I found this recipe in the blog of a fellow doula Kate Donahue ( http://portlanddoulacare.com/2011/06/03/diy-breast-milk-soap-recipe-and-directions/ ) a couple of years back, and thought I would share with those of you who are interested.
Birth Partner has a great range of Spectra breastpumps available to help you with expressing – and now you can buy now and pay later with an Afterpay payment plan.
If you have extra milk and you’re the crafty type, here is a recipe for making your own breast milk soap. I would also personally encourage you to consider donating extra milk to another Mama’s baby through the Human Milk for Human Babies or Eats on Feets groups. There is a local chapter of each group almost everywhere around the world. If there isn’t one near you, consider asking a midwife if she has a Mamababy in need.
Breast Milk Soap Recipe and Directions
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup lye (NaOH)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup cocoa butter
1 cup breastmilk
Don’t use metal utensils or bowls, since it may react with lye.
1.In a small bowl, add to lye to water. Do not add the water to the lye, add the lye to the water!
2.Mix well to dissolve lye.
3.Let sit until it reach 115°F (like a warm bath).
4.Mix oil and cocoa butter.
5.Heat until 115°F. You can microwave 60 seconds on HIGH.
6.Add lye to the oil mix. Do not pour oil in the lye, pour the lye into the oil!
7.Mix until it takes a silky look–about 10 minutes.
8.Add breastmilk, stirring slowly. The color will change according the amount of fat in your milk, so each batch may have a different colour.
9.Stir until the mix looks like instant pudding – between 45 minutes and 1 1/2 hours.
10.Pour into moulds – You can use almost anything you want; muffin tin is good start. You may want to oil moulds, or cover them with saran wrap or wax paper to make unmoulding easier.
11.Let sit for 3 days then unmould – some people freeze the soap to unmould it, but it should really be avoided. Let cure in a dry place for at least 4 weeks. The more your soap will cure, the more neutral it will be. You can taste it (I don’t mean eat it!) to see if it is neutral.
12.This recipe will give you 24 oz (if you used a muffin tin then you’ll get 12 soaps.)
Lye can be purchased in some supermarkets or grocery stores but it is harder to find it today. You have to use pure lye to make soap. If you can’t find it in your area, you should be able to buy it online.
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