There are thousands of soaps on the market but if you have sensitive skin, it can be difficult to find one that's right for you. Many of the commercially available soaps contain harsh chemicals that can cause redness and dryness. The solution is to make your own, for example a natural goats milk soap that is gentle and actually good for your skin.
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.
When your lye mixture is ready, it's time to blend the oils. Some oils, such as coconut oil, and butters are solid at room temperature so you will need to melt them first. You can do this by placing them in the sun for a while or by gently heating them on the stove. Then add the liquid oils.
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.
To keep its shape, you need to mold the emulsified mixture. You can use any shape of mold that you want but smaller ones are best, since they will prevent the mixture from becoming too warm. Another way to keep the temperature down is to first refrigerate the molds, which you can buy at stores that sell craft supplies.
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.
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.
When your lye mixture is ready, it's time to blend the oils. Some oils, such as coconut oil, and butters are solid at room temperature so you will need to melt them first. You can do this by placing them in the sun for a while or by gently heating them on the stove. Then add the liquid oils.
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.
To keep its shape, you need to mold the emulsified mixture. You can use any shape of mold that you want but smaller ones are best, since they will prevent the mixture from becoming too warm. Another way to keep the temperature down is to first refrigerate the molds, which you can buy at stores that sell craft supplies.
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.
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.
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