Making soap with kefir, is just like making soap with any other type of milk or alternative liquid.

Kefir is a cultured, fermented beverage that tastes a bit like yogurt. You can buy it at the store or make it yourself. Kefir has a ton of health benefits, including probiotics to support a healthy digestive and immune system! What exactly does kefir lend to soap? Well, the probiotics aren’t going to do anything in your soap. It is mostly for label appeal, and similar to regular milk, it will add a bit of sugar to boost lather. Kefir lovers will love the idea of bathing with their favorite drink! 🙂

If you’d like more info on piping soap, be sure to check out our eCourse, Piping Perfection!

I like adding carrots for color. You can puree your own cooked carrots or you can simply use a jar of carrot baby food. Just make sure the label says carrots and water only.

carrot and kefir cold process soap with textured top

This recipe uses the Milk in Oil method of making milk soap. I go over that in detail in Goat Milk Soapmaking.

Kefir and Carrot Soap Recipe

  • Coconut Oil – 270 grams
  • Shea Butter – 180 grams
  • Olive Oil – 315 grams
  • Rice Bran Oil – 135 grams

Lye Solution

  • Sodium Hydroxide – 126 grams
  • Water – 150 grams

Colorants/Additives

  • Ground Oats – 1 teaspoon
  • Illite Pumpkin Clay – 1 teaspoon
  • Kefir – 50 grams
  • Pureed Carrots – 50 grams

Essential Oil Blend

  • Peppermint EO – 5 grams
  • Cedarwood EO – 5 grams
  • Spearmint EO – 5 grams
  • Orange EO – 15 grams

Safety: Gear up in your goggles and gloves to make soap.

If you are new to soapmaking, please download our FREE soapmaking guide!

Step 1: Create a lye solution. Weigh the water and lye into two separate containers. Slowly pour the sodium hydroxide into the water while stirring. Stir until completely dissolved and set aside to cool.

NOTE: When creating a super concentrated lye solution, you might notice a film of white floating on top. This is sodium carbonate (some soapers call it lye lint). It happens when the lye solution is exposed to air. Simply mix it up and you can still use it. It is not undissolved lye as some soapers think.

Step 2: Prepare the base oils. First, weigh any solid oils and butters into a container and melt. You can melt using the microwave or low heat on a burner. Next, weigh each liquid oil (if any) into the melted oils.

Step 3: Prepare your molds if needed. I used a 8″ Silicone Loaf mold from Wholesale Supplies Plus. I usually use a 10″ silicone loaf mold, but I wanted to pipe the soap and have it pile up above the mold height.

Step 4: Check the temperatures. You should now have a container containing liquid base oils and a container containing lye solution. Take the temperatures using an infra-red temperature gun. Be sure to stir each mixture before taking the temp. You want your temperatures to be between 80-100 degrees F.

Step 5: Weigh your essential oils into a glass or stainless steel container and add to your prepared base oils.

Step 6: Add your kefir, carrots and oatmeal to prepared oils. The kefir will bead up and stay separated. This is normal.

adding kefir and carrots to base oils

Prepare your piping bag with a 1M piping tip.

1M piping tip for piping soap

Step 7: Pour your lye solution into prepared base oils and mix until thick trace trace.

mix to thick trace

Step 8: Pour (or glop) 3/4 of your soap into your mold! You want to leave about 1/2 an inch at the top for piping.

pour soap into mold leaving some for piping

Step 9: Add orange clay to your batter and mix until thick trace. Piping is all about getting your mixture to the right consistency. You want to be able to tease your soap into a little peak and have it stay. If it slumps, your piping will slump as well.

Step 10: Once your soap has thickened (you can mix a little more and let it sit and thicken), put it into a prepared piping bag. I used a 1M cupcake piping tip.

Step 11: Pipe onto your soap in blobs going across the width! There isn’t really a wrong or right way. I did little rows of 3-4. Then I went back again and did 2 blobs on top of each row and then 1 to build it up into a peak.

I sprinkled a little ground oatmeal on top.

Step 12: Allow your soap to saponify and harden for 24 hours. Unmold and cut!

kefir and carrot cold process soap cut

Step 13: Cure for a minimum of 4-6 weeks.

For more milk soap recipes, be sure to check out Goat Milk Soapmaking!

Happy Soaping!

Amanda Aaron