Why goat milk soap?  What's wrong with grocery-store soap?

          Consider first the definition of soap:  a substance used with water for washing and cleaning, made of a compound of natural oils or fats with sodium hydroxide or another strong alkali, and typically having perfume and coloring added. (Google)

          Soap is made by combining oils and/or fats with an alkali (sodium hydroxide, commonly referred to as lye).  The oils and fats are chemically changed into soap through a chemical process called saponification.   Look at the ingredients listed on a store-bought bar of "soap".  Some ingredients are the scientific name for saponified oils, but there are also other ingredients that are not.     

          How does homemade goat milk soap differ from most soaps sold at grocery stores?  Many commercial soaps contain de-greasing ingredients that are great for cleaning dishes, but are harsh on skin.  They can dry out the skin leaving it itchy and scaly-looking.  In addition, for people with oily skin, drying it out encourages the oil glands to secrete more oil to compensate for the moisture-loss.  So, over-cleaning can actually exacerbate oily skin!

            Our our soap yields a balance between cleansing and moisturizing by including goat milk from our sweet mamas, raw shea butter from Africa, and natural clay.  The goat milk provides butterfat to moisturize.  Raw shea butter forms a creamy, moisturizing lather.  Clay provides color, but more importantly, it adds minerals, boosts the cleansing factor, and yields a slip when shaving with a razor which protects the skin.  Including raw shea butter and clay sets our soap apart from other homemade goat milk soaps.

           Our soaps also contain olive oil (which moisturizes), coconut or palm kernel oil (cleansing oils), and castor oil (for bubbly lather).   Mid-summer, 2016, we revised our recipe by eliminating palm oil and increasing the shea butter.    Most of our soap is scented with pure, undiluted essential oils.  Many people apply essential oils therapeutically and use them for aromatherapy.  So, it is not surprising that people who have skin sensitivities or react negatively to fragrances can often appreciate the subtle and natural scent of essential oils.   For those who prefer a stronger aroma or scents not available as essential oils, we do offer a limited selection of soap scented with fragrance oil.  We use only phthalate-free fragrances.