Goat Milk Soap Skin Benefits?

[GreenEggsAndPam]

I saw some posts on using kefir in soap, but I haven't had enough extra kefir yet to try it. Not sure if I will; my dog gets anything extra we have. She LOVES it. The saponification would likely destroy anything beneficial in it, but it sure would be creamy.

Are there any GM/no GM test results in yet?

 

[Lin]

I make kefir and yogurt for my dogs, the probiotics are good for digestion too.

 

[neeners]

When I have used GM, I use raw GM and have made raw GM kefir too. I wonder if anyone has made kefir soap? It would be similar to a yogurt soap but thinner if anyone has done that. Being in WA it is legal to sell raw milk in grocery stores here (from licensed dairies that is). Perks of being a Washingtonian!

I have not made kefir soap yet, but I have made whey soap that was leftover from making cheese (raw). soap is super creamy. can't realty tell the difference between that and regular GM though (which I use raw)

 

[dougsfarm]

Many people say that using milk gives a nicer soap than using water. However, aside from speculation, I haven't seen any explanation. I sometimes wonder if it is largely due to a higher fat content in the soap. For example, suppose one has a water-based recipe with 5% super-fating, then modifies the recipe by substituting milk for water. If the water is 1/3rd of the ingredients and the milk is 3% fat, then one ends up with 6% super-fating. If the milk is 6% fat, then one has 7% super-fating. In addition, if some of the lye was used up reacting with the milk proteins, so unavailable to react with the milk, then the super-fating percentage is even higher.

I have to wonder if the different feel of milk soap is more due to higher super-fating than to anything special in the milk. For me, it would be interesting to compare 3 versions of the recipe.
- Original water based recipe.
- Modify original recipe by substituting milk for water
- Modify original recipe by reducing lye so that super-fating is higher (e.g. 7% instead of 5%) to allow for lye used up by the milk fat and protein.

 

[thinkativeone]

Any test results? I still would love to find out what the results were!

 

[Obsidian]

milk vs water test results. I was one of the testers who reported no difference between the two bars.
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=44167&highlight=goat+milk+test

 

[Bex1982]

Not sure if anyone mentioned this but if there is lactic acid left in the soap, it will benefit skin. Of course you would not be able to see immediate results.

 

[thinkativeone]

Thanks, Obsidian!

 

[neeners]

i was having a chat with a friend who's husband is an osteopath. she had used a goat milk soap, and found her skin issues had cleared up (i can't remember what it was...probably a rash or sorts....). her husband said that enzymes are still in there.

now, before everyone jumps on me with the above statement, I'm just saying what was relayed to me, and b/c i wasn't chatting with him, i couldn't ask for references (he does a lot of research). so take this with a grain of salt. i just thought it was interesting....

 

[Bex1982]

The lactic acid (enzymes, alphahydroxy) is a nice exfoliate and will help smooth and even the skin. But this is not felt or seen after one use. I would say after a week or so.

 

[navigator9]

Over my years of making soap, and experiencing improvement in my skin, I've come to believe that good, handmade soap can improve our skin, but not by "moisturizing" it, but instead by cleaning it gently, and not stripping away it's natural oils. I think this allows skin to return to it's natural, healthy state.

So do I believe that goat's milk has any benefits for skin when used in soap? I don't, but.....yes, it is good for label appeal. I also believe that there are ingredients that make people perceive soaps made with them as feeling "nicer", whatever that may mean to them. In a blind test that I did, soaps with avocado oil were the overwhelming favorite. So trial and error, with different ingredients and listening to feedback from users is really helpful in developing a good recipe.

 

[LuckyStar]

You're going to all think i'm crazy...but goat/cow milk soap tastes better .......i'm a zap test advocate XD

 

[Dorymae]

Well I'm not sure how good milk is or isn't but I can tell you that it takes 30 seconds (approx) for something you put on your skin that is able to penetrate it to actually get to your bloodstream. Your skin is not plastic and things do make it through, this is how those smoking patches work and is also the reason herbal salves work. So just because something is rinsed off does not mean you get no benefit, assuming of course that you do lather up and then rinse off and don't do the lather/rinse immediately thing. I know some people do but I like to enjoy my showers not just jump in and out.

 

[MagicalMysterySoap]

Well I'm not sure how good milk is or isn't but I can tell you that it takes 30 seconds (approx) for something you put on your skin that is able to penetrate it to actually get to your bloodstream. Your skin is not plastic and things do make it through, this is how those smoking patches work and is also the reason herbal salves work. So just because something is rinsed off does not mean you get no benefit, assuming of course that you do lather up and then rinse off and don't do the lather/rinse immediately thing. I know some people do but I like to enjoy my showers not just jump in and out.

I have to agree with you. I mean look at people who use tea tree and pine tar soap, a lot of people's skin issues improve by using those type of soaps.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Aye, so I think we are going to the depths of defining what a benefit is - from the 'use' of a soap, by which I means the lather, immediate feel and so on, it seems that blind testing shows no clear benefits of using it, not like adding sugar, for example, which increases lather.

But over a prolonged use, there might be benefits to the skin from the enzymes etc, but (so far) we have nothing conclusive on that.

 

[seven]

^^^
agree.. i think it does have some effect, but not instant. this applies not only to milk soaps. my skin was previously scary dry and cracking, and after continue use of homemade soap it got a lot better.

 

[Bex1982]

The charcoal soap I make helps with my acne and other red bumps. It's known to reduce redness so I do think it's the charcoal and not just that I'm washing my face with soap. I've also used other soap I've made and it actually made me break out. So I'm one to believe that ingredients do play a role in the results or benefits one will get from the soap.

 

[thinkativeone]

I've made charcoal soap for the same purpose and when I tested it against plain soap there was no difference for me, personally.

 

[coffeetime]

I make a charcoal and clay soap for my face and it makes a huge difference in the size of my pores and number of breakouts. And it's not the clay, as I often use clay to colour my soaps and they don't have anywhere near the same effect. It seems to be the charcoal.

 

[clhigh29]

I can't speak for the benefits of gm, but I can tell you that since I started making soap, the condition of my family's skin has greatly improved. For decades, I kept liquid antibacterial soap at my sinks. My finger nails fell into a constant state of splitting to the point that I trimmed them to the quick and couldn't wear nail polish. My husband and I both suffered from painful split finger tips in the winter, and my son would get terrible chaffing on the back of his hands. All of that has disappeared since using my soap. My nails are growing in healthy, and I can now wear nail polish again, and my husband didn't have to use the bottle of New Skin for his finger tips for the first time this year. I use basic oils and butters, and that's all I need.