Natural Soap: Castile & Cocoa

Regular handwashing is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) says that for good hand hygiene all you need is plain soap and water.

Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire community.

Five simple and effective steps can help reduce the spread of illness so you, your family, your friends and the general public can stay healthy.

Hand washing is a win for everyone . . . except for the germs!

CDC recommends cleaning hands in a specific way to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. The guidance for effective hand washing was developed based on data from a number of studies.

Wash often and follow these five steps every time you wash your hands!

1. Wet your hands with clean, warm running water and apply soap.

• When dealing with cold and flu viruses, as you wash your hands the soap molecule burrows its way into the fatty envelope of a virus and literally pulls the virus apart.
  

2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap.

• Soap and friction help lift dirt, grease, and microbes—including disease-causing germs—from the skin so they can be rinsed down the drain.
• Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
  
  

3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.

• Lathering and scrubbing hands creates friction, which helps lift dirt, grease, and microbes from skin.
• The entire hand should be scrubbed. Microbes are present on all of the wrinkly surfaces of the hand, especially under the nails.
• How long are 20 seconds? About the amount of time it takes to hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
• The ideal length of time for handwashing can depend on other factors for example, if hands are very dirty or if you are caring for someone is ill.
• Evidence suggests that washing hands for about 15-30 seconds removes more germs from hands than washing for shorter periods.
  
  

4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.

• If you are using a public restroom use a paper towel to turn off the faucet after hands have been rinsed.
  
  

5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

To date, studies have shown that there is no added health benefit for consumers (this does not include professionals in the healthcare setting) using soaps containing antibacterial ingredients compared with using plain soap.

Information is taken from the CDC.gov website

Read our blog "Simple Soap Can Help Decrease the Spread Of Viruses"

Why Use Chagrin Valley Natural Soap?

People choose Chagrin Valley Soap for many reasons, but they all begin with one simple belief: a soap can only be as good as the ingredients, knowledge, and care that go into creating it.

Here are twelve reasons our customers choose our handmade natural soap:

It's Real Soap

Every bar is made through the traditional process of saponification using organic plant oils and butters—not synthetic detergents.

We Begin with Exceptional Ingredients

We use certified organic plant oils, botanicals, clays, herbs, and pure essential oils chosen for their unique benefits.

We Leave Out Ingredients Your Skin Doesn't Need

No synthetic detergents, artificial fragrances, artificial colors, filler ingredients, or unnecessary additives.

Our Soap Helps Keep Skin Naturally Moisturized

High-quality oils, generous superfatting, and naturally retained glycerin help create a mild, conditioning bar.

The Scents Come from Real Plants

Every scent begins with a real plant—not a synthetic fragrance oil.

At Chagrin Valley, we scent our soaps only with pure botanical essential oils. Many of our recipes also include aromatic herbs, spices, flowers, and other plant ingredients that contribute their own subtle, authentic aromas.

We believe the scent of a soap should reflect the integrity of the ingredients that go into every bar.

Our Recipes Support Healthy Skin

Gentle cleansing and thoughtfully selected ingredients help respect your skin's natural balance.

Our Soaps Create Rich, Creamy Lather Naturally

Beautiful lather comes from carefully balanced plant oils—not synthetic foam boosters.

Quality Is Worth the Investment

An extraordinary bar of soap isn't made by accident. It begins with exceptional ingredients, expert formulation, and the patience to let every bar fully cure—creating a bar that does far more than simply cleanse your skin.

Our Soaps Are Kinder to the Environment

Organic ingredients, minimal packaging, and concentrated bar soap help reduce environmental impact.

Every Recipe Has a Purpose

Each bar is formulated to achieve a specific balance of cleansing, lather, conditioning, and skin feel.

Our Company Values Are Built into Every Bar

Organic certification, ethical sourcing, cruelty-free practices, and sustainable choices reflect our commitment to doing things the right way.

Every Purchase Makes a Difference

You are supporting a family-owned business committed to craftsmanship, transparency, and educating customers about natural skincare.

We do it all ourselves--from start to finish--from our hands to your hands--from our family to yours! Thank you!

🌿Want to learn more? Read our complete guide: Why Use Natural Soap? 12 Reasons to Choose Chagrin Valley Soap.

The Short Answer

NO! Adding antibacterial chemicals to soap does not keep your family safe from germs.

I understand why folks (especially those with children) are choosing products labeled “Antibacterial,” hoping to keep their family safe in the war against germs.

According to Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).

"Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water.

In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term.”

Simply washing your hands with old-fashioned natural soap and water rids your skin of most fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Soap does not kill germs, it surrounds them and carries them away.

The Long Answer

Please read our blog: Antibacterials: More Harm Than Good!

Short Answer

How long a natural soap bar will last depends on:

• how many people are using it
• how often you bathe or shower
• how you use the bar

For one person showering every day, a well-drained bar should last for about one month.

Longer Answer

Natural soaps are normally softer than commercial soaps because they retain their natural glycerin (which is removed in commercial soap production) and contain no artificial hardening chemicals, synthetic waxes or free alkali.

We also superfat our soaps (add extra oils or butters) and use "softer" oils so that Chagrin Valley natural soaps are more emollient and leave skin feeling moisturized.

Different oils impart different qualities to soap. Some add lathering qualities, some moisturizing, some hardness, and so on. Compared to other natural bars, we use a larger percentage of extra moisturizing and conditioning oils in our soaps and shampoo bars. These oils produce a bar that may not be as hard as bars with less conditioning oils.

How you use the bar will also affect its lifespan. For example, do you use a washcloth, an exfoliating accessory, or only the bar? Although exfoliating loofahs and sponges are great they will use up the soap much faster than a washcloth or the "only the bar" purists.

Our Natural Soap Will Last A Long Time With Proper Care

• Don't let your soap sit in water
• Store soap on a well-drained soap dish
• Allow soap plenty of fresh air to dry between uses
• Never place soap where shower water can continuously hit it
• If your bar ever gets waterlogged and becomes gooey, simply set it on a draining soap dish or stand it on its edge for a few days and let it dry out thoroughly

Cute Story: A customer called to say she loved our soaps but could not buy them anymore because they did not last as long as other soaps. A week later she called to place an order and apologize. Her husband, who would NEVER use her natural soaps before, fell in love with her new Juniper soap . . . and he showered twice a day!

To maximize the life of your soap, keep it in a well-drained soap dish so it can dry between uses.

We sell a handcrafted solid white oak soap dish. The deep ridges are perfect for keeping your all natural handcrafted soap dry between uses. White Oak is the wood used in shipbuilding.

A tip passed on by one of our customers whose kids always leave the soap in a water puddle: cut the large bars in halves. Then alternate the halves, allowing a longer drying time between uses.

Aren't all handmade natural soaps the same? . . .

The answer is NO!

Saying a soap is "handmade" says nothing about the quality of the ingredients or the knowledge and skill of the soapmaker!

Chagrin Valley is not just another soap and skincare company. We are committed to healthy skin, healthy people, and a healthy planet.

We are a USDA Certified Organic Company specializing in luxurious, organic, handmade natural soaps and shampoo bars rich in natural glycerin for healthier skin and hair.

It's all about the ingredients! Inspired by our love of nature, we use organic herbs, seeds, flowers, vegetables, fragrant spices, fruits, pure essential oils and purifying clays for their exceptional skincare benefits and to provide natural color, aromatherapy, texture, or gentle exfoliation. Nothing artificial, nothing synthetic, no GMO’s, just natural wholesome ingredients.

Chagrin Valley's Natural Soap & Shampoo Bars Are...

• all natural
• made with USDA Certified Organic ingredients
• handcrafted in small batches using the old-fashioned Cold Process Method
• made with sustainable and fair trade ingredients
• certified cruelty-free
• free of detergents
• free of synthetic fragrances
• free of synthetic colors
• free of artificial preservatives
• free of artificial foam boosters
• free of alcohol and petroleum products
• free of synthetic additives
• free of GMOs
• biodegradable
• mild and nourishing
• rich in natural glycerin
• magnificent long-lasting lather
• cured for 8 to 10 weeks

Our soapmaking process uses only natural and organic ingredients. Why add artificial ingredients to a handmade product?

"Are All Handmade Soaps The Same?"

"12 Reasons to Use Natural Soap"

The Short Answer

Yes And No!

Although handmade natural soaps usually get better with age, we recommend using our soaps within 12 months of purchase. Our scented soaps should be used within 3 months after removing them from the box.

Although the soaps will not be "spoiled" after that time, you may notice some changes as natural soap ages.

• some natural colors may fade over time
• the scents from pure natural essential oil scents will fade over time

The changes in color and scent happen even more quickly in our sample size bars.

These small natural soap bars have a much greater surface area to volume ratio which allows essential oils to evaporate from the surface more quickly. However, the scent may still be there when you lather up.

I have found some ancient bars hiding in my closet that years old. The scents were gone, but the lather was incredible!

The Long Answer

For a more detailed discussion please read our blog, "The Shelf Life, Color & Scent of an All Natural Soap."

How You Can Help Prolong Shelf-Life

• Natural soaps need to breathe. Exposure to air promotes hardening of your soap and contributes to longer-lasting quality. Soap should be left unwrapped in their boxes or wrapped with breathable materials. Tight wrappers cause humid conditions by preventing evaporation of moisture.
  
  
• Our soaps are packaged in breathable, recyclable, sustainable packaging! Keep your natural handmade soaps in a dry, cool place away from sunlight, excessive heat and humidity.
  
  
• Our scented soaps, like Lavender Rosemary, can be placed in a muslin bag, old clean sock, or wrapped in a piece of cloth and put in your linen closet or dresser drawer to give a delightful fragrance to your linens and clothes while waiting to be used.

Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve is a USDA Certified Organic Company

The most important consideration in any business is its customers. Today's world of misleading claims, false advertising, and simple deception, often leaves consumers trying to discover the truth about personal products and their ingredients.

• We want our customers to know that we are committed to transparency in everything we do.
• We want our customers to know that when we say "organic," we mean it.
• We believe that in becoming a USDA Certified Organic company, our customers do not have to wonder if we really use certified organic ingredients or if our organic products are truly organic.
• So we choose to be a certified organic company and abide by the strict standards required for organic certification.

Some of my favorite products are made with ingredients that just do not exist as certified organic. Why? At this time there are no standards created for ingredients specifically used in the personal care product industry. Organic certification of personal care products is based on the organic food standards set by the National Organic Program of the USDA.

But since we are a certified organic company, we are required to submit documentation that even our "non-organic ingredients" were produced without the use of toxic pesticides, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), sewage sludge, or irradiation.

• Why Most "Organic" Soap Bars Aren't Labeled Organic: Organic Labels Don’t Tell the Whole Story
• Certified Organic Skincare & Labels Decoded
• Why We Chose USDA Organic Certification—and Why It Matters
• Organic Soap & Shampoo: What Really Matters
• Why We Believe in Natural Skin Care

We use two different organic symbols on our product labels and website

Each symbol has a unique definition!

The "certified organic" labeling has been developed by the USDA and refers to organic claims and labeling on food and personal care products in the United States.

The USDA has very strict guidelines for the percentage of organic ingredients necessary to receive organic certification. Other countries have their own certification procedures, requirements, and standards. Labeling criteria and allowable ingredients differ from those in the US.

The USDA uses a structured labeling system based on the percentage of organic ingredients in a product (excluding water and salt-NaCl).

Products That Use the USDA Organic Seal

The USDA Organic Logo Label can be used on products that meet the standards of the first two tiers of the organic labeling system, in which 95 - 100% of all ingredients are certified organic.

Most of our non-soap products fall into this category and display the USDA logo!

Products That Use OEFFA Seal

Products made with 70–94.9% Organic Ingredients are labeled “Made with Organic ___” 

Products like our soaps and shampoo bars are 85–92% organic and fall into the “Made With Organic Ingredients” category.

Why Soap & Shampoo Bars? Because the soapmaking process requires lye — a non‑agricultural ingredient that makes up more than 5% of the formula — they cannot meet the 95% threshold, even though the rest of the ingredients are organic.

These products are not allowed to use the USDA organic seal. Instead, they may display the seal of our certifying agent and the words “Certified Organic by OEFFA.”

Chagrin Valley Soap is certified by OEFFA (Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association) — a nonprofit, USDA‑approved agency that verifies our organic ingredients and manufacturing processes.

• Why Most "Organic" Soap Bars Aren't Labeled Organic: Organic Labels Don’t Tell the Whole Story
• Certified Organic Skincare & Labels Decoded
• Why We Chose USDA Organic Certification—and Why It Matters
• Organic Soap & Shampoo: What Really Matters
• Why We Believe in Natural Skin Care