We make our soap here at the farm in Great Falls, South Carolina, about twenty minutes from Lancaster County. The milk comes from our Nigerian Dwarf goats, and we make every batch by hand in our soap room.

Five years ago we left Myrtle Beach and found this place. We started with chickens and eggs, then goats, then guardian dogs. The soap came later, when we had more milk than we could use and wanted to make something that people could actually hold in their hands.

Why we use goat milk

Goat milk has fat in it, and fat makes soap that does not dry your skin out the way some bars do. Our Nigerian Dwarf goats produce milk that is higher in butterfat than many other breeds, which is one reason people who make cheese and soap often choose this breed.

We milk our goats, strain the milk, and refrigerate it until we are ready to make a batch. The milk goes into the soap fresh. We do not reconstitute powder or add water to stretch it.

How we make it

We use the cold process method. That means we mix lye with the goat milk, add oils, and pour the mixture into molds. The chemical reaction between the lye and the fats creates soap and glycerin. The glycerin stays in the bar, which is why handmade soap feels different from commercial soap that has had the glycerin removed.

After we pour the molds, the soap needs four to six weeks to cure. During that time the bars harden and the last of the lye finishes reacting. We do not rush this. A bar that cures longer lasts longer in your shower.

What we make

We make unscented soap for people who do not want fragrance, and we make scented bars for people who do. Our Baby Pail Unscented Goat Milk Soap has no added scent, which is why parents with small children often choose it. Clean Slate is another plain option.

Our scented bars use fragrance oils or essential oils. Purple Fields has lavender. Cold Creek is a clean, sharp scent that wakes you up. First Light smells like a good morning on the farm. Field Hand Goat Milk Soap is made for people who work with their hands and want something that cleans without being fussy about it.

We also make a few other products with goat milk. Our Field Hand Goat Milk Aftershave Balm is something you put on your face after you shave, and the Field Hand Beard Oil is for people who have a beard and want to keep it from looking like a dried-out broom. We make Goat Milk Shampoo and Shampaaaa Conditioner for your hair.

Small batches mean we can pay attention

We do not make thousands of bars at a time. We make what we can manage in our soap room, and we check each batch. If a bar does not come out right, we call it an irregular and sell it for less, or we do not sell it at all.

Small batches also mean we can try new things without committing to a year's supply of something that nobody ends up wanting. If a scent does not work, we stop making it. If people keep asking for something, we make more of it.

Where to find our soap

We sell directly from the farm and through our website. When you buy from us, you are buying from the people who milked the goats and poured the molds. We pack the box and take it to the post office.

We are in Great Falls, South Carolina, which is in Chester County, just west of Lancaster County. People from Lancaster, Rock Hill, Fort Mill, and Charlotte often drive out to pick up soap and eggs and meet the goats. We do not have regular store hours, but if you contact us ahead of time we can arrange a pickup.

Why people choose handmade soap

Some people have skin that gets dry or irritated from commercial soap, and they find that handmade goat milk soap does not cause the same problem. We cannot make medical claims, but we can tell you that goat milk is traditionally used by people with sensitive skin because it is gentle and moisturizing.

Other people just want to know where their soap came from and who made it. They want a bar that has ingredients they recognize, not a list of chemicals they have to look up. Our ingredients are goat milk, oils, lye, and whatever we add for scent. That is all.

Questions people ask

Does goat milk soap smell like goats?

No. Fresh goat milk does not smell like a barnyard, and neither does our soap. The unscented bars have a very mild, clean smell. The scented bars smell like whatever fragrance we added.

How long does a bar last?

That depends on how you use it and where you keep it. A bar that sits in a puddle of water will dissolve faster than one that drains and dries between uses. Most people get several weeks from one bar. We sell a soap saver dish that helps the bar last longer by letting it drain.

Can I visit the farm and see where you make the soap?

Yes, if you contact us ahead of time. We are a working farm, not a public store, so we are not always available. But we like meeting the people who use our soap, and we are happy to show you the goats and the soap room if we can arrange a time that works.