The best goat milk soaps are made from fresh, not powdered, goat milk.

Let’s start with the advantages of handcrafted soap. That bar of soap from the supermarket looks so clean and pure. And yet, most big-brand soaps contain harsh chemicals that can irritate the skin, alcohol that dries the skin, and sometimes petroleum products, which is just disturbing. Handmade soap is made from natural, gentle ingredients that don’t leave the skin itchy, dry or irritated.

Handmade soap has another basic advantage: glycerin. All soap is made by combining a fat with an alkali. During the saponification process, the fat turns into soap and glycerin. In commercial soaps, the glycerin is removed by adding salt to make the soap and glycerin separate. The glycerin is then used in other, more profitable products, including cosmetics, medicine, printing inks and the production of the explosive nitroglycerin. But in handmade soap, the glycerin remains in the soap, providing deep moisturizing benefits.

So all handmade soaps have advantages over commercial soaps. But goat milk soaps offer even more. All milk contains natural emollients, vitamins and triglycerides that moisturize the skin. Goat milk specifically contains the reputed highly effective moisturizer capric-capryllic triglyceride. People who prefer goat milk soap claim that it is far less drying and harsh than ordinary soap. For those who have sensitive skin or eczema, goat milk soap is a godsend.

The best goat milk soaps are made from fresh, not powdered, goat milk.