Breast milk soap the ‘ultimate’ in skincare
Some folks won’t have a bar of it, but breast milk soap is proving more sud than dud with curious customers.
The unconventional concoction is the latest experiment of good friends Jemma Lee and Freya Flockton, who run the organic skincare business Farm Folly.
The products, including bar soaps and moisturisers, are made at Lee’s Kaukapakapa farm, with many ingredients sourced at the property.
The DIY project is a creative outlet for the first-time mums, who say the process is a combination of science and baking.
Having trialled ingredients like coconut cream and goat’s milk, soapmaker Lee decided excess coldprocessed breast milk could make an ideal substitute.
‘‘I was being milked myself, and I thought, well, it can’t be too different, so I started experimenting,’’ she said.
After trial and error, the mums reckon they’ve got the method down to an art.
‘‘It’s the ultimate skin moisturiser and healer – the cre`me de la cre`me of soap,’’ Flockton said.
Isis McKay of Women’s Health Action says breast milk is renowned for its antibacterial properties, and there’s a growing body of research surrounding its use to treat skin conditions.
A ‘‘non-scientific but certainly relevant’’ example includes Kim Kardashian using it to treat acne, McKay said, and ‘‘if it’s good enough for celebrities like Kim Kardashian, it should be good enough for us’’.
The mums say breastfeeding can be a difficult skill to master, and admit it’s tough to see their excess ‘‘liquid gold’’ go to waste.
‘‘Only mums can really understand this, but it’s such a labour of love, and it’s so nice to be able to use your milk beyond feeding,’’ Flockton said.
The soap has people ‘‘really intrigued’’, and aside from the occasional shopper who ‘‘finds it very weird’’, the mums are yet to have any negative feedback.
‘‘Before I became a mum the idea would have seemed pretty strange, but now it’s become the most natural and normal thing,’’ Flockton said.
They plan to continue making soap using milk from other mums when they stop producing themselves, and are making batches using friends milk.
Lee has been making her own skin products for years, and won’t use anything on her skin that isn’t edible.
The pair also make use of ingredients growing on the farm, including manuka, kanuka, lavender and honey.