Happy Monday! Today we're going to be shining the spotlight on our favorite soap - Milk, Oats & Honey!
Why is this one our favorite?
First off, it's fun to make! We've spoken only briefly about making our products, but making soap that contains actual milk is an interesting process.
Milk can be scalded if it reaches a certain temperature and that could make for a super unpleasant smelling soap. We start off with frozen chunks of goats milk and slowly add lye to it, making sure the temperature never gets too hot.
Then we add this mixture to our oil mixture, honey, and fragrance. Once it's all in the same bowl we thoroughly blend it.
After all of that's done, we keep a close eye on the temperature and put the soap in the refrigerator. This keeps it cold for 24 to 48 hours until it is ready for cutting.
We use goats milk in this soap because it has wonderful skin benefits. The milk is packed with vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids that benefit dry and sensitive skin. The milk creates a creamy and luxurious lather that hydrates the skin. You will want to keep this one around, especially in the winter.
A bit of honey is added to help moisturize the skin and ground oats for a gentle exfoliation. We've also added a touch of fragrance oil to liven up the Milk, Oats and Honey scent that's naturally in the bar.
You might have noticed, we mentioned lye. Some people have asked us if lye is bad for sensitive skin.
In order to make soap, lye is required as part of the process. Lye is used to convert the oils - olive, coconut, castor, etc. - that we use into actual soap. This process is called saponification. Once this process has completed, there is no more lye left in the soap, leaving a gentle handmade bar ready for use. This is also why soap takes anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks to fully cure.
Join us next week when we shine the spotlight on our Sleep Bath Bombs!