Soap: Chocolate & Honey

Name: Soap: Chocolate & Honey
Brand: Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve
SKU: schochoney
Price: 9.95 USD
Availability: InStock

A moisturizing natural soap enriched with nourishing organic butters and honey swirled with organic fair trade cocao powder and skin softening chocolate.

Title:

Full Bar 5.6 oz

Trial Sample Bar 1.7 oz

$9.95

Quantity

Product Overview

Good For: Dry or Mature Skin, Sensitive Skin

If you love chocolate, you will love this ultimate moisturizing soap enriched with natural skin conditioning unrefined cocoa butter, and swirled with raw cocoa powder and real dark chocolate.

We use only real organic fair-trade chocolate, cocoa powder, and cocoa butter from the Theobroma cacao tree. The word Theobroma means "food of the gods."

Organic coconut milk creates a silky, rich, and creamy conditioning lather.

The antioxidants and phytonutrients in chocolate soothe and soften skin
Organic Cocoa and Shea butters soften and moisturize dry skin
Organic honey hydrates, moisturizes, and soothes
Whipped cream-like lather leaves skin feeling soft and smooth
No added scent--just the delicious natural aroma of cocoa butter
Good for the complexion and sensitive skin

How To Use

How Should I Use Natural Soap to Clean My Face?

We believe in simple, effective cleansing for your complexion and that is accomplished with natural soap and water. The purpose of soap is to combine with oil and dirt on the body, which allows water to wash it away. The method you use to cleanse your skin, especially your face, is really personal preference. We thought we would share just a few examples.

Hand Lathering is usually the suggested method for cleansing delicate facial skin.

Use lukewarm water to create a creamy lather in your clean hands.
Gently massage the lather over your face using circular motions with your fingers.
Rinse with cool water and pat dry.

Washcloth Washers: A washcloth can help remove dead cells and invigorate your skin. A gentle massage with a soft washcloth can help keep facial skin smooth and clean.

Rub the bar on a soft, clean, wet cloth to create a creamy lather.
Apply to your face by a gentle massage using circular motions.
Rinse with cool water and pat dry.

If you are using a washcloth:

Exfoliating or scrubbing too hard may cause the skin to become red and irritated.
Use a clean washcloth, especially if you are prone to acne. Washcloths can re-deposit dirt and grime right back onto your skin.
Washcloths can have soft or rough fibers. You want to use soft, NOT rough fibers on your face.

Never share washcloths or other accessories and replace or clean them often.

A Few Other Pointers:

Use warm, not hot, water to wash your face.
Use cool water as a final rinse to close your pores.
Avoid products made with synthetic ingredients that can irritate facial skin.
Avoid products that contain alcohol which can cause skin to become tight and dry.
Apply a moisturizer immediately after washing your face while skin is still damp.

Effective, Feel Good Ingredients

The goal is simple: to Harness the Power & Simplicity of Nature® to cleanse, soothe, heal, and protect your skin and hair!

Our unique formulas rely on moisturizing oils and butters, healing botanicals, and pure essential oils. We choose every ingredient with one end-result in mind….the BEST possible natural skin care for YOU!

Featured Ingredients

Organic Chocolate*

Organic Cocoa Butter*

Organic Honey

All Ingredients:

Organic Coconut Oil*

,

Organic Palm Oil (Sustainable)

,

Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

,

Organic Sunflower Oil

,

Distilled Water

,

Sodium Hydroxide^

,

Organic Cocoa Butter*

,

Organic Virgin Shea Butter*

,

Organic Castor Bean Oil

,

Organic Coconut Milk

,

Organic Chocolate*

,

Organic Honey

,

Organic Cocoa Powder*

,

Organic Cornstarch

,

Organic Rosemary Oil Extract (ROE)

*Ingredient is Fair Trade Certified

^Used in the saponification process to turn oil into soap and glycerin. None remains in the finished product.

Made with certified organic Oils, Cocoa Butter & Chocolate
Certified Organic By OEFFA
A USDA Accredited Organic Certifying Agent

Frequently Asked Questions

12 Reasons to Use Handmade Natural Soap

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.”

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.

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.

There are three main reasons why natural soaps are moisturizing.

Natural Soaps are made with Plant Oils and Butters
Natural Soaps are Superfatted
Natural Soaps retain their natural Glycerin

5. Scented Natural Soap Provides Real Aromatherapy

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

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.

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.

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? But there are some things to think about!

9. Natural Soap Has a Smaller Environmental Impact

The synthetic chemicals in liquid and many bar soaps wash down our drains into our septic fields or water treatment facilities. 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

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!

12. You Are Supporting A Small Business

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. Your purchase really does make a difference.

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.

This list is a scaled-down version of a blog I wrote that shares the same name. For more detail please read our blog, “12 Reasons to Use Natural Soap"

View Answer Page

How To Wash Your Hands To Help Stay Healthy

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"

View Answer Page

Is Your Palm Oil From Plantations That Protect Our Rainforests?

We often receive emails from concerned customers that have read about the devastating effects that palm plantations can have on tropical forests.

At Chagrin Valley Soap we treasure our planet and its inhabitants. We know that although we play a very small part, we must always make choices that are ecologically and socially responsible.

As the global demand for palm oil continues to increase we want to be part of the global initiative that changes how that palm oil is grown.

Our Palm Oil is grown and manufactured according to standards for sustainable practices set forth by Palm Done Right.

Certified Sustainable

Certified sustainable by RSPO (The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) and Palm Done Right

Our USDA organic palm oil variety carries RSPO Certification, otherwise known as Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, guaranteeing the sustainability and traceability of the palm oil production throughout the supply chain.

It has RSPO-IP (Identity Preserved) certification which is one of four certification levels offered by the RSPO and carries the highest and strongest level of sustainable guarantee with traceability of each lot of palm oil back to the field of origin. With Identify Preserved sustainable palm oil, the entire batch of palm oil is from a single identifiable certified source and kept separate from all non-certified batches.

Palm Done Right presents the first fully integrated, 100 percent organic supply chain in the palm oil industry. Palm Done Right requires a fair labor certification, organic certification, Non-GMO Project Verification, and has the highest level of certification — Identity Preserved — offered by the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

As the global demand for palm oil continues to increase, we believe that if both manufacturers and consumers demand Certified Sustainable palm oil, producers will grow Certified Sustainable palm oil. That is the only way to really protect our rainforests.

If there is no demand for sustainable palm oil, growers will continue their cheaper unsustainable practices, because no one is paying them for a sustainable product. (If you build it, they will come!)

Please read our blog, "Will A Palm Oil Boycott Really Help?"

View Answer Page

Are Chagrin Valley Ingredients & Products USDA Certified Organic?

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.

View related natural skin care blogs

Why Did We Become a Certified Organic Company?

What Do All of the Organic Labels Mean?

Organic Soap Labeling

View Answer Page

Don't I need to use antibacterial soap to protect my family from germs?

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!

View Answer Page

Do Your Natural Soap And Shampoo Bars Have An Expiration Date?

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.

View Answer Page

Are Your Products and Ingredients Cruelty Free?

All of Chagrin Valley's natural soap, shampoo bars, and personal care products are certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny.

The Leaping Bunny Program was developed in 1996, by The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC), to identify and support companies that are doing their part to help eliminate the unnecessary use and mistreatment of animals to test cosmetic products and ingredients. The CCIC is made up of eight animal protection groups including the Humane Society of the U.S., as well as groups from Canada and Europe.

At Chagrin Valley we do not test our finished products on animals (other than human volunteers), but what about the raw materials, the ingredients we use? Many products display labels claiming that their finished product is ‘not tested on animals’ but this does not guarantee that the product ingredients are actually free from animal testing.

The CCIC Standard is a pledge that a company makes to remove animal testing from all stages of product development. Our pledge to buy ingredients that are cruelty-free is integrated into the purchase order contract for all of our suppliers.

Personal care products displaying the “real” Leaping Bunny logo are certified ‘cruelty-free' using the internationally recognized Humane Cosmetics Standards. These rigorous standards require that no animal testing is performed or authorized for finished products or ingredients in any stage of product development by the company, its laboratories or its suppliers after a fixed cut-off date. All Leaping Bunny companies are subject to independent audits and pledge commitments are renewed on an annual basis.

At Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve . . .

we do NOT test our products on animals
we do NOT use ingredients tested on animals
we do NOT sell into markets that require animal testing

The Leaping Bunny Program provides
the best assurance to consumers
that they are making compassionate shopping choices
by purchasing Cruelty-Free skin care!

View Answer Page

Why Choose Chagrin Valley Natural Soaps

Aren't all handmade natural 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 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.