We have all heard at one time or another how great goat milk soap is. This statement is amazingly true when produced to high standards.
Each soap maker’s recipe is a bit different from one another, therefore there are some major differences in quality. Not all goat milk soap is created equal! The number one ingredient that differs is the goat’s milk.
Photo by Author — Handcrafted Soap
The differences in goat’s milk:
- Some use powdered milk and water.
- Others purchase pasteurized milk from the store.
- A pre-made mix called a “base” may be purchased and used.
- Some even buy someone else’s goat’s milk soap, shred it, melt it, add a scent, and then call it their own.
- Then there is my personal choice. Those who raise their own goats, love them, care for them, and feed them only the best feeds.
- Last but not least, those who purchase milk from a farmer and hope that the goats have been fed correctly.
The quality of the milk determines a large portion of how amazing the soap is going to be. When possible, Raw Goat’s Milk should be used for the best quality. The feed the goats ingest also plays into the quality of the milk. If you want the best, an alfalfa-timothy mixed hay and a quality grain should be fed. Us personally, we drive over an hour away to acquire a soy free goat feed from a small family run feed mill. Why? According to www.breastcancer.org, there is evidence that supports that soy products may turn on cancer causing receptors. This leads us right into the next ingredients that determine quality.
Photo by Author — Happy, healthy goats (J.J and Zoey)
Oils
Each oil chosen should be carefully hand selected to add quality properties to the soap. Cheap filler oils are just that. If you read the ingredients and spot soybean oil, vegetable oil, corn oil, rapeseed oil, or lard the soap is being produced with substandard oils. Trying to stay GMO free? Well, then you really want to avoid the above-named oils, they are often filled with GMOs. Instead look for olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, sweet almond oil, avocado oil, palm oil, shea butter, or coco butter. There are so many great oils why choose anything else?
Does the soap contain water? There is no need for water in goat’s milk soap. Why not add more milk? Price is often the sole reason. Try to purchase soap for a goat farmer, it usually insures you that there is no water. They typically have enough supply that it does not need to be watered down.
What Should you expect?
A quality product should leave your skin feeling soft and smooth not dry. It should not burn your eyes when you wash your face. The scent should be subtle for most of the fragrance choices. It should be gentle on the skin yet have the ability to wash off even makeup. The soap in its rawest form should range in color from beige to chocolate brown. Other colors simply mean dyes have been added. The true color is determined by the chemical reaction between the oils, milk, and the essential/fragrance oils used.
Photo by Author — Top quality soap is what you want.
Learn to read the labels. The ingredients with the largest weight are listed first, and then they go in descending order. Raw goat’s milk should be #1 in a quality soap. With all this being said most producers try to market a good product. Yet, some succeed better than others do. More than anything do not pay top dollar for a low quality product. Goat’s milk soap seems to range $4.50-$8.00 a bar. Get your moneys worth.
For more information on the link between soy products and cancer receptors go to www.breastcancer.com
Carrie Miller grew up in a small rural town in Northwest Pennsylvania, married her high school sweetheart and had two amazing children. She spends her time raising chickens, pigs, beef cows, and Oberhasli dairy goats at Miller Microfarm. She raises vegetable gardens, fruits, and berry patches while never using herbicides, pesticides, or chemicals of any kind. She spends a lot of time preserving the bounties through canning and freezing methods. She recently added bees to the farm in hopes of producing fresh honey and beeswax products.
