Make your own goat's milk soap

Today the trend is towards homemade natural cosmetics! Coconut oil, milk, essential oils… these natural ingredients work wonders for skin and hair and it would be a shame not to use them! After natural face creams, masks and natural shampoos, homemade soaps, especially goat's milk soap, are a hit on Pinterest. If you also prefer 100% natural skin care, then you can make your own goat milk soap.

What effect does natural soap have?

Known for its moisturizing and anti-aging properties, goat milk soap also helps with skin problems such as psoriasis, eczema or dermatitis. Here we have compiled 6 of the best skin benefits:

• Goat milk soap is effectively used to treat acne. Goat's milk contains many vitamins, but is particularly rich in vitamin A, which is necessary for repairing damaged skin tissue and maintaining healthy skin.
• Goat milk is known to relieve skin inflammation and soothe dry and irritated skin.
• The soap can reduce wrinkles and fight signs of aging.
• The pH value of goat's milk is similar to that of our skin. This means the skin's natural self-protection is not disturbed.
• Goat milk contains important nutrients and vitamins such as vitamins A, C, B1, B6, B12 and E.
• Goat's milk soap acts as a gentle peeling. It containsAlpha hydroxy acidssuch as lactic acid, which remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. This leaves the skin looking smoother and younger.

Make your own goat's milk soap with soapy water

If you want to use fresh goat's milk, be sure to use soapy water. To make this soapy water yourself, you need to dissolve solid sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in water. NaOH for soap making is usually available from pharmacies. Slowly add the sodium hydroxide beads or flakes to distilled water and stir gently until completely dissolved. Allow the lye solution to cool. Then a few drops of natural oils can be added to the solution. It's that simple!

However, it is important to note that NAOH soap caustic soda is a corrosive, dangerous chemical that can cause serious burns. If there's anything that stops people from making their own soaps, it's fear of handling lye. As long as you follow safety rules and don't shorten the steps, you shouldn't have any problems at all with using lye in your soap making.

When using caustic soda, you should observe the following precautions:

• Always wear gloves and safety glasses when working with alkalis.
• Do not use aluminum utensils that could be damaged by caustic soda.
• Wear a respirator mask to avoid inhaling the fumes. It is best to work outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
• Always add the caustic soda to the water and not the other way around.
• In case of contact with skin, rinse several times with water.

Natural soap recipe with honey

Ingredients for 8-10 bars of soap
350 ml olive oil
175 ml Coconut beer
75 ml Avocadoöl
90 ml distilled water
95 ml goat's milk
85 g sodium hydroxide (also called caustic soda)
1 EL Honig

1. Before you begin, freeze the goat's milk in ice cube trays so it doesn't burn when mixed into the lye solution. You can let the milk become mushy or freeze completely.

2. Weigh the distilled water and caustic soda. Pour the water into a glass bowl and then add the caustic soda.

3. Stir well until the caustic soda is completely dissolved. You will notice the solution warming up and becoming opaque. Let it cool for a few minutes and it will become transparent again.

4. Add the frozen goat's milk to the lye solution and continue stirring. The mixture may turn slightly orange or brown because the sugars in the milk are caramelized by the lye. To prevent the sugars from burning, you should stir constantly until everything is melted and well mixed.

5. Measure the oils in a separate bowl. You can weigh them all in the same bowl by taring your scale between oils. (i.e. reinsert the scale to 0 (zero) grams). You must first warm the coconut oil slightly so that it becomes liquid. The other oils do not need to be heated. If the temperature is too high and the sugar burns, your soap could turn brown.

6. Add the lye solution to the oils and stir gently until combined.

7. You can now start mixing the oils and the lye solution with a hand blender to form a homogeneous mixture. Stir vigorously for a few minutes until your soap has a creamy consistency. This is the point in soap making when the oils and lye are emulsified and the saponification process begins.

8. Now you can add the honey and any essential oils or fragrance oils you want to use. Mix again with the hand blender until fully incorporated.

9. Pour the liquid into silicone soap molds. If it's warm outside, place your soap in the refrigerator or freezer to prevent the soap from partially gelling. Otherwise, let them cure in a cool, ventilated place.

After a few days you can remove the soap from the molds. If you have more patience, it is best to let the soaps cure and dry for 4-5 weeks before use.

Make your own goat milk soap without lye

Your second option for making goat's milk soap yourself is to use a ready-made goat's milk soap base. These are now also available to buy online.

However, it's important to note that the "melt and pour" soap base is not considered by many people to be as natural as cold-processed soaps because manufacturers often use multiple chemicals to maintain the meltable consistency. So check the ingredients and make sure your skin can tolerate the additional chemical substances used in the soap base.

450 grams of goat milk soap base
2 to 4 tablespoons of honey
1 tbsp natural oil such as jojoba or sweet almond (optional)
Microwave-safe bowl or pot for water bath
Silicone spatula
Silicone soap molds
Soap dye (optional)

1. Cut the soap base into small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Melt the cubes in the microwave orin a water bath.

2. Once the soap base has become liquid, you can incorporate the honey and then add a few drops of essential oils. If you wish, you can add a few drops of yellow soap dye to give the soap a honey color.

3. Pour the mixture into the soap molds and allow to harden for at least 1 hour. If you are in a hurry, you can put the molds in the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes and speed up the process. Then take the soaps out of the molds and leave them at room temperature for another 24 hours.