If you have sensitive or problem skin, buying soap can be a nightmare. Most of the soaps available in the stores contain an array of harsh chemicals that can wreak havoc on your skin. An easy solution is to make natural goats milk soap at home, in the comfort of your own kitchen.
There are different recipes available online. A good recipe is one that contains goats milk and a blend of oils. Coconut oil is a good choice, as is olive oil. You can also add oils such as avocado, almond, rice bran or castor oil or even shea or cocoa butter. All of these oils have nourishing properties. A few drops of essential oil can add fragrance and may have therapeutic properties too. For example, tea tree or grapefruit oils are antibacterial while lavender is relaxing. Finally, you'll need some lye.
First put on some thick rubber gloves. This is to protect your hands when working with lye, which can cause serious burns if it comes into contact with your skin. Then carefully sprinkle a little lye over the milk before mixing it in. Repeat this until all the lye is mixed in. The alkali in the lye will react with the milk fat in a process known as saponification. Keep the mixing bowl over ice to keep it cool.
Next, you need to mix your oils. If you are using coconut oil, shea butter or cocoa butter, melt these first over a low heat or by leaving them in the sun. Then blend all the liquid oils together and keep the mixture cool.
Once you have mixed your oils, it's time to carefully add them to the lye mixture. Stir or whisk everything until the mixture is smooth and emulsifies. This means that the lye liquid and the oils won't separate anymore but will stay mixed. Soap makers call this point the trace.
When your soap has reached trace, you can pour it into molds. There are many different shapes available, including loaf shapes and spheres that you can buy from craft stores. Use molds that have been cooled in the fridge so that the soap won't heat up. Smaller molds are better for keeping the soap mixture cool.
For the next 24 hours, let the molded mixture set. Then remove the solid shapes and if they are too big, slice them into the size you want. They now need to cure for a minimum of four weeks, after which you can wrap them in the paper of your choice or simply tie colorful ribbons around them.
The great thing about making your goats milk soap is that it is all natural and doesn't contain harsh chemicals that can harm your skin. It is gentle and moisturizing rather than drying. It won't sting your eyes and it produces a creamy lather that's great for shaving. Moreover, it has healing properties and can help treat skin conditions such as acne and eczema.
There are different recipes available online. A good recipe is one that contains goats milk and a blend of oils. Coconut oil is a good choice, as is olive oil. You can also add oils such as avocado, almond, rice bran or castor oil or even shea or cocoa butter. All of these oils have nourishing properties. A few drops of essential oil can add fragrance and may have therapeutic properties too. For example, tea tree or grapefruit oils are antibacterial while lavender is relaxing. Finally, you'll need some lye.
First put on some thick rubber gloves. This is to protect your hands when working with lye, which can cause serious burns if it comes into contact with your skin. Then carefully sprinkle a little lye over the milk before mixing it in. Repeat this until all the lye is mixed in. The alkali in the lye will react with the milk fat in a process known as saponification. Keep the mixing bowl over ice to keep it cool.
Next, you need to mix your oils. If you are using coconut oil, shea butter or cocoa butter, melt these first over a low heat or by leaving them in the sun. Then blend all the liquid oils together and keep the mixture cool.
Once you have mixed your oils, it's time to carefully add them to the lye mixture. Stir or whisk everything until the mixture is smooth and emulsifies. This means that the lye liquid and the oils won't separate anymore but will stay mixed. Soap makers call this point the trace.
When your soap has reached trace, you can pour it into molds. There are many different shapes available, including loaf shapes and spheres that you can buy from craft stores. Use molds that have been cooled in the fridge so that the soap won't heat up. Smaller molds are better for keeping the soap mixture cool.
For the next 24 hours, let the molded mixture set. Then remove the solid shapes and if they are too big, slice them into the size you want. They now need to cure for a minimum of four weeks, after which you can wrap them in the paper of your choice or simply tie colorful ribbons around them.
The great thing about making your goats milk soap is that it is all natural and doesn't contain harsh chemicals that can harm your skin. It is gentle and moisturizing rather than drying. It won't sting your eyes and it produces a creamy lather that's great for shaving. Moreover, it has healing properties and can help treat skin conditions such as acne and eczema.
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Find an overview of the benefits of using natural goats milk soap and view our selection of natural skin care products at http://mountainworks.ca now.