What's so special about goat milk?

"So what's so special about goat milk, you crazy people?"

This is a question we get asked all the time. Ok, so no one really says the crazy people part, but we know they are thinking it! We could go on and on about goat milk and how awesome it is! There are so many benefits to it whether you are consuming it or using it on your body, so I wanted to take a little time to go over why we choose goat milk to feed our family and use in our products. 

*Note- We do not sell our milk. Due to the Commonwealth of Kentucky's statutes and regulations we do not meet the requirements of a Grade A Dairy in order to sell milk for consumption. 

Why on earth do you drink goat milk? I had it once and it tasted like a goat!

First off, handled correctly, goat milk should taste similar to the cows milk you buy from the grocery store. There are several things that factor into great tasting goat milk such as breed of goat, what they are eating, health, cleanliness, and hygiene but a huge part of it is proper handling of the milk after it leaves the goats body. Milking is the very last chore that we do. We start out by making sure that our milking equipment is clean and sanitized. Then we either pack ice packs in the cooler that our jars are sitting in or we put ice packs into the belly milker if we are using that instead of the jars. We bring the doe up onto the milk stand and hook her in and get her started eating. We then wash her teats and go ahead and do a couple of hand squirts of milk out of each teat to make sure that there is no illness present and to rid the teat of any milk that has been sitting at the base of it and has collected any dirt or bacteria. Then we hook the inflations onto the teats, allow the milker to finish until there is no longer a stream of milk coming through the tubes, remove the inflations, finish milking what the machine couldn't get by hand, and then wipe the teats off and use an anti-bacterial dairy spray on the tips of the teats. As soon as the last goat is finished I quickly unhook my tubing and come into the house where I strain the milk into a clean pitcher and place it in an ice bath inside the refrigerator. After the milk temp has dropped, I then put it in a clean jar with a lid and it is able to be enjoyed in a glass, bowl of cereal, or made into our favorite...ice cream! 

To answer why we drink it- besides the fact that it tastes great, it also has many health benefits. 

• Goat milk has smaller fat molecules. This makes it easier and faster for the body to digest. It also absorbs nutrients and minerals better than cows milk. 
• Goat milk contains less lactose. This goes along with above. Goat milk contains less milk sugars than cows milk. This is of special importance to those who may be lactose intolerant. Most of the time people who cut out dairy products because of lactose intolerance can enjoy drinking milk and consuming products made from goats milk. ​
• Goat milk is less allergenic than cows milk. The most common cause of milk allergies is caused by the A1 casein. This protein is highly inflammatory for some folks and causes gastrointestinal problems like IBS, Crohn's, and colitis to name a few. It also contributes to acne problems, autoimmune diseases, and eczema among other things. There are some breeds of cows that do not produce the A1 casein but the majority of dairy cattle in the US are not one of the those breeds. Goat milk contains the A2 casein which produces none of the above effects. It has also been deemed the closest thing to human breast milk which is why babies in the past were often raised on goats milk when they couldn't be nursed by their mothers. 
• Goat milk is naturally homogenized. This means that while it's more difficult to use to make butter, the cream does not separate which results in a delicious and creamy milk that makes wonderful cream sauces and ice creams!

Why do you put goat milk in soap?!
The short answer to this question is because it's awesome. The long answer has several parts.

• Goat milk contains alpha-hydroxy acids. Alpha-hydroxy acids can break down the bonds that keep dead skin cells together. Lactic acid helps remove the dead cells from the surface of your skin. This leaves skin smoother and more youthful looking! It also helps irritated skin by removing the dead cells from irritated areas.
• Goat milk contains many vitamins and minerals. In particular Vitamin A and Selenium. Vitamin A is necessary for repairing damaged skin and selenium can help prevent damage to the skin from overexposure to the sun. 
• The cream in goat milk is second to none. This makes goat milk soap incredibly moisturizing! It is a rare thing that I ever have to use lotion. We are some major hand washers here and even in the dead of winter and the midst of kidding season our skin stays soft and moisturized!
• Goat milk has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. This makes it especially beneficial for people with acne, eczema, and psoriasis. 

So there you have it. While I could go on and on about how great goat milk and our goat milk soap is for you and your family, you really need to just try it out! Our soaps are made with fresh raw goat milk- no powdered milk, no melt and pour base! Our ingredients are simple and we only sell cold process soap that has been cured no less than 4 weeks! We promise that after one use, you will never look back to commercial soaps again! 
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P.S. I'm not picking on cows. I love cows! Promise!
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Refrences:
https://www.smallruminantresearch.com/article/0921-4488(94)90105-8/fulltext

https://books.google.com/books?id=Io7RDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA11&dq=goat+milk&lr=&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q=goat%20milk&f=false

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2478/V10133-010-0049-8

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921448809003204

http://jbas.juw.edu.pk/index.php/JBAS/article/view/77

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-t-mclaughlin-md-facs/what-is-the-benefit-of-go_b_9286700.html

https://draxe.com/goat-milk/​