Follow along for the easiest tutorial on how to make breast milk soap – and it only takes 10 minutes!
Breast milk is so amazing! Scientists are just scratching the surface when it comes to learning about it’s versatility and benefits.
There is so much left to learn about it. I was shocked to learn there are more studies done on tomatoes than breastmilk!
I love the idea of not wasting it, even a single drop! On those occasions you thaw out your frozen milk and don’t use it all or maybe it’s past the one year mark in the freezer (see storage recommendations) -you can now use this recipe for DIY breast milk soap instead of throwing it out. This is just the beginning of many breast milk uses!
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What are the benefits of breast milk soap?
Breastmilk soap is a great way to utilize every drop of that liquid gold. By now, you probably know you can even use breast milk on your baby’s skin.
You may (or may not) be surprised to learn that external use of breast milk can be used as an effective treatment for diaper rash, eczema, and acne.
It’s also a convenient way to treat sore, dry, or cracked nipples, pink eye, nasal congestion, and minor scrapes, burns, and other superficial skin wounds. This is backed up by research.
These are just the skin benefits that we know of.
Breast milk for eczema?
In particular, I was excited to learn that breast milk was found to be just as effective in treating eczema as hydrocortisone cream. This is according to a study published by the International Journal of Dermatology. They state “The results of the present study suggest that the human breast milk can improve infant atopic eczema with the same results as 1% hydrocortisone ointment”.
After struggling with an eczema rash with my daughter, I was able to completely heal her rash using my own milk! I was so relieved to finally resolve her itchy dry skin!
I was happy to have been able to use breast milk instead of hydrocortisone creams. I’ve also used it for my baby’s mild cradle cap.
I can’t wait to see what else research can learn about treating other skin conditions with human breast milk.
Although this research is not testing breastmilk soap benefits but rather breast milk on its own. You can read this research and draw your own conclusions as to whether there may be related benefits to using breast milk soap.
Regardless, I think making breast milk soap with milk you might be thinking about throwing out, is a much better use of your hard earned milk!
How long is breast milk soap good for?
For these breast milk soap recipes, I recommend storing it either in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to use it.
I recommend using smaller molds. This way, you are using up your soap faster and it has less time to spoil. If your homemade breast milk soap starts to develop an odor, you will want to throw it out. You can keep the soap in your freezer indefinitely.
Soap in the fridge can still spoil. Smell your soap before using. Throw it out if it develops an odor.
What are the different methods of making breastmilk soap?
I will cover two methods of DIY breast milk soap making. A melt and pour method and another method using lye. If you’re a beginner, I would recommend using the melt and pour method.
However, both methods will produce a creamy soap with a natural moisturizer. Below is a brief introduction to each method to help you choose which to go with.
Melt and pour method
If you’re looking for a quick, easy, and low cost way to trial making your own breast milk soap- this is the method for you.
At first I was hesitant to try making soap from my breast milk because I thought I had to use lye. However, for this process the soap base has already gone through the soap making process -or the process with the lye. It’s no longer dangerous to handle and can be used without any special equipment or protective gear.
The best soap base for breast milk soap is free of dyes, and fragrances. This is the soap base I chose.
The main disadvantage to the melt and pour method, is that your soap has a shorter shelf life. See my tips on how to avoid spoilage below.
How to make breast milk soap
Without lye – the melt and pour method
Supplies and ingredients:
- 1 cup room temperature milk
- ½ pound soap base
- Small molds
- Optional mix ins (essential oils, oatmeal, honey ect.)
- Microwave safe bowl
Instructions:
Step 1:
Prior to starting, take your milk out of the freezer or fridge ahead of time. You want your milk to be at room temperature before you start to heat your base. Do not microwave breast milk.
Chop the soap base into small cubes. In a microwave safe bowl, add a ½ pound of your soap base.
Step 2:
Microwave for 5-15 second intervals. Stir in between intervals to avoid overheating.
*Overheating your base can cause bubbles to form in your soap. Although the soap will still be usable, it just won’t be as pretty.
Step 3:
Now that you have your soap based completely melted, add 8 oz of breast milk at room temperature into the melted soap base. Stir until well combined.
Step 4:
This step is optional.
Add 5-10 drops of essential oils, or a few drops of vitamin E oil. You can also add 1-2 tablespoons of honey (for children over 1 year old).
Step 5:
Place molds onto a tray or small cookie sheet. Carefully pour the soap mixture into the molds.
Additionally, if you wish to add oatmeal to your soap, add a small amount to the molds at this time and gently stir with a toothpick.
If you have isopropyl alcohol on hand, you can spray the already poured soap to help disperse the tiny bubbles at the surface. This is purely for astatic. I didn’t have any, so I skipped this step.
Step 6:
Finally, place the molds in the refrigerator until soap has hardened. Usually this takes a couple of hours. You can refrigerate overnight and remove from the soap mold in the morning.
I prefer to keep my breast milk soap in an airtight container or bag in the fridge or freezer. Because this way, I can increase the shelf life of my soap. I take one soap out at a time to use. One small soap lasts between 1-2 baths for us.
How do you make breast milk soap with lye?
I personally have not made breast milk soap using lye, or hot press method as lined out below. Lye can be very dangerous if not handled properly (hence my choice of the melt and pour method for myself). Another disadvantage of this method is that it is difficult to add milk because it’s easy to scorch.
I will provide a recipe and instructions adapted from a goat’s milk recipe. Before diving into soap making with lye as a beginner, please make sure you do your research.
You can use this recipe for many types of milk. I like this one because it has a moisturizing shea butter base. Additionally, if you have any questions about this process please reach out to someone with lots of experience regarding this topic.
Ingredients:
- 340g coconut oil
- 425g olive oil
- 370g unrefined shea butter
- 375g goat milk (or other milk) frozen
- 155g sodium hydroxide (lye)
- 29g essential oils, optional
The main steps include:
- Melt coconut oil and shea butter
- Add milk to lye
- Add olive oil to coconut oil and shea butter mixutre
- Slowly add lye and milk mixture to oil blend
- Pour into silicone mold
You can find a list of ingredients and a link for step by step instructions here. It will cover important safety information as well. This recipe is for a goat milk soap recipe, however, human milk can be substituted seamlessly.
How do you store breast milk soap?
You can keep the finished product of breast milk soap in an airtight container or bag in the fridge or freezer. I prefer to use smaller soap molds. With bigger soap bars it can take a long time to use it up and it may spoil in the meantime.
I mark my bags as mothers milk soap with the date. I take one soap out at a time to use. One small bar of soap lasts between 1-2 baths for us for a baby bath, but feel free to use these soap bars for the whole family! In the event that your soap starts to smell spoiled, please throw it out.
Homemade soap is an overall perfect way to use any expiring milk or extra milk you may have in the fridge or freezer.
With the sensitivity of babies skin in mind, this might be a great alternative for new moms to use their own soap.
Breast Milk Soap
Ingredients
- 1 cup room temperature milk
- ½ pound soap base
- Small molds
- Optional mix ins (essential oils, oatmeal, honey ect.)
- Microwave safe bowl
Instructions
Prior to starting, take your milk out of the freezer or fridge ahead of time. You want your milk to be at room temperature before you start to heat your base.
Cut soap base into smaller pieces. In a microwave safe bowl, add a ½ pound of your soap base.
Microwave for 5-15 second intervals. Stir in between intervals to avoid overheating.
*Overheating your base can cause bubbles to form in your soap. Although the soap will still be usable, it just won't be as pretty.
Now that you have your soap based completely melted, add 8 oz of breast milk at room temperature into the melted soap base. Stir until well combined.
*Optional - Add 5-10 drops of essential oils, or a few drops of vitamin E oil. You can also add 1-2 tablespoons of honey (for children over 1 year old).
Place molds onto a tray or small cookie sheet. Carefully pour the soap mixture into the molds.
Additionally, if you wish to add oatmeal to your soap, add a small amount to the molds at this time and gently stir with a toothpick.
Finally, place the molds in the refrigerator until soap has hardened. Usually this takes a couple of hours. You can refrigerate overnight and remove from the soap mold in the morning.
Notes
I prefer to keep my breast milk soap in an airtight container or bag in the fridge or freezer. Because this way, I can increase the shelf life of my soap. I take one soap out at a time to use. One small soap lasts between 1-2 baths for us.
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