Ingredients... Apricot Kernel Oil

Apricot Kernel Oil is well known for its gentle nature and is widely used in the skin care industry for massage products, soap and lotion making, bath products, and lip care.  Rich in moisturizing and conditioning fatty acids like oleic and linoleic, this light, nicely absorbing oil is ideal for those with dry, irritated, mature and sensitive skin types. It is high in minerals, as well as vitamins A and E and has been reported to help skin healing and provide itch relief.  The oil is light and easily absorbed because it resembles the skin's naturally-produced oil sebum. This oil helps to improve skin tone while maintaining touchable softness and visible radiance of the skin. It also nourishes the skin and lowers the appearance of face wrinkles, fine lines, and blemishes.

Apricot kernel oil is extracted from the kernels (seeds) of apricots. The oil can be obtained by using either solvent extraction or a cold pressed method.  In bar soap, apricot kernel oil provides a touch of hardness to each bar while contributing to the creamy lather providing luxurious conditioning for the skin. In lotion and scrub formulations, the oil provides pampering nourishment for your skin.  Additionally, using this oil in lip balms assists the balm in gliding across your lips then softening and protecting them from being dry or cracked thereby leaving your lips soft and luscious.  When used in bath products, apricot kernel oil sinks deep into the skin for all over conditioning.

Apricot kernel oil may be found in the Summer and Winter recipes of Mossy's products.

Ingredients... Fragrance.

While perusing the ingredients you may find the word, fragrance, listed.  "Fragrance" is one of the few synthetic ingredients in many of our products.  It means that I have purchased a developed product from a supplier and that product is used to give the soap a scent.  I do not have access to how that fragrance was crafted or manufactured as it is a proprietary formula.

We understand that many consumers are concerned about the effects some synthetic ingredients might have.  All fragrance oils are required to under go rigorous testing and I am required to stay below maximum usage levels.  Additional information on any fragrance will be provided upon request.  Please note that this ingredient is generally less than 5% of our products.

Fragrance oils make it possible to get a fun and eclectic variety of product scents.  Some scents just cannot be recreated with essential oils.  Most fruit scents are synthetically made.  For instance, you cannot get an apple scent from a naturally produced oil.  Nor can you create a watermelon smell from essential oils.

Remember, we do provide a line of soaps and cremes that do not contain fragrances.  The basic soaps - Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter - have no added fragrance or color.  The natural soaps - Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter - have no added fragrance while using natural clay and activated charcoal for color.

Ingredients... Sodium Hydroxide aka Lye

Sodium Hydroxide, also known as lye, is necessary for traditional cold process soap.  It is the catalyst for converting the oils into usable soap.  You cannot have traditional soap without it.  No need to panic when you see it in the ingredient list.

Isn't lye dangerous?  Yes.  I use personal protective equipment (goggle, gloves, sleeves, etc) when measuring and working with the lye.

Isn't lye poisonous?  Yes.  Lye should never be ingested.

Will there be any lye left in the soap?  No.  All of the lye is converted during the saponification process.  Recipes for soap are calculated so that all of the lye is used and a small percentage (around 7%) of the oils are left behind. 

Sodium Hydroxide may also be used in minute quantities to lower the acidity and thereby altering the pH of other products such as shampoo. 

Sodium Hydroxide is an inorganic chemical compound used for cleaning, in food, for making paper, and in various other industries.

Ingredients... Goat Milk

The primary ingredient of all Mossy's soap is fresh, raw, creamy goat milk produced right here on our farm by friendly Nigerian Dairy Goats.  Nigerians are small in stature but produce a goodly amount of milk for their size.  Goat milk has small fat globules making it appear to be naturally homogenized as the small fat molecules do not separate but remain suspended in the cream.  It takes a couple of days to get a good cream line on our milk.  Our goats average 5.6% milk fat.  This fat is what helps the soap produce a lovely, creamy lather and helps clean your skin.

Every soap recipe contains at least 20% goat milk. 

Fresh Goat Milk

Frozen Goat Milk Cubes

Cooled Goat Milk

Immediately after milking the goats, the fresh milk is placed in the refrigerator.  Once it has cooled to about 40 degrees (F), it is then poured into ice cube trays and allowed to freeze for 24 to 48 hours.  Then, the cubes are placed into freezer storage bags until the milk is needed for a batch of soap.

More about our Nigerian Dairy Goats can be found at Faith's Farm - OK.