Goat milk goodness
KOCHI: Milk bath has been a recommended shortcut to healthy, beautiful skin for ages. History claims that ancient Romans used to regularly take them. Transforming the bath routine for the new generation, Dr Rejitha Nandini has launched her eclectic range of goat milk soaps! The handcrafted range made out of pure goat milk and oil suits specific skin types and requirements.
A paediatrician, Rejitha started her soap making journey in 2016. For the doctor, the journey was a means to address the skin issues her daughter Durga was struggling with. Ever since she was five, Durga battled with skin issues. Her skin was extremely dry, and the condition worsened over time, leading to itching and outbreaks. Rejitha read about the effectiveness of goat milk in curing the condition and ordered a bar of goat milk soap online. It worked well on Durga’s skin, but when she tried to order again, the product wasn’t available. “I called the seller up. They were from Rajasthan. They had stopped manufacturing due to a lack of availability of goat milk. When I spoke about my requirement, they suggested I make them myself,” she adds.
But Rejitha was a total beginner at the process. “I started reading and researching a lot. Eventually, I made a bar of soap from goat milk one day and my daughter found it very useful,” says Rejitha, a Thiruvananthapuram-native. When friends and relatives started enquiring, Rejitha launched her brand ‘Aloha’. After many trials and errors, after a year or two, was she able to perfect the soap formula. Almost 90 per cent of her customers are Malayalis. “Goat milk is rich in many nutrients, fat, alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) has moisturising properties. Its pH level is close to that of the human skin. It can heal the skin and keep it healthy,” says Rejitha who works in Pathanamthitta. She sources goat milk from homes in her neighbourhood.
For all skin types
Between the Nalpamarathy soap for babies, sandal-turmeric variant preferred by women, charcoal-induced soap for oily skin and the ultra-gentle goat milk soap for dry skinned people and the elderly, Rejitha’s range covers almost all skin types and skin issues. “Soap-making is the epicentre of my life now. If I am upset, I walk into the soap-making room, mix the ingredients, and pour them into the mould. Just being there soothes me,” says Rejitha. “It is all the more interesting because all my life, I have never been curious about making anything. But with this venture, I have discovered a new version of myself,” she says.
Juggling between her job and the role of an entrepreneur is the only challenging bit. Even after perfecting the soap formulas, Rejitha continues to enrol herself in advanced courses to learn more. “I want to handcraft a soap that can be used by people undergoing chemotherapy. I’m researching how to make that possible. For those who are keen on starting a venture like this, I would suggest that they learn about human skin thoroughly first,” says Rejitha.