A few days ago, a friend of mine, who is currently nursing her newborn, asked me if I could make soaps with her breast milk. Immediately, I was so pumped! I have tried making soaps with cow’s milk and goat’s milk before, but never with breast milk! I have read and heard about how wonderful breast milk soaps are and now I finally have a chance to make them!
Soapmaking with Leftover Breast Milk
However, I just had to warn her that it may be a waste to make breast milk soaps as the nutrients in breast milk would be gone after saponification (the chemical reaction of soap making). In my opinion, breast milk is better to be consumed. Breast milk soaps are only wonderful because they are very creamy and lathery due to the fat found in breast milk. I am nursing my little Livy right now so I understand how precious these liquid golds are! Never have I thought about making soaps with my own breast milk!
She then explained that the milk was actually pumped about a year ago when she had her first son. The milk had been frozen since then and now it was too old to be consumed.
Oh! In that case, waste not!
I immediately took on the project with glee! She came over with her breast milk in a frozen state. We sat together to go over the oils, the scents, the additives, and the molds she wanted to use.
The Perfect Ingredients
For the oils, I explained to her that it would be best to use olive oil as its properties are very gentle on baby skin, but the cure time would be long. She said she wanted to use the soaps for herself actually, so I suggested using coconut oil for a shorter cure time.
For the scents, I showed her my selection of essential oil and fragrance oil. I could even mix scents together if they go well together. She opted for the most soothing and relaxing scent in my opinion – lavender essential oil.
For the additives, I suggested adding either clay (for the extra slip), or oatmeal powder. She understands the amazing power of oatmeal herself and decided on adding ground oatmeal to her soaps.
Last but not least, I showed her my selection of molds (to be honest, I don’t have that many!). She picked the flower molds.
The Making of Breast Milk Soap
All set to go! On that very evening, I jumped right into production! I had concerns about the lye scorching the milk so I made sure I soaped at a cooler temperature. Even after the soaps were poured into the molds, I put them straight into the fridge to keep the temperature low.
The very next day, I unmolded the soap after merely 12 hours. They came out a bit soft and wet because of the moisture from the fridge, but overall they were good! The colors were creamy white (most likely because of the coconut oil) and the scent was amazing! I really love how they turned out! Off to the curing rack for one month before they are ready for use.
Overall, I had a great time soaping with breast milk. The experience was very exciting and empowering! I really hoped they would turn out well and that my friend who was new to using handmade soaps would fall in love with the creamy lather in a natural soap.
Now I am thinking of making some soaps with my own breast milk for my girls. Oh just need to find the time to pump.