Thursday, March 25, 2010

Why our cold process and goat milk soaps


Crowley Manor Lotus Moon 2 weeks old!
After receiving a question from a prospective client early this morning: "What is the difference with cold process soap?" I had to go into the short ....really the long of it as to why I prefer this process....grab a cup of coffee, tea or glass of wine depending on the time of day...sit back and here goes:

Using goats' milk for skin care is a tradition almost as old as human kind. From ancient Near East cultures to modern European methods,
goats' milk has been recognized as a natural skin moisturizer and rejuvenator. Thus, goats' milk soap remains a natural choice for skin care.
Unlike cows' or sheeps' milk, goats' milk contains capric(1) and caprylic(2) acids, as well as naturally occurring triglycerides. When used in soap, this results in a lower pH level that of most commercially prepared soaps, and is much closer to the normal pH level of healthy human hair and skin.

Correct pH helps your skin remain protected, clean and healthy, so the skin cells can breathe as they should. Not only does goats' milk in soap help to maintain correct skin pH, but it contributes additional moisturizing cream to skin and hair cells.
Unlike cows' milk which must be mechanically homogenized, goats' milk is already homogenized in its native state. Goats' milk molecules are comparatively smaller than those of cows, being composed of short-chain fatty acids with smaller-sized proteins. This makes goats' milk more accessible for absorption into the skin.Goat's milk is more digestible in the intestines when it is ingested as food, for the same reasons. The short-chain fatty acids break down six times faster than cows' larger, long-chain fats. This, in conjunction with the unique acidic content and the structure of its component fats, makes goat's milk a viable choice for people who either have allergies to usual dairy products, digestion difficulties, or highly sensitive skin.Our Goats' milk soap is a natural, organic by-product of non-commercial farming, and is a productive and ethical use of surplus milk during the milking season.

Goats' milk soap helps maintain correct skin pH, is a rich, natural moisturizer, bringing with it restorative vitamins, minerals and proteins, and is gentle on even very sensitive skin.The milk Crowley Manor uses comes directly from our own dairy goat herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats, renowned for the highest butterfat content available in dairy goat breeds. Our herd feeds freely on native brome and orchard grasses and protein rich alfalfa, supplemented with grain, which provides the animals with a high-quality varied diet, and contributes to the richness of their milk. And our mountain well water, also rich in minerals. We filter and use only the freshest of this milk in our soap products.

Crowley Manor’s Goats' Milk Soap is especially high in rich, creamy butterfat content 16% or more. Each bar is superfatted (the use of sodium hydroxide is discounted) to provide additional unsaponified fatty acids to nurture and moisturize the skin.

Each soap batch is made to time tested specifications, one batch at a time to ensure consistent quality control. They are then time-cured, hand-cut and individually packaged for resale.

Our soaps are as durable as triple-milled soaps, but offer the additional benefit of glycerin, which occurs naturally during the saponification process, unlike milled soaps which has the glycerin stripped away for more profitable cosmetics uses.

We pride ourselves in making a product that is as close to nature as possible, using only organic base oils of extra virgin olive oil, rice bran oil, palm oil and coconut oil with our own proprietary calibration to ensure a long lasting, moisturizing and very rich in lather bar of soap.

Our essential oil soap line is enhanced with swirls of natural iron oxides, Rhassoul and Illite clays, sea mud, or botanicals of our choosing for additional skin benefit, with the incorporation of goat milk in some instances.

The fragrance line only uses top shelf fragrances, free of phthalates* and again is enhanced with sea mud, clays and/or botanicals and iron oxides.

Notes:
1 Capric Acid: Fatty acid found in Cows and goats milk, and coconut
2 Caprylic Acid: Fatty acid works as an antiviral, antifungal, boosts energy, effective against e coli and salmonella, Because of its unique chemical structure caprylic acid is able to seep through the outside shell of the mitochondria where it can then be broken down to release energy. In this way your overall energy levels are increased, which helps aid recovery. The mitochondria are small organs within your cells that are responsible for producing all the energy needed by your tissues. (Health Sciences Institute).

Copyright Crowley Manor, LLC 2009. Please do not reproduce without prior approval.


Tuesday, March 2, 2010

First Goat babies of Spring 2010














Certainly enough, just as last year our Lilly Blue decided to wait until it snowed to kid, again!

We are now blessed with three new kids, two doelings and one buckling. One doeling and the buckling (who will be wethered) were already pre-purchased. Our goat kids always seem to go quickly. I am retaining the first choice doeling for our herd and thus have named her Crowley Manor Lotus Moon. She will make such a lovely addition to the farm and in time will bless us with kids of her own. Lotus takes after her mom Lilly Blue and I just could not be more pleased. Of course as soon as the sun is up, and I am lucky if it's 10 deg. outside I am off to feed all and get my snuggle time in with the kids.

There is nothing sweeter on a cold morning..that is if you are partial to some goat kisses to cuddle one of those little ones. They tuck themselves right into the crook of your arms and look up to you with those big eyes and perky ears. Lotus's ears are big enough, you would think she could take flight :).

As I visit with the little ones and breathe in the morning's air, it is always a good time to ponder life and our blessings, and of course also a quiet time for me to think of what lovely new product will be made from the bounty of our little goat farm. So keep checking back, as you never know, what may come next. Now time for me to get to work!