# ph in goat milk soap



## ali923

I went to a store to see about getting my soap in and the lady asks if my soap was ph balanced. She then proceeds to give me this lesson on why soaps need to be ph balanced. I had not even thought about making sure my soap was ph balanced. Did any of you? Anyway, just wondered if anyone has continued to ph test their soap and what is the best way. Also, is this something that is worth my while to do, or not? I also read that homemade lye soaps tend to have a ph of 9 mostly, is this really true?


----------



## SherrieC

hmm, goat milk soaps have a ph around 7 "supposed to" I have not Checked this myself.


----------



## NubianSoaps.com

Once cured your soap should be PH neutral. The only think I have had a buyer do was take my bar and do the snot test to test for how much oils were in my soap.

Wet hand and briskley rub the soap back and forth for 30 seconds...the soap is good if you have bubbles and then you lift the soap off your hand and if film connects between the soap and your hand it is snot. I thought that was hyserical! I had never before heard of soap snot before! they still have my soap in their store  

PH strips are cheap, check them out, in the suds. Vicki


----------



## ali923

soap snot?! oh my gosh! that is hysterical! let me guess, that was a health food store owner? so you just check the ph in the suds? on the soap or on your hands?


----------



## NubianSoaps.com

Yep! Health Food Store guy. He also stood out in the baby pen in this sort of embarassing silence (I am never silent  enjoying the babies and the fresh air 

But yes I tested the creamy lather part for PH. It's what labrat on the dish told us to do  vicki


----------



## VickiLynne

Ok, I'm having a visual of everyone testing their soap for snot! :rofl

You know I'm go'in to do it!

Vicki in NC


----------



## homeacremom

I tested a 18 month old Walmart recipe soap, no goat milk , a 10 month old vegetable bar, and the suds off a 24 hour soap bar. All show ph as a 9. So do any of your soaps actually test out at 7?


----------



## NubianSoaps.com

The Herbal Goat, Debbie Tub who is a friend of mine and a whiz when it comes to soap just joined the forum....and since she was sitting in my soap room yesterday talking about just this....lets have her tell you what she told me...made very good sense.

I am actually suprised that you got a 9 in all of them though, especially the GM one which should have been lower. Vicki


----------



## theherbalgoat

Hi. I'll introduce myself quickly. My name is Debbie Tubb and I live in Spring, TX - about an hour's drive fm Vicki McGaugh. She's living the
life I want right now.

Anyway, I've been making soap since Jan, 2000 and love it. I've been on many forums, mostly as a lurker and have learned lots. So first
off, I want to reply about this pH balanced thing. pH is 0-14. Low end aciditic, high end alkaline. I would assume balance is 7 - middle of
the road. Bacteria is pH balanced. It grows between 6.7 and 7.5. Now if I know anything about soap, it's suppose to get rid of dirt and
bacteria. Most soaps range between 9-10. I've been told goats milk soaps are lower, about 8-9. When I get my pH meter, I'll test and post back. The strips are not exact enough so I don't bother. All soap removes dirt and bacteria so therefore, all soap is anti-bacterial. One doesn't need to buy dial to get an anti-bacterial soap. Also, the majority of essential oils are anti-bacterial. 
Here's something I found browsing the web: 

Cleansers and toners are alkaline—hand soap typically has a pH of around 9 or 10, for example—because alkaline molecules bind to dirt and accumulated oils you want to wash off. For your face, you want a product that's alkaline enough to get your skin clean but not so alkaline that it will strip it of the oils it needs. It's unlikely that a cleanser or toner on the market today would have a pH that was not balanced (too high), because if it did it would be so drying that no one would want to use it, says Amy Wechsler, MD, a dermatologist and psychiatrist in private practice in New York City.

Bottom Line: A claim that a product is pH balanced is more marketing tool than useful information.

Hope this helps.

Debbie


----------



## Sheryl

Wow. Learned something new. Thanks for the info. So if the soap is around 8 or 9 it is perfect. Cool. I would have been a ninny and worried if it wasn't "blanced at 7". 

Knowledge is power.

Sheryl


----------



## Guest

The skin has an acid mantle which protects the body from bacteria. The acid mantle of adult skin is 4.5 to 5.5. The acid mantle of a newborn is 7. Ph balanced means that the product is not so high in alkaline as to neutralize the acid mantle. This is the reason that people with skin conditions such as eczema or acne who wash with alkaline soap make their condition worse., whereas a mild cleanser with a pH of 7 or bellow will help reduce breakouts.

Healthy oils have a pH approx 4.7 so a sugar scrub will have a lower pH than soap and because sugar is naturally antibacterial it is a better facial cleanser than soap.

Considering the acid mantle is very important when formulating lotions, facial creams and liquid soap where you have more control than with bar soap. 

Christy


----------



## ali923

Debbie,
Thanks for the info, that does totally make sense, and Christy-that makes sense too. I am so not gonna be concerned with the "ph balance" ness of the soap because what we are doing is just fine. I guess as long as its not eating away our skin it should be ok.


----------



## Guest

Wonderful explanation Christy. Thanks for sharing. 

Sara


----------

