With all of the individual bottles and tubs and buckets of lotion, body butters and salves in my house…I could un-ashify an entire crackhouse, or about 25 Malik Yoba’s. I literally have enough lotion to take me into my early fifties. I’m always on the quest for something amazing, different, and worth my money.

A little over a month ago I was walking thru Target, and took a stroll down the beauty aisles. Something caught my eye — the black packaging stuck out like a midget in a police line-up and the next thing you know, I was reading an all black label with bright yellow text. I was holding a bottle of Shea Moisture’s Organic African Black Soap Shea Butter Lotion ($8). Say that three times. I twisted the cap off, took a whiff, and my eyes rolled with pleasure. It had this earthy-warm-nutty-buttery scent that I just knew my body would love. I then saw the bar of soap ($5) and although I don’t typically use bar soaps, I was intrigued. The soap, along with the lotion, said it was for “acne prone/troubled skin”. I don’t really have either, but I wanted to use it anyway. I had always had an interest in Black Soap after hearing the benefits.

African Black Soap, made from palm ash, tamarind extract, tar and plantain peel has been used in Africa for centuries to treat eczema, acne, oily skin, psoriasis, and other skin ailments. Combined with the healing and hydrating properties of Shea Butter, this healing lotion should be used daily to balance and resolve skin problems.

source: Shea Moisture

Shea Moisture: African Black Soap

MY THOUGHTS ON THE SOAP

Shea Moisture: African Black Soap

That’s what the bar of black soap looks like. It looks like it has bits and pieces of raw earthy goodies like nuts and oats or something. It has a slight licorice scent, lathers extremely well, and cleans the CRAP outta anything! What I love about this soap is that it doesn’t make my skin feel super tight like pretty much every bar soap I’ve ever used. I wouldn’t say it’s moisturizing, but I remember using a bar of Ivory soap one time, and right after I dried off, it felt like my skin was about to crack. I had to immediately slather baby oil on. I hate that feeling! So no, this bar soap isn’t moisturizing, but it didn’t give me that Tin-man “I need my oilcan” feeling either. I’ve also used it on my face with my Clarisonic, and it leaves it squeaky-clean. Literally. I followed my wash up with the accompanying lotion and it was a beautiful match made in no-ashy-kneecap heaven. This bar lasted me about three weeks of consistent use, and I used it with a pouf for maximum results.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE LOTION

Shea Moisture: African Black Soap Lotion

Look at how thick this lotion is! It’s NOT moving lol. But understand that it’s not greasy, despite the thickness. It’s smooth, creamy, fast-absorbing and really smells nice if you’re into that “organic” smell. Notice how it doesn’t have that “wet-shiny” look either. It’s not your typical watered-down, super-greasy shea butter, it kinda looks like buttercream frosting — or maybe I’m just hungry…

THIS LOTION HAS

  • No Parabens
  • No Phthalates
  • No Paraffin
  • No Formaldehyde
  • No Propylene Glycol
  • No Mineral Oil
  • No Synthetic Fragrance
  • No Animal Testing
  • No PABA
  • No Synthetic Color
  • No DEA
  • No Animal Ingredients


I can almost see thru to the bottom!

Shea Moisture: African Black Soap
After about 3 weeks…

OVERALL

I really, really love these products so far and have been using them long enough to give them a solid rating. I’ve probably got about another 2 weeks (tops) left of lotion. The bar of soap? It’s pretty much non-existent, lookin’ like a blackened potato chip lol. It was great while it lasted though! Since I don’t have acne-prone or troubled skin, I can’t really comment on that — BUT, sometimes I get super tiny red marks on my body, and I haven’t seen any pop up since I’ve used this. It keeps my skin super soft and supple all day long. I adore how well it absorbs — you don’t feel that slippery, greasy feeling you get with most milkshake thick lotions. I wanted to use these products for a while before doing a review, because things like this take time before you even see results. I am definitely going to try the different items from this line.

I felt the pricing for the lotion was decent, especially since it’s an organic product. I know some of you are probably twisting your face at the thought of paying $5 for a bar of soap, but if you have really bad skin, you wanna invest. It may help you out and end up being priceless. These aren’t your normal run-of-the-mill ingredients either. African Black Soap is pretty expensive, but beneficial for lots of people. Try it!

RATING

B+
*The reason I didn’t rate this higher than a ‘B+’ is because it’s targeted for acne-prone/troubled skin, and I don’t really have that issue. I feel it’s an ‘A’ as far as the other benefits, but I cannot unfairly mislead and give it an A rating in the event someone with acne-prone skin tries it and it sucks for them lol. It’s an ‘A’ in my heart though :)

Availability: Shea Moisture, Target stores

.