause your lye solution to heat up like crazy, leading to scorched, brown, stinky yuck. So, I like to partially freeze my milk first. This goes for goat's milk, coconut milk, milk milk (!), basically any liquid you use that has sugar (it works well for juices too...). Get it nice and slushy. Pour your lye on top- it will melt right into the milk. Stir, scrape the frozen block so the lye can really get at everything. Open a window- it can get a bit stinky.
:shock:

The key with milks is to keep things as cool as you can.

And don't insulate. It'll stay plenty hot on it's own.

Thank you. The milk is already frozen in breast milk storage bags. They are in 3-5 oz chuncks. Should I thaw them and re-freeze in ice cube trays or try to use as is...or crush?

 

[Best Natural Soap]

I wouldn't thaw it completely, but it might be helpful if they aren't rock hard. Because of the fat content, you want the lye to still be able to heat things up enough to melt that.

I breastfed my three kids for a year a piece-- wish I had saved some milk to try this out!!!

 

[shonnyisley]

I wouldn't thaw it completely, but it might be helpful if they aren't rock hard. Because of the fat content, you want the lye to still be able to heat things up enough to melt that.

I breastfed my three kids for a year a piece-- wish I had saved some milk to try this out!!!

I am tandem nursing and super excited to try this!

 

[Lindy]

I would work with the milk still frozen. Measure out what you need and then add your lye slowly, stirring it in well before you add more. Also put your lye container in the sink with ice cold water surrounding it to keep the mixture cool....

HTH

 

[shonnyisley]

I would work with the milk still frozen. Measure out what you need and then add your lye slowly, stirring it in well before you add more. Also put your lye container in the sink with ice cold water surrounding it to keep the mixture cool....

HTH

Thanks! When I work with my ice cube tray frozen whey the mixture never gets hot...the highest temp is usually about 120 after it is mixed. So hopefully it works like this for me.

Do you think I should add some thawed milk at trace?

 

[valor]

I would work with the milk still frozen. Measure out what you need and then add your lye slowly, stirring it in well before you add more. Also put your lye container in the sink with ice cold water surrounding it to keep the mixture cool....

HTH

Thanks! When I work with my ice cube tray frozen whey the mixture never gets hot...the highest temp is usually about 120 after it is mixed. So hopefully it works like this for me.

Do you think I should add some thawed milk at trace?

I added some (I think half of my liquid volume) milk at trace. The milk and lye turned NEON Orange Juice Orange even with it being mostly frozen. And it had a funky smell, so if it does that, don't let it worry you. Mine still turned out a creamy off white. It traced normally and everything went fine.
It is still great soap over a year later. I only wish that I had left it all unscented because the scent morphed into something I don't care for.

I CP'd that batch, but my next project is HP. I'll have to post updates when I get around to doing it. Good luck, and keep us posted!

 

[Lindy]

I use straight frozen milk (cow or Goat's Milk) and by keeping it in ice water I can keep my milk lye mixture at about 90 F so I don't get any discolouring. I don't think you need to add more at trace, just use your full amount frozen solid to get the best results.... at least in my experience.

 

[scouter139]

My daughter had frozen breast milk left in the back of the freezer that she wouldn't use for her daughter so she gave it to me and asked me to make soap as her little one also has eczema.

I've made a couple batches, each time using frozen solid breast milk and sprinkling the lye slowly on top. I've done cphp, cp and cprt. The recipe below is the most recent and the one I have notes at hand....

It was in individual bags and frozen solid. I used 6 oz of frozen solid breast milk and put it into a container and 2.25 oz of lye. I sprinkled the lye slowly on top of the frozen milk and stirred at the same time. While it turned bright yellow to light orange, it did not have a strong amonia smell..I don't remember any smell actually and this was in May of this year. I let this become room temperature and then soaped it with 10 oz of olive oil and 6 oz of coconut oil and 1/2 tablespoon of honey. I used no fragrance. I did not put it into the freezer but just put it into silicone cupcake molds. It made a nice soap in small round shapes. It hardened nicely and has a pleasant smell, I believe is from the honey. She has also used this on her older daughter with great results for her skin problems.

I still have more left in the freezer and she has enough soap for the little ones for awhile. She wants me to make the rest and sell it but I'm not so sure I'm up for that.

 

[shonnyisley]

My daughter had frozen breast milk left in the back of the freezer that she wouldn't use for her daughter so she gave it to me and asked me to make soap as her little one also has eczema.

I've made a couple batches, each time using frozen solid breast milk and sprinkling the lye slowly on top. I've done cphp, cp and cprt. The recipe below is the most recent and the one I have notes at hand....

It was in individual bags and frozen solid. I used 6 oz of frozen solid breast milk and put it into a container and 2.25 oz of lye. I sprinkled the lye slowly on top of the frozen milk and stirred at the same time. While it turned bright yellow to light orange, it did not have a strong amonia smell..I don't remember any smell actually and this was in May of this year. I let this become room temperature and then soaped it with 10 oz of olive oil and 6 oz of coconut milk and 1/2 tablespoon of honey. I used no fragrance. I did not put it into the freezer but just put it into silicone cupcake molds. It made a nice soap in small round shapes. It hardened nicely and has a pleasant smell, I believe is from the honey. She has also used this on her older daughter with great results for her skin problems.

I still have more left in the freezer and she has enough soap for the little ones for awhile. She wants me to make the rest and sell it but I'm not so sure I'm up for that.

Thank you for the suggestions. How was the lather? Did the coconut milk and honey make it more bubly than a regular castile? I am still tweaking my recipe before I start and I wanted to be able to significantly decrease or omit my castor and coconut oils...but I dont want a castile type lather.

 

[scouter139]

Yes, it was bubblier than castile, a very nice lathery bubble. If I do it again, I might drop the coconut a bit and add more olive. I've done other batches and added castor oil in one and shea butter in another. The coconut hasn't bothered the baby a bit. I think that as long as you keep your main oil as olive you can't go wrong. Make a couple small batches and change the coconut and try palm, shea, cocobutter, coconut etc. and see which one you like best. I think the oz I gave above made 10 nice round soaps in a muffin pan.
Please let me know how they turn out. Ooops I made a boo-boo, I said coconut milk, it was coconut oil. Geeezz....I'm going to edit the recipe above. Darn, hope no one used it.

 

[scouter139]

One other note about the last recipe I tried..it is from the Everything Soapmaking Book by Alicia Grosso.

 

[shonnyisley]

I made my soap today! I will post pics tomorrow!

 

[Jaaret]

This thread

May I have all of your permission to turn this multi-page thread into a theater piece? I've been avoiding reading this thread for days - weeks even - but have found it to be both provacative and very funny! Who doesn't enjoy THAT in live theater? Tonight I have (finally) been reading this thread in order, verbatum, to my partner and he's practically rolling on the floor laughing!

I don't mean to deminish this topic. I, for one, would be honored to receive breast milk soap from a close friend and would have no problem using it. However, I would never buy or use such a soap from a stranger, even if they paid me to try it.

 

[scouter139]

I for one am glad in some small way I could bring a smile to you and your partner's face. In case you missed it through your tears, the soap was made for an infant with skin problems in the hopes that it would help alleviate her constant itching and scratching.

Funny, I didn't think posters on this forum were so narrow-minded to make fun of something out of the ordinary. Guess I was wrong.

 

[Stinkydancer]

It's a genius idea as long as mother and child are the same blood line...I would have never thought of it but it does make perfect sense.

 

[Lindy]

Scouter139 this has been a controversial topic since it was created over a year ago - Jaaret hasn't said anything different really than some of the comments in the beginning......... I don't think he was saying anything nasty.....

 

[Stinkydancer]

Scouter139 this has been a controversial topic since it was created over a year ago - Jaaret hasn't said anything different really than some of the comments in the beginning......... I don't think he was saying anything nasty.....

oh yeah...I agree there!