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| Making Our Soap |
Special Goats
Make Special Soap
My name is Marsha Louk, owner of Laurel Fork Farm. Our soap starts
with the gentle and loving care of my Nubian Goats to get the most
important ingredient, goat milk. Proper care is necessary for the does
to produce the best quality as well as quantity of milk. My goats are
milked twice a day and are rewarded after each milking with animal
cookies.
The second ingredient is sodium hydroxide. Without lye there would
be no chemical reaction to form soap.
The rest of the ingredients are part of my secret soap recipe that my
mentor Debbie taught me how to make. Debbie is
Make Special Soap
My name is Marsha Louk, owner of Laurel Fork Farm. Our soap starts
with the gentle and loving care of my Nubian Goats to get the most
important ingredient, goat milk. Proper care is necessary for the does
to produce the best quality as well as quantity of milk. My goats are
milked twice a day and are rewarded after each milking with animal
cookies.
The second ingredient is sodium hydroxide. Without lye there would
be no chemical reaction to form soap.
The rest of the ingredients are part of my secret soap recipe that my
mentor Debbie taught me how to make. Debbie is
the breeder where I got my Nubian goats and a wonderful teacher of many crafts. I have been making lye soap for several
years made from lard that I rendered myself from butchered pigs on our farm. I wanted to learn to make a more gentle soap
and with my love of goats it all just came together. With Debbie’s guidance I have learned how to make my own soap recipes
and have developed a very smooth, sudsy soap that is gentle enough to use on babies as well as a rougher version that
works well on laundry stains.
I use lots of different molds and sometimes just cut the soap into squares with a knife to appeal to a large variety of
customers. I use only mild fragrance to keep the soap very mild and gentle which is what goat milk soap is known for.
People with allergies often search for this type of soap. I don’t use any coloring in my soap though the colors vary from an
off white shade to a dark caramel color. The reason is that the milk will turn different colors according to the temperature
that it is when it is introduced to the rest of the oils in a recipe. After it cures it usually gets a shade darker than when it was
poured.
I package all of my soap myself and really like giving each and every bar that special little touch that makes each one
unique. No two are the same and this is how I like it. This is not just the product of a hobby, this is the product of a love of
goats, a love of the lost art of making soap from scratch, and a love of seeing people smile when they find the perfect gift.
This is my special soap.
I am very proud of what we sell and am so confident that you will love our handmade goat milk soap that we offer you a
money-back guarantee on our products.
Thank you for visiting our website!
years made from lard that I rendered myself from butchered pigs on our farm. I wanted to learn to make a more gentle soap
and with my love of goats it all just came together. With Debbie’s guidance I have learned how to make my own soap recipes
and have developed a very smooth, sudsy soap that is gentle enough to use on babies as well as a rougher version that
works well on laundry stains.
I use lots of different molds and sometimes just cut the soap into squares with a knife to appeal to a large variety of
customers. I use only mild fragrance to keep the soap very mild and gentle which is what goat milk soap is known for.
People with allergies often search for this type of soap. I don’t use any coloring in my soap though the colors vary from an
off white shade to a dark caramel color. The reason is that the milk will turn different colors according to the temperature
that it is when it is introduced to the rest of the oils in a recipe. After it cures it usually gets a shade darker than when it was
poured.
I package all of my soap myself and really like giving each and every bar that special little touch that makes each one
unique. No two are the same and this is how I like it. This is not just the product of a hobby, this is the product of a love of
goats, a love of the lost art of making soap from scratch, and a love of seeing people smile when they find the perfect gift.
This is my special soap.
I am very proud of what we sell and am so confident that you will love our handmade goat milk soap that we offer you a
money-back guarantee on our products.
Thank you for visiting our website!
| Copyright 2007 by Laurel Fork Farm. All Rights Reserved. |
| Testimonials |
I am so excited to share your soap with my family and my sister especially for Christmas!! I know none of them have ever
used REAL goats milk soap! When my sister was visiting this summer she took a shower in my shower and came out and
told me.."I couldn't find the body wash so I was hesitant to use the bar soap in there cause I had no idea what the heck it
was, but it made my skin so soft (I have a water softener machine and it really makes the soap feel silky) and then it made it
feel squeaky clean, what the heck is it?" I laughed and told her and she was amazed!
Anyway...thanks for listening and creating a soap that lasts so long and I love for my skin!
Lisa, Florida
used REAL goats milk soap! When my sister was visiting this summer she took a shower in my shower and came out and
told me.."I couldn't find the body wash so I was hesitant to use the bar soap in there cause I had no idea what the heck it
was, but it made my skin so soft (I have a water softener machine and it really makes the soap feel silky) and then it made it
feel squeaky clean, what the heck is it?" I laughed and told her and she was amazed!
Anyway...thanks for listening and creating a soap that lasts so long and I love for my skin!
Lisa, Florida
| If you would like to leave a testimonial, feel free to contact us through our contact page. We love to hear from our customers. |
I have been using Marsha's soap and lotion since I found it last winter while skiing at Timberline (found it in the pro-shop)
this is best feeling soap and lotion I have tried, and I have sampled and bought for years; never finding one to stick with.
The lotion is so light feeling and that is important living in Florida with the heat but really moisturizes! As for the soap it
feels like showering with silk and leaves my skin feeling so nice. As long as i can purchase it i will continue to use only
this product!! Thanks Marsha for such quality items.
Kathy, Florida
this is best feeling soap and lotion I have tried, and I have sampled and bought for years; never finding one to stick with.
The lotion is so light feeling and that is important living in Florida with the heat but really moisturizes! As for the soap it
feels like showering with silk and leaves my skin feeling so nice. As long as i can purchase it i will continue to use only
this product!! Thanks Marsha for such quality items.
Kathy, Florida
I just wanted you to know, I'm almost certain that my mom will be a life-long customer of yours because she loves the goat
milk lotion and soap because of the way it makes her skin feel when she uses it.
Stephanie, WV
milk lotion and soap because of the way it makes her skin feel when she uses it.
Stephanie, WV
| Welcome To Laurel Fork Farm Located in the Beautiful Mountains of West Virginia |
In 1908, the community of Jenningston in Tucker County was a lumber boom-town and home to several thriving
businesses, including a sawmill, machine shop, hotel, restaurant and several stores. It was a hub of activity where the
sounds of sawmills and railroad cars once filled the air. Now, only abandoned building foundations and photographs
are all that remain, a small reminder of this time-gone-by town.
The area where the town square once stood lies quietly and placidly along the Laurel Fork River. But Jenningston is
once again home to a thriving business, as Marsha Louk and her life partner, Kendall Waybright, along with the help
of Kendall’s mother, Dorothy, have turned the Waybright’s acreage along the river into a haven of activity. Although
not nearly so noisy as the lumberyards of yesteryear, the family’s new business venture — Laurel Fork Farm where
they make natural soap and skin care products using milk produced from a herd of 24 Nubian goats — is becoming
quite busy as Tucker County’s newest entrepreneurship has just been accepted by the jurists at the highly acclaimed
and prestigious Tamarack.
In most families, the kitchen table can be the most important piece of furniture in the house. It’s a place for homework,
bills, family meals and discussions. In the case of the Waybright family, it’s become a place that has changed their
lives.
Louk’s kitchen table is instrumental in creating a financially secure future for her family. It’s where she began the family’
s home-based business almost two years ago.
“Instead of spending my life working for someone else, I decided that I wanted to live my own dream,” Louk said.
After operating the business for a few months, Louk realized that her decision to work from home gave her all she
could ask for in a career — time for her children, Collin and Kendra, flexibility and a lifestyle that allowed her to work
on the farm. “My kids help me every chance they get. They love the farm and all the animals, and often help me milk
the goats, fill lotion bottles or whatever they can,” Louk said.
A year and a half after the venture began, Louk now runs her own successful business, and enjoys her passion for
animals and gardening in the process.
Laurel Fork Farm’s business continues to grow as its customer base steadily increases. Louk also has accounts from
as far away as California.
Locally, in addition to the new Tamarack account, Laurel Fork Farm’s skin care products are sold at a number of local
area businesses including MountainMade in Thomas, Canaan Valley Resort, Canaan Trading Co., Gifts to Go in
Parsons, Expressions Gift Shop in Elkins, Lambert’s store on Middle Mountain and Mountain Trail Rides Tack and Gift
Shop in Canaan Valley. This year, as an advertising partner, Laurel Fork Farm will have several goats on site at the
new Barnyard Babies Petting Zoo, which will open at Mountain Trail Rides on May 17.
“We’re excited about opening the petting zoo and having Marsha’s goats here for people to pet and play with this
year,” said Kim Bennett of Mountain Trail Rides. “Her handmade soaps and lotions are already a big hit with our gift
shop customers, and I believe the products will become even more popular after people get to see and pet the goats
first-hand at the petting zoo.
“Most of our customers come from the northern Virginia-Washington, D.C., area where everyone is so environmentally
conscious these days about additives and preservatives. They come here to Canaan Valley to get back to nature,”
Bennett said. “I’m sure that the goats themselves will become just as popular as the skin-care products Marsha makes
from their milk, and we’re hoping that we’ll be able to let the petting zoo visitors watch one of the goats get milked from
time to time.”
At Laurel Fork Farm, the goats are milked by hand twice daily to get the most important ingredient for the soap —
goat milk. Many other products, including bath milk, lip balm, bath salts, shaving soap and salves, are also made with
all-natural materials.
“Some of the salves I make have been handed down for generations, and some I have concocted myself,” Louk said.
One salve — Grandpa Grover’s salve — was named after her father, Grover Louk.
“I am currently working on an all-natural tooth soap, making my own vanilla extract, soy candles and lots more. I will
post new products on my Web site (www.laurelforkfarm.com) as I release them.
“We don’t experiment on animals,” Louk joked. “We use all of our products ourselves and most of our friends
volunteer to try them out before I add them to the Web site. Only the best recipes are kept and made for the public.”
When asked what Marsha thought has led to her success, the business-minded mother of two said, “I would first like to
thank God for his grace, my wonderful family who has helped me so much, Debbie and Tony Tiburzi at Little Cove
Farm for my beautiful Nubian goats, and the support of the Harman Presbyterian Church and community. Everyone
has encouraged me, especially the Harman Senior Center and just everyone in the community” who kind words and
support have had a tremendous impact. “One more person that I need to give a special thanks is Tracy Walker, the
veterinarian that has continued to work with my herd to keep every one of them happy and healthy.”
Below is an article on our farm that was published on April 26, 2008 by a local
newspaper called The Intermountain. You may visit their web site at
www.theintermountain.com to get our local news.
newspaper called The Intermountain. You may visit their web site at
www.theintermountain.com to get our local news.
My Aunt Charlotte gave me one of your shaving cups for Christmas and I have to say, you have that stuff nailed down I love it. Hey, I am heading to Egypt for a year or so and I will need a good supply of your shaving soap. I figure I should need about 8 ounces in a container with a strong lid. Chris, United States Air Force Laurel Fork Farm would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our service men and women who have given so much to protect our wonderful country. We are praying for you every day and would like to invite you to contact us if you need special prayer, pen pals from our youth group at church, or anything that you may need. We offer special discounts for all of our service people. Take care and God Bless |
I was diagnosed with pityriasis, it is a dry bumpy rash that itches. The doctor said it would last up to 8 weeks. It was
suggested I use goats milk soap to help sooth the rash. I used Laurel Fork Farm's soap for 4 weeks and the rash went
away. Keep up the good work. Thanks Marsha
Phebie,WV
suggested I use goats milk soap to help sooth the rash. I used Laurel Fork Farm's soap for 4 weeks and the rash went
away. Keep up the good work. Thanks Marsha
Phebie,WV