Making it clear...

No, not soap.  Mossy's soap will always have goat milk (or cow milk) in it.  Milk will always cause the soap to be, uh, milky in color.

Mossy's milk soap is made in the soap kitchen at Faith's Farm OK and sold in the store front (and online) at 318 E 2nd St, Wellston, OK.  In order to keep records separate, there are three websites, facebook pages, and other accounts all related together.

Mossy's Milk Soapery is found here, www.mossysmilksoap.com; Facebook @mossysmilksoap; Instagram @mossysmilksoap; Twitter @mossysmilksoap; Email mossysmilksoap@gmail.com; and Phone/Text (405)356-2839.

Faith's Farm OK is found at www.faithsfarmok.com; Facebook @faithsfarmok; Instagram @faithsfarmok; Twitter @faithsfarmok; Email faithsfarmok@gmail.com; and Phone/Text (405)356-2839.  Visits to the farm must be arranged privately and will adhere to bio-security measures.  The farm is home to our Nigerian Dwarf Dairy goats and Karakachan livestock guardian dogs.

Both of these endeavors are made possible by Mark at Water-Tech Enterprises, Inc.  That website is found at www.watertechent.com; Facebook @watertechent; Email watertech.ent@gmail.com; and Phone/Text @(405)721-3010.

FAQ - Why did Mossy start making soap?

Why did Mossy begin making soap? 

I began making soap because we had goat milk and it was time for a new project with lots of little projects inside it.

Our little farm has been through a few changes since it's inception.  Part of the reason so much has changed is because I like ideas.  I like starting new projects.  I don't really care if they ever get finished.  I just like getting them started.  What does that have to do with making soap?  You see, it's just one more project that got started.  Only this one was different.

At first, it was just an off shoot of having extra goat milk around.  After the best looking farm employees started producing milk in earnest, I began looking at multiple ways to use it.  Unfortunately, the soap doesn't use a lot so I still have some extra now and again.  (Shameless plug if you are interested in raw goat milk.)  At any rate, the soap making had been brewing in my mind for awhile.  I started watching you tube videos of the cold process soap method.  I bought a few books and pamphlets about making your own soap.  I asked a friend if I could watch her make soap one day.  I researched molds and ingredients.  I created some DIY molds from PVC.  Finally, I ordered ingredients and made my first batch without goat milk.  It was a fail.  Hard as nails and lye heavy.  Sigh.

Many times, a failed project attempt means abandoning the project for an extended time or ever.  Yet, this time it was only a slight distraction.  There was a desire to go ahead and try the goat milk soap recipes.  The challenge of creating my own recipes helped to propel me along.  I attempted to be very conservative in my initial attempts.  I wanted to do some natural soaps - those without fragrances and extra chemicals.  I also found that commercial scents were a big hit.

Basically, every single batch is a new project.  And, I love starting new projects!

FAQ - What makes Mossy's soap different?

What makes our soap different from all the other goat milk soaps available?

Here at Mossy's Milk Soapery, we use milk from our own Nigerian Dairy goats in each batch of soap.  Our bars are round, oval, or octagonal and slightly smaller in size that most artisan soaps.  Every batch is hand crafted and unique.

Using milk produced directly on our homestead means that we are intimately involved and know the source.  We strive to raise healthy, pasture based goats.  Our girls average 5.7% butterfat in their milk.  That's some good stuff, y'all.

Our bars are round, oval, or octagonal instead of the more common square or rectangular bars.  Their slightly smaller size means you get to change out the scent and color more often.  Plus they travel really great.

Each batch is a hand crafted artisan product made right in Oklahoma.  Using round and oval molds requires a bit of creativity to come up with various designs.  Some of the standard soap making techniques work well while others do not lend themselves to the round shapes.  Each batch is a small creative project! 

The soaps are based on four main recipes that use a different combination of oils and butters.  Occasionally, a unique recipe is developed for a specialty soap.

Reworking my Goat Milk Soap

So I've been working on establishing some really good recipes for my goat milk soap.  Maybe someday I'll be able to sell them.  In the mean time, I get to try new things.

I've scoured you tube for videos on how to make goat milk soap.  Many recipes call for powdered goat milk.  Uh...  NO.  I have goats that provide fresh milk every day.  Why would I use powdered?  I want to use the fresh or my own frozen stuff.

Then there's recipes that use water and goat milk for the liquid.  Hmmm... I really want goat milk to be one of the top three ingredients in my soap.  If I label it as goat milk soap then by golly I want it to have more than a trace of goat milk.  After all, I have goats that provide fresh milk daily.

Most recipes and "how-to's" on the internet have you freeze the goat milk before adding the lye in order to keep the milk from scorching.  Nobody wants burnt milk in their soap.  As I contemplated this process over the several batches that I've made, I started wondering if all the fat in the goat milk was being saponified by the lye in this early step.  That sorta reduces the availability of the goat milk properties for conditioning.  Well, I have these goats that provide fresh milk daily and while I could take a goat milk bath and realize all the wonderful benefits.  Y'all would be missing out.  I began to wonder how would I use a partial water recipe to make sure all the lye was dissolved before adding it to the oil and milk.

Well, that meant I needed to find out how much fat, protein, and solids are in the milk that I'm using.  There's not a lot of information easily available on the component make up of goat milk but I was able to find that on average goat milk is made up of about 87% water.  Now, my girls are on milk test and I know how much fat and protein they are making.  Therefore, I was able to substitute a few numbers and realized that my girls have milk that is approximately 85% water and 15% fat/protein/solids.  Yes, they've got more fat in their milk that the average dairy goat.  And, that's why I chose this breed.

Armed with that information, I began to rework my soap recipes.  After several hours of video watching aided by what I've already learned in the several batches previously made, I've decided to try a new method.  I've recalculated some numbers, modified some steps, and am now ready to try the modifications.  I'll keep you posted.  Hey, did I mention that I have these goats the provide milk daily?

Finally, a direction.

Sometimes I do things just to do things.  I don't have a plan or an actual goal that I'm trying to reach.  I am just doing.  In some ways, that's what happened with the farm.  So, now I am trying to find the goal.  Why am I doing this?  Why do I have goats?  Why do I have cows?  Why do I have chickens?  What is the purpose of each animal?  What is the purpose of the plants?  Why do I have dogs?  Why do I have cats?  What is the purpose of the buildings?

I'm spending the next several weeks going over questions and solidifying a plan, a goal, a purpose.  Stay tuned for more details...