Skin Care Benefits of Goat Milk

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I know I’m biased, but I’m in love with the skin care benefits of goat milk. It makes a great skin care ingredient! Luckily, there are a lot of folks who’ll agree with me, so I don’t seem like a complete nut.

I love the stuff. I even — gasp! — drink it. (Contrary to what many dairy goat people will tell you, it doesn’t taste like cow milk, but it still tastes good.)

But some of my favorite things to do with goat milk is to use it in handcrafted skin care products. There are many incredible skin care benefits of goat milk.

Goat milk is soothing and gentle.

This means even those with sensitive or problem skin (acne, eczema, psoriasis) can use it without irritation. In fact, goat’s milk based skin care products are often much gentler than other products.

One reason is because goat milk is slightly acidic and is similar to the skin’s natural pH. This means it’s less likely to strip and dry the skin than an alkaline soap or cleanser can.

Goat milk is moisturizing.

Goat milk is incredibly high in butterfat, which may sound kinda icky to use on your skin but stay with me…

These rich fatty acids found in goat milk are very emollient. They provide a protective layer over the skin that is similar to our skin’s natural oil barrier.

The natural fats in goat milk help seal moisture into the skin without feeling heavy or greasy.

All skin types, from dry to oily, can benefit from the non-greasy moisture goat milk delivers.

Goat milk is high in skin-loving vitamins and minerals.

Face it, most commercial skin care products are filled with not-so-nice stuff (take a look at SaferCosmetics.org to see what I mean).  When goat’s milk is the base of your handmade skin care, you’re getting lots of vitamins and minerals instead of all the yucky stuff.  That’s fabulous for your skin.

Goat milk is particularly high in vitamin A, a powerhouse anti-aging ingredient.

Many conventional skin care brands utilize vitamin A derivatives retinol or retinoids in their anti-aging products. While not as potent as commercial retinoids, goat milk has been shown to have anti-aging properties and may help reduce fine lines and discolorations when used regularly.

(As an aside, for an easy-to-understand primer regarding topical retinoids check out this article I wrote for Verywell Health: The Difference Between Retinol, Retin-A, and Retinoids.)

Goat milk is also naturally high in vitamin E. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant, and protects your skin against damage from both free radicals and UV rays.

Selenium is also found in goat milk. This mineral helps promote a healthy skin barrier function. It also helps improve dry skin and, like vitamin E, is an antioxidant.

Goat milk rejuvenates your skin.

Are you loving the skin care benefits of goat milk yet? Just wait, my friend, because there’s more.

Goat’s milk contains lactic acid. Lactic acid is a big deal in the beauty industry because it’s a gentle alpha hydroxy acid used to exfoliate, soften, brighten, and smooth the skin.

Studies have shown that regular use of lactic acid can help prevent and reverse signs of aging. Yay!

Ways to add goat milk into your DIY skin care products.

While you can use fresh goat milk from the refrigerator section of your grocery store (or straight from the goat if you’re lucky enough to have one) powdered goat milk is the easiest to incorporate into your handmade skin care products.

Plus it is shelf-stable so you don’t have to worry about storing it or using preservatives in your finished products (so long as they’re left in powder form until you use them).

Some well-stocked health food stores may have powdered goat milk. You can also buy online at soap making suppliers, like From Nature with Love and Wholesale Supplies Plus, or you can get powdered goat milk on Amazon.

If you’re ready to whip up your own fabulous goat’s milk based skin care products, I’ve got some awesomely easy recipes for you.

A gentle facial cleanser: Green Tea Facial Cleansing Milk

An exfoliation treatment: DIY “Microdermabrasion” Scrub

A soothing facial mask: Oatmeal, Goat Milk and Honey Facial Mask

In the bath: Lavender and Honey Milk Bath

An easy soap: Oatmeal, Milk and Honey Soap Recipe (Without Lye)