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.
You will find different recipes and many of these are available online. The best ones use nothing more than fresh or powdered goats milk, some oils and lye. For the oils, choose some that will nourish and moisturize your skin. These include olive oil, coconut oil, almond oil, castor oil, rice bran oil and cocoa or shea butter. If you want to make a scented soap, you can also add a blend of essential oils, such as tea tree, lavender, ylang ylang, rose or orange. Most essential oils also have properties that are therapeutic.
The first step is to mix the lye with the milk to start a process called saponification. This is the chemical reaction between an alkali and fats. Sprinkle the lye bit by bit over the milk and mix it. You'll need to wear rubber gloves and take care though because lye can burn your skin. It's a good idea to keep the mixture in an ice bath to keep it cool.
Now you need to prepare the oil mixture. Cocoa and shea butter and certain oils, especially coconut oil, are solid so you need to slowly and carefully melt them on the stove, in the microwave or even in the sun. When they are melted, blend in all the other oils as well.
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.
You shape your soap by pouring it into molds. Craft stores usually have a good selection of molds available. However, bear in mind that you need to keep the mixture cool, so smaller molds are more suitable. If you prefer, you can place the molds in the freezer beforehand.
After 24 hours, you can remove the bars from the molds. If you want, you can cut them into smaller shapes that will be easier to manage. You may notice an ammonia smell but this will fade away after a few days. Now you need to let the bars cure for at least four weeks. Then it's time to wrap them in pretty paper or tie ribbons around them if you want to sell them or give them as unique gifts.
Homemade goats milk soap has several benefits. Because it doesn't have any harmful chemicals in it, it will be gentle and moisturizing rather than drying. In fact, it's great for treating redness, itchiness, eczema and acne. Because it lathers into a creamy foam, it makes a great shaving soap too. Best of all is that it makes unique, special gifts.
You will find different recipes and many of these are available online. The best ones use nothing more than fresh or powdered goats milk, some oils and lye. For the oils, choose some that will nourish and moisturize your skin. These include olive oil, coconut oil, almond oil, castor oil, rice bran oil and cocoa or shea butter. If you want to make a scented soap, you can also add a blend of essential oils, such as tea tree, lavender, ylang ylang, rose or orange. Most essential oils also have properties that are therapeutic.
The first step is to mix the lye with the milk to start a process called saponification. This is the chemical reaction between an alkali and fats. Sprinkle the lye bit by bit over the milk and mix it. You'll need to wear rubber gloves and take care though because lye can burn your skin. It's a good idea to keep the mixture in an ice bath to keep it cool.
Now you need to prepare the oil mixture. Cocoa and shea butter and certain oils, especially coconut oil, are solid so you need to slowly and carefully melt them on the stove, in the microwave or even in the sun. When they are melted, blend in all the other oils as well.
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.
You shape your soap by pouring it into molds. Craft stores usually have a good selection of molds available. However, bear in mind that you need to keep the mixture cool, so smaller molds are more suitable. If you prefer, you can place the molds in the freezer beforehand.
After 24 hours, you can remove the bars from the molds. If you want, you can cut them into smaller shapes that will be easier to manage. You may notice an ammonia smell but this will fade away after a few days. Now you need to let the bars cure for at least four weeks. Then it's time to wrap them in pretty paper or tie ribbons around them if you want to sell them or give them as unique gifts.
Homemade goats milk soap has several benefits. Because it doesn't have any harmful chemicals in it, it will be gentle and moisturizing rather than drying. In fact, it's great for treating redness, itchiness, eczema and acne. Because it lathers into a creamy foam, it makes a great shaving soap too. Best of all is that it makes unique, special gifts.
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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.
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