"Goat Milk Soap has a longstanding reputation for gentleness and suitability for sensitive skin. These qualities can be largely explained by three factors:
• a lower alkalinity
• a higher degree of superfatting, and
• type of oils used
Compared to other kinds of commercial soaps, goat milk soap exhibits a lower pH that is closer to the natural pH of human skin. This is particularly important to those with sensitive or delicate skin, including babies.
The acidity of skin is maintained by what is commonly known as the acid mantle, a very thin film on the skin's surface. The acid mantle helps keep the skin healthy and acts as a barrier to potential pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses.
"Harsh" soaps are usually alkaline (have a high pH) in nature, and strip away the acid mantle, resulting in dry, itchy skin.
If you think your soap may be causing your dry skin, you can easily test it yourself. First, purchase pH testing strips (like the ones you used in high school chemistry class). Then, take your soap, add a small amount of water to the side, and rub gently to create a small amount of lather. Press the test strip into the side, and match the resulting color to the pH scale that came with the strips.
Healthy skin maintains a pH in the range of about 4.5 to 6.0 on the pH scale, so the closer your soap is to this level, the more gentle it will be.
Because soaps are alkaline by nature of the soap making process, you won't find one that completely matches the acidity of skin; but, the closer you can match your soap to this level, the better for your skin.
A second factor in soap's gentleness is its amount of superfatting. Superfatting is the amount of "extra" oil left in soap after it reacts with lye in the chemical process of making soap.
Superfatting ensures that the "soap" molecules have enough oil to bind with without stripping away all of the skin's natural protection. Thus, a higher degree of superfatting produces a gentler soap.
A soap produced with the same recipe, but using goat milk instead of water, will have a higher percentage of superfatting because of the naturally occurring fat in the goat milk.
Finally, a soap's gentleness depends upon the type of oils or fats used in its production.
Some fats, like olive oil, avocado oil and shea butter, produce soap that has natural skin conditioning properties. Other fats, such as tallow (lard), do not produce a soap that has these properties.
Goat milk soapmakers are most often interested in producing soap that is as beneficial to the skin as possible, and so select oils that complement the properties of the goat milk.
Another factor that separates handmade soaps from commercial soaps is the glycerin content. The chemical reaction produced by combining lye with fats results in two products: soap and glycerin.
Glycerin is a humectant that attracts moisture to the skin, thus helping to keep skin moist. In commercial soapmaking, the glycerin is extracted to sell separately, leaving only the soap without the benefits of the glycerin.
Handmade soap retains all the benefits of the naturally-occurring glycerin."
http://www.everything-goat-milk.com/goat-milk-skincare.html
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