The notion of bathing a beauty queen in buttermilk the night before her big pageant may seem a little wacky, maybe even extreme. But folks in early Americana may have been on to something with that particular tradition. Buttermilk, and other dairy products, contain a gentle exfoliator called lactic acid. This mild acid can gently loosen, and even dissolve hardened sebum, and dead skin, allowing it to be gently buffed away with the help of a washcloth or body brush. It can also help to soothe irritation, and moisturize dry skin. This leaves skin with a fresh, healthy glow, so radiant that it just might win you that pink satin sash after all.
Milk Bath recipes are generally made up of two parts Milk Powder, one part Grain Powder, and a variety of optional Additives. They can also be scented with the help of Essential Oils, Fragrance Oil, Absolutes, or CO2 Extracts.
Milk Powders
The heart of any Milk Bath recipe is, of course, the Milk Powder. Milk Powder comes in many varieties. Here is a little background info on each:
Whole Milk Powder
The classic, Whole Milk Powder provides a skin nourishing bounty of vitamins and minerals, with minimal dairy aroma. It pairs wonderfully with almost any aroma or fragrance. Whole Milk Powder now comes in an Organic Variety as well.
Buttermilk Powder
Buttermilk contains a higher portion of acids than Whole Milk Powder, boosting its exfoliative powers. It also has a slightly sour scent that can be covered up my most aromas and fragrances.
Goat’s Milk Powder
The most pungent of Milk Powders, Goat’s Milk Powder must be fragranced with its natural aroma in mind. Luckily, it pairs nicely with strong aromas, such as Lavender. It is very high in vitamins A, B, and E, boasting a beta carotene content that is three times higher than Whole Milk. Due to a complex blend of helpful acids, Goat’s Milk Powder is by far the most superior of the Milk Powders when it comes to hydration, exfoliation, and nutrition.
Coconut Milk Powder
Coconut Milk Powder makes a delightful alternative for conventional Milk Powders in Milk Bath recipes. It’s yummy Coconut Scent, and creamy consistency is a pleasure to use. Keep in mind, however, that this ingredient is not suitable as a vegan alternative, due to the presence of milk proteins in its ingredients.
Yogurt Powder
Yogurt Powder posesses very similar properties to Whole Milk Powder, and can help to cleanse, moisturize and exfoliate the skin. Try pairing Yogurt Powder with fruity scents or ingredients to create Bath Smoothies!
Grain Powders
Powdered Grains add soothing properties to Milk Baths, amping up their beauty boosting abilities, and making the bath more pleasant. While the classic ingredient is Oat Flour (or fine Oatmeal) there are a number of possible ingredients that could be used to create a unique Milk Bath recipe.
Oat Flour, Fine
A classic ingredient for skin care, Oat Flour lends soothing properties to Milk Baths. It has little to no aroma or color, making it perfect for inclusion in specialty recipes.
Rice Powder, Fine
Finely milled White Rice Powder possesses natural starches that will help turn the bath into a milky white wonderland. In Milk Bath Recipes, it should be used in smaller proportions than Oat Flour, since its fine grain will not disperse as readily at Oat Flour, and can leave a grainy feeling on the bottom of the tub.
Nut Flours & Meals
Chickpea Flour or Almond Flour can add nutritive benefits to Milk Bath formulations, but should not be added directly to the tub. Since these Nut Ingredients will not disperse into the bath water well, they can leave the bottom of the tub scratchy, and unpleasant. To include these ingredients, pack them into a Tea Ball or a Tea Bag, allowing the properties, but not the texture of the Nut Ingredients into the bath water.
Additives
Many nutritive ingredients can be added to Milk Baths to enhance them. Other ingredients are added to help increase the slip or flow of the finished product.
Honey Powder
Honey is an excellent natural cleanser, and a classic addition to Milk Bath recipes. Honey Powder makes it easy to include honey in your recipe. This spray dried powder is blended to make it free flowing, and easy to use. Honey Powder is also available in an Organic variety.
Herbs
Finely powdered Herbs can be added to Milk Baths to enhance their properties, increase their beauty, or add scent. Since Herb Powders don’t disperse fully into bath water, it may be a good idea to include them inside a Tea Ball or a Tea Bag to keep them from making the tub bottom scratchy or uncomfortable. If you are using a Tea Ball or Tea Bag, you can use whole herbs as well as powders.
Salts
Generally, Milk Baths are not Salt based, but sometimes Salts are included in the recipe. Some salts, such as Bolivian Pink, or Himalayan Pink, can add beauty and color. Others, such as Dead Sea Salt, can add rich mineral content. The most highly used in Milk Baths is Dendritic Salt, which is often used as a carrier for aromatics. We’ll discuss that more when we talk about scenting Milk Baths.
Aloe Vera Spray Dried Powder
Spray Dried Aloe Vera Powder is dehydrated juice from the aloe plant. This soothing ingredient can be easily included in Milk Baths, as it dissolves readily in water.
Corn Starch
Corn Starch is sometimes added to Milk Bath recipes to help thicken and soften the bath water, as well as ensure the free flowing nature of the finished powder.
Kaolin Clays
Gentle Kaolin Clays are perfect for adding detoxifying properties to a Milk Bath. Due to their mild nature, Kaolin Clays don’t tend to over dry most skin types. They come in a lovely variety of colors, which can add beauty to your Milk Bath as well.
Coral Calcium
Our responsibly harvested Coral Calcium contains a dizzying array of nutritive minerals. Add this powder to your Milk Bath to amp up its nutritive value.
Scenting Your Milk Bath
The best way to add a scent to your Milk Bath is with the help of a carrier ingredient. Dendritic Salt and Baking Soda both work quite well. Simply mix your aromatic with a few tablespoons of either Denritic Salt or Baking Soda until it has been fully absorbed. Then, add the mixture to the rest of your Milk Bath. You can use any type of skin safe aromatic you like in your Milk Bath, but be sure to go easy on the dosage when it comes to Essential Oils. The user will be soaking in a hot tub, both inhaling the fumes, and coming into contact with the Oils topically. A little will go a long, long way. For this purpose, we recommend adding no more than 2% Fragrance or Essential Oil to a Milk Bath’s total weight or volume.
Base Recipe
Use this simple base formula to create your own amazing Milk Bath recipes from scratch!
- 2 cups Milk Powder
- 1 cup Oat Flour or 1/4 cup Rice Powder, Fine
- Up to 1/2 cup Honey Powder, Kaolin Clay, Salt, or Corn Starch
- Up to 2 tablespoons Aloe Vera Spray Dried Powder, Coral Calcium, or Herbs
- 1/4 cup Dendritic Salt or Baking Soda with up to 2 teaspoons Essential Oil or Fragrance Oil mixed in
This recipe should be used at a rate of 2 to 4 tablespoons per bath.
Milk Baths are Absolutely! my favorite to make. I have never heard of the Aloe powder, sounds interesting. Great post, now I have a variety of things to try out.
A milk bath recipe containing buttermilk, does it have to be refrigerated once made?
Hello Denny, while the milk bath doesn’t necessarily have to be refrigerated, it wouldn’t hurt the product to do so. More importantly, be sure to store the product in an airtight container, away from heat or moisture.
Hi Kelly Ann,
Thanks for visiting The Natural Beauty Workshop. Im glad you enjoyed this post. Have fun experimenting with these ingredients, and let us know if you come up with any fun recipes. Wed love to hear about them!
Thank you for this post. It`s very informative and I really appreciate your explanation! I`m looking forward to trying some of this out.
Hi Alia. Im so glad you enjoyed this post. Milk Baths are such fun to make, and I love using them even more. Let us know if you come up with any great recipes! Wed love to hear about your experiments.
Hi there,
Please please can you help. What do I add to the skim milk powder to stop it from going sour. The powder is placed in an airtight container and although I am careful to close it properly it still has an undertone of sour. this happens after about a month. I really hope you can help.
Hi Lillian. Thanks for visiting The Natural Beauty Workshop. Milk Powders usually do have a slightly sour note to them, especially whole milk and buttermilk powders. We don’t carry a skim milk powder, so I’m not sure where it would rate on the mild to sour range, but I would guess that having a little bit of a sour aroma is normal. However, if the aroma is changing drastically from the time you open the package, then you are right to be concerned as it could be a sign of spoilage. Unfortunately, there aren’t any ingredients you could add to the powder. Keeping it fresh has more to do with storage than anything else. It is very important to keep the powder safe from air, humidity, and excessive heat. It sounds like you’ve been careful to close the package properly, but perhaps the package itself is faulty. Rather than keeping it in its original package, maybe try transferring it to an airtight tupperware container or glass jar. You could also include a packet of silica gel or a sachet of dried rice in the package to help keep the contents of the package from soaking in humidity from the air.
A last resort would be to keep the air tight container in the fridge.
Thanks for sharing. I use a lot of the ingredients that you mentioned and I actually use the dried aloe vera in a face cream but never thought of using it in a milk bath. I am going to make a recipe using it to see if I notice a difference.
Yolanda
Great, Yolanda! I hope it turns out well. Let us know how it goes.
Hello, what is the shelf life of a powedered milk bath?
Hi Alena. Milk Baths tend to last about as long as the most fragile ingredient included in the recipe. For example, if the buttermilk powder in your recipe has a one year shelf life, you cant expect the finished recipe to last longer than that. Its important to store the milk bath in an airtight container, away from heat or moisture.
I am so glad I found your post as I want to make some using coconut milk. do these milk baths hold up well if sealed in the tea bags that are used for herbs or herbs and salt soaks? thank you
Hi Kathy. I’m glad that you found us too! You can certainly pack up milk baths in tea bags, but you’ll need to very careful not to let any moisture in to the packaging. Milk Powders will harden or sometimes even go rancid if they get humid at all. If you pack them in tea bags, just make sure to pack the tea bags in air tight packaging.
Very interesting and informative! I love this. Do you have a milk bath smoothie recipe that you would recommend? When I try to Google a recipe, I keep getting mostly drinkable fruit smoothie recipes, LOL!
A bath tub smoothie sounds like a great idea. I would start off with Yogurt Powder and Honey Powder. You could also add a little Dendritic or Epsom Salt scented with a fruit Fragrance or Essential Oil. You could even incorporate fruit by including a little Raspberry Fruit Seed Powder. Just keep in mind that the Fruit Seed Powder won’t dissolve in water, and will probably leave a little bit of mess in the tub.
I thank God I found this page! Thanks so much, really informative. You answered questions I didn’t even know I had, lol. May God bless you!
Hi Ms E,
Thanks for visiting The Natural Beauty Workshop. I’m so glad to hear that you are enjoying our blog. We’re glad to be of help. Thanks again for your comment. I hope we’ll hear from you again soon.
Brilliant post! Highly informative and wonderful that you respond to everyone individually. Sign of a good blogger!! I’m off to the bath now to experiment! 😉 Becky (Hutwoods Candles)
Have fun experimenting, Becky. Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you for the info !
Maybe it’s a stupid question, but does putting oil in a powdered milk shorten its shelf life ? For example, when putting essential oils in it, or even if I was to put a carrier oil in it, does it… “reconstitute” the milk and then requires it to be put in the refrigerator ?
Or could I, for example, add powdered milk to a body butter made of only oils and butter, without any problem ?
Hi Viem. Usually when I add Essential Oils to a Milk Bath, I mix them in with something really absorbent, like Baking Soda or Dendritic Salt, than add that scented powder to the Milk Powder. This helps keep the Milk Powder from getting moistened by the oils. When incorporated in this way, the shelf life of the Milk Bath shouldn’t be affected very much by the inclusion of Essential Oil. When adding Milk Powder to a balm formula (oil and wax) it can shorten the shelf life. Since oil and milk don’t mix terribly well, I wouldn’t recommend adding Milk Powder to balms in general.
I am wondering if you have heard of Japanese Mud bath Salts? I have found them online at Amazon after I read an article on Pinterest that mentioned them. I am wanting to know how to make them or even what they are?
I’m afraid I don’t have much information to offer you regarding Japanese Mud Bath Salts. From what I could find the mud used comes from a hot spring in Japan that is believed to have beneficial properties. I have not used these myself, but it sounds like the products being sold as Japanese Mud Bath Salts may be a mixture of dried mud and salt, or dried mud that already contains salt. You could probably create something similar using Dead Sea Salt and Sea Clay.
I purchase goat milk however after I opended it I realized it said to use within 8 weeks, so that means I needs to be used up before than? Is there something else that would last longer?? Thanks
One of the comments was regarding a bath smoothie? You suggested she might use Yogurt Powder and Honey Powder and add some Raspberry powder to the mix, but that the Raspberry Powder might leave a mess and wouldn’t dissolve in the water. Would placing these ingredients in a Bath Tea Bag help with that mess and if the the Raspberry won’t dissolve in the water, does it really contribute any actual benefits to the bath water? Would this same be said of all fruit powders?
Hi Traci. All of our Fruit Powders and Fruit Seed Powders are made from whole seeds and fruits. This means that they won’t be soluble in water. Placing them in a Tea Bag is a great way to help keep them from getting too messy in the tub. In our experience, a little bit of insoluble fiber in a bath product doesn’t create a major issue, but it can certainly become a problem if the Fruit Powder takes up a large portion of the recipe. I’d recommend experimenting with it a little to get a feel for the ratios that do and do not work well.
Hi, Thanks for the very informative article! I was just wondering if it would work to use infant formula as a substitute for the milk powder as I have some extra formula on hand? Thanks a lot!
Hi Alicia. I don’t think using infant formula would be harmful in any way since it is edible, but in my experience it has a rather strong odor due to the iron supplement that is often added to it. For that reason I don’t think it would be a great choice. It may also give the bath a different texture than expected since formula isn’t usually made of pure milk – but contains additional ingredients.
Hi,
My daughter is 9 months old. Her face looks bright but her rest of c the parts of her body is dark.
Is there any tip/ ideas to increase the babys complexion?
Being a mother I want to give a best of everything,thats y raising this question.
Thanks in advance!
Love your posts..thanks so much for all the beautiful info!
I’m wondering if coconut milk powder in a sugar scrub would go rancid? It smells perfectly like
Coconut when mixed with virgin coconut oil and I love the feel of it….but wondering if it would change the shelf life?
Thanks for your reply!
Hi Vidhya. There aren’t any recipes that I know of that focus on brightening a child’s complexion. One thing to keep in mind is that children’s complexions can change with age so you may just want to wait and see if she grows into a more even tone. If you’re concerned that the difference in skin tone could be a medical issue I would recommend seeing a doctor to have it checked out.
Thank you, Rose. I’m so happy you are enjoying our blog! Whenever you add an ingredient like milk powder to a scrub you do run the risk of decreasing its shelf life. If you are working in small batches and using the product quickly (for personal use) than this isn’t usually a huge problem with coconut milk powder. However, if you are formulating products for sale and need long-term stability for shelf life you may need to add a preservative. We have some great reading on using preservatives at the following link: https://naturalbeautyworkshop.com/my_weblog/preservatives.html
Someone gave me bath teas that she made as a gift. I just got them but I noticed that after a couple of weeks one is hardened and the other is leaving an oily residue in the container. The last one seems fine, but has a sort of pungent “odor” I usually find even in fresh goats milk cheese. Should I let the friend know that made them? is there something wrong?
I am so happy to have found this site, can’t wait to experiment with some milk baths. Can I use an infused herbal oil as an essential oil substitute? Also I am new to this so how would i preserve the powdered milk if I mix in an oil with it?
Hi
Love your site! I had made a milk bath but after a couple of months, though kept in an air tight jar, it stopped dissolving in water and got dispersed in it instead. What could be the reason for that? I had mixed the fragrance directly in the powders and not in the baking soda as mentioned by you. Really need your help to fix this issue
Regards
It sounds like moisture could be getting into the mixture and spoiling the milk powder. Milk Powders can go rancid if they aren’t kept completely dry which may change the way that they behave in the tub. I would take a close look at your process and packaging to see if you can reduce moisture in any way. If not, you may just have to keep a very small stock with a short expiration date.
Using an infused oil might be tough as it won’t blend into the baking soda, salt, or milk powder as easily as essential oil would. I would either leave the milk bath unscented or use an essential oil instead.
Hi Karen. It sounds like moisture or heat may have spoiled the milk powder. Milk powders are rather delicate and can go rancid easily if they aren’t packaged in airtight containers or if too much oil or water got into the recipe while it was being made. Sometimes moisture can hide out in salt or other additives. Whether or not to tell your friend is a bit of moral dilemma. I suppose it depends on how sensitive they are! If it were me, I would want to know so I could solve the mystery – but that’s just me!
After making would it help to place in a low temp oven to dry and residual moisture (think dehydrating herbs) before packaging or would this reduce the effect of the EO?
There is a chance this could work but my concern would be over-heating the milk and spoiling it. Milk contains quite a bit of natural sugar which could easily be affected by heat. The best thing to do to tackle moisture, in my opinion, would be to make sure that all of the other ingredients in the formula are 100% dry (salts, for example) and that the product is packaged in an airtight container. And yes, the heating could also affect the EO. Essential Oils are volatile meaning they can morph and evaporate when exposed to air and heat.
Hello! Can any milk be use in a hair cream or mask? I do have kinky hair. Thanks again 🙂
Hey I made a bunch of milk baths a few months ago for a hair show, I thought they would be fine as long as they were sealed up. How do you know if the milk bath has gone bad?
Hi Hind! You could definitely add fresh dairy to hair masks or anything that is meant to be used up right away and rinsed out immediately after use. I would be more cautious with any kind of leave-in product since dairy doesn’t smell great after it dries or spoils!
The first thing to consider is the age and delicacy of the ingredient. In the very best conditions, with zero exposure to air or moisture and brand new milk powder the ingredient potentially has up tp one year before going sour. Every time the ingredient is exposed to air it is also exposed to moisture and potentially to bacteria, so just by making and packaging your milk bath you’ve likely reduced that shelf life quite a bit. The two biggest signs of the milk going bad is texture and scent. I’d recommend opening one of your packages and inspecting it to see how it’s doing. If the powder has hardened, changed in color, or changed in aroma, it may be spoiled.
Thank you very much for the informative blog. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Is there a way to incorporate coconut milk powder, powdered colloidal oatmeal, and powdered honey in a bath bomb to get the same effect as a milk bath?
Hello Crystal, Yes, all three powders you mentioned are recommended for and often used in bath bombs. Also, the coconut milk powder will provide the same foaming effect you would get from other types of milk powders.
Great blog! Enjoyed reading through all the comments. I have put together a blend for a powdered bath milk soak and have been trialing a number of variations and cant seem to keep the formula from spoiling, wihtin hours of adding essential oils the aroma starts to turn sour. I finally elimated coconut milk powder and it still smells off. I started with dead sea salt, espom salt, colloidal oat powder, coconut milk powder, baking soda, rhassoul clay with an essential oil blend (approx. 5ml total) of jojoba sandalwood, bergamot and patchouli. I started by elimiating the salts thinking it might be speeding up the oxidation of the milk because it was turning sour without the addtion of essential oils. Without the salt and essential oil it seemed to be doing well but when I added the essential/carrier oil blend it would turn again. So I eliminated the milk which dramatically impacts the skin softening/hydrating properties of the formula. The outcome was a bit more subtle but still seems to have turned with a very simple blend of collidal oat, baking soda, rhassoul clay and the essential oils…Im completly perplexed. I require a shelf life with this blend. Any advise at all on an altenative to milk to achieve a skin softening effect? Any thoughts in your experience on why the addtion of this particluar EO blend might be having an impact on these ingredient combinations. I have tried other versions of blends in the past and it seem to do the same thing as well.
Love you blog, thank you!! How do you keep the powders from clumping? I’ve used coconut milk, pink French clay and oat powder. All well sifted before adding together. Haven’t added anything else to it yet. Will adding cornstarch help? Or baking powder?
Hello Shannon, Thank you for your kind words! We thrilled you are enjoying our content. This clumping is due to some powders being hydroscopic and attracting moisture, which causes the clumps. You want to be sure your powders, as well as your finished products are stored in dry, air tight containers to avoid clumps. You can also keep silica gel packs in your containers to help prevent moisture.