Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Breast Milk Soap - what?!

I read on Parent Dish that you can make breast milk soap. Huh??



The first sentence says, "Breast milk: it's not just for breakfast anymore". Why is this funny to me? The article then leads us to another site that provides the recipe, Storknet. On Storknet, they give recipes for breast milk bread starter, cottage cheese and soap.

I am all about breast feeding. I think it is a wonderful choice. I breast fed both of my kids and I would do it all over again if life repeated itself, but I feel as this is somehow crossing some unsaid line that makes me have that scrunched up grimace on my face every time I think about using breast milk for anything but feeding babies. I guess it makes sense. Milk is milk and if you can use goat's milk, what is so different? It's different to me. If you make breast milk soap and want to send it to me, I don't want it, thank you.

OK, so for anyone who is into this which might end up being a trend in the Le Leche League after this post, here is the recipe from Storknet.

BREAST MILK SOAP

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup lye (NaOH)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup cocoa butter

1 cup breast milk

This recipe will give you 24 oz (if you used muffin the you'll get 12 soaps.)

So there you have it. Breast Milk soap. I bet there is wonderful conditioning properties and is really like any other bar of soap. Oh, I don't know. What do you think (and please keep in mind that we do not want to bash anyone).

While I was looking around to find an interesting breast milk photo, I found that there is human breast milk cheese and soup out there! No joke.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lol at the way you put it - "human breast milk cheese!" just in case someone thinks it's, say, goat's breast milk :p

I'm glad I'm not the only one to find it a bit of a quirky idea. I don't think I'd want to try it with my own - or anyone else's, for that matter! Still, I can see how it's not really that different to any other milk.

Kinda. Um.

Soup?!

Michelle said...

I saw this in the Everything Soap book and then again on the Beauty Brains. I don't thinks its for me but milk is milk I guess.

Uh, yeah soup???? O_O

dcyrill said...

Milk is milk. But let's leave the breast milk for the children. :) I can picture it know, I am pumping milk for my baby and for my soap of the day. Not LOL

Heidi said...

haha = ) I saw that not so long ago and had the same thought. I'm all for breastfeeding and will have an overabundance of breastmilk in about a month, but I just don't think I could do that = )

Suds to Love said...

To me, it just seems weird, no problems with breast feeding in general, but the thought of someone else's milk in my soap, eew. I think I would be fine with regular milk and goat's milk in my soap, but have not tried them yet.

gracefruit said...

Coconut oil is very high in lauric acid which is very close to the fats in breast milk. Perhaps breast milk soap would lather really well? I don't think I'll be the one finding out!

in-between said...

AAAAHHHHAHAHAHAHAHA! I am rolling on the floor laughing right now. Hey, whatever floats your boat.... i guess...

Question 1: How do you list that on your INCI ingredients? and can you please tell me what that is so I don't buy soap with it in it.

Question 2: What do the vegans have to say about this?

Joanna Schmidt said...

I agree with all of you. Soap is soap. Milk is milk, but keep the milk in the family. And, yeah, ms. in between-

inci: boob-au-jus.

If anyone does make it, please send me photos. And every one else. You can send me coconut milk soap. That is fruit milk. I like that in my soaps just fine!

:P

Heather@Twin Birch said...

I breast fed 4 children. It was lovely at the time, but my breasts are done. It's making me think of DeNiro in Meet the Parents...

Not that there's anything wrong with that!!! Just for the record: I am FOR breast milk!

Is this all a big april fools?

Joanna Schmidt said...

Hope I didn't offend. I posted more details on my thoughts. Next post.

And good for you!! 4 kids. You must be exhausted.

Heather@Twin Birch said...

I love your breast milk post! If it's too serious, where's the fun?

Anonymous said...

That left me laughing and speechless. Wow, what other uses for breast milk will they think of next? Oh wait, I believe they've already thought of all possible uses! LOL!

I, too, breastfed both my kids, but, blame it on preconceived notions I suppose, neither dh nor I could stomach the idea of drinking my milk.

I actually could see myself using it for soap though. However, I'm pretty much all dried up given the 9 yrs that has elapsed since I last nursed ds#2. ;)

Anonymous said...

ewww what a creepy thought. I agree with suds to love, using someone elses' breast milk in the shower is not a thought I want to hold onto, thank you. Deedeelicious.

Anonymous said...

EEeeeewwwww. I saw a post on breastmilk soap another blog, and all I can say is icky. I too breastfed my kids, but still eeewwww.

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm? I am baffled by how the heck someone could pump enough milk to make soap and feed the kid, LOL!

Anonymous said...

Just thought I would mention that it's not something that a lot of breastfeeding women set out to do like "ok I'm gonna pump some extra milk today so I can make some SOAP!" This is mostly for those women who have extra milk put away in the freezer that they won't need or has been in there longer than the usual 6 month limit for feedings. Pumping milk is a lot of hard work and if you end up not being able to use it for feedings or it accidentally gets thawed out before you can use it (power outage, leaving the freezer open, etc) then some women just use it for other things. Besides, some recipes can be used for their kids. Or the soap can be used for themselves.

Anyway, just thought I'd clue you guys in on the "weirdness"

Traumschaumseife said...

I did breastmilksoap! No, not MY breastmilk... ;-)

here you can see, but it is only in german, sorry....
I only used Oliveoil and breastmilk!
http://traumschaumseife.blogspot.com/2008/03/seife-aus-muttermilch.html

Claudia

Anonymous said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDIyDWxXREc watch breast milk soap being made.

Anonymous said...

I have made breast milk soap multiple times. I always had a lot of extra pumped milk, and it felt like such a waste to just throw it away. It lasts forever, and I plan on keeping it around as a keepsake. It's also very nice soap ;) I don't see how it is disgusting at all.

Anonymous said...

Quite late to the comment party... but why are we more comfortable with a dirty ol barnyard animal's milk, but uncomfortable with the milk from our own species? So weird. I'm a guy, but I'm putting it down as misogyny...not personally by any one here in the comments... more of a societal thing.

Brandi said...

Well, I will be making breast milk soap. I lost 105 ounces of breast milk by the freezer going :( Instead of just throwing away all of this milk, I will be making soap out of it. I cried and I was so sick until I heard about making soap with it. My daughter can not drink it, so why not do something with it that can be used on my children. And their skin is so sensitive that I hope it will help :)

Joanna Schmidt said...

Brandi, Good for you. I am now a seasoned soapmaker and understand more about soaping and all that goes into it.

I also, believe it or not, have less opinions and judgements on others and milk from any animal is conditioning, so I think it is wonderful!

I produced so much milk when I was breastfeeding, I didn't know what to do with it because my daughter didn't take the bottle that frequently, I was throwing it out! (this was well before soaping)...

Anonymous said...

I think it's a brilliant idea. What better way to be green? If you have a freezer stash of enough breast milk that cannot be used to feed, why waste it, and make soap from it instead! Breast milk has already been reported to help heal conjunctivitis, diaper rash, infant eye crusties, and a list more of plaguing infant irritations, so why not?

Unknown said...

I'm excited to try this recipe. I breastfeed my son & pump to donate (I have donated 950 ounces so far) but I have exactly 8 ounces that fell through the cracks and is not fresh enough to donate. I will post pictures when I finish making it. Thanks for the recipe!