Admittedly, the phrase “goat milk soap” doesn’t quite stir up the image of a glamorous spa treatment…
…But goat milk, unlike it’s dairy cow counterpart, may do a whole lot for your skin—from anti-aging to banishing blemishes and even soothing painful skin conditions—all of that potential locked into a little bar of goat milk soap….
And significantly more affordable than a trip to your local Sephora.
I’m a huge fan of goats milk soap!
So much so, I can blab for days about its many benefits and awesome recipes… so if you’d like to skip to a specific part, use the table of contents below:
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Goat Milk Soap Benefits
I love using goat milk soap and will tell you all about it below, but here’s the deal…
Not many studies have been conducted on goat milk soap benefits for your skin when applied topically, rather the benefits your body receives by drinking goat milk.
That said, here’s a quick rundown on some of the potential benefits you’ll get when you make the switch from conventional to goat milk soap:
1. Exfoliates Like a Dream
If you haven’t yet heard, goat’s milk is filled to the brim with vitamins, minerals and alpha-hydroxy acid.
Alpha-hydroxy-acids (AHA) are a group of natural acids found in foods – the specific AHA goats milk soap contains is lactic acid, which is found in sour milk (hey, it’s milk after all).
AHA works to shed dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. (source)
This is why products containing AHA are known for their exfoliating powers and boast benefits such as minimizing fine lines/wrinkles, brighting up your complexion and hydrating dry skin.
However, in order to achieve the natural nourishing capabilities of goats milk soap, most commercial soaps use harsh additives and questionable chemicals.
Which is why goats milk soap is the best…
By using it you’ll basically get a full body exfoliation by simply sudsing up in the shower.
2. Chock Full of Nutrients
Like the inside of your body, your skin needs vitamins and minerals to thrive.
Luckily, goat’s milk soap features some top notch nutrients. First of all, it’s rich in multivitamin staples like A, B, C and E—which are absorbed into your skin with every wash.
Second, goat milk has a healthy dose of selenium (source) – a mineral found in many foods that’s most notably recognized for its antioxidant (source) and anti-inflammatory properties (source).
When applied topically, this article by Oregon State University claims selenium can protect the skin from UV radiation.
3. A Natural Acne Treatment
Understandably, the idea of putting milk on acne-prone skin sounds a bit like throwing more fire on the flame so to speak, as dairy is well-known to be a trigger for those who struggle with acne.
Yet, goat milk may actually work wonders in clearing skin due to both its ability to exfoliate, as well as its anti-bacterial properties.
Most goat milk soap makers claim their products are dermatologist recommended due to their ability to smooth the skin and kill acne-causing germs – and many users say they saw a positive change after they switched to goat milk soap.
I wasn’t able to find any definitive research either way, if it works for you let us know!
From personal experience, I’ve found that anything you lather on your skin has got to be more beneficial than those face-drying acne treatments, right?!
4. It’s Super Gentle
Goat’s milk soap has long been used as a soothing skin moisturizer because of its ability to exfoliate, cleanse and nourish, at the same time.
Many conventional soaps are water-based and are harsh on the skin—they contain alcohol or chemicals in order to boost the cleansing power or amplify the fragrance…
Where as goat’s milk soap contains natural emollients and triglycerides—fats, that help keep things smooth, soothed and super hydrated.
5. Goat Milk Soap Eczema, Psoriasis, or Just Plain Dry Skin
As mentioned above, goat milk soap provides a number of nutrients for your skin…
From getting rid of dead skin cells, to helping hydrate the skin with its built-in moisturizing properties.
In fact, the goat milk producers over at Bend Soap Company started producing goat milk soap as a means to mitigate their son’s eczema!
For users suffering from eczema, the combination of vitamins and the high fat content, along with the absence of harsh dyes, fragrances and chemicals may help soothe and repair cracked, dry, irritated skin.
Plus, all the recipes below use natural dyes, made from dried herbs and fruit; while fragrance is added by a few drops of essential oils… as natural as you can get!
A Personal Note About Using Goat Milk Soap…
My skin in its natural state is INCREDIBLY dry.
I’m constantly lathering up with lotions and creams to prevent an eczema outbreak or chalky looking skin…
…and as horrible as this may sound, the more often I shower, the worse my skin gets. Unfortunately, with my active lifestyle, skipping showers is not a choice.
Enter goat milk soap.
Not saying everyone will reap the same benefits, but I noticed a BIG difference in my skin. It went from itchy, chalky and dry to just, well, normal.
No, the state of my skin hasn’t gone from dry to oily. No, it doesn’t shimmer in the sun. BUT it feels more moisturized and nourished than before.
What more could a girl ask for?
Why Make Your Own Soap
As a dry skin girl who worries about smothering her skin in chemicals, I got to researching.
What’s actually in most store bought soaps? And what effects do these products have when lathered into our skin?
According to the FDA…
“Today there are very few true soaps on the market. Most body cleansers, both liquid and solid, are actually synthetic detergent products. Detergent cleansers are popular because they make suds easily in water and don’t form gummy deposits. Some of these detergent products are actually marketed as “soap” but are not true soap according to the regulatory definition of the word.”
Ok. Sounds worrisome, yet upon further investigation you’ll find it’s merely a technicality for alarmists to get hung up on.
Soap vs. detergent is classified by the origin of the cleansing agent of the product – soaps use only “alkali salts of fatty acids” where as detergents use synthetic agents.
Other concerns people have about store bought soap products stem from the color additives and fragrances used.
According to the FDA, an allergic reaction to color additives and fragrances are rare, yet they have been seen before (read more about color additives + read more about fragrances).
All that said, here’s my take.
Per usual, in the wellness world, many claims have been made that using store bought soap is “bad” for you, and goats milk is a “cure all” for every skin ailment under the sun.
And as much as I wish I could tell you that’s true, I’ll make the same statement I make about all my homemade beauty recipes…
If you and your skin feels better when using these products, then go for it! Personally, my skin feels better, and I sleep more sound at night knowing the ingredients of each product I apply.
Hopefully, studies will prove why someday.
Tips for Making Goat Milk Soap
Making your own goat milk soap is easy as pie!
Some of you may be interested in making soap completely from scratch… using lye, measuring and getting the correct ratio, balances and temperatures… yudda yudda.
If that’s you, then these recipes aren’t what you’re looking for…
Although the following recipes show you how to make soap, they utilize a melt and pour soap base (more on this below).
The reason I don’t make soap completely from scratch has nothing to do with the hazards of using lye…
A Note About Lye (aka Sodium Hydroxide)
To make soap, the ingredients must go through a process called saponification.
A complete understanding of this process is way more than most of us care to know about, so I’ll make it short and give you the Dictionary.com definition: saponification is “to convert (a fat) into soap by treating with an alkali”.
This chemical is hazardous to work with, and requires quite a few extra steps, precautions, time and equipment.
I’m not against the use of lye. If you’re interested in making a soap from scratch and learning about the entire process, then go for it!
I, however, am pretty stoked on this way of making soap…
The goat milk soap base I use from Our Earth’s Secrets is amazing! It contains only the purest of ingredients I don’t mind rubbing into my skin:
Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Safflower Oil, Glycerine (kosher, of vegetable origin), Goat’s Milk, Purified Water, Sodium Hydroxide (saponifying agent), Sorbitol (moisturizer), Sorbitan oleate (emulsifer), Oat protein (conditioner), Titanium Dioxide (mineral whitener used in opaque soaps), Oatmeal Soap
I love this recipe, as it’s rich in oils, which yields a creamy concoction that moisturizes the skin while cleaning you off!
Making an occasional skip of the post-shower lotion sesh not as big of a deal.
In the recipes below, we’ve suggested a few essential oil/color combos. Feel free to experiment with different fragrance and colors if you’ve got a certain combo in mind – just stick to the base recipe.
Oh, and we should mention, you will need a few supplies for optimal results—a double boiler (love this cost effective version, you can also use a heat safe bowl over water) and soap molds (check out our suggestions below for free soap molds).
5 Goat Milk Soap Recipes
I used the same base recipe and instructions for all the soaps. Refer to the specific scent/color combos below to see add ins.
Enjoy! Happy soap making!
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Goat Milk Soap Base
- 1/2 Cup Carrier Oil (I used Almond Oil, Olive Oil is a great option)
- 20 Drops Essential Oil
- 1-2 Teaspoon Coloring Powder
Tools
- Double Boiler (or a heat safe bowl over water)
- Chopstick or a utensil to stir with
- Soap Molds (if you don’t want to purchase a mold, try using paper cups meant for hot drinks or muffin tins / cookie cutters sprayed with nonstick cooking spray!)
Instructions
1. First step is to infuse the carrier oil with color. This can be done a few ways…
a. Traditionally/time intensive, is to place ingredients in a clean jar with a lid in a windowsill, allowing it to infuse for 1-2 weeks, and shake daily.
b. Labor Intensive, is to melt the oil and the coloring powder in a double boiler on low heat for 2-3 hours. Checking/stirring throughout this time.
c. Easiest way, however it leaves “speckles” of color/powder in your soap, is to simply add the coloring powder to the ingredients below and stir until combined.
2. Whichever way you choose to make the infused oil, set it aside. I add this infusion at the end so I can control the exact color I’d like to achieve, (which is how I was able to create the ombre).
3. Cut the goat milk soap base into small chunks (so it melts quickly) and melt using a double boiler.
4. Once melted add the infused oil. Add slowly, depending on how much color you’d like to have in your soap. Stir to combine. Remove from heat.
5. Add essential oil and give the soap one last stir.
6. Pour into your molds.
7. Let the soaps cool/harden completely before you remove from the molds (speed up the process by putting in the the fridge!)
Enjoy!
Lavender + Lemon Goats Milk Soap
- 10 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
- 10 Drops Lemon Essential Oil
- Alkanet Root Powder (purple color)
Lemongrass Goats Milk Soap
- 20 Drops Lemongrass Essential Oil
- Spirulina Powder (green color)
Eucalyptus + Charcoal Goats Milk Soap
- 20 Drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil
- Activated Charcoal (black/grey color)
Geranium Goats Milk Soap
- 20 Drops Geranium Essential Oil
- Beet Powder (Red/pink color)
Sweet Orange + Rosemary Goats Milk Soap
- 10 Drops Orange Essential Oil
- 10 Drops Rosemary Essential Oil
- Ground Turmeric (Orange/yellow color)
Where to Buy Goat Milk Soap
If you’re not a big crafter, or you’re just anxious to get scrubbing, goat milk soap is relatively affordable and easy to find.
Here are, in our opinion, the best goat milk soap options for top of the line, natural soaps—scented, or not.
Goat Milk Soap Beekman
Free from chemicals, Beekman soap is really the cream of the goat’s milk crop when it comes to soaps that both provide quality skin benefits and come dressed in elegant paper wrappings.
While not exactly the cheapest bar soap options out there, with Beekman soaps you’ll get high-quality ingredients, a variety of sweet scents and the perfect presentation for any gift basket.
Goat Milk Soap Amazon
You can always buy goat milk soap on Amazon next time you decide to take advantage of your best friend’s Prime password.
Here’s a couple goat milk soap reviews for products that are relatively affordable:
Bend Soap Company – Made from fresh goat milk from the Johnson family farm in Bend, OR, the Bend Soap Company is the epitome of natural, handmade soap. Perfect for those with eczema or other skin conditions, these goat milk soaps come in a variety of scents and offer junk-free nourishment from head to toe.
Janice’s Goat’s Milk Soap – Offers a light lavender scent and many users have happily reported they’ve had no itching or irritation with use. Gluten-free and pH balanced, users can expect a gentle, yet effective allergen-free experience.
Legend’s Creek Unscented Goat Milk Soap – A handmade option featuring a solid lineup of skin soothing ingredients like oatmeal, coconut and hemp oil, and no scents. Perfect for those with sensitive skin.
What’s your experience with goat milk soap? Is it the anti-aging miracle you were hoping for? Did it help you clear up acne or severely dry skin? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
