A Clean Calling

The founder of Naked Goat Soap Company in Hanover left corporate America for a life that includes self-care.

Hints of juicy citrus and spice float through the air. The enchanting scent is hard to ignore as it inspires one to pause and reflect on the soothing notes. It’s almost as if a tranquility potion was secretly released, and perhaps it was, by the magic of Naked Goat Soap Company.

Handcrafted with some of the finest ingredients, Naked Goat’s products are designed to encourage moments of self-care in a world that’s constantly in a rush.

Founded by Heather Long in 2014, the Hanover-based small business was established during a personal search for happiness. Long, who had been working in corporate America for 15 years at the time, was starting to feel burnt out. Her husband encouraged her to quit and do something that she was passionate about.

“We live on a farm and kept some goats mainly for fun,” says Long, who grew up in Henrico. “I was left with this beautiful milk and I was wondering what to do with it.” The couple researched more about what could be done and soon came up with a signature soap formula. She no longer has her beloved herd that motivated this self-care journey, but their legacy lives on.

Naked Goat Soap Company’s Botanica soap is one of six unique scents. Photo by Scott Elmquist

Since its creation, Long’s business has grown to offer an assortment of luxurious goods ranging from perfumes to lip balms. “Being able to offer products that inspire a ritual to slow down and take care of yourself is so important,” she says. “Having worked in corporate America and having raised kids you’re going thousands of miles an hour and you kind of skip over things for yourself.”

One of Long’s most iconic offerings is her soap bar. She has produced a signature line that features six unique scents: Cactus, Botanica, Luna, Grove, Naked and Tupelo. While seasonal bars are sometimes available, these are Naked Goat’s staples. “I worked really hard to get a signature recipe for these bars,” says Long. “After first making soaps, I had all these different scents but I’ve narrowed it down to offer these.”

While the soaps are made regularly, the beginning of the year is when production takes off. “They take so long to cure so for the first quarter, we usually crank out as many bar soaps as we can,” she says. Just as with wine, the older the soaps are, the more exquisite. “The longer they cure the better they are,” says Long. “We don’t try to rush things.”

The process

After gathering and mixing ingredients, Long uses an immersion blender to trace the liquid. It then sits in a custom mold for at least 24 hours before being pulled out and sliced into bars. Long pours soap in 60-pound batches and makes anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000 soap bars annually.

Unused scraps get sent to Eco Soap Bank, a nonprofit organization that gathers these items from soapmakers and sends them to communities in developing nations. “As makers, we end up with a lot of bars that you can’t aesthetically put on the shelf or a lot of shavings when we cut edges before boxing,” says Long. “I usually end up with about 50-60 pounds of soap I can’t do anything with.”

Pink Sky Body Polish

For Long, each soap is lovingly crafted with intention. “My Luna bar is made with lavender and juniper berry for a more calming experience. There’s also a botanical one with eucalyptus and peppermint that’s great for headaches and sinus problems,” she says. “All these soaps have a purpose.” And while the fragrances are divine, they’re deliberately mild. “I think when showering or bathing scents should be reserved for that experience,” says Long. “You shouldn’t be smelling like soap all day.”

Naked Goat’s signature soaps will always hold a special place in Long’s heart but the facial soap line is quickly becoming one of her favorites, particularly Eden. “I make that with hemp seed oil, rose, geranium and hydrosol,” she says. “It’s gentle and smells amazing. It’s really beautiful.”

Operating out of her Hanover farm studio, the atelier, built in 2020, is where everything happens. A self-taught artist, Long has learned many secrets of soapmaking over the past decade. Sometimes ideas work, other times they don’t. It’s all about experimenting and observation.

“If I’m making soaps with resinous and essential oils, they can be tricky because you have to move quickly,” she says. “I’ve also learned that certain things don’t work well as a bar soap but do well as a liquid one.”

For extra guidance, Long often collaborates with friends, like Apothec’s Tricia Boor, a master aesthetician who she often pings ideas back and forth with. “One of the coolest things I get to do is meet other makers and work with other small businesses,” she says.

While her studio is designed strictly for manufacturing, pop-ups and open studio hours are sometimes held. Customers can stop by to chat, shop the shelves or get refills. Long also often visits area markets, especially around Christmas, and has collaborated with many local businesses over the years, like Carytown Teas and Sun & Selene.

“I love what I do – this is my calling,” says Long. “Being able to support my family and live my life in a way that honors that is incredibly fulfilling.”

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