P.J. Jonas talks about her soap business, Goat Milk Stuff

October 16, 2010

Living green is standard at the Jonas household. In fact, it has evolved into a thriving business opportunity -- GoatMilkStuff.com -- in which our whole family is involved.

As a mom of eight children (ages 3 to 13 with no multiples), I was concerned about all the harsh chemicals in the soaps and shampoos my children used on their skin. We already had several dairy goats on our small Charlestown farm that we used for healthy, raw milk.

Since I knew that goat milk was not only healthy to drink but wonderful for our skin, I began making our own chemical-free goat-milk soap for our family.

We quickly fell in love with the wonderful scent and the silky-soft way the soap made our skin feel. But the amazing part was that shortly after using our soap, my husband, Jim, noticed his fingertips stopped cracking and peeling the way they always had.

We shared our soap with family and friends and it soon became apparent that our goat-milk soap was helping their sensitive and dry skin problems as well. We began selling our soap at festivals, which ultimately led to an online business at GoatMilkStuff.com. We've expanded our line of soaps to include liquid soap, solid lotions, bath soap, lip balms and laundry soap.

Instead of using plastic shrink-wrap, we package our soaps in cotton bags, which is better for the environment.

But living green is about more than just doing the obvious. For example, we don't apply extra heat to our soap to rush the curing process. Instead, we let the soap cure naturally for six weeks. This saves energy and leads to a gentler, creamier, longer-lasting soap.

There are so many educational opportunities that are available to our home-schooled children because we live and work green. Gardening, raising goats, conserving energy, and helping with the business all lead to fun times and skills that are enhancing their lives and their educations.

Going green has worked for us as a family and as a business. We're able to support our family and the environment while doing our part to provide the world with natural soap that isn't filled with unhealthy chemicals.

As told to Star reporter T.J. Banes at (317) 444-6815.

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