Soap making with milk is popular because of milk’s natural moisturizing properties. For the past two weeks, the blog has been full of soapy projects made with milk and milk powders. Milk can replace up to 100% of the water in your cold process recipe. Because milk contains natural sugars that can burn when introduced to sodium hydroxide lye, it’s important to keep temperatures cool. My favorite way to prevent scorched lye milk is to freeze the milk in advance and add the lye slowly. For more information on creating the lye and milk mixture, check out the How to Add Lye to Milk for Cold Process Soap blog post.
Silky Coconut Milk Face Mask
With the weather warming up, now is a great time to give your facial skin a little TLC. This Silky Coconut Milk Face Mask is made with coconut milk powder, colloidal oatmeal and kaolin clay to create a product that is incredibly gentle. The coconut milk powder is full of vitamins, and gives the mask a lovely coconut scent. Kaolin clay adds a silky feeling, while colloidal oatmeal adds a touch of exfoliation. A combination of vitamin E oil and Evening Primrose Extract give the mask moisturizing and soothing properties.
To use, scoop a small amount of the powder and mix with either water or oil to make a paste. If you have oily skin, mix this recipe with a bit of warm water for an oil-absorbing mask. If you have dry skin, mix the mask with a lightweight oil or thin lotion to add moisture. Argan oil, avocado oil, sweet almond oil or any other moisturizing oil would work well. Apply the mask to clean skin, and allow to sit on the skin for 3-5 minutes. Wash off, and apply moisturizer.
