I’ve been wanting to make goat milk based soap for over a year now. Especially goat milk soap, but since I don’t have any of that I decided to make milk soap using “half & half” instead.
I do have goat milk powder and thought of just adding water to it. But Casey Makela author of Milk-Based Soaps doesn’t recommend goat milk powder at all, she said all the fat has been removed so it would not be good for soapmaking. But I have used goat milk powder in one of my soaps and find it to be just as nice and creamy. Although Makela’s book was informative, it seem to stretch out this process more then necessary! And also make you NOT want to make any milk based soap ever.
Here is the milk & cream soaps. Some say it smells more like sweet oatmeal. I think that smell may fade in 3-4 weeks time when it’s done curing. I can’t wait to give this soap a try! I can feel how creamy and rich it is while I was cutting it up.
Now that I’ve successfully made my first batch of “milk soap” it wasn’t much different then regular CP soaping. Well there are some differences, but not much.
Updated: The sweet smell is still there. Something I can’t describe, but like sweet cookies. I have given this soap the shower test and it’s great! Very nice and creamy bar of soap. Thick and hard bard too. I think it will last a long time in the shower. Just keep it dry in a nice soap dish.
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It’s not difficult to give yourself a nice homemade facial, preferably at least once a week. My recipe is more of a face “scrub” since the rice bran gives it a gentle scrub.
It’s easy to make at home and will save you money too. If you don’t have the ingredients I’ve listed here, you can also substitute with other ingredients too. Good things to try are oatmeal, ground almonds, baking soda, plain yogurt, ripe papaya, and avocado. Many of these ingredients are very moisturizing.
The rice bran I used was from a health food store and looks very much like this box. But you can also find rice bran at Japanese grocery stores too. Photo from Natural Health Alternative Products, UK.
Using rice bran as a beauty regimen is very popular amongst Japanese women. They use it to wash their face and claim it’s their secret to smooth and soft skin. Rice bran powder can help heal blemishes, prevent wrinkles, and deep cleanses the pores. The powder is usually put into a small cotton bag before applying to wet face. Then scrub in small circular motions and rinse well with water. It’s that simple!
Rice Bran & Honey Facial Scrub
2 teaspoons of rice bran powder
2 teaspoons of honey
1 teaspoon of goat milk powder
A little bit of milk and some water to turn it into a paste.
I mix the whole thing in a clean Pyrex glass cup with a chopstick. No blender necessary!
This amount would last me for a couple of days. I keep this in the refrigerator, but maybe you don’t have to if you skip the fresh milk. I like to scrub gently then leave on my face as a mask. It’s not so messy. And then wash off with my Olive Leaf Luxury Handmade Soap. This way it’s less drying then just washing with regular soap. The face scrub really does leave my skin well hydrated. Enjoy!
