Benefits of goat milk in soap

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The question was raised in another thread that was terribly long so here is a short one to address it. Goat's milk has a pH level that is closer to our own skin's pH. It is also naturally hemoginized, therefore, giving the total moisturizing effect to soap.

-- Bird Legs (janado@msn.com), February 01, 2002

Answers

Is there a difference between using cow's milk and using goat's milk in soap? Why?

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), February 01, 2002.

Daffodyllady,

Maybe the info. on this link will help answer your question, Goat Milk Analysis, http://www.ontariogoatmilk.org/analysis.htm, It has a comparison between cow and goat milk. According to this article the lipid (fat) profiles are close, except for the cholesterol content. I’m not sure how cholesterol is transformed, or if it is, during the making of lye soap or if this makes a difference. Seems that it would make a difference, but don’t know how much.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), February 01, 2002.


The biggest difference I can see between the two in that chart is that cow's milk has 5 times the Folic Acid that goat's milk has. (Goat's milk looks downright deficient in this nutrient!) Otherwise, the profiles are just about alike.

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), February 01, 2002.

Goats milk can be very much better to drink but for soap making goat and cow milk is pretty much equal. Sheeps milk is richer in almost every respect including folic acid though I have to wonder how much survives being exposed to Lye (an alkaie) What good milk soap does would in large part depend on how much milk is present. Our soap uses 55% sheep's milk which would be very hard to duplicate with any other milk, mostly due to sheep milk's fat content. Goats milk might be naturally homoginized but I know it won't freeze as well as sheep's milk. Frozen sheep's milk seperates as much as any other, but it is the only milk to snap back together and is suitable for cheese making after being frozen, without loss of yeild. To be called a "milk soap" shouldn't the primary ingrediant be milk?

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), February 01, 2002.

Anything put in with lye has to fight for its life to stay anywhere close to its original composition, so I imagine the whole goat vs. cow milk boils down to (forgive the pun) cultural tastes.

-- Connie L (MykellSilver@aol.com), February 07, 2002.


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