Shopping with us just became easier!
August 17, 2009 Written by Chivas Skin Care
When we learned that we could get better shipping rates with USPS, we jumped on the chance to save you money and added USPS to our shipping options. Shopping with us just became a little easier on the wallet!
Want to learn how Donna handmakes her soap?
August 13, 2009 Written by Chivas Skin Care
Want to learn more about the process of making our goat milk soap? Check out this podcast, produced by the team at Lime. The video includes interviews with Chivas Skin Care co-founders Donna and Lauren Johanson, plus a tour of our farm and factory.
Free Shipping on all Orders of $75 or More!
August 9, 2009 Written by Chivas Skin Care
Get started shopping and receive free shipping on all orders of $100 or more! (United States only)
Q&A With Carrie and Taylor, our summer interns
June 25, 2009 Written by Chivas Skin Care
We’re excited to bring two summer interns to the Chivas team. Taylor Harkins and Carrie Widder grew up together in Newport Beach, California.
Taylor attends Santa Clara University where she studies Marketing and is a member of the women’s water polo team. She will help us expand our custom order business and work on sales and marketing efforts.
Carrie will contribute to our social media efforts, including writing for our blog and newsletter. An aspiring journalist, she studies English at New York University.
To get to know them a little better, we had Taylor and Carrie interview one another for our blog. Here’s what they had to say:
Taylor: So, Carrie, how did you hear about Chivas?
Carrie: Funny you should mention that. You actually told me about Chivas and how much you were loving your summer internship. How did you hear about Chivas?
Taylor: I heard about it through someone who had worked with Angie [our marketing/sales director] previously and knew Chivas was looking for interns. I applied and now here I am, playing with goats and computers – not together, for obvious reasons. So, I have a fun question for you. If you had a goat of your own, what would you name it and why?
Carrie: I love the show Lost, so I think I would name the goat after one of my favorite characters – either Desmond, Sayid, or Sawyer. Should my goat procreate, there are an endless amount of character names on the show to continue the naming legacy. What would you name your goat?
Taylor: My first instinct is Santa, but that’s a lot of pressure for a goat. I think I’ll settle on Blitzen, one of his reindeer. Also, fun fact, Blitz means lightning in German. Bet you didn’t know that.
Carrie: Actually, I did, because I’m the one who just told you that.
Taylor: Sassy.
Carrie: I know. You mentioned that there are some pretty crazy animals at the Johanson’s farm, like tortoises and pigs. I’m excited to meet them when we’re at the farm tomorrow. What animal would you add to the mix?
Taylor: Ideally, a baby elephant. Unfortunately, due to size limitations, climate, and probably health codes, that’s not really a possibility. More realistically, I think I would bring in a female German Shepherd so that Moose [the Johanson's male German Shephard] could not only have a companion but also a girlfriend. Carrie, last question. What is your favorite Chivas product and why?
Carrie: I have to say the Chivas Original Vegan Lip Balm. Not only is it perfect for summer, it doesn’t use that lanolin nonsense! After helping to research the answers for our lip balm FAQ, I was a little grossed out by the idea of putting lanolin on my lips.
Lucky Picks Chivas Skin Care
May 17, 2009 Written by Chivas Skin Care
Lucky us, we’ve just been named one of Lucky magazine’s Great Picks!
Lucky featured our Original Goat Milk Soap in their June 2009 issue’s feature on Los Angeles-based indie beauty lines. They say, “A Camarillo-based mother-daughter team whips up batches of this soap using milk from goats they keep in their own backyard.”
Your Goat Questions Answered!
May 15, 2009 Written by Chivas Skin Care
We’ve had several customers express interest in learning more about our goats. For the curious, we’ve prepared some FAQs related to the goats and their birthing process.
Q: Who is in charge of the goats?
A: Donna is certainly our resident expert on our French Alpine goats. She’s been raising farm animals for years, and this photo of her with Lauren and her eldest son John speaks to her experience.
Q: Will you keep all the baby goats (aka kids) that are born this year?
A: Most of the kids that were just born will stay on our farm. We already have demand for any kids we can’t keep from people who are interested in starting to raise their own goats.
Q: Is a veterinarian involved in the birthing process?
A: Our vet handles check-ups, but Donna takes care of the day-to-day issues that may arrive. If we have a problem, then we certainly involve our vet. The way a goat handles her pregnancy is different for each mother, just like with humans.
Q. How much milk do your goats produce? Do you still milk your goats before and after they give birth?
A. Depending on the season, our goats produce between 1-2 gallons of milk each day. Donna hand-milks the goats twice a day and enjoys this time as a reflective, relaxing part of her day. Our goats aren’t milked during the last few months of their pregnancies and until after about three months after they give birth, when we wean the kids. We miss having fresh milk for our morning coffee and other goodies, but we think it’s important for the kids to have this nourishment from their mothers. This practice goes against industrial farming practices where kids are taken off their mother immediately and fed a powdered milk replacer.
Q. If you’re not milking the goats, then where do you get milk for your soaps?
A: To plan ahead for being without milk for a few months, we store surplus milk in our industrial freezers and use this in our soaps while the goats prepare for their kids.
Meet the newest members of our team… our baby goats
May 14, 2009 Written by Chivas Skin Care
We had an impromptu photo shoot with the newest members of the Chivas Skin Care team, our new baby goats (aka kids)! We hope you enjoy a look at their wobbly, lovable cuteness.
Pioneer Woman raves about Chivas
April 22, 2009 Written by Chivas Skin Care
Photo credit: Ree Drummond
We were excited to see Ree Drummond, the blogger behind The Pioneer Woman, feature products from Chivas Skin Care. She declared our product scents “divine,” saying, “When I picked up the box, I was immediately struck by the scent-ohhhhhh, the scent… I can’t even begin to tell you how good it smelled.”
We especially love the above photo which shows how she displayed our goat milk soaps, creme, bath salts and vegan lip balms for her guests. What a great reuse of our crinkle packing paper too!
You can read full story and see more of Ree’s stunning photos here.
Try our Limited-Edition Soap Scents!
April 16, 2009 Written by Chivas Skin Care
Photo Credit: Myra Vides
Enjoy the delicious aromas of the season with our limited edition Spring/Summer 2009 soap scents.
Citrus Chamomile, Herb Garden, and Santa Rosa Valley are refreshing, nourishing scents sure to remind you of warm weather and sunny California skies year-round.
Everyone seems to have their favorite. Cooks and gardeners love the rich, earthy smells and gentle exfoliation of Herb Garden. Sensitive-skin types enjoy the gentle ingredients of Citrus Chamomile. And Santa Rosa Valley is especially popular with those living in Southern California given the ingredients are inspired by what’s grown nearby.
As with all our scents, co-founder Lauren Johanson mixed these yummy scents herself using plant-based essential oils.
Simply Stated, Chivas is the Real Deal
April 2, 2009 Written by Chivas Skin Care
As a beauty line that prides itself on simplicity, we definitely feel a bond with the mission of the Real Simple magazine. We were happy to see our products featured in one of the Real Simple blogs, Simply Stated.
Real Simple staffer and one of the writers for Simply Stated, Julee Wilson, wrote that Chivas is “a simple line of natural, handmade skin care products focusing on the benefits of fresh goat milk and aromatherapy.” She continues to note that the line has expanded from goat milk soap to also include “facial cremes, lip balms and even bath salts!
Click here for the rest of her review.
