We are very careful about where our ingredients come from and for that reason, our soaps do not contain any palm oil. Oil palm production is a documented cause of substantial (and too often irreversible) damage to the environment. Deforestation, loss of habitat for critically endangered species, and increases of greenhouse gas emissions are just a few of the ways that palm oil production is not something we wish to support. We find that even the “sustainable” palm oil certification does not meet our standards.
None of our ingredients are petroleum-based or synthetic.
Here’s information about each one of our ingredients:
- Tallow: Rendered from fat (our tallow comes from grassfed beef which we purchase from U.S. Wellness Meats), tallow-first soaps are highly sought after by members of the “traditional” wet-shave community for their creamy stable lather and good conditioning properties.
- Castor Oil: A vegetable oil obtained from the castor bean and was traditionally used on sunburns, skin disorders, cuts, and abrasions. The oil is also used as a rub or pack for abdominal cramps, headaches, muscle pains, joint inflammation, sinusitis, and a multitude of other ailments.
- Coconut Oil: An extraction from the kernel or meat of a mature coconut. While it is an excellent skin moisturizer and softener, it has also served as the main source of fat in the diets of millions of people throughout the tropical world for generations. We find that it adds a rich and creamy lather to our soap.
- Almond Oil: A natural vegetable-derived extract that dates back to ancient times which nourishes and revives the skin without clogging pores. It is an excellent emollient (softening and soothing to the skin) and also helps the skin to balance water loss and absorption of moisture.
- Unrefined Shea Butter: A natural fat which is extracted from seeds of the African shea tree. The protective and emollient properties of shea butter makes it a highly prized ingredient in skin care products. Unrefined shea butter contains an abundance of healing ingredients (vitamins, minerals, proteins, and unique fatty acid profile) and is a superior moisturizer. Unlike petroleum based moisturizers, shea butter actually restores the skin’s elasticity. We use certified fair trade unrefined shea butter.
- Cocoa Butter: An edible vegetable fat which is extracted from the cocoa bean which has a mild chocolate flavor and scent. Pregnant women have used cocoa butter formulations to prevent and treat stretch marks. We add it to our bars in order to nourish, repair, restore, and promote healthy skin renewal – naturally.
- Lye/Caustic Soda: Originally made from wood ash, lye is an alkaline substance used in soapmaking. Without lye, there is no soap. Lye is first mixed with our goat milk and then added to the fats/oils where saponification (where it becomes soap) occurs. Once saponified, the fats and lye can no longer be separated.
- Goat Milk: Naturally homogenized and fresh from our very own goats, we use milk instead of water in every batch. When making soap, there must be a liquid to mix with the lye. in our experience, goat milk soap is more gentle on the skin. Goat milk adds a moisturizing effect to soap that is above and beyond anything that commercial glycerin/water based soaps can ever achieve.
Every bar of our soap is made with a base soap recipe which is made up of the ingredients listed on this page. With the exception of Soap in the Raw, our soaps are made by adding scents (essential oils) and additives to a base soap recipe.
Additives (Exfoliates, Clays, Botanicals):
- Almond Meal: finely Ground Organic Almond Meal powder makes a terrific and invigorating exfoliant suitable for all skin types.
- Bentonite Clay: a light green clay, it is highly absorbent and good for oily skin. It gives a slippery silkiness which makes it good in shaving soaps. This clay also draws excess oils and debris to the surface of your skin, boosts circulation to tighten the skin and stimulate blood flow, and whisks away dead skin cells that can clog pores.
- Kaolin Clay: A mild, white, fluffy clay. It’s good for light masks or scrubs, and gives a silkiness and creaminess to soaps.
- Pumice: Pumice is a light, grey, porous volcanic rock that is formed during explosive eruptions and resembles a sponge because it consists of a network of gas bubbles frozen amidst fragile volcanic glass and minerals. Pumice is an excellent exfoliating medium to remove dead and rough skin and leaves the skin silky smooth. Extra-fine pumice works well for application to sensitive skin in soap.
- Rhassoul Clay: A light brown clay that has used for its great ability to absorb oils and impurities from the skin and hair. It gives a lovely brown speckled color and is lightly exfoliating. This clay comes from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, the only known source in the world. It is a totally natural product that is used today as it was hundreds of years ago. Rhassoul contains higher percentages of silica and magnesium along with potassium and calcium, than other clays.
- Rose Clay: Rose Clay is wonderful and gentle enough for even the driest skin. A general purpose medium weight clay used mostly for its lovely rose color, but also adds silkiness, slip and absorbency to soaps.
- Sea Clay a.k.a. French Green Clay: Sea Clay is a mossy green and has remarkable abilities to draw impurities from the skin. Due to its high content of minerals, sea clay draws oils from the skin, and is rich in algaes, macro- and micro-minerals, as well as sodium and sulphur. Sea plants, seawater, sea salt and oceanic clay have long been popular physical-therapy ingredients in Europe. Recommended as medical therapeutic agents as early as 1578, seawater and sea derivatives were administered for rheumatism and general rehabilitation.
