I received my all-natural, handmade soaps from Ida http://chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/index.html

Chamomille and Calendula soap
Sweet Basil soap
Honey, Beer & Egg shampoo bar
Rosemary Lavender Aloe shampoo bar
Rosemary Lemon & Aloe sample sized soap (for free)
Three butter lotion bar (for free)

I was served well and the shipping overseas was very speedy and cheap

So, I opened the herbal smelling envelope (Rosemary, Lavender & Aloe seems to be the source of strongest scent) and liked immediately the ecological & elegant packaging. Three butter lotion bar had suffered a little during long journey, but it's still usable, and the soaps arrived in top condition. I'm not good in conversions, so it was a pleasant surprise to receive generously sized soaps. Her prices are very good! :D

Then it was time for first testing.
I've had the flu for past few days and haven't washed my hair during that time- I was well past my usual washing time. I don't remember when my hair has last been this long unwashed. Challenging situation to start the test, but I was too eager to try my new stuff.
    I tried first Honey, Beer & Egg shampoo. Because my hair was so dirty, I decided to vinegar rinse it after shampooing. Otherwise, I wanted to get a good result and decided to skip my usual conditioning and leave-in. Using solid shampoo felt weird, but not difficult. It didn't lather massively, just enough to be comfortable to use. I also liked the mild, nice smell- nothing like beer, just mild and "clean".  I lathered the soap and rubbed it to my scalp just like I proceed with my normal shampoo. It felt very strange first- my hair felt almost instantly stripped- "squeaking clean". But when I applied the vinegar rinse, that feeling disappeared and my hair started to feel just like other people in LHC have described- somehow more substantial and thicker. I quite liked the feeling! I'm in middle of shedding season and shed worse than my rabbit- no difference there. My hair isn't still completely dry, but where it is driest, it feels incredibly soft and lovely. It does not feel like missing conditioner at all!

Summa summarum:  I really like this shampoo. :D Using it is much simpler than my regular CWC routine, and with vinegar rinse, my hair seems to respond well. Even though I'd experience some adjusting difficulties, I'm going to stick with this stuff. If a simple natural shampoo and vinegar rinse make my hair feel so good, why make matters more complicated?

I also tried Sweet Basil soap in lieu of my regular shower gel. My skin is very delicate and dry, and during winter it has been a real problem. It becomes so thin and dry that I get small wounds in it very easily, and after a shower it has itched horribly until next day, though I've tried to use gentlest and most moisturizing products available and never forgot to use a body butter (the only stuff that has seemed to help at all).
Sweet basil soap has herbal scent that is clear, but not disturbing. It also made my skin squeak, which made me a bit wary.
Then, wonder of wonders!  :D This is the first time for as long as I can remember, when I haven't returned from shower with itching and tight-feeling skin. It didn't start itching and feeling awful as soon as it dried a bit. It feels just clean and soft and wonderful and so normal. I can almost hear it singing praise to Ida.  I am going to throw away all my drying shower gels. I'm convert.

All in all, I'm very pleased and will definitely order again.  :D

i've heard about them in the loom. could you give the ingredients (especially of the shampoo). is it castille soap-based?

ok, their basis is saponified coconut ... sounds nice!! and so cheap!! what did you pay for posting? wow, this has to be tried out!  :o

The ingredients lists are on the website. Saponified oils and essential oils mainly. Proportions alter between different soaps.

The shipping to Finland was just $5  :o ;D. It's flat rate for shipping in envelope that was just big enough for my order. If one orders more, they just use a larger envelope that cost $8, if I remember correctly. Not bad!
I don't know how they pack and ship orders that cannot be fitter in those two alternatives, but I guess it is a bit more expensive. But, Ida doesn't do business with shipping; her rates include only the actual cost.

i placed an order too, but the beer one was totally sold out slif snif, so i ordered the one for oily hair (chamomile & citrus) and the herbal one (does the rosemary one leave a powerful smell in the hair too? cuze that one freaked me a bit out so i didn't order it). i also hope to get the new carrot one too since apparently they can be bought before the "ready date" which is actually the date you can start using the bar (ida explained me those bars get milder by aging and the lather gets richer so one must wait to use them for about six weeks after preparation.
i read reviews in the loom and many people found it indeed weird at first and most of all they felt overconditioned despite  vinegar rinsing. i suppose they should use less lol.

I have the impression that Honey Beer& Egg works well for many ppl. Like me. :) Seems like Loom & LHC managed to empty Ida's shampoo shelves quite effectively  ;D.
  Hmmm...I wouldn't say that my hair felt/feels overconditioned. It does feel somehow more "substantial", but not the way I associate with overconditioning. This is a nice feeling.
   
I tried Rosemary Aloe & Lemon soap last night. Lemon makes it smell really nice, but I didn't like it quite as much as Sweet Basil. It seemed to dry my skin a bit -not much compared to liquid shower gels, just compared to Sweet Basil soap.

next time i'll order, i'll go for the sweet basil too cuze i like the smell a lot!

I tried my Chagrin Valley soaps last night.  :)   I used the Dead Sea Spa soap and the Rosemary Lavender Aloe shampoo bar.  (I still can't smell a darn thing because of these allergies  >:( so I can't tell you how the scents are.  Sorry)

The soap worked very nicely.  Not as much lather as I'd have expected, but it rinsed off cleanly and didn't leave a "scummy" feeling on my skin (which is why I stopped using soap in the first place).  My skin was very soft this morning and it's still soft now, so this one's a winner.

I have thick, oily slippery hair, with old perm on the bottom and straight at the roots.  I used the shampoo bar only with no pre- or post conditioners.  Following Galadriel's lead, I put a splash of ACV in my herbal rinse.  I wet my hair and lathered up the shampoo bar.  I rubbed the suds on my scalp and worked them in, catching an occasional handful of water to help them along.  When I rinsed my hair suddenly became big and sticky  :o  like a cheap wig covered in hair spray.  I rinsed very well, even rinsing under the faucet to make sure I got every little drop of soap out.  Still all poofy and sticky and tangly feeling.  I had to use all my willpower not to slather on the conditioner.  I had a hard time dipping my  hair in the cup I usually put my rinse in; I could only get about half the lenth in first try.  As soon as it was exposed to the ACV, my hair calmed down and after the rinse it wasn't poofy anymore and only a bit sticky.  I put my leave on condtioner before bed  and put my rubber duck sock on my braid as usual.

This morning:  the top of my hair had dried and was very, very soft with no stickiness left.  The length was a bit damp (and my hair seemed to dry more quickly than when I use shampoo.  Odd.)  and just the slightest bit sticky.  I unbraided my hair first thing so it was nearly dry when I styled it.   Dry, my hair almost feels like there's a coating on it, but it's not unpleasant or sticky.  My hair feels much fuller, so much so I even measured my circumference again, but it hasn't changed.  The ends are very soft as well, and my updo held all day so it didn't make it more slippery than usual.  It does get a little sticky when it's wet; I noticed that when I tried to slick down some stray hairs.

I will use it again, since it does make my hair soft and the ACV rinse is no big deal since I use my herbal rinse after each washing anyway.  I hate that poofy, big sticky hair right after rinsing, though.  Next wash day, Sunday, I'll use a bit of clarifying conditioner afterward and see if it helps stop that.  

How is the Three Butter Lotion bar?  My DH gets cracked, dry skin from eczema especially in the winter.  Getting a good lotion to keep his hands from cracking has been almost impossible. The PR for the lotion bar looked promising.

I suppose it's worth a try. In my case, change from regular shower gels to all natural soap made a big change. My skin loves Ida's soaps!  :-*

Speaking of soaps, I tried yesterday chamomille & calendula soap. Not a bad word of that either. It has mild, pleasant scent and works well with my skin.

I was in sauna, so I had to wash my hair. I used again Honey Beer & Egg. Squeakiness during wash was almost gone, and I decided that next time I'll go without ACV rinse.  ;D

@ 13bodies i suppose one has to know certain things about using soaps since with the arrival of cheap detergents, they somehow became diabolized (at least around here, everything is called soapfree as if it's a hell of a lot better that way and nicely replaced by sulfates). soaps as mild as they can be tend to bind to certain other chemicals (residues of shampoos etc.) and to minerals (hard water!). so if the latter is the case, i suppose you always better rinse afterwards with good old acv. or, you prewet the hair before soaping with distilled water (or at least filtered).

i am really hoping to get mine soon (galadriel how many days did it take to arrive?)

It took precisely a week for me. :)

aaaaaah, counting down!! wow, i finally checked out their body soaps ... it will take me years to test all of them ... i just can't choose! but i have a certain interest in the one with the pink clay and rose.  8)

hmm ... i am less possitive about my first results. i bought 2 shampoo bars of the chamomile & citrus. i was rather surprised it strips really a lot of oil especially after comments from people who felt overconditioned with those soaps (which gave me the feeling it would be very mild). my hair was incredibly greasy before washing so i more or less did three rounds of soaping but still missed some spots. this works a bit like baking soda: if you don't massage it everywhere you'll be left with greasy parts, so in that it really differs from shampoo. but either my scalp isn't used to being this stripped anymore cuze i've had slight itching over the next days, even when my hair regreased, so i wonder if i didn't rinse enough or didn't use enough acv to get rid of soap residu! i don't have itching with baking soda which is supposed to degrease really well but of course leaves also no residul. i tried to wash my body with it and i have itchy arms and legs. it seems to be ok on my face though, my face can stand a lot lol. tonight i'll try the herb garden one but i don't have the feeling it conditions better than the other one. i guess if it leaves me with an itchy feeling on the body, it will do that with my scalp as well. i hope some of the soaps for the body are a bit milder, and use those on my hair as well. i really hope so cuze i do appreciate the extra body it gives, but it seems to do something weird with the shine though, couldn't explain. it's shiny but strangely different.  ???

I used the Herb Garden shampoo bar last night and it worked really well.  I used a lavender/ACV rinse (recipe is in my journal) and my hair is ultra soft today and smells like lavender  :)  My hair is fuller with more body when I don't use the ACV rinse, though it is a bit tangly and sticky when wet; I have to comb it more carefully than usual, but I like the extra body.  I cut the bar lengthwise into thirds before using.  It was easier to handle that way.

The Shea Rose Clay soap is a bit drying to my skin.  I won't use it to shave with (makes my legs dry) but it'll be nice come summer when my skin is oiler.

My Honey Beer & Egg, and Nettle bars are on their way!

i used the herb garden today, used more acv to rinse with, seems a bit less itchy. and yes, i have the feeling my hair strangely looks "coarser", but not sure i like it that much. i am always whining about wanting more volume but i am not sure i really want to choose between that and shine. my hair isn't even half as shiny as when i use conditioner. and it seems both are not that compatible. i will have to experiment!
too bad the rose clay one isn't very moisturizing, it seemed like such a nice one. maybe i'll have to start agreeing all natural & fancy ingredients doesn't necessarily mean "better". my mild detergent bars and creamy douche gels seem still way nicer. i feel like i wasted another $51!  :P
(to other people: do not buy a huge amount of something you didn't try yourself yet!)
i really hope i'll like some of the 15 samples that i'll get in a few days.
another thing: they don't leave any scent on me, i should have added some ylang ylang and lavender EOs in the acv rinse.

Styg, I've heard that soap-based products act weirdly if water is hard. How's your water?

BTW, I tried Rosemary Lavender Aloe and discovered that shampoo bars are too mild to remove oil from oil treatments...So I have to save my gentlest detergent- based shampoo for those occassions. Hairwashing day's tomorrow, so after that I'll make a proper review of it.

i don't think it has anything to do with the water since i find the "sticky effect" not that strange. it's not entirely soft like distilled water but certainly not as hard as in cities. no, i really think they remove too much oil, even my oily face feels totally stripped. and in my opinion they have no real conditioning effect, not that my hair is really feeling dry but still, i have to add a big dose of jojoba afterwards. if only it would spread a bit easier, i could just use way less soap.

Aw...that sounds bad.  :-/

Well, here's my review of Rosemary Lavender Aloe shampoo bar & Rose Petal Geranium soap. The latter I got from new shipment that came here today (yes...it means more reviews in near future).

Rosemary Lavender Aloe was responsible of most smell in the shipment where it came, but now that it's sat for a while in my bathroom, the scent has become milder. Now I'd describe it just "clean" smell. It worked just like Honey Beer & Egg: lathered well, caused some squeaking that went away with ACV rinse. I don't know if it's still the oil treatment or this shampoo, but right after shower when I combed the hair, I noticed that it was incredibly soft- even when wet.  :) Now that it has dried, it's silky soft like my rabbits' fur. Just wonderful!

Rose Petal Geranium soap doesn't resemble at all any of the rose soaps I've smelled before. Rose can be recognized in the scent, but it is very strong and herbal- somehow "fresh". But, the scent it leaves on skin is nice and mild, and I stepped out of the shower with soft skin that didn't itch a bit. Worth of my money. :)

Another thing worth mentioning is, that among the soaps that go to my mother, was Lavender Oatmeal Spice soap that gave out totally amazing smell- like cinnamon. Next time, I need to order a bar for myself. Too bad, that there's a long time until next shipment as I think that I've ordered enough soap for a year!  ;D

i received my 15 samples today!! omg, i am afraid to mix them up! i think actually none of the soaps leave a lot of smell so if one smells weird but does magic on my skin, then i won't mind. i have the rose petal as well and if there's geranium in it, it's probably what makes it smell weird (think geranium repells insects and pimples hehe). actually, after the oils came back to my length i am quite happy about the results with herbal one, didn't cause too much itching, i just have to remeber not to use it on the lengths (or use a very conditioning body soap instead).

i like the rose clay one, causes more or less no itching on me (less than my palmolive shea that is) but it's not overly creamy like i suppose sweet basil. i partly washed my scalp with it as well, but my hair isn't dry yet lol.

I received also rose clay sample...it's going to my mother though. I think it smells pretty same as Rose Petal Geranium Can't wait to get experimenting again...

i was sniffing samples and i wonder if it's the geranium that gives the funny campari smell! rose petal has it, and so does primrose complex i think.  8)

I tried yesterday Carrot Milk & Honey shampoo bar.

This wasn't quite as positive experience as the ones I've tried previously, though it's usable.
   First, the smell is weird. Nothing mild and nice like the name would suggest- the smell is strong, spicy and just weird. But it doesn't stick to the hair. This one also didn't lather as much as the other shampoo bars so it was more difficult to work into the scalp.
   However, the result was good. Shiny, soft hair again. Which is the main thing. :)

strange, i think it smells very nice, like rose rather. but i never used it and never will on my hair. i stopped using the shampoo bars, my scalp just doesn't like anything close to detergents or soaps. the beer one seemed rather soft though, i used it once and even on my body but it also made my scalp itch. the nicest i find about those soaps is really their smell, even the rather spicy/herbal ones. just too bad they don't seem to leave ANY smell on me. i even think after starting to use the rose clay on my face i have a bit less pimples  8)
and our corridor smells divine (mostly like the geranium stuff, oh i would have never though i'd like that odor).
and those soaps seem to last an iternity!

I have also bought some soaps from Chagrinvalley,and it's been a pleasant experience :D
The owner is a *very*nice person,shipping to Germany took less than a week and so far I like every soap I have tried.My favourite is the  Sweet Basil Soap-I also use it on my face (oily but ultra-sensitive skin) with great results.
The Rosemary Mint shampoo bar is the only one I have not yet used,but I will give it a try on the weekend.

When I got my new shipment of Chagrin Valley soaps I cut each bar into thirds lengthwise.  After I cut them I could see that the middle was softer than the outside of the bar.  I let them sit for a couple of weeks and I think cutting them really made a difference.  They lather more readily and they're easier to handle.

I had to give away the Honey, Beer, and Egg shampoo bar.  It overconditioned my hair and made it limp and unmanegable.  The Nettle bar, however, seems to work well, which makes sense as it's for oily hair.  It has a stong smell but it does not linger.

I think all the trouble I had in the beginning with the sticky, poofy hair was from the soap binding to shampoo residue.  It's been a month now and I've had no further problems.  I'm hooked.  ;)

i've been using both the rose clay one and the beer one for doing "partial scalp washes". basically i just put some othe front hair and temples. without a vinegar rinse. this seems not to bother my scalp. so today washed with the beer shampoo without acv. i'll see what happens. not giving up yet!

hmm ... so for the parts i washed well, i am happy and my scalp seems ok :). but i missed again the top of my scalp which feels weird. also my length, which i just rinsed with acv and contioned felt weird. argh, loads of trials to do!

My newest shipment has arrived.  :D Mostly soap, except their new Lavender Spice shampoo.

Lavender Spice shampoo has the same yummy smell as Lavender Oatmeal Spice soap- a sweetly spicy scent that reminds me of gingerbread biscuits and spice cakes.
Yum! It lathered very well and left my hair shiny and soft. ^^

The only soap I've tried so far is Chocolate Almond. It's creeeeaaamy, and leaves skin feeling exceptionally soft. It has a mild scent, bitter almond and dark chocolate.

Wow. These shampoo bars sound neat :).
Thanks for suggesting them, I really want to order some now!
But I was wondering if it would be okay to ask you some stuff. . .

*Do you think the overall condition of your hair has improved after using these for a while?
*Also, do you always have to use a vinegar rinse after using the bars?
*And lastly, do you still use the condition-wash-condition method when using these bars?

Sorry I have so many questions but I have never even heard of a shampoo bar before.  I think they are an awesome idea though :D!

To your questions:

1) Yes, I think my hair is in better condition. It is very shiny and super soft. I can't tell if it's because of just shampoo bars, but I've noticed that during this time, the amount of split ends has decreased. My hair feels very "nourished"- not greasy or anything like that, just extremely healthy.

2) No, the bars work alone for me. But I prefer to use ACV rinse every time because it gives my hair extra slip and makes it feel even better. I haven't noticed any adverse effects with that, I use well diluted ACV and rinse thoroughly afterwards. I should tell though, that people are different: some want to conditioner after using shampoo bars, some (like myself) don't conditioner but ACV every time, and some don't do anything but the wash with shampoo bars. You'd need to test, what variant suits you best.

3)No! And it's one of the reasons why I love my shampoo bars. Using them is super simple compared to CWC. I just step into the shower, wet my head, wash my scalp with shampoo bar (lather just once), rinse the lather out, pour ACV rinse, rinse some more and that's it. These bars don't strip the hair and are very moisturizing, so I don't need any regular conditioner. My hair is naturally a bit on the dry side, so this is something that would be impossible for me if I used regular shampoos. Again: shampoo bars are in every way different from regular shampoos, they don't only clean the hair but also seem to deposit good stuff in it! I deep condition once or twice a month. I also prefer to rotate my bars and alter between more nourishing (like Honey Beer& Egg) and lighter (like Rosemary Lavender Aloe) ones.

Trying shampoo bars is quite risk-free. I recommend that you order a few sample sized bars first and see how you like them and what you like best. The samples are generously sized and cost less than $2 apiece. And, in case they don't work for your hair, they still make an excellent body soap.

If you decide to try, let us know what you ordered and how it went! :)

Thanks for such a thoughtful response :)!

I am really glad that the shampoos add something to the hair because I usually need something extra to weigh it down a bit.

And thanks for the tip about the samples.  When I get them I will definetly tell everyone how it goes :).

It is nice to see that so many of you have had good experiences with these! I just love them too and have switched my DH and Grandson to using them as well.  My men seem to like that it is easy to use the shampoo bar.  I just love the clean and fresh scents, and the way they make my hair feel clean and soft.  My favorites are the Sunshine Summer Shampoo Bar and the Honey Egg and Beer.  I also just love the soaps.  I've tried a bunch of them, and can't be sure what my favorites are.  Grandson likes the Chocolate Almond, probably because it looks so kool!  And Ida is a joy to work with.  Fast shipping and always reasonable.  These are definitely keepers in my house!!

I would also ad that I think this has improved the condition of my hair after 3 months use.  It is much less dry, less splits, and just overall seems better.  Great stuff!!

I gotta say, I'm a bit disappointed in the bars.  The lather felt really silky and it smelled -great- ....but the residue was terrible.  I couldn't run my fingers through my hair.  

So, I tried an ACV rinse and then put the bar on my hair...and it felt worse.  I let my hair dry. The film the bar left on my hair caused my blonde hair to look dull and greasy.

I tried the herb garden soap.  I am going to try the honey beer and egg bar later this week -- after my hair recovers from the multiple washings.


Edit:  I tried the Honey Beer and Egg Shampoo Bar.  It left my hair less sticky...but it was still too filmy to do anything with it. *sigh*

The funny thing is that the colored portion of my hair responded negatively to it, while the virgin portion didn't get as much film.  Maybe it's because the processed part is more porous.

Oh, that's too bad...it makes me hesitant to try it, I was really hoping it would have worked well for you.  I still may order up a few of the sample sizes, that way not too much is lost if I don't care for them.  We'll see...

panpeus, that sounds really weird.
 It's often said that the soap reacts with certain chemicals- maybe that's what's happening with you. Also, many say that soap based shampoos don't work well if water is hard.

wrote on Jan 1^st, 2006 at 11:36am:

panpeus, that sounds really weird.  It's often said that the soap reacts with certain chemicals- maybe that's what's happening with you. Also, many say that soap based shampoos don't work well if water is hard.

I think the hard water issue is definately a factor for the bars.  I think I'm going to bring one back to school with me and try it again.  It just felt like I couldn't wash any of the soap out of my hair when I used it.  My hair did not dry completely, and felt rubbery when I braided it.  The residue leaves my hair in 'chunks.'  I reaaaally want them to work out, so if anyone has any ideas on using the bars or rinses, let me know.  ACV afterwards causes my hair to get too dry.

You could use shower filter to soften water- the reaction you're having sounds quite typical reaction to hard water (including the gunky bits...ewww). I don't know what else you could do about the water- this whole country is soft water area and I've never had to deal with hard water. :-/

If ACV rinse makes your hair drier, then IMO there's little point in using it. ACV rinsing is not essential part of shampoo bar washing anyway. It's supposed to balance the pH of the hair and give extra shine and slip, but if it doesn't do that, it doesn't. Some people use cone free conditioner after shampoo bar wash. Maybe you could try that.

That's a pretty good idea, Galadriel.  I only used the ACV to "cut" through the filmy buildup.  We'll see if my school has softer water.

Just as an experiment, you can buy a jug or two of distilled water to rinse your hair, see if that makes a difference.  Then you'll know if it's the soap or your water.  :-/

That's a darn good idea, mag.  I truly want these bars to work.  They smell great, and they lather so well.  It's just the rinsing that seems to be the problem.  :'( I was reading the comments on the pages before it and it sounded like Styg and someone else had a tricky time with them.  I wonder if they got the product to work for them.

Okay, so my big product experiment (I'm not into doing this much at all) has been the shampoo bars.  I've been using it for about 2 weeks now.  
I can't quite decide if I like it or not.  I did try a suggestion from the Long Hair Loom to leave the shampoo in a few minutes before rinsing out so the soap has a little longer to dissolve the dirt 'n stuff.  That seemed to help.
I'm going without conditioner.  Definitely less slip after shampooing so I have to be more careful detangling. I seem to have to wash more often.  But my hair feels thicker and ?softer or maybe feels like it has a coating over it??  Don't seem to have to oil as much.  
If it is tolerable enough I want to be able to take it to Uganda so I don't have to pack bottles of liquid - hence the trial without conditioner and ACV.  Less is more is my motto when traveling.