Kefir in soap

[carolincanada]

I wanted to use kefir in my soap. I will be using the crock pot method. I know it likely not retain it's kefir benefits in the soap but it is lovely and creamy and I have lots of it. Has any one used it before? Any hints?

 

[honor435]

what is it, a kind of milk?

 

[dagmar88]

A kind of yoghurt, but more fluid. Like in between yoghurt & buttermilk.
Should be nice; only I'd prefer to freeze it, use it as 100% of the liquid for the lye solution and soap with it as cold as possible (room temperature cp)...

 

[kbn]

I've used kefir milk, it does make a lovely, creamy bar. I froze the milk as you would with goat's or coconut and added the lye to it. Nothing too tricky. I've been using the bars this winter and find that they don't have tons of lather but they do feel really nice on the skin. Good luck!

 

[carolincanada]

Thanks everyone!! My next batch will have kefir in it.

 

[Maria]

I tried adding kefir to soap twice back when I made CP. The first time it gelled and came out grainy and dark orange which just turned out dark brown later on. The second time I was determined to stop it from gelling. I put the soap in the freezer for 3 hours. It was so cold, and looking good so I moved it to the refrigerator. I checked it a couple hours later and it looked like it had been in the oven. The outer edges were fine but the middle was dark and awful looking and bubbled up. I cut out the bad part and used the rest of the soap. When I switched to HP, I was determined to attempt kefir soap again. I make my own kefir and have plenty on hand.
This time I didn't use honey in the recipe which likely added to my heat issues. I cooked the soap as usual using the minimum water. I added the kefir mixed in with the fragrance at the end. The soap did not discolor and was wonderful. If it is the lactic acid you want, a secondary fermentation of the kefir after removing the grains will produce a thick creamy version that makes a terrific face mask without paying for expensive alpha hydroxy creams. I am not sure how much lactic acid survives the soap making process.

 

[whisks]

i don't know anything about the lactic acid survivng saponification, but i know the lactic acid makes the soap nice and hard.

 

[carolincanada]

Thanks Maria, I do HP so I'll add it at the end of the cook. How do you do a second fermentation?
Carolyn

 

[Maria]

Are you culturing your own kefir or buying it in the store? If you are buying it in the store, it is not the same as real kefir because no one has ever been able to get consistant results so they use powdered cultures like in yogurt to get consistantcy. If that is what you are using, treat the kefir as though it was yogurt in soap making as it is very high in sugar.
If you culture your own kefir using kefir grains, once you have cultured/fermented to the point you like the product (most often between 2 and 3 days) strain out the cultures and place them in fresh milk. Take the kefir and measure out the amount you want to use and keep in a covered container and leave out for another 24 to 48 hours, put the rest in the refrigerator. You want to cover the kefir loosely because it will continue to ferment and if covered air tight the lid will either blow off or the container may explode if glass is used. I use a plastic measuring cup and plastic wrap. It will be thick, creamy when done.
It doesn't smell great when applied to the face but you can't beat it as a mask. Some people mix with papaya or pineapple for additional enzymes or avocado for moisturizing. The lactic acid is more than enough for me. You will have to experiment to see how long it needs to be left on your skin.

 

[carolincanada]

Thanks Maria, I do culture my own kefir. I'll do the second fermentation with my next batch and try it.

 

[Alexandra]

Kefir is great and very healthy drink.

I hope it will behave in soap the similar way as yoghurt would. I put yoghurt in my "white bar" after the soap was cooked, and I am VERY satisfied with result. The soap is silky and creamy, yet still enough hard ... I think it is partially because of yoghurt. I think I could try put kefir in my next bar...

I just cant understand why putting kefir (or youghurt) in the lye water because they could be used instead of - or along with - oil at trace... I guess, the NaOH is going to destroy most of good properties of such ingredients so bmho is better to put it at the end....

 

[Maria]

I haven't had luck putting anything in lye water. Even tea or aloe juice turns an ugly color. I tried milk once and the smell convinced me not to try again.

 

[dagmar88]

I haven't experienced bad smells with frozen milks...

 

[GreenEggsAndPam]

Discovering kefir

We have just discovered kefir and have starter grains on the way. I am excited about making kefir, and thought maybe I could use it in my soaps! Searched the topic and found this thread. Are there any other tips on using kefir in CP?

I have done coconut milk via ice cubes and liked the results very much. I have a line on some raw milk, as well as some raw goat's milk. We will try both, and maybe I'll try this in my new soaps. I have a delivery from BA due tomorrow - Squee!

 

[Cookie]

Hi,

I'm considering using kefir milk in my soap soon and just wondering how much to use. I don't want to use it as a replacement for the water in the lye mixture. Any suggestions as to how much per pound? And if I stir it in at trace is it still wise to freeze it?

Thanks in advance

 

[ngian]

I was also thinking of using milk kefir but as it has lactic acid it may have an issue with the superfat of the recipe.

Unknown amount of Lye will be neutralized by unknown amount of lactic acid to create sodium lactate and thus a harder bar and will eventually increase the % of superfat.

If my thinking is correct then I have good teachers around here.

Nikos

 

[boyago]

I've replaced 50% of the water with yogurt added at trace with pretty good results. One though had a mysterious funk to it that through suggestions here I'm pretty sure was the butyric acid which will also be present in the kefir. The funk did go away after a long cure though. The soap was unscented and I'd say I stopped noticing the scent after a couple months cure.