re: for Grecian soap was manufactured from a combination of goat fat and ashes.

lots of soap is made this way.. cold water poured over cold wood ash will give you a mild lye, heated and mixed with melted fat, you have lye soap.. it the proportions are not right, not all the lye is neutralized.. Yawwsa!

Infants are stilled cleaned with oil, and wiping it off, and i was directed to groom my babies 'craddle cap' a dry dandruff like condition, by rubbing with well with oil and very, very gently srcapping with a wooden tongue depresser. it worked too!