Soaps For Spring

Happy Spring everyone! I can’t believe it is finally here with it’s promise of warmer, sunny days ahead. Today I thought we should address a very important subject, soaps for the spring from Apple Valley Natural Soap. What are important things to look for in your spring soap bar? What are the best scents to have in a soap bar for spring? We will talk about all of that in this post and give you all the links you need to make shopping easy and make sure your home is stocked with only the best for the spring season ahead.

Gardeners Citrus Basil Soap Bar

Back in time to take care of hard working green thumbs! The Gardener’s Citrus Basil Soap Bar is packed with ground apricot shells to effectively scrub off dirt and grime, black walnut powder for its antibacterial, antiviral, anti-parasitic, and anti-fungicide properties, plus moisturizing unrefined organic shea butter to keep your hands soft and silky.

Did you know that black walnut has rich levels of antioxidants and beneficial fatty acids can actually impact the health and appearance of skin? It has also been known to help clear up skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema, which makes black walnut a wonderful addition to this natural hand soap. You’ll also LOVE the warm, spicy essential oil blend of bergamot, basil, lemon, and grapefruit. The perfect bar for busy hands this spring!

“[I] gave this to friends who are always hard at work in the garden, all kinds of work maintaining [the] home and cleaning. They love how soft and moisturizing the lather is and how their skin feels. They said the scent lingers slightly on the skin later. Thank you AVNS, it’s a lovely bar for hardworking hands!!”

(Please Note: We make limited quantities of our Limited Edition soaps, so once they are sold out, they are gone for the season.)

Honey Carrot and Tangerine Face and Body Bar

If you want to spin around and keel over from happiness, this bar is your ticket to glory. Made with freshly juiced, organic carrots instead of filtered water, this gorgeous, vitamin A packed bar will nourish your skin. Perfect for your face and all over too! Raw honey acts as a humectant, trapping moisture in your skin cells, and rich, emollient oils and butters will leave your skin soft and silky. But one of the best things about this bar is the juicy carrot tangerine scent that makes you think you died and went to tangerine carrot honey heaven. 

“I have sensitive skin and have been using this for a month now. I love it! Creamy, gentle, moisturizing, and a delightfully delicious scent. What more could a person want? Its color makes it a beautiful gift and I actually gave several as gifts before I even tried it myself. I’ll keep buying this bar in the regular and half size for me and others! Please keep making this soap!”

Cucumber Lime Face and Body Soap

Cucumber lime, with a light, refreshing, “green” scent, features cucumber peel extract which acts like a skin toner, helping to freshen and brighten skin, tighten pores, and leave skin feeling soft and silky. We have also added Spirulina to the mix which has so many wonderful benefits for the skin, we couldn’t say no! Spirulina is a natural antimicrobial, it actually kills off candida, which can be an underlying cause of acne. It also contains 8 Essential Amino Acids, and is high in protein, which is necessary for cell repair and growth. On top of that, Spirulina contains a rare fatty acid known as Gamma Linolenic Acid. That combined with being a rich source of antioxidants makes this a highly effective tool against free radicals. When free radicals are eliminated, this increases the skin’s metabolism, and helps your body produce new, healthy cells faster. What’s not to like? Use this bar all over your body for the same beneficial effect everywhere.

“I LOVE this soap! It has such a wonderful smell and it gets nice and sudsy! One of my new favorites! I hope you keep making it!”

Symphony – The AVNS Signature Soap

From the captivating fresh scent and nourishing ingredients, to the beautiful variations of color, we hope our Symphony Signature Shampoo & Body Bar will remind you that beautiful things come in small packages, and that the simple pleasures are all you need. With beautiful colors, moisturizing natural ingredients & an uplifting scent, all components harmonize beautifully. Fall in love with this all natural soap which is made to retain all the natural glycerin from the natural oils & butters. A bar that gently cleanses while nourishing & rejuvenating hair, face & body. Beautifully scented, beautiful variations of natural colors & beautiful packaging, what’s not to love?

“I love everything about this bar! Color, scent, lather and how my skin and hair feels. Another great bar from AVNS. I recommend this one to everyone.”

Wether you are looking for something warm and floral or exfoliating and earthy, Apple Valley Natural Soap has all the bars for spring in your home. Spring is warm, wet and a beautiful promise of what is to come so make sure you are stocked up on soap that will not only keep up with the demands of the spring season (gardeners, I’m talking about you!) but add to your spring. And of course these bars only scratch the surface of what Apple Valley Natural Soap has to offer! Be sure to visit our website for not only spring staples but for fun products year round.

What are your favorite spring hair and skin care soap bars? What other products do you love during the spring season? Let us know what you thought in the comments below and let’s start a conversation.

If you found this post interesting, learned something new, or think of someone who might enjoy reading it too, please share this blog post with your family and friends. It means the world to us! You can also leave us a comment to let us know what you learned or share one of your favorite hair care or skin care tips with us. We would love to hear from you!

All my love and have a happy week,

Amanda


Our Favorite Soaps For Autumn

It should be no surprise to any of you that at Apple Valley Natural Soap we love any excuse to celebrate the changing of the seasons. And autumn is no joke around here, we love all things cozy, warm, & pumpkin spice. Give us all the autumnal cozy vibes! This is why we created our Seasonal Fall soap line featuring all of our favorite things about the autumn season. Our Fall soaps are filled with pumpkin, apples, spices and everything we love about the cozy vibes of autumn and they are available now! We make limited batches of these natural Special Edition Soaps for the Fall season, specially formulated to not only bring the warmth of the season into your home, but to give your skin and hair the extra special care needed during the cooler & dryer months. They make the perfect addition to any home during the autumn season and they make amazing gifts for family and friends as well. Our fabulous fall soaps are around for only a limited time so stock up now!

Seasonal Pumpkin Spice Hand & Body Bar

Let’s kick this list off with a crowd favorite, everyones go-to autumn treat, Pumpkin Spice! If you are a pumpkin spice lover, then you will just adore this hand & body bar. Along with pumpkin, we’ve added rich baking spices like cinnamon, clove, and ginger to this amazing soap making this seasonal Pumpkin Spice Soap a feast for your skin. Lots of rich, fluffy lather and the scent of orange and clove will warm your body, heart, and soul. This natural soap bar makes a fun, practical hostess gift during the holiday seasons.

“This soap has an amazing lather and scent. Perfect for cool mornings as a way to start your day. I highly recommend this luxuriant fall special.” – T. Happel

“The scent was amazing and my skin felt clean and fresh.” – J. Yannuzzi

Seasonal Spice Cake Hand & Body Bar

There is nothing quite like a spicy baked treat to get you into the autumn mood! We love to celebrate autumn with a natural soap that smells just like freshly baked spice cake stuffed with ingredients which are good for your skin. Made with apple, spices, moisturizing mango and shea butters, our Spice Cake bar is totally natural and smells just like Grandma’s house on a crisp, autumn day. An added benefit of this bar is the light exfoliation power due to the salt, it makes a wonderful bar to have by the sink, or in the shower. Also, we don’t use any fragrance oil, instead we’ve created a blend of essential oils that smell sweet and spicy. Here for a limited time only, this natural soap bar also makes a fun, practical hostess gift during the holiday seasons.

“Oh my goodness I love the smell of this bar!! So wonderful and perfect for my bathroom sink in the fall!!” – Michelle

Seasonal Black Licorice Hand, Foot & Body Bar

Calling all black licorice lovers! This bar was made for you! The release of this fantastic soap was our first nod to the change of seasons and cooler months. This amazing black licorice soap is for those who simply just LOVE the scent of black licorice. Brace yourself for an incredible licorice scent along with a satisfying exfoliation experience from the black walnut hull powder, which also gives it the dark coloring. Licorice root not only smells great, but has many health benefits. The herb is used directly on the skin to help with eczema, skin rashes, psoriasis, and itchy, dry skin. Black walnut is also regarded to be useful in the treatment of skin diseases and complaints such as eczema, ringworm, athlete’s foot etc. It’s long been used as a natural remedy for acne, canker sores, psoriasis and other fungal infections. There’s nothing like it! Here for a limited time only, this natural soap bar also makes a fun, practical hostess gift during the holiday seasons.

“This is my favorite body bar. Light exfoliation and great for my skin.” – M. Hetrick

“I love the exfoliation, but not too harsh. I enjoy the smell. One of my favorite soaps!” – Melissa

Our Fall Soaps are filled with pumpkin, apples, spices and everything we love about the cozy vibes of autumn and they are available now! We make limited batches of these natural Special Edition Soaps for the Fall season, specially formulated to not only bring the warmth of the season into your home, but to give your skin and hair the extra special care needed during the cooler & dryer months. We are so excited that the autumn season is back again and cannot wait for you to try out our homage to fall with these seasonal, limited edition soaps.

Do you have a favorite way to celebrate the changing seasons, specially this autumn? Share with us in the comments below and let’s start a conversation!

If you found this post interesting, learned something new, or think of someone who might enjoy reading it, please share this blog post with your family and friends. It means the world to us! You can also leave us a comment to let us know what you learned or share one of your favorite autumn hair care or skin care tips with us. We would love to hear from you!

All my love and have a happy week,

Amanda


The Inside Scoop On Our Christmas Soaps

Blast the Christmas music, put up the tree, December is here! Most of our Christmas soaps are still in stock, but they won’t be for long. These decorative bars are generously scented and make the perfect hostess gift, but that isn’t where the benefits end! Today we’ll be looking at the ingredient lists of our Christmas soaps so we can unpack all the amazing benefits these bars were designed to include. I’ll also be giving my personal thoughts on some of the bars, we’ll look at what customers have to say, and we’ll even hear from Marianne herself!

Our Christmas Soaps: a welcoming of the season

“I love Christmas, everything about it! And when it comes to our Christmas soaps, I LOVE each and every one of them as they all contain an essence of Christmas spirit. From the warmth of a cozy fire decorated with fresh evergreens, to a walk in a snow covered forest and minty candy canes, they transport the senses.”

-Marianne

Beneficial Ingredients in Our Christmas Soap Bars

Each of our Christmas soaps has a unique recipe and scent profile, but these benefits are so fantastic that we had to include them in every bar!

  • Lots of Olive oil which is packed with anti-aging antioxidants and hydrating squalene, making it superb for hair, skin, and nails.
  • Coconut oil which is a super-oil full of naturally present antioxidants, it is an excellent anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. 
  • Shea butter strengthens your skin by stimulating the production of collagen, it helps make your skin more supple, more alive, nourished and radiant.

Natural Body Bars

Chocolate Orange Body Bar

Description

Loads of organic cocoa butter (almost 50%!) give this bar its dreamy, creamy feel on the skin and its rich, chocolatey scent. Sweet orange essential oil adds that luscious twist of heaven. Don’t miss this special edition bar.

Special Ingredient

Cocoa Butter is readily absorbed by your skin for superb moisturizing, as well as a great antioxidant to protect the health and youthful appearance of skin.

My First Impression

What I love most about this bar is the scent journey it takes me on. The first time I smelled the Chocolate Orange bar I expected to smell both the chocolate and orange at the same time, but I actually smelled them in order. First the warm cocoa-y scent filled the entire space and then a zesty orange scent snuck up from behind as a fun surprise. Did anyone else have this experience? Or was it just me???

Customers Say

“I love this soap! The lather is rich and creamy, smells yummy and love how my skin feels. The vanilla-tangerine-body-butter follows nicely with tangerine scent too.”

“I like the Chocolate Orange Body Bar. Great smell & it kind of reminds me of Tootsie-pops!”

Peppermint Body Bar

Description

Crisp, cool, candy mint. The perfect wake-me-upper on an early dark winter morning!

Like our other seasonal Body bars, this bar was created to be super moisturizing due to a higher fat content that has not been saponified. Body bars are especially great for dry skin, and here in the north we’ll take all the help we can get during the winter months!

This bar is currently out of stock for the season, but if you’re looking for your fix of peppermint try these!

Special ingredients

Peppermint Essential Oil provides a cooling sense of relief on skin

Natural Australian Red Reef Clay creates the creamy swirls of soap in festive ribbons. Australian Red Clay is wonderful for all skin types it has a gentle absorbent action that hydrates and restores vitality to the skin.

My First Impression

this bar is pure peppermint, absolutely delicious. A huge crowd pleaser, I had about five people smell this bar and they all loved it immediately. You can’t go wrong with this bar.

Customers Say

“I love peppermint and this smells wonderful!”

Merry Mistletoe Body Bar

Description

The delicious chill of soft swirling snow, the comforting scent of evergreen and warm cider, and the happy jingle of bells in the distance. That’s what this bar conjures up. Pamper your senses this Christmas season with our Merry Mistletoe body bar.

Special Ingredient

Chlorella is a type of algae found in freshwater. It’s a superfood for your skin and is known for improving skin tone skin health.

My First Impression

Where the peppermint bar is more minty, this bar has a gentler crispness because of the essential oils of fir needle and scotch pine. 

Customers Say

“The oil of fir tree makes this soap smell just like Christmas. Love it!”

“I enjoy giving this particular bar of soap as a gift. I tuck one in w/a gift card for my hair stylist, I add one to my hostess gifts, and always save one for myself.”

Three Kings Body Bar

Description

Our beautifully swirled Three Kings bar has a regal, sophisticated, warm scent.

“I love the scent profile and meaning behind our Three Kings Body bar. The beautiful swirling within the bar and sprinkling of gold mica on top compliments the regal, sophisticated warmth of the soap itself. The name and fragrance of the bar were inspired by the Wise Men who traveled to see the new born king that first Christmas night. Following the star in the sky which was given as a sign, the Kings presented Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Our Three Kings Body bar is one way we point to the Christmas message of hope, joy & peace.”

-Marianne

Special Ingredient

Frankincense Essential Oils are said to contain properties that help reduce joint inflammation (Healthline).

Customers Say

“The fragrance of this soap is like nothing I have ever experienced. The frankincense, sweet orange, and cedarwood make me feel fresh and pampered!”

Shampoo Bars

While I long for the day AVNS makes a black licorice shampoo bar, I love that our limited edition christmas soaps include not one but two shampoo bars!

Winter Wonderland Shampoo Bar

Description

Enjoy wandering through a snow covered forest of evergreens, while capturing the warmth of the season with aromatic sweet orange, a whisper of cozy cinnamon and a dusting of nutmeg. As this nourishing shampoo bar has an amazing scent profile along with wonderful moisturizing properties for both skin and hair, this bar may just become one of your favorites, it’s definitely Marianne’s!

“My favorite Christmas bar, if I had to choose, is the Winter Wonderland Shampoo & Body bar, not only because it’s a nourishing shampoo bar with a thick sudsy lather, but because the scent profile transports me into my Christmas happy place. It captures the warmth of the Christmas with the subtle fragrance of evergreens along with sweet orange, cinnamon and nutmeg, I think we need to make a candle from this essential oil blend!!!”

-Marianne

Special Ingredient

Sweet Almond oil not only helps soften rough or dry skin, it also helps eradicate irritation, inflammation, skin rashes and effectively delays aging.

Customers Say

“I love it! Even came back and bought 3 more for gifts.”

Christmas Spice Shampoo Bar

Description

Relax into the aroma of Christmas, with warm spice notes from classic cedarwood, cozy cinnamon and clove, infused with a touch of sweet orange and vanilla. This shampoo bar will nourish and moisturize both hair and body, as well as enrich your bathing experience with warm holiday scents.

Special Ingredient

Wheat Germ is excellent for hair because it works by creating a type of protective barrier around the hair shaft. It holds in moisture and protein all while also protecting the hair from heat damage and UV rays.

Customers Say

“So LOVE this smell, and it’s the first shampoo bar I’ve tried. I love the extra lather!”

Which Bar Will You Choose?

No matter which bar you pick, you’re sure to benefit! There’s no better way to get into the spirit of Christmas than through the fantastic smells that remind us of this time of year’s seasonal cheer. Now I’m off to make some hot cocoa, but I’ll leave you with this cute little holiday joke before I go!

One night a Viking named Rudolph the Red was looking out the window when he said, “It’s going to rain.”

His wife asked, “How do you know?”

“Because Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear.”

by Jorgen R., Prunedale, Calif.

Much Love,

Nora