Milk in your bath?
Milk is a healthful drink. Milk is good for your bones. Here's one you've probably never heard before: Milk as a bath, cleanser and beauty aid. By Cristina Peczon.
To maintain her lily-white skin soft and supple, Cleopatra bathed in milk every day. More than 2,000 years later, the replenishing wonders of milk-based bath, shower and beauty products are being rediscovered.

Milky benefits
Milk is good for the skin because of its hydrating properties, which promote moisture and prevents dryness. It helps reduce skin darkening brought about by the wear and tear of aging. Milk contains essential proteins and amino acids, and vitamin A that nourish skin.

Milk is rich in beta-hydroxyl acids that act as natural skin conditioners; these conditioners exfoliate old skin, soothe and soften, producing smooth, glowing skin. Another important nutrient in milk is lactic acid, which helps to gently clean and soften skin. Lactic acid is great for stimulating skin cell renewal.

Modern laboratories now know why milk worked wonders for Cleopatra's skin: The lactic acid in milk is an alpha-hydroxyl acid, a natural substance that dissolves the glue holding dead skin cells together. Milk has been proven to cleanse the skin down to its deepest layers.

Dermatologist. Chittina De Ocampo acknowledges the benefits of lactic acid. But more than this, De Ocampo explains, any product that encourages people to take better care of their skin is good.

Soak but not too much
"Use milk soaps or baths like regular soap," De Ocampo says. Don't leave it on your skin too long; 5 to 10 minutes should be enough. Whether at a spa or at home, the key to silkier skin after a milk bath is in properly rinsing the milk off after you have soaked in it.

De Ocampo says milk baths are generally safe for anyone; just don't soak in them too long. If you choose to use a commercial product rather than plain milk, read the label to make sure it doesn't contain any harmful ingredients. Salicylic acid is an exfoliant that can cause skin dryness, De Ocampo cautions.

Make sure the bath's temperature is just right. Excessively hot baths are not good for people with high blood pressure and can be draining for most people.