IamA guy who hand makes goat milk soap (I am not high, and I meant to do this) AMA!

Is it possible to make soap out of human boob milk?

I’m sure it is possible, but not very marketable, in my opinion.

what makes goats milk worth making soap out of? how is it different than normal soap?

Great question. Goat milk has a lot of moisturizing qualities that really help out your skin. It is a natural product that doesn't require special chemicals to help it adsorb into your skin like a lot of commercial lotions have. It has a lot of vitamin A that helps repair damaged skin. There are also a lot of minerals in there too, like selenium, that have moisturizing qualities.

is it better than human fat? im sorry this has just been a build up to a fighclub joke... but i am glad i learned something. if i see goats milk soap at a farmers market (is that where you sell it?) i will try some.

To clear this up now you can't make soap from human fat, well good soap. If animal fat is used it has to be tallow. Tallow is a hard fat from around the kidneys of cows. As a kid we used this but it make for a very heavy bar of soap that doesn't lather well. Now I only use olive, coconut and other plant based oils.

like i said, im sorry for the dumb fightclub joke. its the 4th and im kinda drunk. that being said, how would i find home made soaps? farmers market? i really would try them.

You can find them there, i would suggest going to my website, http://www.sageandlinneasoap.com/ , but I might be biased.

i like the site. might i suggest adding the phrase "I make and sell soap" to it. REAL RESPONSE HERE i have hard water, is artisan soap any different in those conditions?

It isn't. If you use a water softener it will feel like you are a little slippery but that is because the soap isn't leaving behind a residue you are used too with commercial soaps.

i am using a softener. and i always feel slimy. brb ordering soap. thanks for putting up with the dumb fightclub jokes.

If you feel slimy after you are dry that is no good. If you are wet that is a product of the salt that replaces your hard water (calcium and magnesium) pulling the glycerol out of the soap. As in fight club, you can pull glycerol out of the soap by adding salt. Glycerol is a good thing for your skin, but most of the glycerol that gets made in the soap making process gets pulled out of the finished product in large companies as it can be sold for a much high price for other industrial uses.

I had a goat named Cheerios as a kid (no pun intended... although, it's a good one). Goats are the best. Did you always have goats? What is your favorite goats name?

Ya I grew up with a ton of goats. I had kept one as a pet when I was a kid and named him Tumnus from the lion the witch and the wardrobe. I liked to push on his head and then he would chase me and head but me. It was fun until he got to be a big guy and just pounce on me.

How do you go around selling it? On the streets or is it demanded by pharmacies and stores?

I have a few local stores I go to, word of mouth is the biggest way so far, but I am looking to expand into a real business not just a hobby. Now I am looking to break into the internet market.

What kind of stores do you approach? Which ones have the best sales?

I am building a relationship with a chiropractor and looking to get into his office. I also live in a tourist town so there are a lot of places that sell locally made things. I'm not in a store now but as a kid the best stores my Mom sold out of were feed stores. We were in a small Texas town though so feed stores were the place to go for soap I guess.

why soap? goat milk and goat cheese seem a bit more practical. what are major selling points of goat milk soap vs glycerin based soap?

When I was a kid and we had the full farm going we sold cheese, yogurt, kifer, milk, and soap. Now I don't have that much time to run a full farm and go to school. Soap made the most sense from a business stand point as it is non perishable and the margins are better then the rest (less spoil and waste)

Goat milk soap has glycerin in it. Glycerin is a product that is made when the saponification process happens. What you are doing is taking a tri-glyceride fat, liberating the glycerin backbone and turning the fatty acids into soap, or surfactant. The soap part cleans and the glycerin (glycerol, same compound different name) is healthy for your skin. Goat milk has added vitamins, nutrients and exfoliating properties then strait glycerin soap.

How did you make your kefir?

Much like yogurt but a different culture. It's like a drinkable yogurt if you have never had it.

can i eat it?

you can, but it wouldn't be good. http://cheddarbay.com/0000celebrityfiles/films/christmasstory/soappoisoning.jpg

Have you tried accepting crypto currencies? I know the shibes over at /r/dogecoin usually go crazy whenever a smaller business shows up and wants to accept doge!

I haven't, but it would be cool. Just have to collect a ton and hold on to them for when they go big like Bitcoins...

Bob Saget and Steve Buscemi. Who would win in a fight?

Bob is a bad ass but I think Steve would win from strait wileness.

Is the process difficult? And how much time does it take for it to be made? Also, is it actually sold a lot?

The process isn't inherently difficult but there is a lot of little things that effect the quality of the finished soap. I use a basic cold process ( you can Google it) but have made a lot of tweeks from years of making it with my mom and now my better understanding of the chemical process (saponification) of making soap.

A usually make two batches at a time and it takes me about 4 hours.

Ya there is a lot of this stuff out there. I might be biased but I think I make a very good product. I used to make it and give it out as Christmas presents to people I know but then they wanted to start buying off me and it has grown from there.

[deleted]

Shhh, you'll blow my cover. Instead of a laundry above me I have this.

At what age did you begin learning to make the soap? At what age did you stop? What made you decide to go back to it?

I started when I was around 14. I remember boiling down tallow (fat) on the front porch on Saturdays, not fun. I did that for quite a few years than didn't get back into it tell I was about 23. I have been making it for myself, family and friends for the last 5 years and now in the last year looking to grow this into something I can at least help support myself as I finish my Master's degree.

Do you know what a duvet is?

Yes, I am under one right now. Getting them in there cover is the worst part about laundry day.

What's your favorite kind of sandwich?

Potbelly's Mediterranean with chicken.

this one?

Ya but you got to throw chicken on it, non of that vegetarian stuff.

Does it have that goaty smell or taste?

No! This is one thing I can not stand and don't taste it, it's soap.

When will you have more blood orange goat soap?

I have it made allready but it will be 3 weeks before it is cured enough to sell.

Are you high?

nope!

Do you wanna build a snowman... using goat's milk?

No, Frozen goats milk looks yellow and like pee ice...

1. Did you order the poo poo platter?

2. Would you like to order some cream of sumyungai

1. Wasn't me, try two AMA's over.
2. You can keep that, I got my own.