Help Me Choose: Dry Skin Care

After all these years in business, the most often asked question we hear remains, “Why is natural soap better?”

I have been using only natural soap on my face and body for over 20 years. It is the first product I learned to make.

My skin has become so accustomed to the benefits of these lovely bars, that everything else makes my skin itch.

Our soap bars travel with me everywhere I go. I even keep one-time-use scraps in my purse to use in public restrooms!

While I believe that many of the "reasons" listed below may apply to some natural handmade soap companies, I will focus on the one company with which I have intimate knowledge and experience--CHAGRIN VALLEY.

1. Handmade Soap is Actually Soap

Most of the soap you purchase today is a commercially manufactured chemical cocktail of ingredients. It is not natural and is not even really “soap.” They are nothing more than detergents in disguise.

Here is what the FDA has to say:

“Today there are very few true soaps on the market. Most body cleansers, both liquid and solid, are actually synthetic detergent products. Detergent cleansers are popular because they make suds easily in water and don't form gummy deposits. Some of these detergent products are actually marketed as "soap" but are not true soap according to the regulatory definition of the word.” Source

2. Natural Soap is Made With Natural Ingredients

The very best reason to use natural soap is the ingredients. A product is only as good as the ingredients used to make it. 

OUR skin-nourishing ingredients are USDA Certified Organic, sustainably produced, cruelty-free, and ethically traded.

Harnessing the Power of Nature we make each soap bar unique by adding a variety of organic butters, purifying natural clays, organic herbs, seeds, grains, spices, flowers, vegetables, fruits, chocolate, and pure botanical essential oils to provide natural color, aromatherapy, texture, and gentle exfoliation.

3. Natural Soap Is NOT Made With...

• synthetic ingredients
• artificial fragrances or perfumes
• artificial colors
• detergents
• synthetic preservatives

Our soap bars contain only the ingredients that they need—no extra preservatives that liquid body washes or commercial bar "soaps" require to increase their shelf life to years, and no foam boosters to make them lather.

4. Natural Soaps Are Moisturizing

Sadly many people have the misguided perception that all bar soaps will dry your skin. The problem is that most commercial bar “soaps” are detergents and not real soap.

So why are natural soaps so moisturizing? Of course, it's the ingredients! Natural soap made of pure ingredients derived directly from nature is a rare find these days. Here are a few other reasons. 

Superfatting

Superfatting is the process of adding extra fats (oils or butters) when formulating a soap recipe so there is more fat in the mixture than the lye can react with during the chemical reaction. This process creates a more hydrating bar with superior moisturizing and emollient qualities.

Our soap bars are formulated with lots of extra plant oils and butters. We superfat our bars at a higher rate than most soapmakers.

Natural Glycerin

Glycerin is not added to a natural handmade soap recipe – it is created during the natural soap making process called saponification. Once saponification is complete, the ingredients have combined and chemically changed into soap, glycerin, and a bit of water.

Glycerin, a precious and gentle emollient, is a humectant that draws moisture from the air to the skin creating a moisturizing protective layer.

Commercial soap manufacturers remove the glycerin from their soaps because excess glycerin decreases the shelf-life of soap and they can sell the glycerin or use it in products that command a higher price like the lotion.

Think about it! Commercial soap companies remove the moisturizing ingredient (the glycerin) which in turn creates a soap that dries your skin and then they use the glycerin they removed to sell you a skin-moisturizing lotion. Quite an ingenious profit-making strategy!

Thus skin-nourishing ingredients, plus superfatting and natural saponification create a soap bar full of moisturizing, natural oils, and natural glycerin.

5. Scented Natural Soap Provides Real Aromatherapy

Our scented natural soaps are made with pure essential oils, not fragrance oils, and offer aromatherapeutic benefits.

Fragrance oils, whether artificially created or derived from natural components, may duplicate the smell of a flower or herb, but they do not offer the therapeutic advantages of essential oils. 

Furthermore, the generic term, “fragrance” or “parfum” on a label can indicate the presence of up to 3,000 separate ingredients and the FDA does not require companies to disclose what is in a “fragrance,” because it is considered a “trade secret.”

BLOG: Why We Use Only Real Plant Essential Oils

6. Natural Soap Helps Maintain Healthy Skin

The body’s largest organ, our skin, is incredibly porous and absorbent. How we treat our skin can have a major impact on our overall health as well as the look and feel of our skin.

Everyone wants healthy skin and our skin is not a fan of synthetic chemicals. I cannot count how many times customers have told us that our natural soap has not only helped improve their skin but has improved their lives by relieving itchiness and dryness, and easing irritated skin conditions such as eczema and acne.

7. Natural Soap Provides Rich Lather Without Synthetic Foam Boosters

People absolutely love bubbly lather. The foam, bubbles, and lather we know and love from commercial liquid and bar soaps are produced by surfactants--synthetic foam boosters, lathering agents, and detergents.

A properly formulated and cured bar of natural soap needs no synthetic additives to create a lather or to clean because natural soap is a natural surfactant. So it not only makes great bubbles and lather, but it also helps clean oily dirt from your skin--naturally!

BLOG: "How Does Natural Soap Create Lather?"

8. Natural Soap is Economical

Some consumers are put off by the cost of handmade soap. You probably look at a bar of natural soap and wonder why it costs more. I mean, soap is soap, right? Both bars clean your skin, right?

While I may agree that both bars clean the skin, the similarity goes no further. Simply put, commercial soaps contain synthetic ingredients that are very cheap to produce in a lab.

If you use a liquid body wash the main ingredient is water. You pay for water. A properly cured soap bar has very little water remaining, meaning you are getting exactly what you pay for.

I believe that old saying, "You get what you pay for," rings true when comparing a handmade bar of a natural soap to a commercial brand!

BLOG: "The True Cost of Commercial Soap"

9. Natural Soap Has a Smaller Environmental Impact

It may seem odd that a product we use to keep our bodies clean is doing quite the opposite for our environment.

If you are not using a natural soap, as you take a bath or shower you coat your skin with synthetic compounds like fragrances, dyes, preservatives, and detergents. These synthetic ingredients wash down our drains into our septic fields or water treatment facilities. Now imagine the millions of people who use these soaps each day.

Also, if you use a liquid body wash, how many plastic bottles and pumps do you dispose of in a single year?

10. Natural Soaps are Unique

I make handmade natural soap. I did not invent anything new.

But what I know is that our natural soap is made in small batches by people who have a passion as well as a mission for making natural products.

For me, soapmaking is a synergy of science and art that took years to perfect. It is a labor of love. I take the time to create wholesome soap recipes that do not sacrifice beauty or scent while incorporating amazing natural and organic ingredients.

11. A Natural Soap Company Has Social Consciousness

While I am sure there are some large commercial soap companies with a social conscience, natural soapmakers tend to have the utmost respect for the earth and all its creatures.

Environmental stewardship is not a buzzword for us. It is not a talking point, not a political stance nor is it about optics!

At Chagrin Valley it is our practice to use raw materials that are sourced in an environmentally and ethically responsible manner.

• We use organic ingredients which supports organic farming
• We are Leaping Bunny Certified--Cruelty-Free
• Our palm oil and other ingredients are certified sustainable
• We buy Fair Trade whenever possible
• Our products are biodegradable and minimally packaged with recycled and recyclable materials
• Our packaging is over 99% plastic-free
• Our natural ingredients will not add synthetic chemicals to our ecosystems

 Dedication to a kinder and gentler way of living is a big part of why we do what we do.

12. You Are Supporting A Small Business

If you are holding this soap in your hand, I probably don't need to convince you that shopping small business is important. Your purchase really does make a difference.

When you buy a handmade bar of natural soap, you are supporting a small business that truly cares about and believes in the products they make.

Small businesses are run by people - not by boards or stockholders. They are often entrepreneurs who bring a creative freshness into an otherwise regimented world.

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

Before I conclude I would like to add one final reason to the question of "Why You Should Switch To Natural Soap Bars."

The simplest answer is, Why Not?

From its composition to its benefits for the skin and health, to its impact on the environment, natural soap is very different from commercial liquid “soap,” bar “soap,” or syndet bars.

Our face has different zones in which the skin can vary in thickness, texture, pore size and the number of oil-producing glands.

Each zone may have very different needs and require individual attention.

So, what happens if you have multiple facial skin issues, like dryness, oily spots, and blemishes?

The answer is Multi-Masking . . .

What is Multi-Masking

Multi-masking is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of applying one face mask over your entire face, you apply different masks to different areas of the face in order to treat multiple skincare concerns at the same time.

For more information please read our blog Multi-Masking and Targeted Application For Combination Facial Skin

How Does a Facial Cleansing Oil Work?

A cleansing oil works its magic in two simple ways:

• oil dissolves oil
• skin with balanced oil production is happy skin

1. The concept of the oil cleansing method is rooted in one of the most basic principles of chemistry, “like dissolves like.”

Since water does not dissolve oil, if you wash with water, you need some sort of soap or detergent.

Think of soap as the middleman that helps bring oil and water together so that the dirt and grease on your skin can be easily rinsed away.

Oils are what chemists call lipophilic, meaning that they are naturally attracted to other oils, including the excess skin oil (sebum) that causes breakouts and the oil by-products found in most makeup.

Even if you use water-based makeup, over the course of a day, it will mix with your natural facial oil.

A facial cleansing oil will dissolve away the dirty oil and makeup from your face and replenish it with clean, nourishing oil that protects and moisturizes throughout the day.

2. Using some good, natural, organic oil on your skin actually slows down its own oil production to maintain balance.

There is a huge misconception that using any oil on your face only creates more oil, more breakouts, and leaves an oily residue. For years commercial skin care companies have told us we need to remove the oil from our skin, especially our faces.

The problem is that drying out your facial skin actually stimulates increased oil production--which is the opposite of what you are trying to achieve.

Our facial cleansing oil is formulated with a blend of organic oils and herbal-infused oils that will balance sebum production and bind with the existing oil to unclog pores and cleanse impurities.

Using pure, organic oils, whether to cleanse or simply moisturize, will help balance sebum (natural skin oil) production, protect skin, and keep it soft, smooth, and hydrated.

For more information please read our blog, "What Is A Facial Cleaning Oil? How Do I Use It?"