Ida's Soap Box

It seems like every day we hear about some new fad super food or age-defying plant. Although Tamanu oil may be new to those of us in the US, it is not a passing fad for the many communities who have been using it for medicinal purposes for centuries.

Handmade natural soaps usually get better with age, but we recommend using our unscented soaps within 12 months of purchase, and our scented soaps within 6-10 months for best results. Although a natural soap will not be "spoiled" after that time, you may notice that some natural colors and the scents from pure natural essential oils will fade over time. Here we discuss some factors that are responsible for the changes in soap that may affect the shelf-life over time.

Lately, I have been looking back to the beginnings of Chagrin Valley Soap--when the business had one real employee (me) and was located in a little space under the deck of my home overlooking the Chagrin River. It is there, amidst the majestic beauty of nature, that I fell in love with our customer community.

The labor intensive aspects of growing and harvesting vanilla beans, the effects of bad weather conditions and the consumer demand for natural vanilla bean products has been driving up the price of vanilla beans.