why we love goat milk soap!
first, let me say that we love all of our soaps made on shirley road and there are skin loving benefits in each and every bar we sell, but this article is about the fan-tab-ulous wonders of goat milk, and trust me… there are more than a few!
first off, lets talk about absorption. your skin is an incredible organ (the biggest organ you have, as a matter of fact! but you didn’t come here for a science lesson…ah-hem…) our skin is built to be a barrier against all the yucky things this universe has to throw at it. in order for said yucky things to penetrate our barrier, it must first make its way past a tightly packed layer of dead cells that cover the epidermis, which is the outermost layer of your skin. these cells are the ones that aren’t quite ready to free themselves from your body yet and contain a high amount of glycolipids which is a fancy way of saying “water proofing.” these lipids, bound together by tightly packed dead, and some live, cells keep the outside water out, and the inside water in. which, gross as it may sound, it’s a very good thing for us!
fats (aka lipids) are part of the glycolipid family. like a second cousin… twice removed. anyway, the fats aren’t repelled by this layer and can penetrate into your skin. this is the main reason why all of our soaps, whether they are milk soaps or not, are super moisturizing and special for your skin. if you want to read more about why our “non-milk soaps” are every bit as good, click here. but this article is about goats milk, so let’s get back to it. goat milk is comprised of medium chain fatty acids and short protein strands, so it can navigate through that packed payer of half-dead cells pretty easily, which is important, because it means your skin will quickly absorb all of those beautiful fat-soluble vitamins a,d, e and k!
next up… exfoliation! goat milk naturally contains lactic acid, which is pretty helpful to weaken the bonds between all of those top layer dead skin cells. imagine those layers are old paint on a wall, and lactic acid is the scraper that helps them peel right off. now, before you scroll up and say, “wait… don’t i need those layers?? aren’t they my waterproofing??” the natural lactic acid found in goat milk is waaaaay gentler than a paint scraper and not strong enough to dissolve through layers of healthy, or even half-healthy skin. of the millions and millions of cells, lactic acid only removes a microscopic amount. definitely not enough to affect the water proofing, just enough to reveal radiant, more youthful looking skin!
third, hydration! this key element of skin loving moisture can be found in all of our soap, thanks to the awesomeness and natural biproduct called glycerin, but for more on that, you’ll have to read our article on why hand-crafted soap is the best. goat milk soap adds a gentleness because there are proteins (amino acids) unique to goat milk that work in conjunction with skin loving fats to penetrate deep, sealing in any tiny cracks and acting as humectants (water magnets) to keep skin hydrated and moisturized from within.
the benefits are restoration and protection. remember those fat soluble vitamins we talked about earlier? e, d, k, a? well, turns out they kind of phenomenal at promoting epidermal differentiation. what is that, you ask? well, let me tell you! basically, it’s the process of skin renewal. these vitamins all contribute to the process of creating new cells to replace damaged or dead ones. plus, their high anti-oxidant levels help protect and keep cells looking fresh longer.
final thoughts? ummmm.. how about goat milk soap is absolutely awesome!?! its benefits are numerous and we are happy to bring you a variety of goat milk soaps so you can live and lather!!