Soapmaking 101: How to Make Breast Milk Soap

Making your own soap is a great way to save money and control the ingredients that go into it. It’s also a great way to use less plastic, since you don’t need to buy body wash in a plastic bottle. In this article, we will cover the basics of soap making and provide a simple recipe for those who want to try it out!

What is soap and where does it come from

Soap is a cleansing agent made from fats and oils that are reacted with an alkali. Soap has been around for thousands of years and was first made by the Babylonians. The word soap comes from the Latin word sapo, which means “to make clean.”

Soap is made by combining fats or oils with an alkali, such as lye. The mixture is then heated and stirred until it becomes soap. This process is called saponification.

There are many benefits to making your own soap. First, you can control the ingredients that go into it. This is especially important for people with sensitive skin or allergies. Second, homemade soap is usually cheaper than store-bought soap. Third, you can customize your soap to suit your needs and preferences. Forth, you can eliminate the plastic that is used in store bought body wash.

Breast milk soap benefits

Breast milk soap is slowly gaining popularity for its many benefits. While the ingredients are technically human-derived, the end product is still considered vegan. The fats and proteins in breast milk are perfect for nourishing and hydrating the skin. In addition, breast milk contains an enzyme that helps to break down dead skin cells, making it an excellent choice for those with acne or sensitive skin. Because it is so gentle, breast milk soap is also often used on infants and young children. Of course, one of the biggest benefits of breast milk soap is that it is free from harsh chemicals and artificial fragrances. It is so nice to be able to use your own milk, especially if you have extra breast milk. For those looking for a natural and gentle alternative to store-bought soap, mother’s milk soap with natural ingredients is definitely worth trying for all family members.

Melt and pour soap vs cold process soap

Melt and pour soap is a type of soap that is made by melting a block of base soap and adding colorants, fragrances, and other ingredients. The melted soap is then poured into molds and allowed to cool and harden. Melt and pour soap is generally considered to be the easiest type of soap to make at home, and it can be made in a wide variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. Crafters refer to this as making soap without lye.

Cold process soap is made by combining oils and sodium hydroxide (lye) to create what is known as “soap custard.” This mixture is then poured into molds and left to cure for several weeks. Cold process soap tends to be more moisturizing than melt and pour soap, as the extra time that the bar spends in the mold allows for more moisture to be absorbed into the bar. However, cold process soap also requires a bit more care and attention than melt and pour soap, as there is a risk of the lye becoming too concentrated and damaging the skin. Overall, both types of soap have their own advantages and disadvantages, so it ultimately comes down to personal preference. But for breastmilk soap, it is a bad idea to use melt and pour soap, and combine with breastmilk, because the breastmilk will not get incorporated into the melt and pour, and will cause bacteria to grow, which could become a risk to you and your baby. Instead, if you want to use your own breast milk in soap, make cold process soap.

Tools Needed to Make Soap

Making soap is a simple process that only requires a few tools and ingredients. The most important ingredient is, of course, sodium hydroxide, or lye. Lye is a caustic substance that can cause burns, so it’s important to handle it with care. Once you have the lye, you’ll need some sort of fats or oils. These can be either animal fats or vegetable oils. You’ll also need distilled water and an optional scent or coloring agent. The equipment you’ll need includes a heat-resistant container for mixing the ingredients, a stick blender for stirring, a kitchen scale, a spoon, a spatula, and a soap mold (either a loaf mold, or individual silicone molds). I bought my 10 inch silicon loaf mold from Bramble berry. With these supplies on hand, you’re ready to start making soap.

Recipes for making your own breast milk soap

Here are two easy recipes for making your own breast milk soap.

This is a simple recipe for making breast milk soap using the cold process method. This is for 5% superfat natural soap, with 32 oz total oil weight. This will give enough soap batter to fit in a 10″ silicone loaf mold, which will yield 10 soap bars. This is a nice blended mild recipe, and will be nice and gentle for all members of the family.

Soap with Palm Oil, Olive Oil, and Coconut Oil

Ingredients:

134 g of breast milk

134 g of filtered or distilled water

122 g of sodium hydroxide (lye)

272 g of palm oil (30%)

544 g olive oil (60%)

90 g coconut oil (10%)

1 oz fragrance oil or essential oils (optional)

Soap colorants (mica, pigments or herbs) (optional)

Here is the recipe in the SoapCalc lye calculator:

Instructions

1. Put on an N95 mask, and rubber gloves. It is important to wear the right safety gear to prevent lye burns.
2. Weigh sodium hydroxide into plastic container. High density polyethylene (HDPE, recycling code #2) and polypropylene (PP, recycling code #5) are the most lye resistant containers. If you use glass, the lye solution may etch away at the glass.
3. Put filtered water into separate plastic container.
4. Slowly pour the lye into the water, while stirring with a spoon. Keep on stirring until all of the lye is dissolved.
5. Wash the spoon with dish soap while wearing gloves, and then put in dishwasher, or keep spoon separate from spoons you use to eat with.
6. Using a large glass Pyrex container, measure the palm oil and coconut oil with the kitchen scale, and put the oils in the glass container.
7. Microwave until the oils are almost (but not quite) melted.
8. Stir with a spoon until the oils are melted.
9. Put the Pyrex back on the kitchen scale, and measure the olive oil into it.
10. Now, we will slowly pour the lye solution into the oil mixture. While pouring in, use your stick blender to give a few pulses to agitate, then just stir without pressing the button. For example, you can press the button for 1 second, and just stir without pressing the button for 4 seconds, and keep alternating and pouring.
11. When all of the lye solution is poured into the oils, just keep stirring and pulsing the stick blender. When the consistency is like pudding, add the drops of essential oil, and give one last stir.
12. If you want to add colorants, for example, if you want to have soap with 3 colors, split the soap batter into three containers. Add the colorant to each container, and briefly stick blend until the color is incorporated. If you want to avoid having to clean your stick blender between colors, start with your lightest color, and end with your darkest color.
13. For an in the pot color swirl, add all three colors back into the same pot, and stir one time (don’t over mix).
14. Pour the soap batter into the soap mold. Bang on the table to remove air bubbles
15. Use a spoon or fork on the top to make peaks or an interesting design (optional).
16. Let the soap solidify for one day.
17. After one day, check the consistency. If it is like cheese, it’s ready to be cut. Remove from the mold, and with a kitchen knife, cut into 1″ slices.

Let your soap cure for one month, then enjoy!

Here is a picture of a finished bar of breast milk soap

Soap with Olive Oil

Here is a cold process soap recipe for castile soap with just olive oil. This is a very mild milk soap recipe, and is great for baby’s skin, but it gets a bit mushy, and takes a year to cure. This soap is also good for people who have allergies to coconut oil.

For this, you should use individual silicone molds, instead of a soap mold, since it will get rock solid, and will be hard to slice with a kitchen knife.

Ingredients:

175 g of breast milk

116 g of sodium hydroxide (lye)

907 g olive oil (100%)

1 oz fragrance oil or essential oils (optional)

Soap colorants (mica, pigments or herbs) (optional)

1. Freeze breast milk into ice cube trays
2. After the human milk is frozen, measure 175 g into plastic container with recycling code 2 or 5.
3. Put on an N95 mask, and rubber gloves. It is important to wear the right safety gear to prevent lye burns.
4. Weigh sodium hydroxide into plastic container.
5. Slowly sprinkle the lye onto the breast milk ice cubes, while stirring with a spoon. Keep on stirring until all of the lye is dissolved.
6. Wash the spoon with dish soap while wearing gloves, and then put in dishwasher, or keep spoon separate from spoons you use to eat with.
7. Using a large glass Pyrex container, measure the olive oil into it with a kitchen scale.
8. Now, we will slowly pour the lye solution into the oil mixture. While pouring in, use your stick blender to give a few pulses to agitate, then just stir without pressing the button. For example, you can press the button for 1 second, and just stir without pressing the button for 4 seconds, and keep alternating and pouring.
9. When all of the lye solution is poured into the oils, just keep stirring and pulsing the stick blender. When the consistency is like pudding, add the drops of essential oil, and give one last stir.
10. If you want to add colorants, for example, if you want to have soap with 3 colors, split the soap batter into three containers. Add the colorant to each container, and briefly stick blend until the color is incorporated. If you want to avoid having to clean your stick blender between colors, start with your lightest color, and end with your darkest color.
11. For an in the pot color swirl, add all three colors back into the same pot, and stir one time (don’t over mix).
12. Pour the soap batter into the individual silicone molds.
13. Let the soap solidify for more than one day.
14. When it is very solid, remove from the silicone mold.

Let your bars of soap cure for one year, then enjoy!

Tips for Storing Handmade Soap

Here are some tips for using and storing your homemade soap:

• Keep your bar of soap in a cool, dry place. A soap dish that drains is ideal.
• Let the bar of soap dry completely every day, otherwise, it may get mushy and not last as long.

FAQ

FAQs about making your own soap:

Q: What kind of milk can I use to make soap?

A: You can use any type of milk, including human breast milk, cow’s milk, and goat’s milk. The higher the fat percentage, the more rich and creamy soap will be.

Q: Can I add colorants or fragrances to my soap?

A: Yes! You can add natural or synthetic colorants and fragrances to your soap. Just be sure to use a safe, skin-friendly variety.

Q: What is the difference between cold process and hot process soap?

A: Cold process soap is made by combining the ingredients and then allowing the mixture to cool and harden. Hot process soap is made by heating the mixture, which speeds up the saponification process.

Have you ever made your own soap? Share your experience in the comments below!