Review: Coastal Scents African Black Soap!

Description on Coastal Scents website: Coastal Scents black soap is the original thing! It is imported from Ghana where it is hand pressed and processed by women in a small village in Ghana. It contains no scents, preservatives OR chemicals.

For centuries, Ghanaians have used Black Soap to help relieve acne, oily skin, clear blemishes and various other skin issues. It is known to help with skin irritations and conditions such as Eczema and Psoriasis as well. African Black soap has also been used to achieve beautiful skin. Africans have also used this natural soap for bathing and washing their hair. It's excellent for removing make-up too! Black Soap will leave your skin soft and clear.
 

Suggested Uses:
Traditionally, African Black Soap has been used to treat rashes, acne, eczema, dandruff, body odor and much more. The African black soap helps keep the skin clean and helps against premature facial lines. It is great for showering, bathing, washing of the hair, face and the feet. Black Soap is recommended for the young and the old. Black soap leaves the skin smooth and soft & as a facial soap it is excellent for clearing acne.

African black soap has been used in Africa for the treatment of rashes, ring worm, eczema and also as a natural hair shampoo to avoid itchy and dry scalps. 

Storage:

African black soap should not be exposed to excess water and stored in a cool dry place. African black soap is soft and has a very high content of natural glycerin.

Because of its natural glycerin rich content it absorbs moisture from the air and becomes softer if not stored in a cool dry place or in a sealed polythene bags.

Ingredients:

Cocos nucifera(Coconut Oil),butyrospermum parkii,(Raw Shea butter), Cocoa Pod ash, Aqua(Water)
Elaeis guineensis (Palm Kernel Oil)

To read more about African Black Soap on the Coastal Scents website, click here.

The price is this soap is $12.95 for 17 oz. A standard Dove bar of soap weighs in at 4.25 oz. So you can think of it like 4 standard bars of soap combined into one. But, it appears a little larger because it's not as dense as a standard bar of soap. I think the price is very reasonable.

How I use it: I typically use it on my face by rinsing my face with water, then lathering a small piece of soap in my hand and working the lather all over my face, avoiding the eye area. Then, rinse & pat my face dry. Sometimes I use it the same way, but while I'm in the shower.

I also like using it on my body while I'm in the shower by lathering it through my loofah - just as I would with any soap.

Review: I'm not even sure what really possessed me to purchase this product several months ago. I think while placing an order on Coastal Scents, I stumbled upon African Black Soap on accident and saw the rave reviews so I took the chance in purchasing it. It's a little difficult to describe the texture. It feels like soap, but it's not dense like a bar of soap. It's soft and a little crumbly. I like cutting the soap in slices and then in 1/4" pieces. It's a good size and it will last me about two weeks with daily use, sometimes less. The soap itself, because it isn't dense, is pliable. Once I've cut the soap in squares, I can mold it into a ball.

I like storing the soap in a large zip lock bag inside a Rubbermaid container to keep it away from any moisture or air. The smell is described as "earthy", I think it just smells like your traditional bar of (non fragrance) soap. It lathers well - it doesn't "over" lather or "under" lather, if you know what I mean. I don't care for soaps that don't lather, and although I could use a little more lather, I'm satisfied with it. What I really love about this soap is the amazing job it does at removing my makeup. Once I lather it on my face and rinse, everything is gone. No trace of makeup in sight and no residue left behind - and I'm not sure I can really say that about any of my cleansers, although Cetaphil for Normal/Oily does a pretty good job. Once my face is dry, it feels slightly taught and very clean. A moisturizer is very necessary! When I first started using this soap, I used it every day with an exfoliation brush, and I loved it. Until a few days later I had a bunch of dry spots pop up around my mouth. I realized since then, it's a bit harsh for my skin and using it in conjunction with a harsh brush was too much for my skin. I think this is a fantastic soap for those who would like a cleanser that provides good oil control as well as those who suffer from acne and breakouts. This does such a great job cleaning my skin that pimples don't last very long on my face while using this. I also like using this soap on my body, but avoiding my legs, because my legs are quite dry. It works great for the rest of my body, and wonderful on my upper back (which I tend to breakout here and there). I love that it leaves my skin feeling squeaky clean, yet soft & doesn't leave any residue on my skin or an oil slick in my bath tub. Overall, a really great product and I will be purchasing more when I run out!

UPDATE: Although, I mentioned it's too harsh for my skin in conjunction with a brush, I actually started using it daily with my Olay Pro-X, and I haven't had any dryness. A good moisturizer is key! I load up on the moisturizer at night and my skin is looking great!