Liquid Gold to Luxurious Lather: A Comprehensive Guide to Making Breastmilk Soap

Breastfeeding is a beautiful journey, and breastmilk, often called ‘liquid gold,’ is packed with nutrients and antibodies that are incredibly beneficial for your little one. But what happens when your freezer stash starts overflowing, or your baby is past the age of needing breastmilk directly? Instead of letting that precious milk go to waste, you can transform it into something equally beneficial – luxurious, creamy breastmilk soap! This unique soap is not just a sentimental keepsake; it offers a host of benefits for your skin, thanks to the moisturizing and nourishing properties of breastmilk.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process, from gathering your supplies to achieving the perfect bar of breastmilk soap. We’ll delve into the science behind it, the different methods you can use, and provide essential safety tips to ensure a successful and enjoyable soap-making experience.

Why Breastmilk Soap?

Before we jump into the how-to, let’s understand why breastmilk soap is gaining popularity:

• Moisturizing Powerhouse: Breastmilk is rich in fats and proteins that act as excellent emollients, locking in moisture and leaving your skin feeling soft and supple. This makes it particularly beneficial for individuals with dry, sensitive, or eczema-prone skin.
• Gentle Cleansing: Unlike many commercial soaps that can strip your skin of its natural oils, breastmilk soap is incredibly gentle, cleansing effectively without causing dryness or irritation.
• Soothing Properties: The anti-inflammatory components in breastmilk can help soothe skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and even diaper rash. While not a replacement for medical treatment, it can provide relief and promote healing.
• Unique and Personal: Breastmilk soap is a beautiful and personal way to celebrate your breastfeeding journey and create something truly special for yourself and your family.
• Reducing Waste: It provides a resourceful way to use excess breastmilk, preventing it from going to waste.

Understanding the Basics: Cold Process Soap Making

The most common method for making breastmilk soap is through the cold process method. This method involves combining oils, lye (sodium hydroxide), and water (in this case, frozen breastmilk), resulting in a chemical reaction called saponification. This process creates soap and glycerin, a natural humectant that attracts moisture to the skin.

Important Note: Lye is a caustic substance and must be handled with extreme care. Always wear safety goggles, gloves, and long sleeves when working with lye. Avoid inhaling the fumes and work in a well-ventilated area. If you’re uncomfortable handling lye, consider exploring alternative methods (though the cold process is the most common and allows the breastmilk to retain the most benefits).

Essential Supplies for Breastmilk Soap Making

Before you begin, gather all your necessary supplies. This will streamline the process and ensure you’re not scrambling for something mid-soap making:

• Frozen Breastmilk: You’ll need approximately 10-12 ounces of frozen breastmilk for a standard batch of soap. Freeze it in ice cube trays or in a silicone mold to make it easier to handle.
• Oils: Choose your favorite soap-making oils. Some popular options include:
  • Olive Oil: Known for its moisturizing and conditioning properties.
  • Coconut Oil: Creates a hard, bubbly bar of soap.
  • Palm Oil (Sustainably Sourced): Adds hardness and stability to the soap.
  • Shea Butter: Provides luxurious creaminess and moisturizing benefits.
  • Cocoa Butter: Adds hardness and richness to the soap.
  • Sweet Almond Oil: Known for its skin softening abilities
• Lye (Sodium Hydroxide): Essential for the saponification process. Make sure to purchase pure sodium hydroxide, not drain cleaner or other substitutes.
• Distilled Water: Needed for combining with the lye.
• Digital Kitchen Scale: Crucial for accurate measurements. Soap making is a precise science, and accurate measurements are essential for safety and the quality of your soap.
• Heat-Safe Mixing Bowl: Use a glass or stainless steel bowl for combining the lye and water/breastmilk mixture. Avoid using aluminum or plastic.
• Heat-Safe Container: A container for measuring and melting your oils
• Immersion Blender: Helps mix the lye solution with the oils quickly and efficiently. You can use a hand whisk, but it will require much more time and effort.
• Rubber Spatula: For scraping down the sides of the bowl and ensuring all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
• Soap Mold: You can use silicone molds, wooden molds lined with parchment paper, or other suitable soap molds.
• Safety Gear: Safety glasses or goggles, gloves, and long sleeves.
• Thermometer: To monitor temperatures of the oils and lye solution.
• Optional Additives: Essential oils for fragrance, clays for color and benefits, dried herbs for texture and visual appeal.

Step-by-Step Guide: Making Breastmilk Soap with the Cold Process

Now that you have your supplies, let’s get started! Remember to always prioritize safety and take your time during the soap-making process.

Phase 1: Preparing the Lye Solution and Breastmilk

1. Safety First: Put on your safety glasses, gloves, and long sleeves. Ensure you are working in a well-ventilated area.
2. Measure the Lye: Using your digital scale, carefully measure the precise amount of lye required for your recipe. Double-check the measurement. Lye amounts vary based on your chosen oils, use a soap calculator such as soapcalc.net to determine these.
3. Prepare Your Frozen Breastmilk: It is best to keep your breastmilk frozen until just before combining with the lye mixture. For a faster process take the frozen breastmilk out and lightly chop into smaller pieces or run under hot water until they have started to slightly melt.
4. Combine Lye and Frozen Breastmilk: Gently and slowly pour the lye into the frozen breastmilk in your heat-safe mixing bowl. Be careful as this can cause a rapid heat increase. Stir constantly with your rubber spatula. As the breastmilk thaws you will see it starting to combine with the lye crystals. Once combined, allow the mixture to cool, this may take some time.

Phase 2: Preparing the Oils

1. Measure Your Oils: Using your digital scale, measure out your chosen oils into the heat-safe container
2. Melt the Oils: Melt your oils over low heat, in a double boiler, or using short bursts in the microwave, until they are completely liquid.
3. Cool the Oils: Allow the melted oils to cool. The ideal temperature for combining with the lye mixture is around 100-110°F (38-43°C). The lye/breastmilk mixture should also be at roughly the same temperature when combining.

Phase 3: Combining Oils and Lye Solution

1. Temperatures Check: Verify that both your oil mixture and the lye/breastmilk mixture are within the ideal temperature range (around 100-110°F or 38-43°C).
2. Combine the Mixtures: Slowly and carefully pour the lye/breastmilk mixture into your bowl of melted oils.
3. Mix to Trace: Use your immersion blender to mix the oils and lye solution. Blend in short bursts, stirring with the blender off between each burst. This process can take some time, be patient.
4. The mixture will eventually thicken: When the mixture starts to thicken and you can see that the mixture leaves a trail when dripped from the blender you have achieved “trace.” Trace can range from a very thin trace to a thick pudding like texture. The type of trace is dependent on your recipe and how much time you have.

Phase 4: Adding Optional Additives & Molding

1. Add Optional Ingredients: If you are adding any essential oils, clays, or dried herbs, do so now. Stir them in gently and evenly.
2. Pour into Mold: Once the mixture has reached trace, carefully pour the soap batter into your soap mold.
3. Cover and Insulate: Cover the mold with a lid or plastic wrap. Wrap it with a towel or blanket to help retain heat. This process is called “gelling” and helps speed up saponification.

Phase 5: Curing and Cutting

1. Unmold the Soap: After 24-48 hours, the soap should be firm enough to unmold. This time can vary depending on your recipe, the temperature in the room, and the materials used for the mold. If the soap is still soft, leave it to harden longer.
2. Cut the Soap: Carefully cut the unmolded soap into bars using a knife or soap cutter. The soap may still be soft and malleable at this stage so take care with cutting.
3. Cure the Soap: Place the soap bars on a wire rack in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated area. Allow the soap to cure for 4-6 weeks. This process allows excess water to evaporate, resulting in a harder, longer-lasting bar of soap.

Tips for Success

• Use a Soap Calculator: Before you start, use a reputable online soap calculator to determine the correct amount of lye for your specific oil combination.
• Work in a Well-Ventilated Area: Ensure proper ventilation when working with lye. The fumes can be irritating to your respiratory system.
• Don’t Rush: Soap making requires patience. Don’t rush any of the steps, especially the saponification process.
• Keep Temperatures Accurate: Be sure to accurately measure and note temperatures when making your soap.
• Start Simple: Begin with a basic recipe with a few well-known oils like olive, coconut, and shea butter. This allows you to gain experience before experimenting with more complex recipes.
• Be Patient with Curing: Don’t skip the curing process! It’s essential for creating a high-quality bar of soap.
• Keep Detailed Notes: Record your recipes and the results. This will help you troubleshoot and make improvements to future batches.

Troubleshooting

• Soap is too soft: This could indicate that the cure time is too short or your recipe requires more hard oils. Extend the curing process and ensure you are using the correct recipe.
• Soap is crumbling: This could be caused by too much lye, not enough water, or improperly mixed ingredients. Check your recipe and ensure accurate measuring for next time.
• Soap has separated: This could be due to the temperatures being too hot or too cold, or not achieving a proper “trace” stage.
• Lye burn/reaction: Ensure you are wearing safety glasses and gloves when working with lye. Lye reacts with water, so only mix lye with the distilled water or frozen breastmilk solution.

Alternative Method: Melt and Pour Breastmilk Soap

If you’re hesitant to work with lye, you can try the melt and pour method. While this method doesn’t involve saponification and the benefits of breastmilk may be diluted, it’s a good starting point for beginners.

Here’s a basic overview:

1. Purchase a melt and pour soap base from a craft store.
2. Melt the soap base according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
3. Let the soap base cool slightly before adding a small amount of breastmilk (around 1-2 tablespoons per pound of base). Adding too much breastmilk can affect the soap’s texture and shelf life.
4. Add any other desired additives like essential oils or clays.
5. Pour the mixture into soap molds.
6. Let the soap harden completely before unmolding.

Final Thoughts

Making breastmilk soap is a rewarding and fulfilling project that allows you to transform liquid gold into a beautiful and beneficial product for your skin. While it might seem daunting at first, with careful planning, accurate measurements, and a little patience, you can create luxurious bars of soap that not only cleanse but also nourish your skin. Remember to always prioritize safety and enjoy the process of crafting something truly special from your own precious breastmilk!

This is a general guide. Experiment with recipes, fragrances, and colors to find your own personal touch. Happy soap-making!