GOATS MILK SOAP ????

[jasues]

I am looking for some honest feedback on goats milk soap. I havent seen much mentioned about it on this forum It claims to be soft and highlights the vitamins, the PH, great for your skin. Nothing can compare to it Is it great marketing? A trend. This may sound forward but hoping for some trueful direct opinions and feedback

 

[Mellifera]

Hi,
I started soaping pretty much in order to make it (and make a milk & honey soap--I'm a beekeeper). I have dry skin, especially in winter. In winter, I itch coming out of the shower. I feel like my skin will crack as I towel off. I stopped showering daily because I couldn't stand it. I took baths with oil in them. I have no eczema or anything, just very dry skin.

And I have to say that the soap lives up to its hype. In fact, any soap I make, with or without goat's milk, is better than any commercial soap I've used, but the goat's milk really does feel great. I have much less need for moisturizing out of the shower now, and can even skip it without fear of itching all day. I superfat at around 7%, and put about an ounce of honey per 3 lbs of oils in every batch. I do a standard olive/palm/coconut/castor recipe and have tried a few others.

 

[jasues]

Hi,
I started soaping pretty much in order to make it (and make a milk & honey soap--I'm a beekeeper). I have dry skin, especially in winter. In winter, I itch coming out of the shower. I feel like my skin will crack as I towel off. I stopped showering daily because I couldn't stand it. I took baths with oil in them. I have no eczema or anything, just very dry skin.

And I have to say that the soap lives up to its hype. In fact, any soap I make, with or without goat's milk, is better than any commercial soap I've used, but the goat's milk really does feel great. I have much less need for moisturizing out of the shower now, and can even skip it without fear of itching all day. I superfat at around 7%, and put about an ounce of honey per 3 lbs of oils in every batch. I do a standard olive/palm/coconut/castor recipe and have tried a few others.

I am sure my wife knows but a 7% superfat would be castor oil at 7% Is that correct???
I only have acess to evaporated goats milk and in a 2 lbs batch I am using 6 oz concentrated goats mjlk and 6 oz's water with the same oils you mentioned above How much goats milk do you use and what type

 

[MeadowHillFarmCT]

I use 36% goat milk in every batch. I am lucky to have my own goats and freeze all my extra milk for when my girls dry up.

 

[judymoody]

Do a search for goat's milk - there are many posts about this topic. And there are many different methods for incorporation, % used, kind of milk (powdered, fresh, etc.), how to minimize overheating, etc.

To the best of my knowledge, goat's milk does not significantly affect the pH of your finished soap.

 

[Mellifera]

I am sure my wife knows but a 7% superfat would be castor oil at 7% Is that correct???
I only have acess to evaporated goats milk and in a 2 lbs batch I am using 6 oz concentrated goats mjlk and 6 oz's water with the same oils you mentioned above How much goats milk do you use and what type

I mix all my oils together, and calculate a 7% superfat (or lye discount) using soapcalc.net.

I freeze whole goat's milk (Myenberg) and use it for anywhere from 50-100% of my liquid. Freezing it keeps it from burning with the lye. I have also added goat's milk powder (1 ounce to a 4 lb batch) to the oils before adding lye, stick blend really well. The powder method is "safer" since there's less/no chance of the sugars burning.

 

[IrishLass]

I am looking for some honest feedback on goats milk soap. I havent seen much mentioned about it on this forum

Like judymoody said, there are many posts about this topic. Here are just a few that I found for starters:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... light=goat
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... light=goat
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... light=goat
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... light=goat

For me personally, goat milk soap is very nice, but I draw the line at making any health claims about it (or any other additive used in soap). The intense chemical reactions that go on during saponification cause me to doubt very much whether any of the 'goodies' or pH sensitive components can survive the process or the high pH environment of soap intact. I know that lots of people make marketing claims about it, but to me they are just that- marketing claims. If you ask me, the one obvious or noticeably measurable thing that goat milk in soap has going for it is the 'feel factor'. It lends a really nice creamy feel to the lather (not to mention nice label appeal, too :wink: ).

As for pH- I agree with judymoody. True soap (the kind that we make with lye) is naturally alkaline. If it wasn't, it would cease to be be soap and would be rendered completely impotent in the cleansing department. Quite literally, it would break down and you would be left with a quivering mass of goo. No matter what anybody says, the addition of goat milk will not make for a pH neutral soap. People who say such things are just trying to sell you something. To avoid the hucksters and myths, it would help tremendously to bone up on the chemistry behind true soap. Not to sound like an advertisement or anything (since I do tend to mention his book quite often), but the best place to start is Dr. Kevin Dunn's book, Scientific Soapmaking.

[I am sure my wife knows but a 7% superfat would be castor oil at 7% Is that correct???

Only if you are using 100% castor oil in your batch. It's a soaping myth (a well entrenched one, but a myth nevertheless) that one can add a specific oil at trace and have it remain intact or unsaponified in the finished soap. Dr. Kevin Dunn was able to put that claim to the test in his lab and then lay it to rest (or bust the myth, so to speak) through his experiments laid out in his book that I mentione above, but the myth still persists in cyberspace and in some soaping books. To do a 7% superfat, all you need to do is what Mellifera mentioned in her post, which is to enter your recipe into an online lye calculator such as SoapCalc, type 7% in the superfat box and then mix all your oils together up front. Don't add any at trace- it's a waste of time and futile.

IrishLass

 

[Mellifera]

For me personally, goat milk soap is very nice, but I draw the line at making any health claims about it (or any other additive used in soap).

Right. Just to be clear: I have no idea whether the vitamins and minerals in goat's milk do anything, or even have a chance to do anything in soap.

I do think that real soap, properly made, and with a decent superfat, with or without goat's milk or any other additive, is easier on (especially dry) skin. I think it doesn't strip every last bit of oil off, like the commercial cleansers. That just plain FEELS nicer.

 

[IrishLass]

Right. Just to be clear: I have no idea whether the vitamins and minerals in goat's milk do anything, or even have a chance to do anything in soap.

I do think that real soap, properly made, and with a decent superfat, with or without goat's milk or any other additive, is easier on (especially dry) skin. I think it doesn't strip every last bit of oil off, like the commercial cleansers. That just plain FEELS nicer.

+1.


IrishLass

 

[Half Caper Farm]

Like MeadowHillFarmCT, I make goat's milk soap because I have my own goats. There's about 60+ litres in my freezer right now . . . :shock: I did just pull out a bar of the very first soap I ever made (without goat's milk), about two-three years ago now? and it's pretty nice!

I have found that I don't really need hand lotion in the winter now, using the goat's milk soap, and I'm pretty rough on my hands, being a farmer and all. I don't itch after a shower and my face isn't dry. Can't imagine ever going back to commercial bars!

 

[jasues]

Thank you for your time And the clearification I will get

I am looking for some honest feedback on goats milk soap. I havent seen much mentioned about it on this forum

Like judymoody said, there are many posts about this topic. Here are just a few that I found for starters:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... light=goat
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... light=goat
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... light=goat
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... light=goat

For me personally, goat milk soap is very nice, but I draw the line at making any health claims about it (or any other additive used in soap). The intense chemical reactions that go on during saponification cause me to doubt very much whether any of the 'goodies' or pH sensitive components can survive the process or the high pH environment of soap intact. I know that lots of people make marketing claims about it, but to me they are just that- marketing claims. If you ask me, the one obvious or noticeably measurable thing that goat milk in soap has going for it is the 'feel factor'. It lends a really nice creamy feel to the lather (not to mention nice label appeal, too :wink: ).

As for pH- I agree with judymoody. True soap (the kind that we make with lye) is naturally alkaline. If it wasn't, it would cease to be be soap and would be rendered completely impotent in the cleansing department. Quite literally, it would break down and you would be left with a quivering mass of goo. No matter what anybody says, the addition of goat milk will not make for a pH neutral soap. People who say such things are just trying to sell you something. To avoid the hucksters and myths, it would help tremendously to bone up on the chemistry behind true soap. Not to sound like an advertisement or anything (since I do tend to mention his book quite often), but the best place to start is Dr. Kevin Dunn's book, Scientific Soapmaking.

[I am sure my wife knows but a 7% superfat would be castor oil at 7% Is that correct???

Only if you are using 100% castor oil in your batch. It's a soaping myth (a well entrenched one, but a myth nevertheless) that one can add a specific oil at trace and have it remain intact or unsaponified in the finished soap. Dr. Kevin Dunn was able to put that claim to the test in his lab and then lay it to rest (or bust the myth, so to speak) through his experiments laid out in his book that I mentione above, but the myth still persists in cyberspace and in some soaping books. To do a 7% superfat, all you need to do is what Mellifera mentioned in her post, which is to enter your recipe into an online lye calculator such as SoapCalc, type 7% in the superfat box and then mix all your oils together up front. Don't add any at trace- it's a waste of time and futile.

IrishLass

 

[jasues]

I am looking for some honest feedback on goats milk soap. I havent seen much mentioned about it on this forum

Like judymoody said, there are many posts about this topic. Here are just a few that I found for starters:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... light=goat
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... light=goat
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... light=goat
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... light=goat

For me personally, goat milk soap is very nice, but I draw the line at making any health claims about it (or any other additive used in soap). The intense chemical reactions that go on during saponification cause me to doubt very much whether any of the 'goodies' or pH sensitive components can survive the process or the high pH environment of soap intact. I know that lots of people make marketing claims about it, but to me they are just that- marketing claims. If you ask me, the one obvious or noticeably measurable thing that goat milk in soap has going for it is the 'feel factor'. It lends a really nice creamy feel to the lather (not to mention nice label appeal, too :wink: ).

As for pH- I agree with judymoody. True soap (the kind that we make with lye) is naturally alkaline. If it wasn't, it would cease to be be soap and would be rendered completely impotent in the cleansing department. Quite literally, it would break down and you would be left with a quivering mass of goo. No matter what anybody says, the addition of goat milk will not make for a pH neutral soap. People who say such things are just trying to sell you something. To avoid the hucksters and myths, it would help tremendously to bone up on the chemistry behind true soap. Not to sound like an advertisement or anything (since I do tend to mention his book quite often), but the best place to start is Dr. Kevin Dunn's book, Scientific Soapmaking.

[I am sure my wife knows but a 7% superfat would be castor oil at 7% Is that correct???

Only if you are using 100% castor oil in your batch. It's a soaping myth (a well entrenched one, but a myth nevertheless) that one can add a specific oil at trace and have it remain intact or unsaponified in the finished soap. Dr. Kevin Dunn was able to put that claim to the test in his lab and then lay it to rest (or bust the myth, so to speak) through his experiments laid out in his book that I mentione above, but the myth still persists in cyberspace and in some soaping books. To do a 7% superfat, all you need to do is what Mellifera mentioned in her post, which is to enter your recipe into an online lye calculator such as SoapCalc, type 7% in the superfat box and then mix all your oils together up front. Don't add any at trace- it's a waste of time and futile.

IrishLass

Thank you for your reply I will order the book Any other good books ccould you suggest ??????

 

[IrishLass]

Another book that has been helpful to me is The Everything Soapmaking Book by Alicia Grosso. It is a very different book than Scientific Soapmaking (which is quite technical and geard more towards the chemistry of soap). The 'Everything' book, on the other hand, is geared more towards the creativity or art of soapmaking. It has lots of recipes and creative ideas both for CP and MP soap.



IrishLass

 

[Maythorn]

What does "hightlights the vitamins" mean? Vitamins are destroyed by the lye.

I don't know that goat milk soap is better than regular soap made with plain water. I like both but it has more fat content if you want that. I think it makes a creamier softer bar, too.

 

[Soapy Gurl]

I think it is very important for the milk to come from a known, kind place. Many people are buying handmade soap because they are vegetarian, so animal welfare comes into play. I would happily buy from someone who has their own goats and takes great care of them. I think there would be a huge difference in using the fresh milk too. My friend sent me a bar of her cow milk soap and it is wonderful. The milk is from a very small dairy and the milk is not homogenized (is that correct?). She told me all about the cows and how the owner knows all their names. This is what would make me buy a milk soap. Otherwise I would have no interest.

 

[Half Caper Farm]

The milk is from a very small dairy and the milk is not homogenized (is that correct?).

Probably not pasteurized , in which case it won't be homogenized either - raw, straight from the cow.