Subbing milks for water in lotion

[Candybee]

Can I sub real milk like goat milk for some or all of the distilled water in my lotion recipe? The recipe I have uses distilled water and goat milk powder. Haven't info on if I can sub the water for milk so thought I would ask here.

If I can, I plan to use a double boiler to heat milk slowly to 170 degrees for my water phase and maintain for 20 minutes. I know I can heat milk this way because I make a lot of homemade yogurt where you have to heat to 180.

 

[Arimara]

This is not my territory but I'm certain you're going to need to use the upper limits of each preservative you're going to be using. It's usually advised that you don't do that because goat's milk has more food for microbes to thrive on than distilled water.

 

[Candybee]

Heating the milk to 170 degrees and maintaining it should kill off any microbial bacteria so I am not worried about that. It's the same making yogurt, you heat the milk and maintain to kill the bacteria and to also optimize the stability of the yogurt.

Also, I am using Germall Plus in the cool down phase as soon as it goes 122 degrees or under I can add blend it in. The recipe calls for using the full % amount for lotions or aqueous formulations like my lotion is.

So I have faith that the heating phase and addition of my preservative during the right temp will take care of any bacteria and prevent bacteria, mold, and fungus from developing in the finished product.

What I am not sure of is how does real milk perform in a lotion as a sub for water & milk powder? Is it doable, and if so what percentage can I sub the water with milk? All of it, a portion/% or none?

 

[Candybee]

I just found some interesting information. Milk is not recommended for subbing water in lotion recipes. Think of milk being left out on a counter. It will go bad. Same if used in lotion. Not a pretty picture. At least that was the analogy I found so I am going to nix it for now.

I did get some additional info and that was that other water type additives like aloe or rose water or other hydrosols may be substituted. Some hydrosols may leave a scent so this should be considered.

Now that I have my information I can finish up working on my recipe. Also, I will be using powdered milk as an alternative to fresh milk. Don't want my lotion to go bad!!

 

[paradisi]

Powdered milk, once reconstituted, will go bad too. Once it's no longer dry, it's microbe food.

 

[AliOop]

You can use milk, but only as a small amount of the total water. The same holds true for using milk powders that get mixed with the water in your recipe. Otherwise, even the best preservatives will not keep it from going bad. Milk is very, very difficult to preserve, and the requirements are very recipe-dependent, as well.

Some of the cosmetic suppliers have tutorials and guidelines for using milk in lotions. Best to get their recommendations rather than relying on any mommy-bloggers or well-meaning YouTubers.

 

[Candybee]

My recipe calls for 5% goat milk powder to be mixed with the distilled water during the water phase. I have seen recipes using milk powders from websites I have bought from and used goat milk lotion that used powdered goat milk from a well known company that sells here in my area. I loved the lotion so much that years ago I started buying a goat milk lotion base and have been selling it for years. It has never gone bad on me even sitting in a closet for over a year. Not just one bottle but several and that's over all the years I have been selling it. So I am okay with using powdered goat milk in my recipe.

Wanted to add, my recipe is from a very good reputable source and not a blog site or youtube vid. I know what you mean I would not trust those type of sources especially for something as tricky as milk as an additive.

You can use milk, but only as a small amount of the total water. The same holds true for using milk powders that get mixed with the water in your recipe. Otherwise, even the best preservatives will not keep it from going bad. Milk is very, very difficult to preserve, and the requirements are very recipe-dependent, as well.

Some of the cosmetic suppliers have tutorials and guidelines for using milk in lotions. Best to get their recommendations rather than relying on any mommy-bloggers or well-meaning YouTubers.