My Eczema-Prone Skin and Summer Naturale Goat’s Milk Body Shampoo

Two goats seem to be looking for something.

Any eczema sufferer knows that anything from diet, skincare, to what we touch, play a role in managing eczema.

My eczema is moderate to severe and I keep it under control with a corticosteroid cream; a moisturiser is a must; and a good cleanser is important.

I have stopped using bar soaps altogether.

Two things that concern me when looking for and using a cleanser [the effects of it]:

1. Itchy flare-ups
2. Dryness that may or may not exacerbate number 1

I find that moisturising cleansers are often difficult to rinse [you get that slippery/slimy after-effect], and regular cleansers are easier to rinse but are too drying. Still, I often opt for the former.

So far, the only cleanser I have found that doesn’t cause the above number 1 and 2, is Johnson’s Baby Bath, but slipperiness personified.

For the record, I’m talking about an all-around cleanser [I have a separate cleanser for the face]; I have not tried cleansers from brands which are specifically marketed for sensitive skin, such as Sebamed or Aveeno; I use cleansers daily, I believe, more often than most people [which is another story altogether].

Anyway, sometimes I find myself in a store with unfamiliar body cleansers, and also recently, without any type of cleansers for babies.

So I was stuck with options that I was not familiar with, and I picked Summer Naturale Goat’s Milk Body Shampoo.

The reason why I picked this one is that I had seen it online, I believe on Tesco’s website, and it was amongst the affordable options, but never had the courage to try one. Also, there stuck at the back of my mind that goat’s milk is kind to sensitive skin.

The Cleanser a.k.a Body Shampoo

Let’s talk about the bottle for a moment. In the store, I was intimidated with the size of it and thought I could never finish it. It is actually not as big as it is long. The bottle is close to 30cm tall - just about 28cm.

The body shampoo, as it is named, is not to be confused with the Summer Naturale Hair Shampoo which is specifically made for the hair, whereas the body shampoo despite the name is for the body - although I don’t see why you can’t use it on your hair which is, interestingly, what I have been doing more often these days.

It's a bit translucent, but it's there.

It has a somewhat translucent creamy-liquid consistency. As to the scent, which in general I am very bad at describing, all I can say is when I first smelled it, it reminded me of the Enchanteur Powder the yellow label, or as per its website,  ’Charming’. The scent is described as so on its website: exotic sensual fragrance of Rose, Muguet and soft Cedarwood. I agree with that, [I have to] - it is quite floral. So, the Summer Naturale is not unpleasant, but I don’t know whether I’ve become too familiar with the scent or because I prefer something more citrusy, I’m not too excited to smell it. It’s certainly not bad; it’s quite all right.

One winning point that tops any slight disappointment in the scent department, in my opinion, is that the body shampoo doesn’t cause itchy flare-ups - this is a huge plus for me because even some baby cleansers cause flare-ups. But it is rather drying [remember, I have special needs] but the dryness is manageable; I’ll just put on some moisturiser every time I wash, which is something I’m already doing anyway.

Another winning point one [so that's two] is that it’s inexpensive. The 1000ml bottle costs RM6.80 [~ US$1.64].

This, I think, is close to a perfect cleanser. In fact I think this mixed with some of that Johnson's Baby Bath might be the perfect combination - the Goldilocks cleanser, so to speak, for me.

All in all I’m quite surprised by this discovery. I like to think that I’m on a mission to make a discovery like an explorer. Instead of new frontiers, I discover products.

Summer Naturale is Malaysian-made, and it seems not widely available outside. I haven't tried other goat's milk cleansers; it might be interesting to.

& Buy

- Goat's Milk Body Wash [Amazon]
- Enchanteur Charming Perfumed Talc [Amazon]
- Goat's Milk Bath and Body Care [Vitacost]
- Handmade/Handcrafted Goat's Milk Body Wash & Soaps [Etsy]