Breastmilk soap

[zaki_sb]

Hi all,
I have a 8 month old baby. She is breastfed, and since I am pumping occasionally, I have a freezer stash of around 3-4 liters of breast milk. She doesn't like the frozen milk due to high lipase taste. Can I make a soap with it? Does it have any health benefits for the skin, esp for my baby? She's been exclusively washed with bastille soap that i made even before she was born, and I can say, knock on wood, she has never had any rashes, eczema or any other skin conditions that babies usually have. I contribute that to the soap.
Any recepies with mommy's milk? Will most of the breastmilk benefits disappear with the saponification?
TIA

 

[lionprincess00]

Oh my gosh, I had that!!! Couldn't pump because she rejected the hideous taste of the high lipase lol! Yeah, uh, nope. Good benefits will almost always get eaten by the lye monster. Now that said, no baby will probably like the high lipase flavor, blech, so milk donations probably aren't a good option. That leaves, soap! Even if it doesn't hold onto vitamins, antibodies, etc etc, it would be absolutely a great idea to add it to your bastille soap. Sub half your water for liquid milk, or freeze it and slowly add your lye crystals to frozen milk. It will melt it as you stir. Also, it will bump the superfat up some, not sure how much, but usually people don't adjust much in sf terms when adding any milks.

When adding milks btw, dont account for it in soapcalc/calculators. Soapcalc has an option for milk, but we don't use it. Instead we use it as a water amount and calculate the fats and oils and butters only.

 

[zaki_sb]

Oh my gosh, I had that!!! Couldn't pump because she rejected the hideous taste of the high lipase lol! Yeah, uh, nope. Good benefits will almost always get eaten by the lye monster. Now that said, no baby will probably like the high lipase flavor, blech, so milk donations probably aren't a good option. That leaves, soap! Even if it doesn't hold onto vitamins, antibodies, etc etc, it would be absolutely a great idea to add it to your bastille soap. Sub half your water for liquid milk, or freeze it and slowly add your lye crystals to frozen milk. It will melt it as you stir. Also, it will bump the superfat up some, not sure how much, but usually people don't adjust much in sf terms when adding any milks.

When adding milks btw, dont account for it in soapcalc/calculators. Soapcalc has an option for milk, but we don't use it. Instead we use it as a water amount and calculate the fats and oils and butters only.

Thank you so much for your reply. Indeed it tastes like lipstick, it's terrible. My baby is breastfed, but I pump for evening cereal meal. So fresh pumped milk for the baby, frozen for soap

I've done goat's milk soap before, so then I guess, by reading your post I conclude it's the same procedure as with any milk

 

[lionprincess00]

That's correct. Same for any milk. Yes, fresh worked, frozen not so much lol. Good luck with your soap!

 

[BrewerGeorge]

I'll take "Things I never, ever thought I'd hear for $1000, Alex"

 

[Bigun]

Actually, I'm about to toss a ton of the stuff myself. Anyway to add this to standard lard/lye soap?

 

[cmzaha]

Yes Bigun, you can use it like any milk.

I don't find it adds anything different than any other milk, but who knows. I made a batch for my niece several months ago and it made a very lovey soap which felt very silky. Was it the milk, maybe. I will say it was the easiest milk I have ever soaped with, and used it as full water replacement. It did not thicken up and did not saponifying the milk, it stayed a beautiful smooth creamy texture.

While I would not sell the soap to the supplier of the milk, as I know some people do.

ETA: I did use it frozen, with my pitcher in an ice batch, since I wanted to take no chance of scorching it. Since she had it frozen in bags I just broke it into pieces. If the chunks are to big it is harder to dissolve the milk when using small amounts of lye. You want to sprinkle the lye over the frozen milk, stir sprinkle until all the lye is used.

 

[Dahila]

Can you make breast milk soaps in USA? It is forbidden in Canada.

 

[shunt2011]

You can make it but can't sell it. Plus, I would only make it for the mother it came from.

 

[Dahila]

Thank you Shunt) it seems that this regulation is the same. I actually find it gross to think about washing with soap like that. I know it is not gross, milk is milk, me bad.......

 

[Bigun]

Yes Bigun, you can use it like any milk.

Ok, but how, I've never deviated from the water/lye/oils formula. I've never used milk.

*edit*

Ok, re-read everything. So just substitute frozen milk in place of water? Amounts don't change?

 

[cmzaha]

Ok, but how, I've never deviated from the water/lye/oils formula. I've never used milk.

*edit*

Ok, re-read everything. So just substitute frozen milk in place of water? Amounts don't change?

No the amounts do not change. You just break up the milk or use it in cube form and sprinkle in the lye in small increments. I find a wider versus tall container works the best when making lye solution using full milks. I always use an ice batch to set the mixing container in

 

[cmzaha]

You can make it but can't sell it. Plus, I would only make it for the mother it came from.

Thankyou for the info, I did not think it was legal to sell breast milk soap, but have never looked it up since I would not sell it anyway. Only make it for the owner of the milk. Now you have me looking for the regulations on it, where did you find it?

 

[shunt2011]

I can't find the regulations. Though, I've seen it discussed previously on other forums/facebook sites, so just kind of thought it was probably true. I kind of creeps me out at the thought of using someone elses breast milk on my body. I very well may be wrong.

 

[Ruthie]

There was an earlier discussion about this subject, though I don't recall how long ago. I had seen a news excerpt from a lady who made it for herself and for other ladies and/or their babies, I don't recall. It also was supposedly wonderful to treat something, likely a skin condition (Though I don't recall what that was either.) I'm suffering from the "slept since then" syndrome.

 

[carlyjones]

I made breastmilk soap also. My little guy hates/won't take a bottle. I don't think it added anything special, but it was more of a keepsake kinda thing. I can only hold on to the frozen stuff for so long (I rub it on cuts and scratches .. Magic) but if it's in a soap at least I can use it more practically and keep it for a long time!!

 

[jules92207]

I've made it and like the sentimental aspect but I really don't find it any different then other milk soaps I've made with a similar recipe. But it was a nice way to use up that breast milk as I hated to throw it away.

I also used it frozen in cubes as a water replacement then just stirred for a lot longer than normal to be sure all the crystals dissolved.

I can't imagine anyone but me and my family would want it though.

 

[Susie]

If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you will see links to similar threads.

 

[zaki_sb]

I wouldn't sell it, or anything. I would use it for my baby only. Pumping milk it's hard work, and maintaining milk supply even harder, so I wouldn't just throw the milk away, knowing that I spent hours to produce it . It's a shame my baby won't eat it, so at least we can use it for bathing her

 

[dixiedragon]

Thank you Shunt) it seems that this regulation is the same. I actually find it gross to think about washing with soap like that. I know it is not gross, milk is milk, me bad.......

I get it! For it's not that breastmilk is gross or bad, but that I feel like me to drink another woman's breast milk would be an incredible boundary violation. So I feel the same way about the soap.

"I'm using soap made from my own breastmilk." - My gut reaction - cool.
"I'm using soap made from someone else's breast milk." My gut reaction - YUCK.