Goat Milk Lotion

Posts Tagged ‘Goat Milk Lotion’

Goat Milk Soap, Lotion and Back Pain

Posted in All In A Day's Time, tagged Gift Packs, Goat Milk Lotion, Goat Milk Soap on February 3, 2009| 21 Comments »

We can be full speed ahead one moment, and at a dead halt the next. And that occurs at a blink of an eye.

Yesterday I was heading to the store, the first time I drove my own truck in weeks. We could not get beyond the ice on the doors on my truck! As I gleefully went down the concrete steps next to the garage, what I thought was water ended up being black ice. Up in the air I went, and down I was slammed, with a concrete step edge hitting in the middle of my back right hip.

I will not go into a lot of detail, but this isn’t the most fun I have ever had. I normally laugh when I fall down and “go boom,” as my dear husband says, but this time I cried and remembered the cell phone in my pocket. I called for help as I rolled myself up off of the ground. I went straight to bed.

I have a store placement to prepare for this week. I will be bottling lotion and I need to get more soap on the curing rack. It will all get done. Bob cannot make soap, but he can help me package up, feed animals, and take me to the locations that I also need to visit this week. Driving is out. We both have 4×4 pick up trucks, mine is taller, and just getting in and out is very “Slow Mo” right now.

So…nope, no whining here, I will get it done, in time. At least I can sit in a chair for a short while today. My blog posts and reponses may be a little less in volume for a few days. Send me an email if you need anything. Take care!

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Ingredient Article #5 – Shea Butter

Posted in Products, tagged Goat Milk Lotion, Goat Milk Soap, Shea Butter on January 30, 2009| 20 Comments »

Shea butter, sometimes called shea nut butter, is a common natural fat used in soap, lotion and cosmetic formulations.

Shea butter is derived from the fruit (kernel, nut, seed) of the shea tree, strictly from West Africa. The harvest process is a female activity, and is very beneficial to the West African economy. A 20 year old shea tree begins to produce the shea nut. Shea trees, interesting enough, do not reach full production until they are 45 years old!

The fruit of the shea tree contains 50% fat, yellowish or ivory shea butter, which is obtained through a crushing and boiling process.

One surprising fact about shea butter is that it is also used for cooking in West Africa. Some use shea butter as a substitute for cocoa butter in chocolate.

Shea butter contains antioxidant properties, such as vitamin A and E. It is a moisturizer and emollient. Shea butter is used to treat scars, eczema, burns, rashes, blemishes, dry skin, itching, skin allergies, and wrinkles.

Speaking of allergies, there is debate regarding allergic reactions to shea butter. Even though shea butter is derived from the nut of the shea tree, many say that the nut does not fall into the “normal” category of nut allergy families. If you have an allergy to nuts, I would advise talking to your allergist prior to using a product that contains shea butter.

Did you know that shea butter, when applied directly to the skin, can provide a light ultraviolet protection, sometimes as high as SPF6? Do not count on it as an ultimate natural sun protection product, as the SPF value does vary.

As promised, I will be following up with an ingredient article on palm oil. It is taking a bit more research, but it is on the way.

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Light Box and Lotion Sample Day

Posted in In The Soap Shop, tagged Goat Milk Lotion, Light Box on January 23, 2009| 13 Comments »

Today’s projects include making a light box and formulating several batches of lotion.

There are a number of easy to follow instructions on the internet for making light boxes. If you need a place to photograph products or crafts, these boxes are an inexpensive route to take.

I bottled up 1 oz. lotion samples in the shop earlier today. With the shipment of each order I enclose a sample. The samples formerly were soaps only. Now I will be including either a lotion or a soap, and I hope to be able to give customers the option of their choice in the near future!

Our snow is completely gone now! The sun is shining again today. It sure does make the spring fever worse. The only remedy to that one is spring! I received several garden, flower, and pond related catalogs in the mail yesterday. I think Bob and I made a good dent in the pages already!

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“Y’ A Sale

Posted in AGH Business News, tagged Discounted Products, Goat Milk Lotion, Goat Milk Soap on January 9, 2009| 8 Comments »

Have you ever felt like you were unable to think when trying to name something? The older I get, the worse it gets! So I thought I would share in my fun…

Since the day I fired the soap making back up I have known that I was going to hold an odds and ends sale.

For a while I called it an Ugly Soap Sale. I still tend to like the name but it came with several connotations that I was not pleased with. First, the soaps are not necessarily ugly. However, the name does reflect my goofy sense of humor! The other problems were associated with limitations on the website.

The problem with my online store is that it lists the soaps in alphabetical order. You cannot point directly to one single product without doing a search. I did not want deeply discounted soaps mixed in with regularly priced soaps. I wanted a back room, back shelf sort of clearance “rack,” just like you would find in a retail shop.

The thoughts continued…this morning I decided to add either an X, Y, or Z to the name of the discounted soaps (to throw the discounted names back). I thumbed through the dictionary, looking for a suitable soap/sale sort of name that begins with X, Y, or Z? No luck! I walked away, again. Mind you, I have been contemplating this name for the last few weeks. 🙂

As I took my male boxer outside for a break this morning, struggling with him to NOT eat all of the snow nature put in front of him, the light bulb in my head came on. I could see my website’s first page with a new statement added, “Y” A Sale? Got it! A nice catchy phrase, linking to The Soap Store, with an explanation to why a sale!

I can see it now, in the discount section: Y Lavender Goat Milk Soap? Because this bar only weighs 3.5 ounces! But it really is great soap!

I love challenges…and I certainly love solving them. Ha! Save the brain…is there a lotion to fix that, keep the brain working? Just kidding.

By the way, the answer to “Y” A Sale? is…soaps that are smaller than acceptable weight (through shrinkage and mis-cuts), soaps that are out of season (such as the holiday scented one in this photo), or soaps that didn’t sell all that well.

Stay warm, dry…and drop a comment when you can. I love them! They keep me in check. 🙂

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Winter Skin Care Tips

Posted in Skin and Hair Care, tagged Goat Milk Lotion, Goat Milk Soap, Skin Care on January 8, 2009| 7 Comments »

Young or old, we all battle the effects of the winter season on our skin.

With the new lotion and face cream products being added to my store, and with myself happily seeing improvement in my own skin this season, I wanted to share a few winter skin care tips.

Remember to moisturize more in the winter. Switching from a water based moisturizer to one that is oil based is smart skin care during the colder months. Oil based products provide a protective layer on the skin, acting as a barrier to the harsh winds, snow, and cold of winter.

Do not forget the sun screen when working outdoors. Exposure to the sun can be skin damaging even during the winter months.

Drink enough water! If you cannot tolerate 10-12 glasses of water a day, supplement some of that liquid with decaffeinated drinks. Both caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, which accelerate dry skin.

Pay close attention to your hands. Hand skin tends to age faster than the rest of our bodies. Why? The skin on our hands is much thinner. Always remember to wear dry gloves, and moisturize the hands often.

Do not forget your feet. Dry socks are a must. You may need to slough off the dry skin areas of your feet with a pumice stone, or with a foot scrub, and then lavishly apply moisturizer to your feet as well. I find help with a pumice stone, heavy moisturizer, and then by wearing cotton socks in the evenings.

Heated winter air tends to be on the dry side. You may need to invest in a humidifier. If you are watching your pocketbook, boil a tiny bit of water on your stove once a day to keep the humidity levels higher in your home.

Dress in layers. Not only will this keep you much warmer (with lighter layers underneath), but it will also protect your skin from the elements.

Avoid very hot baths. I have problems with following this rule myself! I love a hot bubble bath. Hot baths make dry skin so much drier!

After bathing, slather on the moisturizer. It is best to moisturize while the skin is still fairly damp. This helps retain the natural moisture of your skin!

I have heard others say that our skin is the largest organ of our bodies. I find that statement interesting, and it compels me to try a little harder at taking care of myself.

Do you have any skin care tips to share? I love comments! 🙂

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Save Face Monday

Posted in All In A Day's Time, tagged Goat Milk Lotion, Weather on December 29, 2008| 6 Comments »

Wow…such a blessing of a day in Ohio today. The sun is shining. I hear the neighbor powering up the chain saw, apparently cutting fallen branches, clearing. Tells me that I need to do a somewhat similar job later, burn a bit of a pile. That is, if the wind dies down some. Again, reminds me of April, not December. I love it!

Today was aptly named “Save Face Monday” because I worked on a small batch of face cream in the shop this afternoon. I am hoping the formula thickens up in the next 72 hours. It looks and smells great, but it is a bit more soupy than I would have liked. Soupy isn’t the right word for it either. Hmmm…let’s go for very lightly whipped, not heavy. I was looking for something more in-between. For a face cream, I do not like much scent, but I am extremely happy with the outcome of this one. The lotions are now where I want them to be, light for body and hands, but not so light that it runs off of the palm of the hand when when a dollup is held sideways. Onto the creams… .

I am having writer’s problems today. Lost for words!

Went to the grocery this morning. I was thinking about a blip that another friendly blogger shared regarding saving money, making ends stretch, especially during this economy. I began using coupons again, the first time in 7 years. And before I head to the store now, I plan, and part of that includes checking the recipe books for fairly simple meals that can stretch over several days. It feels good to be out of the restaurants as often as we were, and it also feels better when buttoning up the jeans! My husband is a very picky eater. There isn’t much more to be said about that. 🙂 With the sense of humor in mind, I announced to him, “You will no longer know what you are going to eat for dinner, until it is being prepared.” He replied, “Just make sure I have peanut butter and jelly on hand.” Oh boy…rotten (but I like him)!

Off to prepare to feed the goats for now. Perhaps my writing brain will open up later this evening.

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Posted in In The Soap Shop, tagged Goat Milk Lotion on December 26, 2008| 4 Comments »

Today is a foggy, drizzly day on the farm. The goats do not like this type of weather either. But, the reminder is, there is a season for everything. I love the fog, but the drizzle and mud I can live without. What a beautiful Christmas day we had yesterday, and there are more of those to come. 🙂

I spent a few hours in the shop earlier this afternoon. The outcome should make a number of people happy (including myself) with fresh goat milk lotions. The “When will you have it?” question has been asked a few times, and I now have responded. Keep your suggestions flowing, because I want to hear!

I catch myself reading the ingredient labels on everything now. I used to buy a beauty product, such as face cream, because I liked what was written about it on the package, or because I was familiar with the brand name, but now I read the ingredients and find myself grimacing at what we might be absorbing into our bodies. I can see myself never buying many of the mass-made department store body care products again. There are certain ingredients that must be included, such as a preservative, or many of us would become sick, but my goal is to make the best products for the skin with the least amount of additives as possible.

I am heading out now to the shop to put the caps on the bottles. And then I will head to the barn to feed the girls. They do not look too happy out there today! Once they start pulling and chomping on the fresh hay, they will be happy campers again. Quite the characters they are!

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Ingredient Article #3 – Distilled Water

Posted in Products, tagged Distilled Water, Goat Milk Lotion, Ingredients on December 26, 2008| 3 Comments »

I am thoroughly enjoying the research of the basic ingredients used in soap, lotion, and bath product formulas. We tend to get comfortable with purchasing these ingredients, and quickly forget why they are so important.

A basic ingredient in many formulas is distilled water. There are definite reasons for using distilled water (not tap, drinking, or purified water).

Distilled water is bottled water. It is obtained from boiling water and condensing the steam. The condensation is collected in a sterilized reservoir, bottle or container.

The condensation that is collected results in water that contains no chemicals, toxins, bacteria or waste. The water also contains no particles. This means that distilled water will not contaminate the sterile product that we are working to achieve, nor will it leave any residues (such as lime or hard water deposits) in our product. Treated drinking water will leave behind these types of deposits.

Since the beginning of time, distilled water has been an essential part of life. In nature, the sun heats and evaporates water, leaving impurities behind. The condensation returns to Earth in the form of precipitation, either rain or snow.

A few extra tidbits regarding distilled water..it is said that Julius Ceaser distilled water to keep his troups well hydrated. Surprisingly, it is still common in many locations for sea water to be distilled to produce clean, safe, drinking water. Interesting!

The next article will cover a base oil commonly used in soap and skin care products, coconut oil.

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Ingredient Article #2 – Olive Oil

Posted in Products, tagged Goat Milk Lotion, Goat Milk Soap, Ingredients, Olive Oil, Skin Care on December 22, 2008| 7 Comments »

Olive oil is a popular ingredient in soap and body care products.

For thousands of years, olives have been squeezed or pressed to obtain the oil. This is a photo of a Greek olive press. Many people across the world (especially in European and Mediterranean countries) are still obtaining their olive oil using this laborious method.

It is said that the Egyptians knew the moisturizing benefits of olive oil. They generously applied the oil to their skins, then scraped the oil off, which removed the dirt and left the skin softened.

It is estimated that olive oil was first used in soap around the year 1567. Today we continue to make castile soap, with olive oil being the base oil in the recipe. Castile soap is mild, moisturizing, long lasting, with a creamy low-bubble lather.

There are several types of olive oil. The main types are:

Virgin – the oil is derived using physical methods (olives are crushed or squeezed)

Refined – the oil is derived using physical methods, but is treated to reduce strong tastes and acids

Pomace – the oil is extracted from crushed olives (the pomace) using chemical solvents, then it is refined to make it edible (generally used in commercial kitchens)

Olive oil has many external and internal beneficial properties. Olive oil is an antioxidant, is very cleansing internally to the body. Olive oil can help lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol levels, especially when olive oil replaces unhealthy fats in the diet. Olive oil is very well known for skin moisturizing, especially adding benefits to mature skin. Olive oil is not known to clog the skin pores.

In soap, olive oil is used as a base oil (alone) or with other base oils to help harden the finished product, and to provide extra moisturizing properties to the soap. In lotion and cream products, olive oil leads to a thicker, richer base, and is very beneficial for dry skin.

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