Camping & Trail Bar

Chagrin Valley Soaps Are Made Using Natural Ingredients and Are Biodegradable!

What Does Biodegradable Mean?

By definition, biodegradable means capable of being broken down by the action of living things, like natural bacteria, into simple substances that are not harmful to the environment.

If You Are A Camper Or Backpacker, Please Read On...

There are many soap makers out there with good intentions who are claiming that their biodegradable soap or shampoo is safe to use in rivers and streams.

Even biodegradable soap can eventually pollute lakes and streams if it is not used sparingly.

The bacteria that break down soap are present mostly in soil. That means that when you wash, please be sure that your soapy rinse water ends up in the soil away from fresh water sources like lakes, rivers, and streams.

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

The answer is NO!

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

Chagrin Valley is not just another soap and skin care 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 soaps rich in natural glycerin for healthier skin.

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 skin care 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 soap making process uses only natural and organic ingredients. Why add artificial ingredients to a handmade product?

BLOG:  "Are All Handmade Soaps The Same?"

My soap bar doesn't smell the same as the last one 

We sometimes receive emails that go like this:

• I just reordered [some soap]. It is my favorite bar but it does not smell the same. Did you change the recipe?
  
  
• This name of this bar is "lavender . . . " but I smell more of the other essential oils than lavender. Why do you call it lavender?

The good news is that when you purchase soap from an organic skin care company, it is scented with only pure essential oils.

The bad news is that when you purchase soap from an organic skin care company, it is scented with only pure essential oil. 

The scent of an essential in any totally natural product can and will change over time and from batch to batch.

Essential Oils are a Natural Ingredient

Essential oils come from nature. The quality and scent of essential oils are affected by yearly weather conditions and varies from crop to crop and region to region.

This makes it very difficult to produce finished products in which the scents are always exactly the same. 

Most commercial soaps (and skin care products), even the more "natural" ones that contain some essential oils, are made with at least some synthetic fragrances oils. Using fragrance oils ensures a more consistent scent. 

Essential oils are temperamental to work under any circumstance. But while a natural essential oil scent blend may change a bit in a cream or oil, these blends are especially unpredictable when natural making cold processed soap. 

After all my years of soapmaking in never ceases to amaze me just how much the actual soapmaking process changes the scent of an essential oil blend. 

For more detailed information please read our blog, "Natural Soap and Essential Oils."

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.

"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," said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). “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!

The Short Answer

Yes And No!

Although handmade 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 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 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.  

If you are asking the question: 

Is there lye in a bar of Chagrin Valley soap or shampoo?

The answer is "No."

If you are asking the question:

Do you use lye (sodium hydroxide) to make Chagrin Valley soap?

The answer is -- of course.
No lye -- No soap!
All REAL soap is made with lye (sodium hydroxide mixed with liquid).

Any skin or hair cleansing product made without sodium hydroxide is not soap, it is detergent.

The chemical reaction of making soap, called saponification, is complete, the lye and oil molecules have combined and chemically changed into soap and glycerin.

If the soap is made properly, the lye is used up in the saponification process to turn oil into soap.

There is no lye present in the finished bars of soap or shampoo. While all real soap must be made with lye, no lye remains in our finished product after saponification (described below).

But, It Doesn't Say "Lye" on My Soap Ingredients

If it is real soap or contains read soap, it is made with lye!

Commercial "soap" bars and handmade soap bars are also made with lye even though the words "sodium hydroxide" or "lye" do not appear on the labels. Does your bar of "soap" contain ingredients such as...

• saponified oils: oils and butters are mixed with sodium hydroxide and a liquid (usually water).
• sodium cocoate: the generic name for the mixture of coconut oil with sodium hydroxide (lye).
• sodium palmate: the generic name for the mixture of palm oil with sodium hydroxide (lye).
• sodium palm kernelate: the generic name for the mixture of palm kernel oil with sodium hydroxide (lye).
• sodium tallowate: the generic name for the mixture of beef fat (tallow) with sodium hydroxide (lye).
• sodium olivate: the generic name for the mixture of olive oil with sodium hydroxide (lye).

These words are not usually used to deceive consumers. But soap makers know that consumers are afraid of the word "lye."

At Chagrin Valley we believe that today's consumers are pretty savvy and the best practice is to educate.

BLOG: "Is There Lye Your My Soap? Won't it Harm My Skin?

BLOG: "How We Make Soap"