Many of our soaps contain goat milk. This milk is from Storybook Farm, where our goat-milk soaps are still handcrafted. Goat milk is good, and good for you, inside and out! We also make a few bars with no animal products for our vegan friends. You’ll find bar-specific information in soap descriptions.

If you are new to handmade soaps in general, you’ll notice a big difference from commercial bars right away! Why? Briefly, here are a few major factors:

• Commercial soap bars are often classified as “detergents!” Invented in Germany during the WWII years, most commercial soaps are synthetic — often petroleum-based — cleansers that can absorb the natural oils that your body needs for healthy skin, thus leading to skin disorders, drying, and rashes.
• Many manufacturers add synthetic dyes, lathering agents, fragrances, preservatives, and other chemicals to soap bars in order to increase shelf life of the bars and their longevity. As with food additives, many names of soap additives are not things that we are familiar with!
• Most commercial soap makers remove glycerine (a natural byproduct of the chemical reaction between lye and oils that creates natural soap) and sell it for other purposes — like to the cosmetic industry for moisturizer lotions! Glycerine is a humectant—meaning it draws moisture from the air to your skin—leaving your skin soft and moisturized. Artisan soaps retain their glycerine.

Stop in a grocery store some time and read the labels on soap bars. Can you understand all of the ingredients listed? With our natural, handmade soaps, you will understand all the ingredients on the label (and please read them to make sure that you have no allergies to the oils/butters in the soaps).

Our handmade soaps FEEL completely different from commercial bars. They feel smoother and more silky, and produce lovely, creamy lather with many bubbles. They do not strip away external layers of your skin while cleansing. Thus, they cleanse gently while the glycerin in them attracts moisture to your skin. Many of our bars contain charcoal or clays that naturally add color, deeper cleansing, and beauty to the bars. Some bars contain salt, or pumice, or other gently exfoliating elements.

We do make a few unscented bars for those sensitive to fragrances, but most of our bars are scented with essential oils to give soothing and delightful aromas as you bathe.

It is important to care for artisan soaps by using a proper soap dish (or tray). The soap bar needs to air dry quickly in order to last as long as possible. Be sure to put your soaps on a tray that lifts the bar above residual water, and allows that water to drain away quickly, or if you are buying our soap on a rope, you can hang your bar in the shower!

If you don’t have such a soap dish, we sell some very inexpensive ones in our shop, and also higher priced ones that are pretty (and also fun!) that you can purchase with your soap bars. They are part of the “stuff” we sell besides beautiful soap bars.

Before you shop… a few things to know about us…

We handcraft artisan soaps using only natural ingredients: skin-nourishing butters and oils, foods (such as oatmeal or honey), essential oils, clays, herbs, charcoal, and — in most — goat milk!

Our inventory is constantly changing, so you’ll need to visit often to see what kinds of soaps are currently available. We are not a large shop producing hundreds of identical bars. Each batch is unique, though many can be duplicated approximately. We post bars just after they are made and allow customers to order, thus reserving them until their curing time (2 weeks minimum) is done, then ship them. Some bars may be fully cured by the time you see them, and thus available immediately.

A few of our soap bars do not contain goat milk; they tend to be either vegan friendly or have unusual ingredients—such as turmeric or coffee. Each bar description on our shop will tell you the basic ingredients.

And, we can make custom recipes on occasion (minimum order: 10 bars) for such things as weddings or baby showers/gifts. Lead time on these is at least six weeks because of necessary cure times. Email us at storybook.farm.wv@gmail.com.

Our standard bars weigh an average of 4 oz each. Most are approximately 3.75″ tall x 2.5″ wide x 1″ deep; about perfect for most everyone’s hands. Some, especially those made with men in mind, are chunkier and thus heavier.

Our pricing is simple:

• $8.00 for a single bar of soap, with a 20% discount for three or more bars purchased in one order (so, $6.40/bar w/discount).
• Flat rate $8.00 shipping on all orders to the United States only, via USPS.
• If you live local to us, you can pick up your soaps at our farm by appointment.