About Ellen's Goat Milk Soap and Etc.

Several factors played into my decision to begin making my own goat milk soap; Moving to the desert and my previously oily skin turning suddenly dry and sensitive to my old standby, Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap; my dissatisfaction with the "moisturizing body washes", laden with toxic chemicals and a slimy feel; and a surplus of goat milk from our very productive girls!  I have enjoyed sharing my goat milk soaps with family and friends through the years.  They are nothing fancy, just good-for-you, non-toxic, skin care.  

I make my goat milk soap in small batches to ensure consistent quality.  It requires a long, painstaking process to blend the raw goat milk with the lye so as not to scorch or curdle the milk.  The result is worth the extra effort, though.  Many people besides myself have found that my goat milk soap doesn't dry their skin like many commercial soaps do.  The reason for that, I believe, is twofold; the extra fat incorporated into the recipe by using goat milk in place of water gives it more emollient properties; also, handmade soap retains natural glycerin, an expensive byproduct of the saponification process, normally extracted from commercial soaps to be sold separately.  Glycerin is a humectant - it absorbs ambient moisture.  That means if you put it on your skin, it will attract moisture from the air and hold it on your skin.  The extra glycerin enhances the cleaning properties of soap, too.  I so very much enjoy the clean, soft feel my soap leaves and appreciate knowing it isn't adding toxins to my body or environment.

*HONEYSUCKLE: The sweet scent of a warm summer breeze.

*LAVENDER: Traditionally used in aromatherapy to ease stress and tension headaches.  It's floral scent would make it appropriate for calming excess Vata or Pitta in the Auyervedic tradition.

*NAG CHAMPA:   Sweet, musky scent.

* PEPPERMINT: Light, cool, refreshing for the summer season.  In the Auyervedic Tradition, peppermint is appropriate for calming excess Pitta heat, anger and irritation.

*SANDALWOOD/PATCHOULI:  Warm spicy, musky scent...reminds me of my Dad's Old Spice...

*TEA TREE: Traditionally used for its antibacterial properties.  

(More scents available as experimentation continues)

Bars are approximately 4.25 oz. and last long if kept dry between uses.