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The Establishment
Dionis Soap
By Melissa Miller
The best known and most widely available of the product lines I sampled is
Dionis
Soap, of Charlottesville, Virginia. Dionis was
founded in the mid-eighties by Kate Crosby, who moved to
Virginia from England.
She began making goat's milk soap in her
kitchen, then expanded to a shop in Charlottesville. She
reportedly still personally milks her herd of goats daily to
supply the milk for her company's products.
Dionis Unscented Goats Milk Soap ($3.00 for a 2.7oz
bar) serves up a good deal of
creamy, moisturizing lather, and Dionis Extra Rich Hand Cream
(2oz for $6.50) is a winter dry-skin saver, leaving a
protective barrier on the hands that lasts through several
washings.
I keep the Blue Ridge Wildflower Liquid Soap
(8oz for $7.50) by my
kitchen sink; it leaves my hands soft and lightly scented. The
Goats Milk Hand and Body Lotion in Piedmont Apple scent
(16oz for $16.50) my favorite of
the Dionis products, is thick and emollient, and its delicious
fruity scent has great staying power.
The Dionis Body Wash
(9oz for $8.70) has
a high percentage of goat milk and a thick consistency, but I
tried it with the Virginia Hyacinth scent, which is so highly
floral and soapy that it made my eyes water (I’d like to try
this in one of the other scents available).
The line also
includes foaming milk bath, shampoo and floral essence
fragrance. The products are all available in these scents:
Shenandoah Rose, Piedmont Apple, Colonial Lavender, Virginia
Hyacinth, Blue Ridge Wildflower and Unscented with Oatmeal.
I’d love to see more fruit scents in this line, as I find the florals cloying and undistinguished.
 Dionis has recently introduced its
Gardens line, with a
combination of garden and orchard scents such as Cucumber
Mint, Ablemarle Pippen, Elderberry Quince, and Hawthorne Witch
Hazel.
The Ablemarle Pippen Moisturizing Body Wash has
a delightful apple aroma that is perfect for cold, early
mornings.
The Cucumber Mint Glycerin Soap with Goat Milk is an
invigorating scent blend, and leaves the skin soft and silky.
The Garden selection includes hand and body lotion, moisturizing
body wash, hand and body scrub, hand cream and glycerin soap.
Find their products at DionisSoap.com and at other
online retailers.
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