Hey Amanda,

It depends on if you want to sell your lotion.  Goats milk soap lotion is easy peasy.  I don't sell it because natural lotion tends to have a very short shelf life, but I make it in small batches for us to use occasionally.  You can do it one of two ways - with a preservative or without.  Unlike in soap making, the end product still contains biologically active milk.  So if you don't use a preservative, keep it in your refrigerator and toss it when it starts to smell like sour milk .  That's usually at about 2 weeks.

Obviously most people opt for a preservative for any lotion that they plan to sell.  But not just any will do, because you're using milk after all.

Just like with soaping, working with milk has some unique challenges.  In lotion, it's just very chemically complex and only a few preservatives will really work to stabilize it it.  You can use beeswax for personal use, but it doesn't hold up that well and the batch will go nasty before too long.  If you really want the stuff to last a while you will need to use a commercial preservative such as Germaben II or Phenonip.

Of course, using such strong chemicals starts to negate the whole point of making your own, right?

Here's the recipe we use.  I got it off a goat forum somewhere, but can't remember which one.  This not the shelf stable type.  It's good for about 10-14 days if you keep it in the fridge.

5.25 oz Goat milk Lotion

1oz Liquid Glycerin
8oz coconut oil

.25oz olive oil
1 oz beeswax

8 3/4 oz aloe gel

Heat milk and glycerin together to a low simmer. In separate pot melt coconut oil, olive oil and wax together. Slowly add milk/glycerin to oil/wax and whisk.  Cool slightly and add aloe and whisk again.  Cool to the point that you can handle it then put in sterile bottles / jars.  Refrigerate.

It looks like crisco when you first put it on, but it soaks in after a few minutes.  A dab will do ya..

Hope that helps!  Let us know how it turns out!

I just love your goats! I am hoping to one day have a few of my own, I just love what people share here~

I hope you are having a wonderful day. Thanks for the invite!