fbpx

How To Make Breast Milk Soap: 2 Helpful No-Nonsense Recipes To Follow

how to make breast milk soap

Ask any breastfeeding mom what you can do about a rash, eczema, bumps, baby acne, or another topical issue; chances are, she’ll tell you to put some breast milk on it. 

Breast milk has been proven time and time again to have many beneficial properties for an infant’s health, but there are many other uses for it, including topically.

Store-bought soaps and lotions are typically safe for your skin, but many mothers feel better knowing precisely what is in the products they use on their babies and themselves. 

With breast milk soap, you don’t have to wonder. You know that the same wonderful stuff that you feed your little ones will nourish their delicate skin and provide yet another way for you to ensure your baby’s safety.

With the many advantages of using a natural soap made from breast milk, you may be wondering exactly how to make breast milk soap. If so, continue reading to learn more.

Making breast milk soap

If you have extra breast milk or are still lactating, but your baby has weaned, you may have wondered what you can do with your breast milk so that you don’t have to throw away that liquid gold.

Breast milk is comparable to hydrocortisone cream when used on the skin. 

So if you’re considering learning how to make breast milk soap, your skin and the skin of your entire family stand to reap the benefits.

how to make breast milk soap

Which breast milk is best to use?

If you want to make your own breast milk soap, you may be wondering which breast milk is the best to use. 

The good news is that it doesn’t really matter. You can use frozen milk stored in your freezer or fresh, room-temperature breast milk.

Breast milk is breast milk as far as any breast milk soap recipe goes.

How is breast milk soap different than regular soap?

Using a lye mixture as your soap base removes much of breast milk’s benefits.

However, there are still some noticeable differences between your finished breast milk soap product and regular bar soap that you may find at the store.

First of all, breast milk has a high-fat content, much more so than most other soaps. This will result in a very rich and creamy lather from breastmilk soap that you won’t see in a regular bar of soap from the store.

Another thing you’ll notice is that most soaps smell…well, soapy. 

You can add essential oils to breastmilk soap when making breast milk soap. 

You won’t have to worry about smelling like a high school boys’ locker room or a field of canned peonies. 

You can customize scents and optimize the quality of your breast milk soap by adding whatever essential oils you like.

A simple breast milk soap recipe

When you decide to try to make breast milk soap, you may be overwhelmed at first by all of the different ways there are of making it. 

Try not to let it dissuade you from giving it a try. There may be many different ways of doing it, but most processes are relatively simple, and many ingredients are optional.

You can get as complicated and intricate as you want or stick to a basic breast milk soap. 

What makes breast milk soap good is its benefits to your skin. All pigment options and essential oils to add fragrance are just extras.

Start simple

If you have never made soap, starting with a straightforward recipe and working your way up may be a good idea.

The following is one way to make breast milk soap that many women swear by.

Room temperature breast milk not frozen milk

Simple breast milk soap recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup breast milk
  • Essential oils (optional)
  • 1/2 pound soap base

  1. Purchase a soap base. You can purchase them online or in craft stores. A soap base is needed; otherwise, you’re not really making soap but solidified breast milk that won’t lather and will unfortunately go bad. 
  2. Melt down your soap base in the microwave until it turns to liquid. Doing so in stages is the best way to do this, so you don’t overheat your soap base.
  3. Thaw frozen milk until it is room temperature. Pour the breast milk into the soap base. Stir until well mixed. Add a few drops of essential oils if preferred to make your breast milk soap scented.
  4. Pour soap mixture into a soap mold. You can opt for a silicone mold of any shape or size. A silicone mold works best because it’s pliable, and you’ll be able to remove the soap more easily.
  5. Refrigerate for at least two hours so the breast milk soap can set. For harder soap, allow it to sit for up to two weeks before removing it from the mold and using it.

That’s all! You can make breast milk soap this way or add oatmeal, pigment, or honey during step 2. 

You can also make breast milk soap bars, just skip the silicone mold, and pour the soap into a jar. Then you can break up the soap into whatever size bars or chunks you’d like.

Cold process soap

Breast milk soap is already beneficial regardless of how you make it.

However, cold process soap, also known as castile soap, is an even more eco-friendly way to make breast milk soap. 

While it does call for lye solution in the recipe, it is oil-based, using olive oil, vegetable oil, etc., which is vegan and not harmful.

Cold process soap recipe

The following is a simple recipe that calls for olive oil as a base rather than a store-bought soap base.

Ingredients:

  • 4.5 oz sodium hydroxide lye
  • 5 oz breast milk
  • 8 oz distilled water
  • 35 oz olive oil
  • Stainless steel bowl
  • Stick blender (an immersion blender or hand mixer can be used if you don’t have a stick blender)
  • Thermometer
  • Silicone mold

  1. In a large bowl, add your olive oil.
  2. Heat olive oil to 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Put lye and distilled water into their own stainless steel bowls.
  4. Add lye gradually to the water. Stir until mixed thoroughly and completely dissolved.
  5. Creating this lye solution will cause the bowl to heat up quickly. Wait until the lye solution has cooled to 105 degrees.
  6. Pour the lye solution into olive oil. Whisk lightly.
  7. Pour breast milk, and then pour the soap mixture into silicone molds.
  8. Allow soap to cure for three days. Then remove from molds, cut, and allow to cure further for six weeks or more for a harder soap.

FAQ about DIY Breast milk soap

The following are some questions that are often asked about not only the process of creating breast milk soap but also about the product in general and what you can do with it.

Can I sell breast milk soap?

Yes! You can sell your breast milk soap. You can sell online, in person, or make it to order.

How does breast milk soap differ from cow’s milk or whole milk soap?

You may not believe it, but breast milk has a higher fat content than whole milk! 

Breast milk also has more sugars, which will give you a different type of soap product than other milk-based soaps.

Although it’s made with natural ingredients, the enzymes in breast milk have and usually retain small amounts of antibacterial properties that are great for skin conditions.

As such, you’ll have a soap that is great for your sensitive skin, dry skin, or eczema, made with human breast milk that is gentler than regular soap but gives you a better lather and creamy texture. 

It’s truly a great thing to do with your extra milk.

Will breast milk soap stink if I don’t add essential oil?

For the most part, your homemade soap will not stink if you add essential oil. Because you have to combine it and heat it, you also don’t have to have essential oil as part of your soap-making method if you don’t want to. 

The soap bar you produce, whether made from fresh breast milk or leftover breast milk, will not stink or smell foul, even without essential oil to add scent. 

Essential oil is just an optional inclusion.

Is breast milk soap okay for a baby’s sensitive skin?

Absolutely! Breast milk soap is excellent for treating infant eczema, dry skin, and even baby acne. The finished soap is fantastic for baby’s skin and your entire family’s.

What is the shelf life of breast milk soap?

Frozen breastmilk is good in the freezer for up to twelve months, so you may be worried that you have limited time to use the soap bars you’ve made.

Not to worry, though. All the lye of the cold process neutralizes the milk component as far as spoiling is concerned, and the cold process soap is actually good for up to ten years if stored properly!

A little tip: The easiest way to freeze milk is to create frozen milk cubes using an ice cube tray.

Breastmilk soap and lotion

Breast Milk Lotion

You can make other products from your breast milk. 

Breast milk lotion is an incredible follow-up product that can help moisturize and nourish your skin. 

It calls for a few other ingredients aside from what breast milk soap does, but the process is still relatively easy.

Breastmilk lotion recipe

The following is a simple breast milk lotion recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 3 drops of Vitamin E oil
  • 3 oz breast milk
  • Essential oil (optional)
  • 1 tbsp beeswax
  • 3 oz grapeseed oil

  1. Combine beeswax and grapeseed oil in a bowl and microwave until beeswax begins to melt.
  2. Add Vitamin E oil
  3. While whisking continuously, add breastmilk.
  4. Let cool. The mixture will thicken as it cools.
  5. Keep in a cool, dry place and use as needed.

A Final Note

If you or anyone in your family has sensitive skin conditions, and if you have extra breast milk at your disposal, making personal care products like breast milk soap or lotion is a great way to put it to good use without having to throw it out.

It’s a beautiful hobby for the mom who wants to know precisely what is going into her family’s bath products or for the mom who has a baby prone to skin issues.

You can easily make soap by using any recipes listed in this article or expand your practice by including other ingredients such as coconut oil. 

You can sell soap that you produced, give them as gifts, and rest easy knowing that you’ve contributed to the well-being of your little one with something that your own body created.

It only takes a few hours to make a relatively large batch of soap, and it keeps for up to ten years if stored properly.

Once you’ve made soap and lotion, you can expand your newfound knowledge and make other breast milk products. Anything that you can use milk for, you can use breast milk for.

Some women sell breast milk products in online shops or farmer’s markets. You can do this as well. 

Just be sure to look up any cottage laws for your area, and include an ingredient label on the soap, especially if you use other additives like essential oils, pigments, dried herbs or flowers, or other ingredients.

You might Also like...

Subscribe to
receive your FREE
"58 Newborn Essentials"
Registry Guide